Virus C supersaw Vs Jpk/SH201

Ive been wanting a C since they first came out and im' thining this fall i'm going to buy one, but I really like the super on the SH201, and as much as I have played with the C, I haven't heard the super on the C and it's not a breaker, i'd just like to be able to mentally cross off the 201 or 8k, only because 400$ looks more atractive than 8-900. And I want the C and I need self control to get it.

I'm just a cheapskate. I dont like paying more than 4-500$ (i can wait a long time for the price to come down). but I also don't want to be 55 and restoring a Virus C in my garage for the next 10 years

The SH is so cheap you might as well keep it if you get the Virus...

That would because there is no supersaw as such on a Virus C - that was added with the Virus TI.

Alot of the charm of the roland supersaw sound comes fro the roland basic tone anyway, so the hypersaw on the TI and the unison osc (which is their euiv, but is only 5 waves, and applies to all basic waves, not just saws) mode on the radias for eg sound quite different. For comparison, the TI is 8 saws morphable to squares and with sync etc as well, and after that, you still have 8x unison to play with as well, so adding osc 3 too - you can get 144 saws per voice out of the thing if you really have to go mad with it.

I wont say whether roland or acces or better for this - its a taste thing, some like one, some prefer the other.

If you are after the roland supersaw tone - then you ned a JP80xx, SH201 or V-Synth. Also some of what you have heard might have come from someone else entirely, novation super nova (2/pro/pro-x) for eg was common.

On the Virus C - then its going to be full unison osc mode with basic saws.

That said, alot of anthem trance sounds that many folks have assumed where supersaw were actually Virus B with fast lfo pitch modulation independent (one LFO per osc, slighly different speeds), noise and a litttle high end reso and a bit of EQ - some of those patchs are factory patches on the TI and downloadable from the access or vengence (some you have to pay for) web sites for earlier models.

As for restoring a virus C - unlikely unless its been badly abused - keyboard on them are pretty good quality - among the best of any synth (ignoring the TI of course).

Hey, I've been through all the supersaws: SH-201, V-Synth, Virus TI, JP8K, andromeda.

So my experience, using the JP8K as the benchmark...

The V-synth is not a substitute. The supersaw is anemic, it needs a bit of noise added to it, and then the filter sweep doesn't cut it.

The Virus TI is pretty close, I analyzed the waveforms, and the saw waveform is backwards from the JP8K, but very close. The filter is nice but has a less smooth character, with a little less high end fizzle.

The SH-201 is a close substitute for the JP, even though it is supposedly based on the V-Synth engine, it seems to have a better filter, I would place it a tiny bit above the TI on the list of JP8K impersonations.

I can't say anything about the Virus C, but it doesn't have the hypersaw waveform. Stacking up voices you may get a usable supersaw tone...

For the price of the SH-201, you can't get much closer to the JP8K if that is what you're looking for, but obviously you lose out on all the *other* capabilities of the Virus.

cheers

ripe

i sold my jp-8080 but it had a strong super saw (good arpeggio and automation too) but kept my virus c its the best in virtual analog imo except maybe the ti (haven't tried one). it has other strengths that outshine everything like virtual moog filters and resonance, wavetables and a dirty sound. i played the sh-201 just out of curiosity at the store and wasn't very impressed (same with the juno g) i recommend the jp-8080 over them or search for an original sh-101 or juno.

That's right. The plain ol' A/K or software V-Station can do fairly passable supersaw style sounds too.. (30 seconds later..) VStation.mp3. You could improve it if you added in external FX.

All a synth requires is a saw wave and Unison detune.. and there you have it. The main reason the Virus comes up is because lots of its presets are reverb, delay, and phaser drenched stuff. Any cheap software will get you just as close to the sound. If anything, the reverb is more what's important (if you're going to drench it, at least )

What about Rapture?

9, actually

With a Virus B or C, set all 3 oscillators to a pulse wave and apply Pulse Width Modulation to them (osc3 will respond to the PWM control of osc2).

