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Hi Tweaker
Thanks for the thoughts. I am in agreement with many of the things you stated. I have expressed some of what you noted to the developers. I suggest you do, as I did, and email the creators of these plugs. Some actually listen to customer concerns…others could care less, and are even offended by suggestion. I could tell you which are which, but not here.
No doubt, Hammonds and Leslies have been the most difficult instruments to clone. It is getting better, but they are certainly not there yet.
However, here are a few points. I am never going to haul a Hammond & Leslie to another gig. I am not going to throw thousands of dollars at a dedicated keyboard, such as Nord, DMC-122, or even a used Korg CX-3, because IMHO they also are not a true representation of Hammond/Leslie either, and It is just another keyboard to haul around (and expensive to repair/replaced when a drunk knocks it over). I am also an old timer with 20 more years of enjoying these beasts than you, and the time came when I had to lighten my load, but not my wallet. So, I went totally soft-synth, and never looked back.
I am not satisfied with some of he untrue sounds I get from VSTs, but becoming lean on stage is a must at my age and a necessity when dealing with ever shrinking stages. At the close of the day, no audience member, no band member, no FOH person, and no venue manager gives a damn what your organ sounds like. Only we care, because we know what it is supposed to sound like, and a true sound inspires us to play better. Studio work is where things matter most. It is fascinating how many organists have approaced me at a gig, wondering how I get that great Hammond sound, then I show them the VST. They are always amazed, even in a city known for those amazing Hammond/Leslie sounds
I try not to be a purist (many times fail). I work with too many guitarists that have that covered. BUT, I can still rock the house with the cheesiest Hammond clone ever made…and only I will know the sound sucks, but I have a little more jingle in my pocket at the end of the night. 
Cheers
Corky
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Hi Tweaker,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding B3 VST’s! I haven’t played on a real B3 since a recording session several years ago where I played bass but they let me use the B3 while they mixed. Three years ago I retired my own analog recording setup and installed Reaper. That led to VST’s which led to VB3 1.4. It floored me that it was as close sounding as it is and inspired me to learn more about playing organ.
I’m now using VB3 II and the IK Leslie played on a pair of Axiom 61’s. You should try the IK Leslie, it was developed with Hammond/Suzuki - I can’t tell you exactly why but it seems to bring the whole experience a little closer. I’ve also played around with SDDR2 saturation into GSI Rotary or Blue3 Spin which was interesting.
As a long time guitar and bass player with friends who build custom tube amps its intuitive to me that emulations aren’t going to breathe like the real thing. On the other hand, Tony Monaco sounds a lot like himself playing on a Mojo so I feel there’s hope.
I looked into finding a controller that has the Fatar TP80 organ style keybed but ended up staying with my Axioms.
Regarding contacting the developers, I think they listen even if they don’t respond well, especially to someone who knows the real B3 was well as you (or Corky)
I’d only be concerned in a venue filled with accomplished, 70yo, Hammond players! 
Regular audience, not so much. 
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Hi Tweaker,
There are some reactions here.
I have been using it and VB3 II as a pair using the leslie amp to provide the crunch like you described in one of your posts above. I also use the B5 with it’s own leslie sim, it works well on about 1/2 the pieces I try. IK usually only has sale prices during early buyer faith period they do before a release.
Dave
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The IK goes a long way toward solving the ugly vibrato IMHO. That’s what kills me about the VB3 (v1.4) Leslie- it was the best I had ever tried to that point on the chorus setting but yeah, the fast speed got gnarly. And the overdrive on the IK is very nice, especially with a couple different models to choose from. What they need now is more flexibility in mic placement and mic type and it would be perfect.
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Time to send an email request to IK. I made a request on mic placements a few days ago.
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Good idea! !!!
Hi Tweaker,
Here’s a post I made last September in this thread about IK sales and marketing:
https://community.cantabilesoftware.com/t/corky-s-vst-organ-tips-and-tweaks-page/3330/59
Doug
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Hi Tweaker,
I sat 2 ft behind Jeff Kazee last night playing with Glad, a band of session guys doing Traffic and Steve Winwood songs. His right hand was playing chords in the top octave of the upper manual much more than I expected with plenty of fast Leslie. The trio stuff I’ve been working on mostly just hits that octave for “lead soloing”. I’ve been listening to Winwood this morning and testing out some of those chords and I’m understanding better what you and Fred are referring to as “ugly vibrato”. I’m playing around again with VB3 1.4 just to compare.
