VB3

I recently had the chance to try VB3, and I must say that I was impressed with its capabilities. The software not only simulates Hammond organs but also offers simulations of Italian transistor organs and red-tolex organs typical of well-known pop bands from the sixties.

One feature that stood out to me was the "virtual tonewheel generator," which plays 91 waveforms continuously. When a key is pressed, a connection matrix determines which "tonewheels" to play based on the note and drawbar settings. If multiple notes require the same tonewheel, the software amplifies it twice, eliminating the need for additional "oscillators."

I should add that out of the 91 available tonewheels, only 79 are used for the two manuals, with the remaining 12 used solely for the first octave of the pedalboard. However, users can opt to use these 12 for the upper and lower manuals as well, simply by deactivating foldback on the 16" drawbars via the Global Options Menu.

It's also worth mentioning that VB3 doesn't rely on any samples for sound production, and all sounds are calculated in real-time. The waveforms are modeled after a detailed examination of the electromagnetic organ's output signals and then digitally reproduced using mathematical computations and formulas.

The only downsides I've noticed so far are the known and unresolved (yet) incompatibility with MOTU Digital Performer and the lack of a guarantee for ProTools functionality via its VST-to-RTAS wrapper. However, I believe that VB3 is an excellent choice for those seeking an authentic Hammond organ experience.