Since a PWMed square is in fact the equivalent to 2 detuned saws, you can effectively get 6 saws this way without even touching unison mode

ur doin it wrong

That's right. The plain ol' A/K or software V-Station can do fairly passable supersaw style sounds too.. (30 seconds later..) VStation.mp3 . You could improve it if you added in external FX. All a synth requires is a saw wave and Unison detune.. and there you have it. The main reason the Virus comes up is because lots of its presets are reverb, delay, and phaser drenched stuff. Any cheap software will get you just as close to the sound. If anything, the reverb is more what's important (if you're going to drench it, at least )

Just an FYI, the JP8k doesn't have reverb, only delay and chorus, and the EQ, which is surprisingly effective. So recreating the jp8k supersaw on a virus doesn't require reverb.

If you are after a purist JP8k supersaw sound, there aren't as many options...

cheers

ripe

9, actually With a Virus B or C, set all 3 oscillators to a pulse wave and apply Pulse Width Modulation to them (osc3 will respond to the PWM control of osc2). Since a PWMed square is in fact the equivalent to 2 detuned saws, you can effectively get 6 saws this way without even touching unison mode

Is this right? I would have to try this out for myself!

Here is a pic of two supersaw waveforms, on the left JP-8000, on the right Virus TI. This is with no effects and the filter wide open. 7 saws on the Virus waveform, detuned until you can just notice too much dissonance.

also here is the audio of the two...

virus

jp8000

cheers

ripe

I know, which was precisely my point! D'oh. You see, people generally AREN'T trying to recreate the JP8K Supersaw, they're trying to recreate what they hear on records, and have simply been told a JP8000 was used or "It sounds like a JP8000 to me." As was pointed out, a whole lot of the time it isn't even a JP8000 they're hearing.. It's simply a different synth doing supersaw style sounds. For those sorts of sounds reverb usually plays a VERY prominent role, to the point of being a large part of the sound.

The Virus (at least pre-TI) is NOT one of the better synths if you're seeking to actually emulate a JP8000. Its basic tone is too mushy and dark, and the reverb, whilst decent(ish), isn't going to give that "drenched" quality to the sound that something like a Lexicon box is. However, other synths, like even V-Station, could certainly be tweaked where you couldn't tell it apart from a JP8000 in certain contexts, including the trademark "Rank1 Airwave" style of sounds.

There's plenty if you're willing to tweak. But, if that's the sound you want a lot, then you may as well get that synth than make others jump through hoops to sound like it

Is this right? I would have to try this out for myself! Here is a pic of two supersaw waveforms, on the left JP-8000, on the right Virus TI. This is with no effects and the filter wide open. 7 saws on the Virus waveform, detuned until you can just notice too much dissonance. also here is the audio of the two... virus jp8000 cheers ripe

I'm sure the Virus hypersaw is very useable but that JP8K supersaw is just beautiful, it's not everbearing, it's just right... beautiful.

Thanks for that comparison, ripe.

Tonally, they sound pretty similar to me, but the JP8000 is using a different amp envelope setting, with decay and bit of a release tail, which immediately makes it a more musical sound than the Virus, which is set to a full sustain and a very abrupt release.

Yeah, sorry, I noticed the envelope difference after recording, but I'm too lazy to do it over ;-)

cheers

ripe

the thing is, yeah you can do it by this and that

but its so easy on the jp8k

and that is the sound for that style, imo

well, i really appreciate the input, although im in the adirondack region right now and i dont have audio I think i'll get the C, the 201 and the NL2. just to cover all my bases XD

Is this right? I would have to try this out for myself! Here is a pic of two supersaw waveforms, on the left JP-8000, on the right Virus TI. This is with no effects and the filter wide open. 7 saws on the Virus waveform, detuned until you can just notice too much dissonance. also here is the audio of the two... virus jp8000 cheers ripe

Ripe,

The JP-8000 sounds just amazing. I'd love to get a hold of the sound to put on my JP.

Any chance?

Where? I lived up there for a spell, in Fulton County.