The venue, Fairfield Theater Company, has three B3’s maintained by Goff.
I shot video standing behind B3. Here is Kevin Bent playing “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V22K9Dap8j8&feature=youtu.be
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I am in touch with a few developers, and unless we ask for improvements, they may not happen. The problem I tend to encounter is “a matter of taste” which I understand. Doing this alone tags me as a purist. If they start hearing from more people, they will probably look into it. Mic placement is crucial in these plugs. I have been testing like crazy, and am finding how to give these plugs more life. Without a doubt, there is more to these plugs than what is “out of the box” default. Unfortunately, documentation will not always lead us down the golden path. We are left on our own.
What we all have discovered in these plugs, is many times adding an outside effect works much better than the original plug effect. We’ve seen it in amp sims and countless others. We may never see an outstanding Leslie in a Hammond plug. But I still hear rumors of Hammond Software which is already being used in some hardware products. Then we have Hammond Suzuki helping to provide Leslie software to IK. Maybe ???
In the current market, having to settle is not really horrible. Just a few short years ago, we didn’t have the convenience of pulling up a C3 from the 1960’s, or adjusting Leslie speeds or adding different amps. It has been an interesting ride which has given hours of satisfaction to my geeking impulses 
For those of us who’ve spent many years behind the double keyboard of these beasts, we know every one of them has it’s own personality, and we learn how to bring out the best in them. Such is the digital world. I geeked on my B3/Leslie in the 1970’s cause I was sure there was something more I could get out of it, but eventually found the best I got was in my own fingers. I will be applying that knowledge in tonight’s gig.
Corky
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I know I’ve said this before but imho it’s really all about the Leslie- it’s nice to have a hyper accurate organ source as well but really, you can put just about any damn thing through a real amp and it will sound good. The best organ sound I ever got on record was actually a Hammond/Suzuki XM1 through my 142 powered by a Mesa Boogie head. At the time I owned a CV without harmonic percussion and the only way to get Keith’s sound was the module. Interestingly, we decided a few days ago to pull a song from that album out for next year and I got a pretty dang good approximation of the sound from Blue3 and the IK. I think people that hear it will be impressed.
It always has been. I recently pulled up the crap Kontakt Vintage Organs, turned off the vibrato sounding leslie, routed through IK Leslie, and it actually was much better, although crap in…crap out…you know. Those organs were not well developed so I wound up with an amazing swirl of…crap.
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Fun to read review of XM1
https://planetbotch.blogspot.com/2011/10/1996-hammond-xm1-organ-module.html
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The professor in my Hammond History 104 course (me 
) assigned research on CX3. I was surprised its been around since 1979.
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Cool! I kind of wish I never sold mine. I don’t know what I payed for it but it was not remotely that much. I bet it was about $600 USD. The Leslie sim in it was, to be charitable, garbage. To me it didn’t exist. I only ran it through my 122 (via the audio outs and combo preamp, not the built-in 6 pin connector). If I would have had to use it totally direct either the Korg CX3 or Roland VK-7 would have been far better. The thing that kept me using it live even when I had the option of a real Hammond was that I got to the point I where used 3 or 4 distinct organ sounds in a given song and the ability to change presets quickly was indispensable. Yeah, I know I could have set presets on a real one too but these were so specific and fast it was just easier.
BTW speaking of the CX3, I have a band that has had me mix a couple albums for them and he uses one. I reamped it through the VB3 Leslie on a mix and he got kind of bent out of shape about it 
That sound was his sound.
In the long run the Nord Electro I replaced the XM-1 with was superior.
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I just modified the rotary controls on my Axiom - I removed VB3 1.4 “Edge” and “Spread” and replaced those with IK Leslie Gain and Volume. After playing a bunch of tunes we’re doing I ended up with much less VB3 II drive and the IK Leslie gain all the way up.
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