Update!

Not really an update, but a note to say that somebody has started work on a Virus B Ctrlr panel using the new Ctrlr framework. It works for me in standalone mode; still some problems using it with Ableton Live but with constructive feedback to the author (Widy75), I'm sure the bugs can be ironed out. Due to Ctrlrv5's advanced features, his panel will end up being much better than mine, so only try mine if Widy75's doesn't work for you.

About

This is a VST/AU plugin (also available as a standalone PC/Mac app) based on an old version of the Ctrlr project by atom. In its last incarnation, the Ctrlrs for various hardware synthesisers were available for download individually, whereas now you download one plugin and then load various panel files as you need them. Also, it's now much easier to make your own - even if you have no programming experience - but for this one I needed to do a lot of C++ hacking and building (which I'm not very good at). Anyway, the only reason I'm making this available is that a) I slogged my guts out to get it to work and b) I haven't got time to recreate it using the new Ctrlr framework.

Hardware is a pain in the arse to work with these days, accustomed as we are to in-the-box, total-recall-capable softsynths. Also, a lot of modern software fails to adequately cater for stuff from the good 'ol days, like sysex (and in the case of some DAWs - mentioning no names, Ableton Live - even fairly basic MIDI). My own Virus B is even more of a pain in the arse to work with because all the buttons are broken. It might be possible to get it fixed, but I can't afford to get it fixed...so I needed to be able to control ALL of its parameters via software. The bonus to being able to do that is that you can then easily automate parameters from software, and with my Virus Ctrlr, you can even do ludicrous things like automate the LCD brightness to an LFO in sync with your project's BPM and pretend you're at the world's shittest disco!

Download

Windows VST DLL, Mac OS X AU, VST and standalone executable

WTF

So you basically treat the Virus as a VST instrument - you send MIDI to it as you would a VSTi, it takes its own MIDI input from the Virus (so knob/slider values are kept visually in sync), you can drop both CC and SYSEX parameters (hundreds of them!) into an Automation device and go crazy. Except for a few really in-depth things which still have to be done by getting physical with the hardware, you can build complex patches from scratch within the controller and preview notes as you would with a VSTi.

This is a bit like Midi Quest by Sound Quest, with the slight difference that it looks better, it actually works and it's completely FREE! I also made one for the Novation Nova/Supernova/SupernovaII, but I've sold my Nova and Supernova II so there'll be no more development.

You're wondering how the hell to get hold of this? Good question... On the old googlecode page for Ctrlr, I can only see the Mac distribution archive for the Virus Ctrlr, not the PC one. I have a Win32 VST .dll somewhere which I'll dig out and make available, but it might not be the most recent version... If you want the standalone .exe for Windows, I really can't help you - but asking atom very nicely on the Ctrlr support forum is probably a good idea.