B3 Hammond GigaSampler Samples by Sonic Implants


B3 Hammond GigaSampler Samples by Sonic Implants
by Jack Conrad
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I have long been a fan of the Hammond B-3 organ and the incredible sound of its Leslie speaker. As a child I had the good fortune to have daily access down at my Methodist Church to a C-3, a console version of the "portable" B-3, in exchange for lighting a few candles. In my mind I was rockin'â like Billy Preston does on his hit "Will It Go 'Round In Circles", while in reality it probably sounded more like caterwauling. I was delighted to discover Sonic Implants' wonderful new collection of B3 samples that let me re-visit my old 'friend.'

Available in Soundfont, Akai and Tascam/NemeSys GigaSampler formats, this collection covers the full range of sounds possible with the B-3 from earthy and gritty to light or percussive. The Hammond B-3, while wonderful in live stage use, is a 65+ year old electromechanical beast given to impromptu buzzing and frying unacceptable in these digital times. So unless you already own a B-3 and are experienced and into the masochistic pleasure of recording its often cantankerous old Leslie speaker, your sound palette won't be complete without these files.

45 different B-3s and Leslies were recorded to obtain several hundred loops making up the large collection of 23 different organs. These are long stereo samples with complete keymaps and slow, fast and stopped speaker rotor variations. Each instrument is approximately 10-12 megabytes, compressed to 3-6 megabytes if you download them. Sonic Implants procured the services of one of Boston's finest B-3 programmers for the task of programming the drawbars and Leslie settings for the months-long, tedious sampling process. After much experimentation with miking and keymapping, it was decided that notes starting with the rotating horn in a certain position resulted in the optimum sound. Initially to get this effect, the organist viewed the horn through a mirror to position it correctly. However, after 30 minutes he became so violently ill that it was decided to go back to doing it by ear. It works! My ears really like the gritty stuff-the Mother of all B-3s growling at you. The percussive sounds perky like Dave "Baby" Cortez' "Happy Organ" on a Prozac/coffee cocktail.

Loading this collection on my hard drive when well but I was initially confused by the file titles. Titles like: B32 000088000 refer to the patch number and the 0s and 8s refer to the actual drawbar positions. It's easy to renamed the patches referenced to song titles or any evocative name you like.

The new B3 GigaSamples CD-ROM sells for $149.95 and is available at www.sonicimplants.com. As with all the Sonic Implant products you can preview collections via MP3 version downloads. You can also buy and download the entire collection or any parts you like. Soundfont downloads are $9.95 each and Giga downloads are just $14.95 each. All samples include Stopped, Fast and Slow Rotor settings in a single download. For much more contact Sonic Implants at Sonic Network, Inc and Hruska Audio Productions, Inc. 781-641-0063 FAX 781-641-0448. Check out their web site at: www.sonicimplants.com

Jack Conrad, bass-playing former touring member of The Doors and The Beach Boys bands, ex-studio musician and co-writer of three top ten hits with cuts by The Babys, Heart and Three Dog Night.

Edited by: Barry Rudolph

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