B-3 V

How it works

The tonewheels

A synchronous motor turns a shaft on which 91 metal wheels with a notched, toothed edge are mounted. Each wheel passes in front of an electromagnetic pickup (magnet + coil): each tooth approaching and moving away varies the magnetic flux and induces a nearly sinusoidal voltage in the coil. The frequency depends on the number of teeth and the rotation speed, fixed by gears: this is why the organ never goes out of tune, but its tuning is an approximation (a very close one) of equal temperament.

The drawbars: additive synthesis

Each key closes nine contacts, one for each available 'harmonic', picking up the corresponding wheels. The nine drawbars per manual are 9-position mixers (0–8): pulling them adds more or less of each sine wave. The footage name (16', 8', 4'…) comes from organ pipes: 8' is the fundamental, 16' the octave below, 4' the octave above, 5 1/3' the fifth above the fundamental in the low octave, 2 2/3' the twelfth, 1 3/5' the seventeenth (major third), 1 1/3' the nineteenth (fifth), 1' the triple octave. By summing sine waves in different proportions you build the spectrum: it is mechanical additive synthesis. Since the 'harmonics' are wheels tuned in equal temperament, fifths and thirds are not pure: this produces a slight beating that is part of the color.

Click, leakage, percussion

The key contacts bounce and close the nine harmonics at slightly different times: this creates key click, a transient that acts as the 'attack'. Neighboring wheels induce a little signal in each other (leakage), adding a veil of dirt. Harmonic percussion (upper manual only) adds a quickly decaying 2nd or 3rd harmonic tone to the first note of a legato group, simulating a plucked attack: it is single-trigger, meaning it is retriggered only when all the keys have been released.

Scanner vibrato and chorus

The signal passes through a delay line of inductors and capacitors that a rotating 'scanner' reads at different points: the result is phase modulation, i.e. vibrato (V1–V3). The chorus positions (C1–C3) mix the vibrato signal with the direct one, generating beating similar to a chorus.

Preamp and Leslie

The tube preamp saturates gently when pushed, and the expression pedal (swell) controls its volume and frequency response. The Leslie is a cabinet with a crossover (about 800 Hz) that sends the highs to a rotating horn and the lows to a fixed speaker aimed at a drum rotor. The rotation produces Doppler effect (pitch modulation), amplitude modulation and spatial movement all at once. Horn and drum have different speeds and inertias: when going from slow to fast the horn accelerates quickly, the drum more slowly, and it is this asynchrony that makes the sound come alive. B-3 V rebuilds all of this with physical modeling: it doesn't play back samples, but calculates wheels, contacts, preamp and rotors in real time.

Character and tone

A warm, round, instantly recognizable sound, built from sums of nearly pure sine waves: for this reason it is 'transparent' and doesn't clutter the mix the way a sawtooth wave does. It mainly occupies 80 Hz–4 kHz: the low drawbars (16' and 5 1/3') give body between 60 and 250 Hz, the middle drawbars define presence between 250 Hz and 1.5 kHz, the brightness ones add air up to 5–6 kHz; key click and percussion bring transients above 2 kHz. The Leslie transforms it radically: at slow speed (chorale) it is an enveloping choral undulation, at fast speed (tremolo) a pulsing vortex, and the transition between the two is an expressive gesture in itself. Strengths: dynamics through expression pedal and real-time drawbars, full polyphony, infinite sustain, controllable aggression (saturated preamp and Leslie), great versatility from whisper to roar. Limitations: it is not velocity-sensitive (expression comes from swell, drawbars and Leslie), the attack is 'on/off' (no natural envelope other than click and percussion), full registrations pile up energy in the low-mids and can cover vocals and guitars. Compared with combo organs (Farfisa, VOX Continental) it is softer, deeper and less nasal; compared with a synth pad it has more harmonic definition and an evolution dictated by the Leslie rather than by filters.

