Ikmultimedia B3X

Anyone know about this or have any thoughts/comparisons about this? $200, I dont think so unless it’s pretty damn good.

John…check the organs tip page.

Looks VERY expensive (near $400 out here) for something that is already pretty well covered in other (terrific) apps

That’s always the down-side of a name branded “official” app… you pay for that logo.

Thanks Corky! You guys are amazing B3 players. After seeing Corky’s video, I was thinking “you better spend some more time on practicing scales/modes!”

Thanks for the information. I have yet to check out B5 and the amp you have before the Leslie @Corky sounds fantastic!

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Hi, Fred

So what do you think it has over the others? I spent a little time with it on the weekend but couldn’t quite get the sounds I have currently with VB3II and the IK Leslie. That could be me and unfamiliarity of course!

But if the officiandos are giving it the thumbs up then I know I need to dig deeper… :slight_smile:

Hey Derek

I can’t speak for Fred, but I think, just like real Hammonds, each one has it’s own personality, and it’s own pros and cons.
The last big update of VB3 II was substantial, but so many people were disappointed in the 1st version, I think they lost any confidence. The same thing happened to B5 and Blue3. I can get great sounds out of all them, and use them all in different songs I put them in. We all have our own personalities and tastes so if someone poo-poos one of these clones, it may just be their own taste, which may not fit what you and I like.
I constantly tweak, looking for what I want, because in today’s world, we can play so many different models, and mod them however we want. It wasn’t that way when I was hauling my Hammond around to gigs. I knew what I could get out of what I had, and I settled for that.
B-3X doesn’t need the IK Leslie added, because it already has it. It is more of an all-in-one package than the others, BUT it is not everything…yet. We’ve only had 3-4 days to explore it, but until I personally spend more time becoming familiar with it, I won’t be able to fairly judge it. So far. I like it. It worked well live this past weekend. It will not replace my B5 songs, or the others I have already set in stone. It will be another tool in my arsenal, and I am sure it will find it’s place with the others. Time will tell. I am just excited there is a new kid on the block to geek with.
So what happens when a better Leslie comes along?

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Hi, Corky

You are of course quite right, we will have have different subjective approvals, I’m just keen to understand what people like about this particular one. Hopefully I’ll get to play with it a little more on the weekend. I’ll probably end up getting it, because, as you say, it is another option for the tool kit, and assuming it is endorsed by Hammond, then it can’t really be a turkey (you would hope).

:rofl::rofl::rofl:
You just never really know…Right?

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It’s got some little x-factor that the other organs so far, for me, don’t have. There’s a seamlessness and a smoothness that I really like, and the overdrives REALLY work like the real thing. I dialed up about 6 perfect sounds within the first 10 minutes of playing it, including the ever popular Your Is No Disgrace organ. I do think I’ll need to maybe do a little eq futzing once I hear it in a mix but the basic vibe is all there for me.

I DO think the Leslie is subtly different, and I like it better. So far I’m parked on the 147 cabinet; the others are coming off too nasal. I am really liking the built-in compression and reverb. Just less stuuff to have to job out to outboard processing. Also, kudos to IK for coming up with genuinely good presets. That’s a first. They are almost all tweakable into something really nice. I still have a soft spot for VB3 (the original) and I may keep some of my old racks with it but I think overall I’ll be using BX3 from here on out.

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Well, I took the plunge and got B3X. I had some IKmm burger bucks to add to the discount and got it for 117. Played around with it a little. Sounds great. It will probably be my #1 B3. I don’t think I can run it with O2 running. B3X has an unusually high cpu usage for an organ.

I have 2 gigs this weekend. Pretty important, but I am going to try to integrate B3X for these.

Now I don’t need to practice scales and modes! B3X will do it all!

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John

It worked fine for me at last weekend’s gigs. I also had some IK discount bucks, which made it more reasonable. $199 for introductory price is very steep. CPU is also steep compared to competitors. I didn’t notice the automatic scales and modes included in the package until you “outed” it. :rofl:

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I will admit it never occurred to me to look at how hard it was hitting the CPU…

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To some extent, this is due to the built-in T-Racks-Effects (the post-leslie-rack). I’ve replaced the EQ with a FabFilter after the plugin; don’t use a limiter on my organs anyway. Using mastering-grade plugins in an instrument plugin is a bit of overkill.

Similar to Sampletank - extremely high cpu footprint, also partly due to effects.

Cheers,

Torsten

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You know, it’s very strange that IK says using sustain pedal on an organ is not “natural” to the Hammond, yet they throw in a wah-wah, a limiter, and a chorus, all of which I’ve never seen in my many years of Hammond experience. I have seen distortions, and many different mods thru the years, but if they want to pretend to be “purist”, then a Leslie wasn’t “natural” either.

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I’ve been using it now for a about a week. I like that I can get some serious bass out of my lower keyboard without doubling the pedals (which I like but it’s not the same). I’ve got some IK “fun bucks” waiting - I don’t think I will see a chance to get it for less than $125 anytime soon so here goes.

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It was not “natural” for a Moog Model D too before the times of MIDI (CV Gate had been used for that purpose). Now every synth has it.

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Time marches on. :grin:

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I never liked the toggle switch on the B3, giving up a left hand part for a moment. Even back then I thought about a foot switch. Never used the brake. I absolutely use a footswitch. Damper is a little unpredictable if you are controlling a piano with the same. I have my foot switches color coded to match color coded Jack’s for quick set up. One damper one CC#40 switch for leslie speed control. Thanks @Torsten for the effect disable in B3X approach.