Hammond B-3 X (IK Multimedia)

This clonewheel VST from Hammond/IK is amazing. Better than most of the hardware clonewheel organs I have heard. Gets the ‘leakage’ right. Leslie is very good and highly customizable.

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For a long time my favorite was a Korg CX-3 with an original Leslie 147 like Michał Łapaj, Keyboarder from the ProgRock Band “Riverside”. This was my (Hammond-)Organ sound without Hammond.

I have tried a lot of VSTs, now I use the Hammond B-3 X from IK Multimedia live. I’m satiesfied, in my opinion you are right with leakage and Leslie.

But the new B-5 V3 from acousticsamples is a serious competitor. I like this sound very much. Perhaps it works better with the band, some sounds of the Hammond B-3 X have problems. I have to test it when it’s possible, hopefully next year. Perhaps it’s a good idea to use the B-5 V3 with the IK Multimedia Leslie…

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What kind of problems?

Some sounds are weak in band context, they don’t cut through like for example the Korg CX-3 with the 147. And I’m not satisfied with the distortion. But that are complaints at a high level. Nevertheless I try to optimize my sounds.

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You know you can mix the Leslie with the guitar amp and you can use the stompbox distortion additionally.
And the graphic eq can help you to cut through.
It is like always: presets are only a suggestion, you have to find your sound.

Normally I take a preset and adjust it. The stompbox distortion is not “warm” in my opinion. For me it’s important to reach the right amount of distortion with the expression. “Graphic eq” is a good hint, I have never used the eq before, I will give it a try.

But I will also give the B5 V3 a try, you can never have enough good organ sounds… but with all sounds it’s try and error. With headphones killer, with the band not …

I am using a calibrated headphone from sonarworks and since I am using it my sounds can be heard with a band.

The fast Leslie speed of b5 v3 I do not like, the slow is Fine

I never thought that it’s a question of calibrating headphones. You are dangerous for my wallet…

I will definitely try the B-5 V3 with the IK Multimedia Leslie. But if I am honest, however, I do not believe, that most of the audience will hear a difference.

When you smile while playing the audience will hear

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A few thoughts…

The T-RackS Leslie is great, but it seems like it should come with the purchase of the B-3 X or the Leslie in the B-3 X should come as a standalone VST so you can use it on other instruments. I am demoing the T-RackS Leslie right now to use on some piano sounds.

Or… another way to think about this is if their were more ‘bus sends’ or routing capabilities in the B-3 X so you could send signal out to a warmer distortion VST and then back into the Leslie on the B-3 X.

In other words… I’d like to use the B-3 X as the hub of my setup and be able to send signals in and out of it at different points of the signal path.

Aside from that… I think it’s near perfect and always makes me smile.

Side note… what kind of keyboard/controller are you guys using with your clonewheel and are you happy with it?

Okay, that’s right!

I use a Korg Kronos as my Keyboard Controller, the nine faders for the drawbars, the Vector-Joystick for Leslie speed, the ribbon controller and the knobs for distortion, Spring reverb etc. Since I use GP I am happy with this solution.

I am using a Numa Organ 2 that I bought used and which is the cheapest 73 key waterfall keyboard I found on the market.

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David-san,

Do you find that the Numa Organ 2 maps well to the B-3 X, in terms of drawbars and other switches?

Since you have that organ… do you like the B-3 X’s sounds over the internal Numa’s?

I cannot tell you I never tried B3X :grimacing:

ah… but do you know if all the surface controls on the numa organ 2 send midi cc?

are you using it with the built in sounds or with VST… or both?

As I answered in your other topic, yes most of the drawbars, knobs and buttons can be MIDI assigned to GP widgets.

I use it with VST also, but not with organ VST for the moment. I use the built-in organ tone generator which I like.

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Good morning guys. I am new here. Fan of this Hammond plugin too.
Just trying to set my first concert with GP. Studying since 1 day…
Do you really make a rack for every preset of B3X?
I think a program change at song start should be faster than reload a full instance (this thing is huge). But I am not in GP thinking yet probably

Hi @Furio, welcome to the GP community :wink:
Why don’t you put a set of widgets associated to the parameter of the B3-X plugin you want to modify? (Start with dragging a set of 9 drawbars: while moving one drawbar to the panel, maintain SHIFT and press shortly 9 before you drop the drawbars, you will get 9 drawbars aligned with the appropriate B3 colors)

I am not changing drawbars while I play. I only need to change preset every song, including Leslie and distortion setting