Architecture

Original (Hammond B-3 + Leslie 122)

• Generator: 91 tonewheels on a common shaft, synchronous motor; foldback of the harmonics at the ends of the keyboard (the harmonics that would fall outside the range of the wheels 'fold back' by an octave).
• Keyboards: two 61-key manuals (upper 'Swell', lower 'Great') with an octave of color-reversed preset keys on the left (C cancels, B and Bb activate the two sets of drawbars, the others are fixed registrations); 25-note pedalboard.
• Drawbars: 9 for each manual set (16', 5 1/3', 8', 4', 2 2/3', 2', 1 3/5', 1 1/3', 1'), 2 for the pedalboard (16' and 8'). Each position is worth about 3 dB.
• Percussion (upper manual only and only when preset key B, one of the two drawbar sets, is active): On/Off, Soft/Normal, Fast/Slow, Second/Third; single-trigger and polyphonic on the first chord; on the original it 'steals' the 1' drawbar and with Normal lowers the organ volume.
• Vibrato/chorus: delay-line scanner, separate Vibrato Swell and Vibrato Great switches, V1 V2 V3 C1 C2 C3 selector.
• Signal path: wheels → key contacts → drawbars (mixing per manual) → vibrato/chorus → sum with percussion → tube preamp (AO-28) with expression pedal → Leslie (40 W tube amplifier, 800 Hz crossover, 15'' horn and drum) or internal speaker.
• Leslie: typical chorale speeds about 0.8 Hz (horn) and 0.7 Hz (drum), tremolo about 6.7 Hz (horn) and 5.7 Hz (drum); the 147 is the 'universal' version of the 122 with unbalanced input.

What Arturia adds (B-3 V2)

• Physical modeling of wheels, contacts with staggered closing at low speeds, leakage, preamp and Leslie; tuning faithful to the organ.
• Tonewheel Profile: 7 wheel profiles taken from different real organs.
• Tonewheel Leakage, Drawbar Leakage, Brilliance, Key Click, Background Noise controls.
• Attack/Release envelopes per manual (synth-like hybrid sounds).
• Advanced percussion: adjustable volume and decay in ms, Volume Drop, Disable 1', polyphonic percussion.
• Drawbar Modulators: 10 slots with LFO, multipoint envelope (16 points) or step sequencer (32 steps) that move the drawbars.
• FX section: 4 slots for 12 pedals (Chorus, Flanger, Compressor, Phaser, Delay, Distortion, Equalizer, Reverb, Stereo Pan, Analog Delay, Limiter, Tape Echo), then a fixed amplifier (Rotary Speaker with 5 cabinets or tube Twin Amp with tremolo and spring) and a convolution Room with 9 environments; global In Gain, Out Gain and Bypass.
• Keyboard Preferences: Multi mode (separate MIDI channels for manuals and pedalboard), Split with split points, Lower, Upper, Octave Shift.
• MIDI Learn on almost every parameter, DAW automation, presets and playlists.

The controls, one by one

Vibrato and Chorus (main panel)

Vibrato Upper (switch)

Turns on vibrato/chorus on the upper manual. It is often left on in C3 for a wider lead and off on the manual that needs to stay 'dry' and precise.

Vibrato Lower (switch)

The same switch for the lower manual: useful for a choral comping on the left and a straight solo on the right (or vice versa).

Vibrato/Chorus selector (V1 V2 V3 C1 C2 C3)

Selects the type and depth of the modulation. V1–V3 = pure vibrato (modulated signal only), from light to deep; C1–C3 = chorus (direct + modulated signal), from subtle to intense. C3 is the classic jazz/gospel setting; V1–C1 stay discreet in a pop mix; V3 is very 'theatrical'.

Upper manual drawbars (Upper, 9 bars)

16' (brown, sub-octave)

One octave below the fundamental (with A4 = 440 Hz it sounds at 220 Hz). Gives weight and depth; together with 8' it creates the typical jazz body. Watch out on low notes: it piles up energy below 150 Hz.

5 1/3' (brown, sub fifth)

Fifth above the 16', i.e. the 3rd harmonic of the 16' (with A4: 660 Hz). Adds 'throatiness' and a slightly horn/wood color; much used at 8 in the '88 8...' jazz registrations.

8' (white, fundamental)

The note played (A4 = 440 Hz). It is the foundation of almost every registration; on its own it gives a soft flute.

4' (white, octave)

Octave above (880 Hz). Adds clarity and definition without harshness; essential in ballad and gospel sounds.

2 2/3' (black, twelfth)

Fifth of the upper octave (1320 Hz). Gives a nasal/clarinet color; with 8' and 4' it creates 'reed' timbres.

2' (white, double octave)

Two octaves above (1760 Hz). Brightness and penetration; in rock registrations it helps the organ cut through the mix.

1 3/5' (black, seventeenth)

Major third two octaves above (2200 Hz), tempered and therefore slightly sharp compared with the natural 5th harmonic. Metallic, 'buzzing' color; use sparingly.

1 1/3' (black, nineteenth)

Fifth two octaves above (2640 Hz). Adds sizzle and bite, typical in full gospel registrations.

