arturia Arturia B-3 V B 3 V Manual 1 0 0 EN

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 1

USER MANUAL

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 2

Direction

Frédéric Brun Kévin Molcard

Development

Baptiste Aubry

Stefano D’Angelo

Corentin Comte

Baptiste Le Goff

Pierre-Lin Laneyrie

Valentin Lepetit

Samuel Limier

Germain Marzin,

Mathieu Nocenti

Pierre Pfister

Benjamin Renard

Design

Glen Darcey

Shaun Ellwood

Morgan Perrier

Sébastien Rochard

Greg Vezon

Sound Design

Christian Laffitte

Paolo Apollo Negri

Nori Ubukata

Manual

Hollin Jones

Tomoya Fukuchi

Léonard Sauget

Jason Valax

Special Thanks

Chuck Capsis

Thierry Chatelain

Koshdukai

Theo Niessink

George Ware

© ARTURIA S.A. – 1999-2016 – All rights reserved.
11, chemin de la Dhuy
38240 Meylan
FRANCE

http://www.arturia.com

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 3

Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... 5

1.1 What is B-3 V? ..................................................................................................... 5

1.2 History of the original instrument ..................................................................... 5

1.2.1 Notable users ............................................................................................... 6

1.3 What does B-3 V add to the original? ........................................................... 6

2 ACTIVATION AND FIRST START ................................................................................ 7

2.1 Register and Activate ....................................................................................... 7

2.2 Initial setup ........................................................................................................... 7

2.2.1 Audio and MIDI settings: Windows .......................................................... 7

2.2.2 Audio and MIDI settings: Mac OS X ........................................................ 9

2.2.3 Using B-3 V in plug-in mode .................................................................... 10

3 USER INTERFACE ...................................................................................................... 11

3.1 The virtual keyboard ........................................................................................ 11

3.2 Toolbar................................................................................................................ 11

3.2.1 Save preset ................................................................................................ 12

3.2.2 Save preset as ........................................................................................... 12

3.2.3 Import preset .............................................................................................. 12

3.2.4 Export preset .............................................................................................. 12

3.2.5 Export bank ................................................................................................ 12

3.2.6 Resize window options ............................................................................. 13

3.2.7 Audio settings ............................................................................................ 13

3.2.8 Preset browsing quick look ..................................................................... 13

3.2.9 Voice Modulator and Advanced section. ......................................... 13

3.2.10 MIDI learn assignment .......................................................................... 13

3.2.11 MIDI controller configuration .............................................................. 16

3.2.12 The lower toolbar................................................................................... 17

3.2.13 The Keyboard Preferences window .................................................. 17

3.3 The Preset Browser ........................................................................................... 19

3.3.1 Searching presets ..................................................................................... 19

3.3.2 Filtering using tags..................................................................................... 19

3.3.3 The preset Info section ............................................................................. 20

3.3.4 The second preset view .......................................................................... 21

3.3.5 Playlists ......................................................................................................... 22

3.4 Front panel ........................................................................................................ 24

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3.4.1 The vibrato switches ................................................................................. 24

3.4.2 The Vibrato and Chorus mode knob.................................................... 24

3.4.3 The Drawbars ............................................................................................. 25

3.4.4 Preamp Drive ............................................................................................. 26

3.4.5 Master Volume .......................................................................................... 26

3.4.6 The Percussion section ............................................................................. 26

3.5 The Advanced Section ................................................................................... 27

3.6 The Voice Modulator Section ....................................................................... 28

3.6.1 What this section does ............................................................................. 28

3.6.2 Envelope modulator ................................................................................ 29

3.6.3 LFO ............................................................................................................... 30

3.6.4 Step Sequencer......................................................................................... 30

3.6.5 Assigning modulation amount to drawbars ....................................... 31

3.7 The Rotary Speaker.......................................................................................... 31

3.7.1 The Slow / Fast Lever ................................................................................ 31

3.7.2 The Stop / Run Lever ................................................................................ 31

3.7.3 Slow and Fast speed control .................................................................. 32

3.7.4 The Horn and Stereo controls ................................................................. 32

3.7.5 Speaker on / off ....................................................................................... 33

3.7.6 Model select switch.................................................................................. 33

3.7.7 The Reverb section ................................................................................... 33

3.8 The effects ......................................................................................................... 33

3.8.1 How this section works ............................................................................. 33

3.8.2 The flanger.................................................................................................. 34

3.8.3 The phaser .................................................................................................. 35

3.8.4 Chorus pedal ............................................................................................. 35

3.8.5 Analog delay pedal ................................................................................. 36

3.8.6 Overdrive pedal ........................................................................................ 37

3.8.7 The swell pedal .......................................................................................... 37

4 END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT ........................................................................... 38

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 5

1 INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on purchasing our virtual organ, B-3 V. We are confident that
it will give you many hours of playing and producing pleasure.

