I have set up a rack with VB-3 II and UAD Waterfall, both feeding IK T-Racks 5 Leslie.
What I need is a good 30 MIDI seq (your favorite style) that I can play while adjusting all the various parameters on both the organs and Leslie. I thought that might be a quick way to jumpstart my understanding of what makes a good B3 sound.
Any suggestions on presets or how to go about crafting a preset would be appreciated. My target sound would be clean/gritty gospel.
Also, what functions do you typically automate for either organ or Leslie. I have only automated Leslie speed and brake at this point.
Hi Steve
As with piano, guitars, synths, drumsā¦, people have been debating what is a good tone for ever. The beauty is in the ears of the beholder. There are many videos about the subject, but honestly, it it breaks down to what satisfies you.
I created many presets in the Organ thread, using all the Hammond vsts available at the time, for any members wanting certain tones. But, they were my interpretations. I also said the presets were a beginning point for others wanting to create their own sound. It was a fun, but tedious project.
The presets are still there if you want to use them.
I will make you a deal. You show me a video, or sound bite of what you think is the tone you want, and I will create a preset to represent it. You then can look at the parameters i used, and go from there.
I might even do a video how I go through the process, when I get a little time.
Cheers
Corky.
@Corky, you are a gem! I have 2 such songs that i will send you in a day or two. A video of your thought process would be invaluable to many of us im sure. Thanks again for the offer.
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Iām typing this with a smile on my face, so please donāt take offense! You organ/piano/keyboard old ladies are just as bad as the guitar/boutique tube amp old ladies. Iāve already decided that I canāt hear the differences between a 96KHz *.wav and an *.mp3, so I donāt know how you guys choose between the top end VSTs. Iām using a modelling guitar amp and I figure if the sound is 90% of the way there, itās good enough for a 100dB live show. I save the patch then forget about it. No one ever says anything to me as long as I play/sing it correctly and the band is together.
I wish I could hear what you guys hearā¦
Ha ha, no offense taken. I hear what you are sayin. Alot of these VSTs have some pretty good presets out of the box. However, more than anything, I am trying to get at the thought process behind tweeking a so-so preset into a dynamite sound. I have been a clasically trained piano player for 55 yrs and the B3/Leslie sound and technique is just a whole different animal. So I am glad we have @Corky, @dave_dore, @Torsten and others in this community to help shorten the learning curve; hopefully i can give back once in a while on things I have learned.
Now those guitar players on the other handā¦
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Welcome to my deaf life. 
The band, the audience, and the waitresses do not care that you created the most perfect tone in history. No one but our selves gives a 
about our efforts. 
Itās a struggle! Us old ladies can never make up our minds. 
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I am self taught on every instrument Iāve ever played. But, when I was doing 2yrs of piano (required) all the class was playing their extremely simple compositions, I played some Jerry Lee Lewis, and Steely Dan. I always had D grade. Always rebellious.
There is a brilliant pianist here who recently bought a Hammond. He said he was going to read the manual and be playing on stage in a few days. Hasnāt happened yet.
I feel the same, and for many years. The last 2 years tone chasing has become my weekend hobby. I pick one, read tricks for dialing it in. The modelers are so good now for dialing in the minutiae of the amp itās modeled after. And the effectsā¦Oy vey
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Joe Glossupās lessons on MusicGurus have been helpful for me. Corky had some really great tips like always keeping a finger or two down as you work your way between chords.
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Gotta learn to ācrawlā before you walk!
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Let me add my $0.02US ā¦
Letās start with the easy one: In addition to Leslie speed/stop, youāll probably want to automate:
- a set of drawbars for each keyboard
- percussion on/off
- vibrato on/off
You might consider adding a few others, depending on your need to tweak mid-song:
- vibrato type ā all 6 varieties, or just a toggle between C-1/C-3
- gain/growl level
- reverb level
- switching between Drawbar Set 1 and 2, if your VST supports two sets for each keyboard
- EQ
The āorgan toneā part is complicated to answer. Learning the stock drawbar settings is a good start. If you can point to recordings of sounds you like, Iām sure that players here will share their DB settings. There are also online collections of DB settings for well-known recordings. Bear in mind that different organs require small drawbar tweaks between individual instruments to compensate for circuitry and aging differences (ex: 888800000 vs 878700000), so the sources may not always agree 100%. Also, while 888000000 and 008880000, or 808060000 and 008806000 are in principal the āsameā sound one octave apart, they donāt sound the same on the average organ!
The Leslie sound is next. 80-90% of all popular music uses four or five different DB settings, but the end results often sound different through two Leslies of varying age and upkeep, using different micāing techniques, driven to varying degrees of overload. The first thing you should probably decide is whether you want to chase the āroom Leslieā or āclose mic Leslieā sound; some VSTs nail one style well, while doing a lesser job of the other. Players often disagree on the perfect level of grit/growl in a tone, but itās a big part of the picture.
Beyond all that, there is a lot of experimentation. Knowing a little musical history can help, too. Iām a rock/R&B player mostly, and lots of my colleagues are always chasing the āSantana Abraxas sound.ā Itās not easy because Gregg Rolieās Leslie was badly in need of repairs, but the band didnāt have the money to fix it when they hit the studio. So, half the secret is to simulate a broken Leslie!
The band, the audience, and the waitresses do not care that you created the most perfect tone in history. No one but our selves gives a
Exactly! Years ago, I played Hammond sounds through a Roland D-50 and a Digitech RPM-1. Many times, someone from the audience would compliment how I āreally nailed that Hammond on Whiter Shade of Pale.ā 
@drawbars thanks for that. You nailed the question about what to automate. Is the grit/growl accomplished in the instrument or leslie amp?
As many have said, there is a lot of experimentation that goes into tweaking the sound; i am not afraid of that. Just need a good start out of the gate.
The drawbars comment reinforced the realization that there are standard settings that people like to start from. I have been seeing youtubes to that effect.
Still waitingā¦ 
@sgarman Happy to help. As far as the grind, itās nearly 100% in the Leslie ā i.e., in a real tube Leslie, that is. In a simulation, you might have to do part of it in the rotary effect, then bolster it with a little āhelp.ā I do this for my Uriah Heep tone, because while my Nord Stage has great growl, itās not quite enough for that level of bite. Same thing with Samba Pa Ti by Santana. I would start with the Leslie, see if you can get the growl you want on its own, then add tube preamp distortion in the organ (or ahead of the Leslie in the chain), but use it sparingly. Thereās no perfect formula; just try it and see.
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Lol @Corky I havent forgotten you. Schedule locked up this week. Listened to first song and the organ is there though not as distinctly as i remember. Looking for the second; give me a couple more days.
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@Corky, here is the first song. Organ is there but not dominant so might not be a good fit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHz0w-HG4iU I like the way the organ fits the overall mix although it could be a bit louder
Iāll get the second asap. If you could use VB-3 II and IK TRacks Leslie that would be perfect.
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On a related ā but possibly derailing ā note, I just downloaded the demo version of Blue3 from GG Audio/Cherry Audio. I created an MP3 comparing Blue3 with my Nord Stage. Rather than tack it on here, Iām about to create a new thread. @sgarman You might find it useful in your sonic quest.