1' (white, triple octave)

Three octaves above (3520 Hz). Air and 'sizzle'; together with key click and fast Leslie it gives the sparkle of full registrations. In the high octave it goes into foldback.

Positions 0–8

Each step is worth about 3 dB: 8 = full, 6 = about half in amplitude, 4 = a quarter. Registrations are written as 88 8000 000 (sub groups, fundamentals, brightness).

Pedalboard drawbars (Bass, 2 bars in the center)

Pedal 16'

Deep fundamental of the pedalboard (or of the low zone in Split). Gives the 'round' bass à la Jimmy Smith; pair it with a cut below 40 Hz in the mix.

Pedal 8'

Octave above, more defined and audible on small speakers. Mix 16' at 6–8 and 8' at 3–6 for a bass with attack.

Lower manual drawbars (Lower, 9 bars on the right)

16' 5 1/3' 8' 4' 2 2/3' 2' 1 3/5' 1 1/3' 1'

Same harmonics as the upper manual, but without percussion. Typically softer registrations (e.g. 00 8800 000 or 00 8540 000) to accompany a solo on the upper manual.

Percussion (upper manual only)

Perc On/Off

Enables the percussive attack. Single trigger: it sounds only on the first note/chord until you release all your fingers; staccato phrasing retriggers it on every note, legato does not.

Vol Soft/Norm

Percussion level. Normal is more incisive (and, if Volume Drop is active, slightly lowers the organ as on the original); Soft is more discreet for comping.

Decay Fast/Slow

Decay time: Fast (settable in ms in the advanced panel) for the jazz 'tock'; Slow for a bell/marimba-type attack.

Harmonic Selector Second/Third

Pitch of the percussion: Second = octave above the 8' (like a 4'), Third = twelfth (like a 2 2/3'). Third is the jazz sound par excellence, Second is sweeter.

Preamp, volume and pedal

Preamp Drive

Saturation of the tube preamp: from clean to rough. Adds odd harmonics and natural compression; in synergy with the Leslie it gives the rock 'growl'.

Master Volume

Overall output level of the organ.

Swell pedal

Pre-amplifier expression pedal: it is the organ's only 'touch-based' dynamic control (there is no velocity). Map it to a MIDI expression pedal (CC11 or CC7) and use it constantly.

Slow/Fast and Stop/Run levers

On the main panel they replicate the Fast and Brake switches of the Rotary: Slow/Fast changes speed with the set inertia, Stop/Run stops or restarts the rotors.

Advanced — Organ Model

Tonewheel Profile

Selects one of the 7 tonewheel profiles modeled on different real organs: they change the relative level of the wheels, the waveform and the general character (cleaner or more 'lived-in').

Tonewheel Leakage

Amount of signal that leaks from neighboring wheels: low values = new, clean organ; medium values = authenticity; high values = the hum and dirt typical of an old instrument.

Drawbar Leakage

How much each drawbar 'leaks' into adjacent bars even when at zero: adds a harmonic veil that makes lean registrations less sterile.

Brilliance

Emphasis on the mids and highs of the signal: raise it to make the organ stand out in a dense mix, lower it for a darker, more vintage sound.

Advanced — Mix

Upper/Lower

Volume balance between the two manuals: useful for keeping the left-hand comping under the solo.

Background Noise

Background noise of the generator and electronics, for realism; keep it low if the track will be heavily compressed.

Key Click

Volume of the contact click. High = percussive jazz/gospel attack, low = smooth ballad or pad sound.

Advanced — Percussion

Volume (Soft/Normal)

Defines the actual level of the two positions of the Vol switch.

Decay (Fast/Slow, ms)

Decay time in milliseconds associated with Fast and Slow: for example 200–300 ms for Fast, 800–1200 ms for Slow.

Volume Drop

Reproduces the drop in organ volume when percussion is on Normal, as on the real B-3.

Disable 1'

Removes the 1' drawbar from the sustained sound when percussion is active, as happens on the original.

Polyphonic Percussion

Makes the percussion retriggerable on every note (no longer single-trigger): useful for bell- or marimba-type sounds and for percussive legato lines impossible on the original.

Advanced — Envelopes

Attack (per manual)

Attack time of the note. At zero it is the classic organ; from 100 ms to 1 s you get automatic swells and synth pads.

Release (per manual)

Release time. At zero the organ stops abruptly; 200–800 ms make pads softer and tails more natural in a reverb.

Drawbar Modulators (Mod panel)

Slot 1–10 (+)

Ten slots, each containing an LFO, an envelope or a step sequencer; the menu above the slot lets you change its type.

