VB3

Having played a real, electromechanical Hammond M100 with a real Leslie for many years, I'm somewhat attuned to what a Hammond should sound like. For a long time, I was searching for a suitable MIDI:ed replacement, first in hardware and then in software.

I have NI:s B4 and B4 II and was never completely happy, especially not with its overdrive emulation, which sounds harsh and brittle, and with the less than totally convincing Leslie sim.

Then I discovered VB3, and realised that my search was over. The sound is, to my ears, totally convincing. The overdrive has that rich, creamy character that NI flunked and the Leslie sounds authentic down to the woosh of the spinning horns and bass baffle and the click of the solenoid as you toggle speeds. Of course you can tweak the levels of these mechanical effects from OFF to obtrusive.

Guido's attention to detail is evident in the almost complete tweakability of sound and controls. In the latest, 1.4, version he has finessed the Leslie sound even further (as a foretaste of VB 2.0!) and, thankfully, re-introduced CTRL #64 (sustain pedal) as a control source for Leslie slow/fast – you can even choose if you want the pedal to work as a toggle or just activate fast speed when you keep it depressed.

V 1.4 AU also plays nice with Digital Performer on Mac OS 10.4 and Tiger, which was a bit of a problem earlier.

VB3 has been completely stable on my Macs, running OS 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 with Logic 8, DP 5.13 and Live 7/8.

Shareware or not, I consider VB3 a totally professional product and, to my mind, a head above the other Hammond emus on the market. On top of that, Guido's prompt user support and readiness to listen to suggestions is in a class by itself.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone looking for an authentic Hammond/Leslie playing experience in software.Read Review