B-3 V is the newest addition to our extensive family of instruments that recreate
hard-to-find classic keyboards and synths. In addition to bringing the authentic
and instantly recognisable sound of the tonewheel organ to your studio, we
have added some 21st century features that were never available in the
original!

The instrument upon which this virtual model is based was a staple of popular
music from its creation in the 1930s and remains popular today for its unique
character. Since finding and maintaining a real tonewheel organ is both
difficult and costly, we’re confident B-3 V will bring you all of the benefits with
none of the hassle!

1.1 What is B-3 V?

B-3 V is a recreation of a classic tonewheel organ and rotary speaker, though
it adds a number of additional features that were never available on the
original instrument.

The original instrument works by having 91 tonewheels, each rotating near an
electromagnetic pickup. Each key is connected to a fixed set of tonewheel
outputs and the drawbar settings control how these are mixed together before
being sent to the preamplifier.

The tube preamp shapes the sound a little bit further (filtering and distortion),
also factoring in the position of the expression pedal which acts not only as a
volume control but affects the frequency response of the preamp as well, and
finally the output of the preamp is connected to the speaker.

The speaker being simulated is a rotary model. It contains a power amplifier
that drives a rotating horn and a stationary woofer firing into a rotating drum
reflector. The speaker actually determines many interesting spatial and
frequency shifting effects in addition to the sound shaping effects of common
loudspeakers.

1.2 History of the original instrument

The tonewheel organ was first released in the 1930s and various models were
produced over the following 40 years. The different models generated sound
by creating an electric current by rotating a metal tonewheel near an
electromagnetic pickup, then amplifying that signal.

Originally aimed at churches as a more compact and affordable alternative
to conventional pipe organs, the original organs found favour first with gospel

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musicians in churches and fairly quickly after that, with jazz musicians who

loved their unique sound. This was thanks to features like the organ’s drawbars

and various tone controls as well as the rotating speaker that sounded like
nothing else around.

It would go on to play a central role in the rock music of the 1970s and even in
pop, all the while remaining a staple instrument of jazz, blues and gospel. The
fact that a lot of clubs would buy one and leave it “in residence” on the stage
meant that they got used more frequently than if musicians had to bring their

own keyboards. Smaller than a piano, the versatility of the organ’s sound

meant it could fit in with many different kinds of performances.

1.2.1 Notable users

Jimmy Smith

John Medeski

“Brother” Jack McDuff

Keith Emerson

Booker T Jones

Procol Harum

Steve Winwood

Gregg Allman

Joey DeFrancesco

Rick Wakeman

Tyrone Downie (with the Wailers)

James Taylor

Cory Henry

Rhoda Scott

Jon Lord

George Duke

1.3 What does B-3 V add to the original?

A real tonewheel organ and rotary speaker are not only physically very large
and difficult to move around but also expensive to locate, purchase and
maintain. So software is the ideal way to get the sound without all the hassle.
In addition to recreating the original tonewheels complete with the
imperfections that made them sound so unique, B-3 V adds a number of new
features.

 MIDI control of many parameters
 Five insert effect slots
 A reverb unit
 A Drawbar modulator section
 Advanced control over the rotary speaker behaviour and speed
 Attack and release controls for upper and lower manuals
 Control over key click volume and background noise
 Drawbar and tonewheel leakage controls

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2 ACTIVATION AND FIRST START

2.1 Register and Activate

B-3 V works on computers equipped with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS X

10.8 or later. You can use the stand-alone version or use B-3 V as an Audio Units,
AAX, VST2 or VST3 instrument.

Once B-3 V has been installed, the next step is to register the software.

The registration process will require you to enter the serial number and the
unlock code you received with the product.

In order to proceed, go to this web page and follow the instructions:

http://www.arturia.com/register

Note: If you don’t have an Arturia account yet, you will need to create one.