Envelope

Drawable envelope with up to 16 points (click adds, right-click removes), with curves between points and time zoom: ideal for attacks rich in harmonics that soften.

LFO — Wave

Waveform: Sine, Triangle, Saw, Ramp, Square.

LFO — Rate and Sync

Speed in Hz or, with Sync, in divisions of the DAW tempo: slow values (1–4 bars) for evolutions, 1/8–1/16 for rhythmic effects.

LFO — Phase

Starting point of the wave in degrees (0–360): by offsetting the phase of several LFOs on different drawbars you get alternating movements.

Step Sequencer — Steps, Step Length, Sync, Smooth

Up to 32 steps; Steps sets the length, Step Length the speed (syncable), Smooth rounds the jumps between steps from sharp stairs to soft transitions.

Drawbar pucks

Below the modulators, a 'puck' for each drawbar: above the yellow line the modulation pulls the bar out, below it pushes it in; double-click resets. The position of the drawbars on the panel does not affect the amount of modulation.

FX — global controls and pedals

In Gain / Out Gain

Input and output level of the effects chain; watch In Gain if there are compressors or limiters in the chain.

Bypass

Bypasses effects, amp and room to hear the bare organ (useful if you use external Leslie or reverbs in the DAW).

Slot 1–4

Four free slots, reorderable by drag and drop, each with its own power switch and presets.

Available pedals

Chorus, Flanger, Compressor, Phaser, Delay, Distortion, Equalizer, Reverb, Stereo Pan, Analog Delay, Limiter, Tape Echo. For the organ the most useful are Distortion or Compressor before the Leslie, Equalizer for cutting the lows, Tape Echo for reggae/dub.

Amp — Rotary Speaker

Cabinet type

Closed, Open, 122 Closed, 122 Open, 147 Open: 'closed/open' indicates microphones aimed at the closed cabinet or at the exposed rotors; the 147 is brighter and more 'rock', the 122 rounder.

Fast

Switches horn and drum between slow and fast speed (same command as the Slow/Fast lever).

Brake

Stops the rotors (Stop/Run lever): static sound but with the color of the cabinet; when restarting you hear the spin-up.

Stereo

Stereo spread of the virtual microphones: fully left almost mono, right very wide.

Balance

Horn/drum balance: toward the horn brighter and more 'swirling', toward the drum darker and fuller.

Dry/Wet

Mix between the direct signal (after the pedals) and the Leslie signal.

Horn Slow / Drum Slow (Advanced)

Slow speed of the two rotors, from 0.1 to 2 Hz. Typical values: horn 0.8 Hz, drum 0.6–0.7 Hz.

Horn Fast / Drum Fast (Advanced)

Fast speed, from 2 to 8 Hz. Typical values: horn 6.5–7 Hz, drum 5.5–6 Hz; making them different avoids a 'mechanical' tremolo.

Horn Acceleration / Drum Acceleration (Advanced)

Speed of the speed change (and of braking): the horn accelerates faster than the drum; longer times make the spin-up more dramatic.

Amp — Twin Amp

On Axis

Microphone pointed at the center of the cone (brighter and more present) or angled (softer).

Bright

Boosts the highs, adding brightness.

Drive

Additional preamplification stage: from clean to crunch.

Bass / Mid / Treble

Guitar-amp-style equalization.

Reverb

Modeled spring reverb.

Speed / Intensity

Speed and depth of the amp's amplitude tremolo: an alternative to the Leslie for a 'surf' or garage organ.

Room (convolution reverb)

Type

9 impulse responses: concert halls, studios, plates and vintage springs.

Room

Size and tone of the space: the bigger it is, the darker.

Duration

Length of the tail.

Decay Start

Moment when the tail begins to decay: delaying it makes the reverb 'denser'.

Dry/Wet

Amount of reverb: for the organ in a mix 10–20% is often enough.

Keyboard Preferences (bottom bar)

Multi

Upper manual, lower manual and pedalboard on different MIDI channels (e.g. two keyboards and a MIDI pedalboard).

Split and Split Points

Divides a single keyboard into zones (pedalboard / lower / upper) with adjustable split points.

Lower / Upper

The entire MIDI keyboard plays only the lower manual or only the upper.

Octave Shift

Octave transposition for each manual, useful with small keyboards or to play the bass higher up.

