Aw come on, I like my Elektron SID Station very much

As I my Machinedrum... I was lucky enough to get it during a special at a reasonable price.

I haven't played or heard the Clavia combo organ machine,
but the fact that it doesn't have real hardware drawbars seems ludicrous to me -
if you're going to produce a real dedicated 2-manual hardware combo organ instrument, wtf would you leave out drawbars?!? unsane!

I agree to a certain degree. I miss the "real" drawbars. Still there are some benefits with their led light system: "Light drawbars" are always at right position. You can see all drawbar positions immediately when you change presets. (And whole drawbar system is little bit different when using Vox for example) And finally: Who said that you cannot learn to use these drawbars? Quite opposite, this system takes less space and you can open 5 drawbars with 5 fingers... Things aren't that black and white. And most important of all is the sound what's pretty good with Nord.

By the way in my opinion the a good test for some hardware / software is to see how many high level professionals use it? Those guys touring a lot don't use unreliable things or sounds that don't work at stage. I can see those swedish red devils quite often. (Of course you can see this last statement as "Argumentum ad auctoritatem")

reFX quadraSID for the win

Have you tried Nord (C2 or Electro III)? My Roland has their VK-organ model and that's something I could call also "weak" compared to Nord's? Maybe GSI was somehow closer to Roland (some time has passed since I tested it... This was just my impression of it). Sound is just hard thing to describe in words.

Yeah, I did. About the most ridiculous and retarded thing they did was to put DIGITAL "drawbars" there. I also played Hammond XK1 and it blew Nord to smithereens. Nothing new there.

I don't like Nord because for what it costs it should blow my mind off, and it doesn't do it. So, VB3 it is (BTW it does blow my mind every time I play it!)

That's Roland for you

So I started out talking about Pianoteq's clav and no one has given their impressions.  It's not rocking anybody's sonic boat ?

Yup I love them! I wish they'd add a faux Clavichord setting though, just an approximation of an acoustic instrument to tide me over until they've properly modelled an historic instrument!

Something about organ's that I've always found missing...  Seems like the control interface is dated.  Why not have, possibly in addition to drawbar availability, a more ergonomic type of toggle of sorts that allows one to "pull at the curve"...  or to smooth toggle/morph between 4 variations of drawbar presets ?  What I do like about sampled organs in my Nord Wave is the ability to smooth morph between two presets.  It's morph feature is what makes the Wave unique.  But I'll confess, too, that the VB3 sounds great.   I'll have to sample it into the Wave

Ecaroh wrote:

GSi VB3 was quite good but somehow sounding weak and too simple (now I'm comparing it to especially my Nord).

What exactly is "weak" and "simple" in VB3? I have it ripping through my speakers as we speak, it's bloody fantastic! Especially the Rock 122 + max volume noises + Overdrive on 2 o'clock I can get most any Deep Purple, Kansas, EL&P sound out of it. And many others. It's extremely faithful to the real thing (I played one, of course).

Have you tried Nord (C2 or Electro III)? My Roland has their VK-organ model and that's something I could call also "weak" compared to Nord's? Maybe GSI was somehow closer to Roland (some time has passed since I tested it... This was just my impression of it). Sound is just hard thing to describe in words.

P.S: There's also different weakness in Nord's model: I don't like their leslie and I'm not the only one thinking that way...

EDIT: Roland announced the V-combo VR-700 at Winter NAMM but to my ears its organ sounds like old VK series. Same - in new bag?

GSi VB3 was quite good but somehow sounding weak and too simple (now I'm comparing it to especially my Nord).

What exactly is "weak" and "simple" in VB3? I have it ripping through my speakers as we speak, it's bloody fantastic! Especially the Rock 122 + max volume noises + Overdrive on 2 o'clock I can get most any Deep Purple, Kansas, EL&P sound out of it. And many others. It's extremely faithful to the real thing (I played one, of course).

I've tried many hardware and software (modeled) organs and I'm still searching my software solution. IMO Clavia's organ is hard to beat. If you dont know it, just listen to demos:

http://www.nordkeyboards.com/main.asp?t...nformation

GSi VB3 was quite good but somehow sounding weak and too simple (now I'm comparing it to especially my Nord). Of course GSi gives you more than you expect with its price. Still there's a huge market niche for a real good hammond model. Maybe Modartt should take this challenge: I think organ is not that difficult as piano.

'57 Drawbar Organ is it's name.  The price isn't bad.

Yeah, but I actually prefer B4II (which is not saying anything positive) to  the '57 -- this "replacement" simply begs for effects to be applied, because it's kinda boring without them.  If you have the "Charlie" sample library (or whatever it's calling itself nowadays...), then you have a much more extensive and/or comprehensive version of what '57 attempts to do. 

I must confess: I've lost all interest in NI.  Most of their focus is on samples, and all of their non-sample items are easily beatable with other products.  And they're turning into another Avid with all of their freakin' upgrade-this-upgrade-that costs.

Try GSi VB3, by far the best Hammond simulation in VST form. And it's CHEAP.

+100!!!

Total agreement from me -- I finally bought it (per your enthusiastic recommendations) two weeks ago, and I'm absolutely ecstatic with it!  And it sounds good either by itself or with other effects.

The "real test" for me with any tonewheel-organ simulation:  how does it sound _without_ the rotation and overdrive?  I can happily admit that this "naked" sound keeps my interest, something which was not the case with B4 and B4II (I would always play them and become quickly bored -- essentially, they're just eye candy that fails to deliver). 

(Normally, I play organ with lots of reverb and delays -- kinda like I'm playing in the Grand Canyon.  Think Björn Olsson or Bo Hansson, but larger!)

The "noises," too, in this simulation are quite convincing!