Topic: Wacka wacka...

Alright... just what my soft porn soundtracks have been missing !  Now where are those bell bottoms I stored away after the Seventies ?
I actually have Shaft on vinyl -how many of you can say that !  (I am from Memphis originally, after all)  No... it's groovy.  I dig it... very hip.  I am talking about the clav, in case you bypassed the home page...

"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."

Re: Wacka wacka...

Bought it.  Now I can get on Higher Ground and be Superstitious...
Is a B3 possibly in the works...? Native-Instruments canned their B4 product, so the door is virtually open..  Never owned a real Hammond, so I'm not sure if tone wheel technology was susceptible to sympathetic interactions..

Last edited by Cellomangler (18-02-2010 03:47)
"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."

Re: Wacka wacka...

Cellomangler wrote:

Bought it.  Now I can get on Higher Ground and be Superstitious...
Is a B3 possibly in the works...? Native-Instruments canned their B4 product, so the door is virtually open..  Never owned a real Hammond, so I'm not sure if tone wheel technology was susceptible to sympathetic interactions..

Off topic question: I've been wondering why Native-Instruments did took their B4 out of market? Give me a reason why it's wise business to NOT to sell some product that is not causing any expenses for the company. Isn't it a downloadable software that doesn't have too much competitors on the field like Cellomanger said. Maybe I'm just stupid....

Re: Wacka wacka...

Ecaroh wrote:

I've been wondering why Native-Instruments did took their B4 out of market?

They've got this Kore Player sampler engine that they are pushing and a new sampled organ which, if the audio snippets are any clue, actually sounds pretty good.  I think the organ is way improved in the overdrive department because they can now feed the output through some version of their tube guitar emulation software that's built into Kore.   But somebody correct me if I wrong.  Though I don't believe I am.  '57 Drawbar Organ is it's name.  The price isn't bad.  The Kore Player is free, so they want to get you hooked on their massive library.  I think there's a sampled version of Pianoteq in the collection.....
...
...
...I kid....

"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."

Re: Wacka wacka...

B4 was the oldest code NI had next to Pro-53. So they canned it. They couldn't add Kore functionality to them because it would be too much code rewrite.

Anyways, B4II sucked. Try GSi VB3, by far the best Hammond simulation in VST form. And it's CHEAP.

Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

EvilDragon wrote:

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

Just listened to the VB3 demos -sounds pretty good.  If it'll go from the skating rink to Rick Wakeman to Steppenwolf, then that'll keep me happy.  I've got the KB3 organ in a Kurz module and it's not half bad, but the overdrive is lame, so I play around with it through tubes and a Dunlop Rotovibe.  I've never got into computer sample playback.  But dedicated hardware samplers like the Nord Wave -that's another matter.

"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."

Re: Wacka wacka...

Yeah, one of the things I like about VB3 is overdrive - sounds so warm, breathy and freaking natural! Using it with Rock 122 Leslie sim is heavenly! I unfortunately deleted a short snippet in which I was using VB3 only, where you could hear the quality of overdrive.

Anyways, why not downloading a demo and hear for yourself? To me it's the best virtual Hammond out there - no samples can ever come close, even if it says Nord on it

BTW, about sympathetic interactions in Hammonds, there's no such thing, but you have tonewheel leakage and aging and crosstalk and stuff like that as a replacement

Last edited by EvilDragon (18-02-2010 10:31)
Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

EvilDragon wrote:

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!

"Our developers, who art in Toulouse, hallowed be thy physical-models.
Thy version 4 come, thy new instruments be done, in the computer as it is in the wood!"

Re: Wacka wacka...

Cellomangler wrote:

'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.

"Our developers, who art in Toulouse, hallowed be thy physical-models.
Thy version 4 come, thy new instruments be done, in the computer as it is in the wood!"

Re: Wacka wacka...

So NI went to sample solution instead developing their organ model (B4), am I right? Quite amazing and stupid also. IMO what is maybe the most important thing with organs is the possibility to control many things (drawbars, vibratos, different percussions etc.) while playing it. And it's impossible to sample all the different combinations. Sampled organ is born to loose if you wanna get real expressive instrument from it; of course if you just need one sound to your mix for example it's different...

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.

Last edited by Ecaroh (18-02-2010 21:24)

Re: Wacka wacka...

sssh, I want them to do a Hohner Pianet N next :0)

Re: Wacka wacka...

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).

Last edited by EvilDragon (18-02-2010 21:34)
Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

EvilDragon wrote:
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?

Last edited by Ecaroh (18-02-2010 22:43)

Re: Wacka wacka...

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

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

"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."

Re: Wacka wacka...

Cellomangler wrote:

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!

Re: Wacka wacka...

Ecaroh wrote:

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!)

Ecaroh wrote:

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?

That's Roland for you

Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

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!

Re: Wacka wacka...

That's Swedish folks for you

Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

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

Re: Wacka wacka...

That one was also crazy overpriced for what it is (as most Elektron stuff usually is - despite the quality).

reFX quadraSID for the win

Last edited by EvilDragon (19-02-2010 14:00)
Hard work and guts!

Re: Wacka wacka...

feline1 wrote:

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")

Last edited by Ecaroh (19-02-2010 16:54)

Re: Wacka wacka...

feline1 wrote:

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.

"Downing a fifth results in diminished capacity."