Wurli V

How it works

Struck reeds

Each key activates a piano-like action that throws a felt hammer against a steel reed, fixed at one end and free at the other. At the free end there is a drop of solder that determines the tuning (removing solder raises the note, adding it lowers it). The reed vibrates like a single-tined tuning fork.

Electrostatic pickup

Unlike the Rhodes, the Wurlitzer does not use a magnetic pickup: the reeds pass between the 'teeth' of a metal plate charged with high DC voltage (about 170 V). Reed and plate form a capacitor whose capacitance varies with the vibration: the variation generates the signal. This principle is asymmetric and nonlinear, and produces many even and odd harmonics that grow with amplitude: hence the 'bark' when played hard.

Dampers, amp and tremolo

On release a felt damps the reed. The signal goes through an internal amplifier (about 30 W) and two small speakers facing the player. The 'vibrato' circuit is actually a tremolo (amplitude modulation): on the 200 it acted on the bias of a transistor, on the 200A through an optical LED system.

The modeling

Wurli V physically calculates hammers, reeds, dampers, electrostatic pickup and electronics; it lets you change hammer hardness, pickup distance and alignment, resonances and output (direct or miked).

Character and tone

Warm, nasal and 'woody' sound, rougher and less sustained than the Rhodes: at low dynamics it is sweet, almost a muffled vibraphone; played hard it becomes aggressive and saturated, with the typical scratchy 'bark' that recalls an overdriven guitar amp. The body is between 150 and 500 Hz, the nasality between 700 Hz and 1.5 kHz, the scratch between 2 and 4 kHz; the highs die out quickly. The built-in tremolo is a defining element. Strengths: great touch-dependent expressiveness, presence in the mix at low volume, excellent coexistence with guitars and vocals, immediate vintage character. Limitations: short sustain (long chords decay quickly), shallow bass, a tendency to turn shrill in the high register when played hard. Compared with the Rhodes (Stage-73 V) it is more compact, rougher and 'mid-centered'; compared with the Clavinet less percussive and rounder.

Architecture

Original (Wurlitzer 200 / 200A)

• 64 keys (A1–C7), felt-hammer action, steel reeds tuned with solder, felt dampers, sustain pedal.
• Electrostatic pickup at about 170 V DC; transistor preamp.
• Internal amplifier of about 30 W and two front speakers (alnico on the 200, ceramic on the 200A); jack output for external amps.
• Controls: Volume and Vibrato (tremolo depth, speed fixed on the original).
• Differences: the 200A has improved shielding (less hum), a revised amplifier and optical tremolo.
• Signal path: key → hammer → reed → electrostatic pickup → preamp → tremolo → amp → speakers / line output.

What Arturia adds (Wurli V3)

• Models 200 and 200a, each also in a bass-optimized version (4 models in total).
• Velocity Curve with 4 presets (Exponential, Linear, Logarithmic, Fixed) and user curves with up to 16 breakpoints.
• Advanced Settings divided into Instrument (Model, Tuning, Hammer Hardness, Age), Acoustics (Hammer Noise, Reeds Noise, Damper Noise, Tonebar Resonance), Output (Output Mode Direct/Mic'd Mono/Stereo, Stereo Width, Vibrato Sync and Speed) and Mechanics (Pickup Distance, Pickup Alignment, Damper Duration, Dynamics).
• Effects: 4 slots in series with 13 pedals in five categories (Reverb, Delay, Analog Delay, Tape Echo, Compressor, Limiter, Equalizer, Distortion, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Stereo Pan, CryWah), Amp Simulator (Rotary Speaker with 5 cabinets or Twin Amp), convolution Room Simulator with 9 rooms (two plates).
• Tempo-syncable tremolo, macros, MIDI Learn, presets.

The controls, one by one

Main Sound Controls

Volume

Overall output level, downstream of the effects.

Vibrato

Depth of the built-in tremolo (called 'vibrato' as on the original, but it modulates volume). Speed and synchronization are set in Output Settings.

On-screen keyboard

64 keys from the lowest A; clicking closer to the edge of the key increases velocity. Out-of-range notes can also be played from MIDI.

Advanced — Velocity Curve

Presets

Exponential ('heavier' response), Linear (progressive), Logarithmic ('lighter', easy to reach the bark), Fixed (always the same volume).

Breakpoints and grab handles

Left-click adds a point, right-click removes it (up to 16, first and last fixed); the handles between points bend the segments. Save As to save the curve.

Advanced — Instrument Settings

Model

200, 200a and their Bass versions: the 200 is rougher and noisier, the 200a cleaner and more defined; the Bass versions are optimized for playing bass lines.

Tuning

Overall tuning (default A = 440.0 Hz).

Hammer Hardness

From soft felt to metal: harder = more aggressive and brighter attack.

Age

Simulated wear: pitch variations and more noises.

Advanced — Acoustics Settings

Hammer Noise

Mechanical noise of the hammer impact.

Reeds Noise

Bright, almost bell-like resonance at the attack and release of the reeds.

Damper Noise

Noise of the dampers falling back when the key or pedal is released.

Tonebar Resonance

Decay of the reeds' high frequencies: higher = more sustained sound.