The process is quick, but it does require that you can access your email address
during the registration process.

Once you have acquired an Arturia account you will be able to register the
product.

2.2 Initial setup

2.2.1 Audio and MIDI settings: Windows

At the top left of the B-3 V application is a pull-down menu. It contains various
setup options. Initially you will need to go to the menu and choose the Audio
Settings option to get sound and MIDI flowing in and out.

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You will then see the Audio MIDI settings window. This works in the same way
on both Windows and Mac OS X, although the names of the devices available
to you will depend on the hardware that you are using.

The Audio MIDI Settings on Windows

Starting from the top you have the following options

 Device lets you choose which audio driver you want to use to route

sound out of the instrument. This might be your computer’s own driver

like Windows Audio, or an ASIO driver. The name of your hardware
interface may appear in this field.

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 Output Channels lets you select which of the available outputs will be

used to route audio out. If you only have two outputs, only two will
appear as options. If you have more than two you can select a specific
pair of outputs.

 The Buffer Size menu lets you select the size of the audio buffer your

computer uses to calculate sound. A smaller buffer means lower latency
between pressing a key and hearing the note. A larger buffer means a
lower CPU load as the computer has more time to think, but can result
in higher latency. Find the optimum buffer size for your system. A fast,
modern computer should easily be able to operate at 256 or 128 sample
buffer size without creating pops or clicks in the sound. If you are getting
clicks, try raising the buffer a little. The latency is displayed on the right
hand side of this menu.

 The Sample Rate menu lets you set the sample rate at which audio is

sent out of the instrument. The options here will depend on the capability

of your audio interface hardware though even most computers’ own

hardware can operate at up to 48kHz which is perfectly fine. Higher
sample rates use more CPU power so unless you have a good reason to
go up to 96kHz, then 44.1 or 48 are usually fine. The Show Control Panel
button here will jump to the system control panel for whatever audio
device is selected.

 Play Test Tone helps you to troubleshoot audio issues by checking that

sound can be heard through the correct device.

 Your connected MIDI devices will appear in the MIDI Devices area when

they are available. Click the check box to accept MIDI from the device
you want to use to trigger the instrument. In standalone mode, B-3 V
listens for all MIDI channels so there’s no need to specify a channel. You
can specify more than one MIDI device at once.

2.2.2 Audio and MIDI settings: Mac OS X

The process is very similar to setting up for Windows and the menu is accessed
in the same way. The difference here is that OS X uses CoreAudio to handle
audio routing and within that, your audio device will be available in the second
dropdown menu. Apart from that, the options work the same way as described
above in the Windows section.

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The Mac OS X Audio MIDI Settings window

2.2.3 Using B-3 V in plug-in mode

B-3 V comes in VST, AU and AAX plug-in formats for use in all major DAW
software like Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools and so on. You can load it as a plug-in
instrument and its interface and settings work in the same way as in standalone
mode, with a couple of differences.

 The instrument will now sync to your DAW’s host tempo, where tempo is

a factor like in the tremolo and repeat controls, if you activate the Sync
buttons on the organ.

 You can automate numerous parameters using your DAW’s automation

system.

 You can use more than one instance of B-3 V in a DAW project. In

standalone mode you can only use one at once.

 You can route B-3 V’s audio outputs more creatively inside your DAW

using the DAW’s own audio routing system.

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3 USER INTERFACE

B-3 V has many great features, and in this chapter we’ll make sure you know
what each one does. We think you’ll be amazed at how quickly B-3 V provides

you with sounds that are inspiring and perfect for all sorts of projects.

It’s also really easy to work with: just a few tweaks here and there and suddenly
you’re in a new world of sound. That will always be the main focus of every

Arturia product: unleashing your creativity while remaining easy to use.

3.1 The virtual keyboard

B-3 V has two keyboards, one upper and one lower just like an original
tonewheel organ. These correspond to the left hand (upper) and right hand
(lower) sets of drawbars located above the keyboard.

The first octave of each keyboard (the notes with their colours reversed) does
not actually generate sound but rather acts as a preset selector for a fixed set
of presets, like in a real organ. Pressing one of these notes will call up a specific
drawbar configuration but will not change any of the other settings on the
organ. These presets are fixed though you can of course make edits to the
drawbars and then save a new preset in the B-3 V’s own preset browser.

