Blue3- vintage tonewheel organ v2 is out !

[crystalmsc]

Agreed, awesome upgrade, and for free !

I've been around since the Seer System Reality was released and this is the biggest free update that has ever happened in the VST world, especially organ simulation. Big respect to the developer!

[digitalboytn]

I've been around since the stone age and I think that this is the best virtual organ ever released...

I was on the fence with v1 - hanging onto the old faithful NI B4 ll, but I'm going to pull the trigger on this one...

Big improvements all around and the dirt and grime in v2 is much more realistic than what was happening in the original version and it sits so well in the mix...

From angelic pure through to filthy dirty....it's all there

One thing that concerns me though,is that the voltage selector on the rear panel is set to 115v...

Will I blow it up if I am plugged into a 230 or 240 volt supply ?

[Dullee]

For version 3, I hope that Ray will consider an emulation of the two-toggle start-up sequence of a vintage Hammond tonewheel organ:

First, you flip up the left hand toggle switch and hold it while the starting motor revs up with a slightly disconcerting rattle, bringing the tone generator assembly up to a speed that allows the main synchronous motor to take over.

After some 8 seconds, without letting go of the start-up toggle switch, you flip up the right hand switch for the main tone generator motor and wait a further 4 seconds.

Then, you release the spring loaded left hand switch and enjoy the slightly oscillating sound of the tone generator stabilising. Soon, as the tubes have warmed up, you can start playing.

You can start playing, but find out your band decided to start without you.

[Spitfire31]

For version 3, I hope that Ray will consider an emulation of the two-toggle start-up sequence of a vintage Hammond tonewheel organ:

First, you flip up the left hand toggle switch and hold it while the starting motor revs up with a slightly disconcerting rattle, bringing the tone generator assembly up to a speed that allows the main synchronous motor to take over.

After some 8 seconds, without letting go of the start-up toggle switch, you flip up the right hand switch for the main tone generator motor and wait a further 4 seconds.

Then, you release the spring loaded left hand switch and enjoy the slightly oscillating sound of the tone generator stabilising. Soon, as the tubes have warmed up, you can start playing.

You can start playing, but find out your band decided to start without you.

No prob. The guitarists are still trying to agree on the tuning and the drummer is busy with the groupies.

[digitalboytn]

For version 3, I hope that Ray will consider an emulation of the two-toggle start-up sequence of a vintage Hammond tonewheel organ:

First, you flip up the left hand toggle switch and hold it while the starting motor revs up with a slightly disconcerting rattle, bringing the tone generator assembly up to a speed that allows the main synchronous motor to take over.

After some 8 seconds, without letting go of the start-up toggle switch, you flip up the right hand switch for the main tone generator motor and wait a further 4 seconds.

Then, you release the spring loaded left hand switch and enjoy the slightly oscillating sound of the tone generator stabilising. Soon, as the tubes have warmed up, you can start playing.

You can start playing, but find out your band decided to start without you.

Playing behind the beat

No prob. The guitarists are still trying to agree on the tuning and the drummer is busy with the groupies.

And the singer is still admiring themself in the mirror

[Dullee]

Musician cliches check. Nothing wrong here. Sounds like a good ol' rock 'n roll band to me.

And who ever said you gotta start playing at some point? Pfft. Not according to Axl Rose you don't.

Well, at some very uncertain point - yeah, maybe.

[bubusdeolivos]

Any idea if BLUE3 has the feature / simulation when you power down a real Hammond, the pitch goes down? Maybe mapped to the pitch bend wheel? Thanks.

[Spitfire31]

Blue3 doesn't have the two-toggle power up, so there's not much to power down. Yet…

/Joachim

[seangm]

Blue3 doesn't have the two-toggle power up, so there's not much to power down. Yet…

/Joachim

Please add my vote to have the two-toggle "pitch bend" effect added to Blue 3, it was fun to do that with the real beast back when I actually owned one.

[Dullee]

according to Ray, these go to "oddball requests that are simply insane" category.

not that "insane" is totally bad, though. a healthy dose of insanity went into humanity's greatest inventions.

[Spitfire31]

In this case, "insane" = 'tongue in cheek teasing'.

But it would be nice if...

/Joachim

[Dullee]

If ... Ray would go totally apeshit. Right.

[SciFiArtMan]

I don't know...I just listened to the Blue3 audio samples for the first time today, and the familiar rock samples all sounded a little "off" to me. True, many were kind of drowning in reverb (which seems a fairly straightforward task to fine tune), but they all seemed to miss their mark and included odd little artifacts that ruined the illusion for me (such as too much contact popping on the Green Eyed Lady bass notes). One of those "close, but not quite there" feelings.

I realize this plugin is widely loved, but to my ears there's a "fluidity" or "naturalness" or organic feeling missing from the sound. I don't hear or feel this mechanical stiffness in VB3 when I play it, or in his samples, although Guido doesn't include any classic rock samples (last I listened), so no direct comparison can be made there. But I'm left not being impressed at all with Blue3!

I'm also very picky about how smoothly the Leslie speed changes (seems no one gives this enough attentions - it's so critical, especially on slow songs!!!), which I'm sure is adjustable on Blue3, but again, I just feel a lacking in this dept. as well. Sure, it's all personal tastes, but I'm not hearing it, and not even all that close, in Blue3.

But the free update sounds like a winner, so there's a silver lining for many! Wheee!!!

[SciFiArtMan]

...After some 8 seconds, without letting go of the start-up toggle switch, you flip up the right hand switch for the main tone generator motor and wait a further 4 seconds.

Then, you release the spring loaded left hand switch and enjoy the slightly oscillating sound of the tone generator stabilising. Soon, as the tubes have warmed up, you can start playing...

Oh god, this made me so nervous! Like starting an old car and you weren't completely sure the old beast was gonna get there! My grandmother taught me how to start her old C3 this way and I wondered if she had the process quite right!?

I always thought the act of fiddling with these switches while playing was dangerous to the health of the organ, but never heard definitively!? So I decided to avoid the possible service calls.

[seangm]

...After some 8 seconds, without letting go of the start-up toggle switch, you flip up the right hand switch for the main tone generator motor and wait a further 4 seconds.

Then, you release the spring loaded left hand switch and enjoy the slightly oscillating sound of the tone generator stabilising. Soon, as the tubes have warmed up, you can start playing...

Oh god, this made me so nervous! Like starting an old car and you weren't completely sure the old beast was gonna get there! My grandmother taught me how to start her old C3 this way and I wondered if she had the process quite right!?

I always thought the act of fiddling with these switches while playing was dangerous to the health of the organ, but never heard definitively!? So I decided to avoid the possible service calls.

That used to be an old trick that a lot of people used, I know Keith Emerson used it. I don't know if it caused any damage or not to the organ. Just don't do this to your Hammond:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjkD39dCvBI