Advanced — Output Settings

Output Mode

Direct Mono (mono DI), Direct Stereo (two panned DI channels), Mic'd Mono (speakers picked up by one microphone), Mic'd Stereo (two microphones): Mic'd adds the color of the built-in speakers.

Stereo Width

Width of the panning in the stereo modes.

Vibrato Sync

Tremolo free-running in Hz or synced to the tempo.

Vibrato Speed

Tremolo speed; with Sync it steps through normal, dotted (d) and triplet (t) values.

Advanced — Mechanics Settings

Pickup Distance

Pickups closer to the reeds (low values) = more bark and also slight distortion.

Pickup Alignment

Angle of the pickups relative to the reeds: low values give a softer tone.

Damper Duration

Time between key release and the end of the note.

Dynamics

Difference in volume between very soft and very loud notes, preserving the differences in brightness; the Velocity Curve acts within these limits.

Effects — chain

Serial routing

Four slots from left to right, then Amp Simulator and Room Simulator fixed in the second-to-last and last positions. Slots are swapped by dragging the pedal background.

In / Out / Bypass

Input and output level of the chain and global bypass (plus on/off for each slot).

Available pedals

Reverb, Delay, Analog Delay, Tape Echo, Compressor, Limiter, Equalizer, Distortion, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Stereo Pan, CryWah; many have Dry/Wet and tempo sync.

Amp Simulator — Rotary Speaker

Rotary Type Select

Five cabinets: 'closed' = microphones on the cabinet, 'open' = exposed rotors; 122 and 147 (the 147 brighter and more 'rock').

Main/Advanced

Switches between main and advanced controls.

Fast / Brake

Fast or slow rotor speed; Brake stops them while keeping the cabinet color.

Stereo / Balance

Spread of the virtual microphones and balance between the high and low rotor.

Slow / Fast / Accel (Advanced, for horn and drum)

Slow and fast speed and transition time of each rotor.

Amp Simulator — Twin Amp

On Axis

Microphone at 90° on the cone: more focused sound.

Bright

Treble boost.

Drive

Input gain: turning it up makes the Wurli get pleasantly dirty.

Reverb

Built-in spring reverb.

Bass / Mid / Treble

Tone controls.

Speed / Intensity

Amp tremolo: speed and depth (adds to the Wurli's tremolo).

Room Simulator

Room type

Nine convolution rooms, including two plates.

Pre-Delay

Time before the first reflections.

Size

Size of the space.

Decay

Length of the tail.

Sound design tips

• The bark is a gesture: the Wurli saturates when you play hard; with the Logarithmic curve the growl arrives easily, with Exponential you stay in the sweet sound. Choose the curve according to the song, not generic taste.
• Pickup Distance: moving the pickups closer increases grit and natural distortion without adding pedals; before using Distortion try low Pickup Distance and moderate Twin Drive.
• Output Mode: Direct for a clean, modern sound (DI), Mic'd for the vintage color of the small speakers (lighter bass, prominent mids). In a dense mix Mic'd Mono is often the easiest to place.
• Frequencies in the mix: high-pass at 80–120 Hz, a 2–3 dB cut between 300 and 500 Hz if 'boxy', presence at 1.5–2.5 kHz to bring it out in the verses; if it scratches too much, touch 3–4 kHz.
• Tremolo: medium depth (30–50%) and 5–6 Hz is the classic; syncing it to 1/8 or 1/8 triplet works well in electronic tracks, in played tracks it is better left free.
• Short sustain: for long chords use the pedal, raise Tonebar Resonance or add a short plate reverb; avoid 'stretching' chords without the pedal.
• Coexisting with guitars: Wurli and clean electric guitar occupy the same zone (300 Hz–3 kHz): separate them by register or panning, and leave the long subdivisions to the Wurli if the guitar plays tight rhythm.
• Wurli bass: the Bass models work in the A1–A2 zone; add compression and a slight boost at 100 Hz.
• Common mistakes: too much reverb (the Wurli is a 'close' instrument), deep tremolo under the vocal, Hammer Hardness at maximum in delicate tracks.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• 1950s–70s soul and R&B: Ray Charles carries a Wurlitzer with him so as not to depend on the pianos in the venues, and on What'd I Say (1959) uses the model 120 up front; Spooner Oldham plays a 140B in the riff that runs through I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) by Aretha Franklin; Earl Van Dyke uses it on I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye.
• Jazz and soul-jazz: Sun Ra is among the first to record it (1956 singles); Joe Zawinul plays a 140B on Mercy, Mercy, Mercy with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1966).
• 1960s–70s pop and rock: Supertramp use it extensively on The Logical Song, Goodbye Stranger and Dreamer; John Deacon plays it on You're My Best Friend by Queen, Richard Wright on Money by Pink Floyd; Richard Carpenter's Wurlitzer is part of the sound of the early Carpenters; the Small Faces use a 140B on Lazy Sunday.
• Indie, alternative, singer-songwriter: lived-in, slightly out-of-tune chords.
• French touch, nu-disco, electronic: compressed and filtered Wurli.
• Neo-soul, hip hop, lo-fi: warm, saturated chords, often sampled.
• Gospel, country and Americana: accompaniments with tremolo and spring reverb.