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Review - B-5 Organ By Acoustic Samples

In this video from Pro Tools Expert James Ivey takes a look and listen to the new B-5 Organ from Acoustic Samples in Pro Tools. James shows us around the instrument then with 5 audio examples shows off the some of the tonal variation that this Hammond VI has to offer.

The Hammond organs are very complex beasts, full of wires. Until now, the best renditions were synthesis, mainly because of how the organ works which is a set of 91 frequencies that are connected via contactors under each key and which volume is controlled by the drawbars.
Sample based libraries consist of stacking drawbar samples at the same time which works, but causes a big problem, sometimes you play the same frequency twice and because of phase cancellation, you never get the same sound twice when if you press the same keys.
Acoustic Samples have found a way to use the 91 frequencies synthesis approach, but using real samples, to get the best of both worlds, the real recorded organ tone plus the real behaviour and keep access to the versatility of the drawbar controls and the tweakability of synthesis.

They sampled each of the 91 tones and then measured and meticulously reproduced everything, the key contacts, the resistance wires, the foldback, the drawbars, the swell pedal, the percussion, and every button available on the original machine. To get the best possible vibrato/chorus effect, they also sampled all 6 settings and carefully phase aligned everything. Synthesis model based on samples, to get the authentic sound and the real mechanic behaviour.

See this gallery in the original post