Sound design tips

• Think in three groups of drawbars: the two brown ones (16', 5 1/3') are the sub body (65–200 Hz on a middle note), the four middle ones (8', 4', 2 2/3', 2') the presence (130 Hz–1 kHz and beyond), the last three (1 3/5', 1 1/3', 1') the brightness (above 1.5–2 kHz). To make room for bass and kick, remove the 16' in the left hand first; don't lower the overall volume.
• Balance with the vocals: the voice lives between 200 Hz and 3 kHz, exactly where 8', 4' and 2 2/3' are strongest. Under the singing prefer lean registrations (8' and 4') or lower the swell; reopen the drawbars in the instrumental gaps.
• Full registrations and Leslie: with all drawbars at 8 the signal is very dense; with fast Leslie and a pushed preamp it becomes aggressive. Use the Slow→Fast switch as a crescendo and go back to Slow before the next verse.
• Leslie speed: a fast horn around 6.5–7 Hz and drum at 5.5–6 Hz sound natural; two identical speeds give a flat tremolo. Slow accelerations on the drum (which arrives 'after' the horn) make the gesture believable.
• To sync or not to sync: the Leslie should not be synced to the tempo, its charm is precisely the phase offset; the Drawbar Modulators, on the other hand, work well synced (1/8, 1/16) for rhythmic patterns.
• Percussion: it works only if you lift your fingers; in legato phrasing it disappears. For comping, alternate legato notes (smooth sound) and staccato ones (attack). Third + Fast + Soft is the most musical starting point.
• Key click and attack: the click adds energy around 2–5 kHz. If the organ sounds 'distant', raise the click before adding EQ; if it intrudes under a pad, lower it.
• Preamp and distortion: distortion goes before the Leslie, not after (on the real organ it is the Leslie's preamp that saturates). Start with moderate Preamp Drive and light Distortion: too much saturation flattens the swell.
• Swell pedal: the organ has no velocity, so the dynamics are all in the pedal. Map an expression pedal and record the automation: even variations of 3–6 dB bring the part to life.
• EQ in the mix: high-pass between 60 and 100 Hz on the accompanying manual (leave the pedalboard to the bass), optional 2–3 dB cut around 300–500 Hz if the registration is 'muddy', a slight presence boost at 2–3 kHz to make it stand out in rock. The wide stereo of the Leslie should be checked in mono.
• Glissando and smear: glissandi on the white keys and palm hits (palm smear) work only with bright registrations and fast Leslie; with the 16' high they become confused.
• Common mistakes: leaving 1 3/5' high in songs with lots of thirds (harsh beating), using reverb instead of the Leslie to create space, forgetting to check the rotary in mono.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• Jazz and soul-jazz / organ trio: Jimmy Smith, with the Blue Note sessions between 1956 and 1963, made the B-3 famous with harmonic percussion and the organ, guitar and drums trio, with the bass lines played on the pedalboard; followed by Jack McDuff, Barbara Dennerlein and Joey DeFrancesco.
• Gospel: Twinkie Clark is called the queen of the B3; Cory Henry, who played the Hammond as a child, uses it on The Revival (2016). Shout chords, full registrations, Leslie speeding up and braking at the climax.
• R&B and soul: Booker T. Jones is the bridge between rhythm and blues and rock; Billy Preston and the Stax scene among the references; Steve Winwood switches to the Hammond to record Gimme Some Lovin'.
• Rock, hard rock, prog: Jon Lord of Deep Purple runs his Hammond through a Marshall amplifier for the growling sound that becomes his trademark; Keith Emerson, Rod Argent, Tony Kaye and Rick Wakeman (Yes), Thijs van Leer, Ken Hensley, Richard Wright, Steve Walsh and Tony Banks in prog.
• 1960s pop: Matthew Fisher plays the organ lines of Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale.
• Reggae and ska: Winston Wright, Junior Marvin; Tyrone Downie uses it up front on No Woman, No Cry in the version from Bob Marley and the Wailers' Live!. Bubble and skank.
• Mod revival, acid jazz and Britpop: James Taylor (The Prisoners, James Taylor Quartet), Rob Collins of the Charlatans.
• Hip hop: mostly through samples, as in the Beastie Boys' So What'cha Want.
• Funk and acid jazz: short stabs, percussion, wah.
• Neo-soul, contemporary R&B: soft pads with 8' and 4' drawbars and slow Leslie.
• House (organ house, garage, gospel house): organ bass and percussive stabs.
• Country, southern rock, Americana: warm fills behind guitars and vocals.
• Liturgical and church music: flute 8' and 4' registrations without fast Leslie.
• Ambient, lo-fi, soundtracks: modulated drawbar drones.