The Hammond B3 organ is one of the most iconic keyboard instruments in popular music. With its drawbars and unique Leslie rotary speaker to transform the sound, it has featured in countless jazz and rock classics ranging from recordings by Jimmy Smith, Ray Charles, Booker T & the MGs’ ‘Green Onions’ and Procul Harum's legendary ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’. The original Hammond B3 was a bulky, complex instrument and originals are very expensive.
IK Multimedia have now emulated the sound of this classic instrument to be used either as a standalone instrument or as a plugin in your favourite DAW. There are a number of other rival Hammond organ plugins available, but the IK Multimedia B-3X is the only one officially endorsed by the owners of the Hammond Organ Company.
Ideally, the B-3X is designed to be played using two or three MIDI controllers, with MIDI channel 1 for the upper manual, channel 2 for the lower manual and channel 3 for the pedals. However, it is perfectly playable using just one keyboard, and I used my 88-note studio keyboard to test it out. The interface is visually stunning with the full array of drawbars and switches found on the original instrument, and all completely functional within the software.
As soon as you play the instrument you witness the sound of the Hammond organ, which is both addictive and satisfying. There are over 60 pre-sets, ranging from gospel and jazz organs through to distorted hard rock sounds.
Moving away from the pre-sets, it is easy to manipulate the sound by simply moving the drawbars and hearing the effects. When you find settings that you like, you can save your favourites.
The B-3X has two virtual manuals and pedals for the full organ sound
What I particularly love is the way the Leslie rotating speaker system sounds, which is one of the glories of the Hammond organ. When you adjust the rotation speed of the Leslie speaker (easily controlled using your keyboard modulation wheel) you hear the characteristic doppler effect adding colour and variation to the organ tone. If you select the cabs option, the interface shows the actual rotation of the Leslie speaker and horns that change as you adjust the modulation wheel. In addition to the Leslie cabinet, there are also various effects pedals available including wah wah, chorus, distortion and spring reverb. There is also a guitar amp option that can be mixed with the Leslie cabinet if desired. These are then fed into a full mixer which features even more effects to further modify your sound.
IK Multimedia's Hammond B-3X is by far the best emulation of this instrument that I have heard to date and is a complete delight to play, recreating authentic Hammond sounds to any music you might be recording. If you need a Hammond organ to add to your collection, I would highly recommend this product.
To purchase the IK Multimedia Hammond B-3X, visit: www.ikmultimedia.com.