3.2 Toolbar

The toolbar that runs along the top edge of the instrument both in standalone
and plug-in mode provides access to many useful features. Let’s look at them
in detail. The first seven of these options can be found by clicking on the B-3 V
section at the very top left hand corner of the instrument window.

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3.2.1 Save preset

The first option lets you save a preset. If you select this you are presented with
a window where you can enter information about the preset. As well as
naming it you can enter the author name, select a bank and type and select
some tags that describe the sound. This information can be read by the preset
browser and is useful for searching presets later. You can also enter freeform
text comments in the Comments field which is handy for providing a more
detailed description.

3.2.2 Save preset as

This works in the same way as the Save command, but lets you save a copy of

the preset instead of saving over the original. It’s useful for creating variations

on patches but still keeping individual copies of each one.

3.2.3 Import preset

This command lets you import a preset file. Presets are stored in the .b3x format.

3.2.4 Export preset

You can export any preset as a file using this command.

3.2.5 Export bank

This option can be used to export the entire bank of sounds from the instrument
which is useful for backing up or sharing presets.

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3.2.6 Resize window options

B-3 V’s window can be resized from 60% to 200% of its original size without any
visual artefacting. On a smaller screen such as a laptop you might want to

reduce the interface size so it doesn’t dominate the display. On a larger screen

or a second monitor you can increase its size to get a better view of the
controls. The controls all work the same at any zoom level but the smaller ones
can be harder to see if you have shrunk the window down.

3.2.7 Audio settings

Here you manage the way the instrument transmits sound and receives MIDI.
See section 2.2 of the manual for full details on this.

3.2.8 Preset browsing quick look

The Preset browser is invoked by clicking on the browser button which contains
four vertical lines. See section 3.3 of the manual for full details on this. The All
Types, name field and left / right arrows in the toolbar all deal with preset
selection.

3.2.9 Voice Modulator and Advanced section.

This button opens the Voice Modulator and Advanced sections. See section

3.5 for more on this.

3.2.10 MIDI learn assignment

The MIDI plug icon at the right hand end of the toolbar places the instrument
into MIDI learn mode. Parameters that can be assigned to MIDI controls will be

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shown in purple and the idea is that you map physical MIDI dials, faders or
pedals from your hardware units like Beatstep or Keystep to specific
destinations inside the instrument. A typical example might be to map a real
expression pedal to the virtual swell pedal, or buttons on a controller to the
tone select switches so you can change the sound from your hardware
keyboard.

B-3 V in MIDI learn mode

If you click on a purple area you’ll put that control into learning mode. Move

a physical dial or fader and the target goes red to show that a link has been
made between the hardware control and the software parameter. There’s a
popup window that displays which two things are being linked and a button
to unassign the two from each other.

There’s also a minimum and maximum value slider that you can use to restrict

the parameter change range to something other than 0%-100%. For example

you might want the amp’s master volume to be controllable via hardware from

30% to 90%. If you made this setting (Min set to 0.30 and Max set to 0.90), your
physical dial would not alter the volume any lower than 30% or any higher than

90% no matter how far you turned it. This is very useful for making sure you can’t

accidentally make the sound too quiet or too loud when performing.

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The MIDI Control Setup window

In the case of switches which only have two positions (up or down) you can still
use minimum and maximum values in the MIDI learn popup window, but in
these cases the behaviour is a little different.

It's about what values the controller sends and whether those are high or low
enough to trigger the state change in a switch - which is always 0.5 or in the
case of the three stage switch, 33.3/33.3/33.3 (or near enough). You can set
the minimum and maximum values of the hardware MIDI control but whether
it affects the software parameter depends on whether it crosses the threshold
required to make the change.

Let's take an example. We want to control a 2-position switch with a hardware
fader. The fader value goes from 0.0 to 1.0 and the switch state will always
change when 0.5 is crossed.

The min value in the MIDI learn window corresponds with the value that will be
sent (from the controller to the engine) when the fader is at its min position
(same goes for the max value).

To explain this, you can try these 5 use cases:

 Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 0.49 => the switch cannot be

switched on because the 0.5 value can never be crossed

 Set min value to 0.51 and max value to 1.0 => the switch cannot be

switched off because the 0.5 value can never be crossed

 Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 1.0 => the switch state changes

when the fader crosses its central position

 Set min value to 0.49 and max value to 1.0 => the switch state changes

when the fader is very low

 Set min value to 0.0 and max value to 0.51 => the switch state changes

when the fader is very high

The same goes for the three-stage switches, where instead of 0.5 being the
state change value, it is divided into three thirds.

