Anyone used this? It’s now on sale, $79 usd.
I have been wanting to try this. Audio and video demos sound great. There is no demo program to download and try out. Was going to purchase this weekend, but still contemplating, especially with the dreaded ilok (ugh) It is on sale till the end of the month. The many people using it were really pleased with it. It incorporates samples with modeling. I understand the leslie can be modified, but I am usually wary of organ demos that do not show off the leslie sound. What I have heard sounds really good though. If I proceed with a purchase, I will let you know my thoughts on it.
yes, please let me know if you purchase. I’ve been using VB3 for years, pleased with it, but you know, a new Hammond VSTi is hard to resist! 
I have it - it’s great!! I also use VB3 and love it dearly, and B5 compliments it I think. VB3 has more guts, whereas I think B5 cuts through a bit better. I’m not sure which is more authentic - perhaps B5. Definitely worth grabbing at 30% off 
Neil
I also have been using VB3 for quite sometime. It sounds so much more realistic than B4 or the others, and the ability to modify so many settings is amazing. Guido went off into producing hardware, but has recently stated that he was going to get back to software soon. I hope that means he will finally release the new version of VB3 that he is currently using on his hardware, and it sounds fantastic. The new leslie is dead on.I use organ on probably 80% of my songs, and I love playing the Hammond B3. Just cannot take it everywhere I perform. Even though I am dedicated to the VB3, I am hoping the B5 is everything I have been wanting in a VI.
I’d say the leslie is at least as good as that of VB3. When you crank up the distortion the result is a bit smoother than VB3 which is a bit more “throaty”. Those bell-like harmonics you get with a Hammond sort of “sing” a little bit more with B5 with the leslie. I prefer the key click on B5.
I use VB3 and B5 equally for different things - VB3 is a bit fatter, but B5 is sort of more “glossy” if that makes any sense. Both really accurate, just different.
That is what I was getting out of the audio demos. B5 seems to be brighter, more presence, kinda like standing next to it in church. VB3 seems more like the Jazz and Jon Lord sounds, even though it does well on old soul music. Guess I am going to take the plunge. Does the UVI interface work well with C3?
Can’t attest to UVI/B5 combo, but I’ve been using UVI with Wurlie for the past 6 months with no problems.
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One thing to note. On my machine, when not playing VB3 runs at about 10% load, and stays around the same level when playing. B5 runs at about 5% when not playing, but then surges up to 25%+ when playing. This might be a consideration if your system is running close to the edge!
I set Cantabile recording while I noodled about on B5 for a while, changing options/presets while I was playing. Please don’t listen to the many bum notes, I was mostly focusing on B5 and changing settings rather than what I was playing. Hopefully it’ll give you a better idea of the tone and capabilities.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/625986/B5.mp3
Neil
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WOW Neil. Good Demo. I do like the key clicks and the tones. I like VB3 distortion much better, but I see why they compliment each other. I had also read about the load it could use and had considered that too. Yeah, this has to be a part of my arsenal. Thanks for the demo!!
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Hey Lee,
Have been using this since it released, really enjoy it and use live a lot! Also check out Acoustic Samples Super II … if you like Vox Organ tones …
I thinking of purchasing this now too. Do you have to have the UVI workstation to use it or can you add it directly into Cantabile as a VST object?
Hi Paul,
You need to download latest uvi workstation, it’s free and is used to playback b5 samples. Available here. On install it creates a stand alone and a vst installed to folder of choice.
Good luck I hope you enjoy it!
Hi Everyone,
I just recently picked up AS B5, and I am pretty happy how it sounds.
Does anyone know a way to use Cantabile presets to change B5 presets without reloading the entire sample library each time?
(ie. changing presets within the B5 gui simply changes a preset - and no sample set is swapped out. If however you assign a few of these as Cantabile VST presets - and change presets from Cantabile, the UVI sample set (ie UFS file) is reloaded every time.)
The only way i know of is to use the built in preset system using the blackened keys (lowest octave) to make changes.These are programmable in the options. This also something you can turn off in the options if you don’t want to accidentally change presets while playing. 
. All uvi plugs i have only load one program at a time. ( a bummer)
I just bought B5 too and had the same problem. The only way I found around it was this:
- Make a B5 rack
- Insert the same number of instances of B5 as you want sounds. Make each one a different preset.
- Make sure that the entire bank function is unchecked for each instance.
- Choose or create a preset in the rack for each instance. In other words, each instance of the B5 plugin has it’s own sound.
- Use states within the rack to enable or disable routing to each instance.
It was kind of a pain in the neck to set up, but it makes changing sounds instantaneous, and you can keep using that same rack in different songs with all your favorite organ sounds ready to go.
By the way, credit goes to @Neil_Durant. I got the idea from a previous post he made concerning omnisphere.
- Paul
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Hi Dave and Paul,
Thanks for both of your suggestions.
Paul - I was thinking of this, and if there is a song with just a few voicings, this would probably work out fine (though philosophically it seems like a waste to have the same samples loaded in multiple instances).
Dave - I was thinking of using the internal preset switches (assigned to a range of keys on the keyboard) as you suggested. I was trying to think of how to switch this using Cantabiles VST program select though -
This has me fumbling for a possible feature request - which might be to have more sophisticated bindings for program selection. For example, perhaps Cantabile VST preset slot #1 is bound to generating Midi Note C0 (which in turn is bound to B5’s program select #1). Or perhaps Cantabile’s Next-Program fn. could trigger an event that B5’s interface is bound to for Next-Program.
Maybe this is a bit complicated, however, Cantabile’s program change functionality seems a bit simplistic, focusing only on whatever is captured in .fxp’s.
Any other ideas?
Thanks, best,
Kevin L
Hi Kevin,
this for performer version only (uses racks)
- first create 12 states for your rack holding uvi workstation with B5
- then have each state send the proper note to the plug when the state is loaded (disable other notes on each state using check boxes on left side and enable only the one you want while labeling them as preset 1 through 12. (make sure each state has the enable box checked in rack state behaviors in lower left panel (this must be done for each state) see below
This approach has uses one instance of B5 but has access to 12 presets you load into B5 in advance in the uvi workstation level. You then call the presets with midi note sends sent by the bindings for the rack you made. Just one way to get there …
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Hi Dave,
Cool! I didn’t know about rack states initializing with a generated Midi-note. That’s an interesting workaround.
I still think there may be a need for more sophisticated program changes (I’ve come across this before anyway - but I think I need to let that thought simmer a bit more).
Thanks again - another handy skill to put in my Cantabile sack of knowledge!
Best,
Kevin L