I know there are some great ones out. I’ve never tried that and was thinking about how one might work with MG2 and BBC2. Sounds like fun. Tried any?
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Hammonds don’t have velocity sentitivity but I guess you could control the volume with a breath controller and get some interesting sounds. My favorite organ is the one by IK Multimedia (called B3-X I think). Not sure if it’s available for Mac/PC, I’m using it on IPad.
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Now that I’ve tried it I agree-- It’s not even that appropriate for controlling with guitar. I got GG Audio’s Blue3 and it’s about as close as you can get to a real B3. I’ve decided it’ll be worth it to start practicing with a keyboard just for that. I’ll never be a hot keyboard player but it’ll still be a lot better than my attempts with organ via guitar.
I’ve had VB3 version 1.4 from genuinesoundware.com, demos MP3 and trial download here as well. You can control everything in Studio One so I assume the same for MG2. Recently been testing it with in MG2 and Softstep (pedal controller) - Softstep is a bit complicated to understand the programing, at least for me , so it’s a slow process.
As prehm says, Hammonds aren’t velocity sensitive. They control volume with a foot pedal which can be replicated with an expression pedal. The IK Multimedia B3 is very good. So is the B3 that comes with Logic Pro. If you use a Mac, Logic is worth getting, not only for the organ, but Logic Drummer is one of the best drum plugins available in terms of programming.
On this track the organ solo ‘right hand’ (0:44 - 1:28) is played with MG2 and a Logic B3 preset - no expression added. (The simple left hand chords are played on keyboard.) I had a lot of fun playing this organ solo, which is beyond my keyboard skill level… Stream Sundaze by Chris Dent | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
(The vibes were also played with MG2)
I did check out the IK and it’s great but I liked the GG Audio Blue3 just as much so bought it for $30 less. I’ve decided since I’ve always wanted to learn keys I’ll go that way with some of the lessons on YouTube and for faster single note rides I can still track that with guitar & MG2. Best of both worlds. Very nice track Chris!
very impressive work on sundaze, both the vibes and b3 sound great! the whole mix is tight, the ‘real’ guitar solo is tasty too.
to take what prehm said a bit further - i think a breath controlled b3 would be an awesome instrument, especially for solos. one would need foot control of sustain and leslie speed.
hopefully someone will try this out. i have a tc breath controller but also i have zero skills, can’t even really play a harmonica suitably.
back to sundaze: one really nice thing is that it’s just a great track on its own. one doesn’t need to know that mg2 was involved to be impressed.
Thanks kimyo. I appreciate your comments.
With the Logic B3 the leslie is turned on and off with a keyboard sustain pedal, so as long as you have a keyboard sending signal to your DAW the leslie is controllable even when playing MG2, as long as the DAW midi input is set to ‘all’.
I often find that the best way to add expression, leslie etc is to do it in the DAW after recording. I don’t play live any more so a lot of things that can’t be achieved playing live can be done after the event…
Thanks geoffsct. Here is a free B3 which is not bad…
Thanks Chris. If I’d have seen that CollaB3 first I might have gone with that. The GG Audio has tons of familiar sounding presets in every genre. I need those presets because I know nothing. Of course it’s $99 more but I think it’s all the B3 I’ll ever need.
Love this! A perfect jazz blues. I’d love to know more about your settings. And what instrument did you use for the vibes?
Question (because I’m new to this): Did you use your keyboard to enter the B3 chords because MG2 isn’t so great for chord entry? Or is this an instrument-by-instrument thing, where some are good for MG2 chording, some are better for single notes, etc.?
Thanks diverdjango. Yes the chords were played on keyboard. It’s just the solo that is played with MG. I think you’ll find that you can use double stopping, or two-note chords, with MG without too much hassle. It just doesn’t really like a full strum.
From memory, the vibes are an instrument that is included in Sampletank, from IK Multimedia. I hardly ever use Sampletank but in this case their vibes were the best option I had available.