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In the case of drawbars which have nine different positions the same rule
applies but instead of splitting the controller range into two or three it is split
into nine.

The final option in this window is a button labelled “Is relative”. If you switch this

on for any MIDI assignment, the movement you make with the physical control
(such as a knob) will pick up the software parameter at its current setting and

change if from there rather than being an “absolute” control and snapping it

back to zero as soon as you start to move it. This can be a good idea when

assigning controls to things like volume or effect pedal controls, since you won’t

usually want them to jump massively out of their current setting as soon as you
start to modify them.

3.2.10.1 Reserved MIDI CC numbers

Certain MIDI Continuous Controller (MIDI CC) numbers are reserved and
cannot be reassigned to other controls. These are:

 Ctrl All Notes Off (CC #123)

All other MIDI CC numbers may be used to control any assignable parameter
in B-3 V.

3.2.11 MIDI controller configuration

There’s a small arrow at the far right hand side of the toolbar that deals with

MIDI controller configurations. This allows you to manage different sets of MIDI

maps that you may have set up for controlling the instrument’s parameters

from MIDI hardware. You can copy the current MIDI assignment setup or delete
it, import a configuration file or export the currently active one. This can be
used to quickly set up different hardware MIDI keyboards or controllers with B-

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3 V without having to build all the assignments from scratch each time you
swap hardware.

3.2.12 The lower toolbar

At the right hand side of the lower toolbar are three small items. The Panic
button can be pressed to reset all MIDI signal in the event of stuck notes, and
stop sounds being generated. The CPU meter is used to monitor how much of

your computer’s CPU is being used by the instrument. The Keyboard

preferences button opens a new window.

3.2.13 The Keyboard Preferences window

Since B-3 V has two keyboards which generate different tones, we have
provided a way to choose how your MIDI keyboard will control the instrument.
It provides the flexibility to play both manuals with one keyboard or to use two
MIDI keyboards. Here’s how it works.

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In Multi mode, you can assign MIDI channels to each manual. A typical
example might be to connect one MIDI keyboard to the upper manual on
MIDI channel 1, and a second one to the lower manual on channel 2, giving
you the full range of notes at your fingertips. Or you could split your controller
into two zones, assign each one a MIDI channel and achieve a similar result.
You can also change the octave of either manual up or down here, which is
useful for things like assigning a smaller MIDI keyboard to control a bass part.

Split mode also allows octave shifting but here you have a single MIDI channel
from one MIDI keyboard coming in, and you define which note on that
keyboard is the split point at which the MIDI keyboard changes from controlling
one manual to controlling the other.

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The Lower and Upper options also allow octave shifting but these modes simply
assign your whole MIDI keyboard to play either the lower or upper manuals.

3.3 The Preset Browser

The preset browser is how you search, load and manage sounds in B-3 V. It has
a couple of different views but they all access the same banks of presets. Click
on the browser button (three lines and a slanted line) to access the search
view.

3.3.1 Searching presets

The Search screen has a number of sections. By clicking on the Search field at
the top left you can quickly enter any search term to filter the preset list by
patch name. The Results column is updated to show the results of your search.
Press the X button in the search field to clear the search.

3.3.2 Filtering using tags

You can also search using different tags. So for example by clicking on the
Lead and Organ options in the Types field you can show only presets that
match those tags. The tag fields can be shown or hidden by using the small
down arrow buttons in their title fields. Results columns can be sorted by
clicking the same arrow button in their own section.

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You can use multiple search fields to perform narrower searches. So by
entering a text search and also specifying type, bank and characteristics
options you could see only the presets that match those exact criteria.
Deselect any tag in any area to remove that criteria and widen the search
without having to go back and start again. Using “Ctrl + click” (Windows) or

“Cmd + click” (Mac) will allow you to select multiple elements in the same

area.

The second Results column can be switched to show Type, Sound Designer,
Favorite or Bank tags depending on how you like to search. Click on its options
menu button just next to its sort arrow.

3.3.3 The preset Info section

The Preset Info column on the right of the search field shows you information
about any preset. If you want to make changes to a factory preset such as
changing its name, adding comments or tags, you have to re-save it as a user
preset using the Save As command in the main menu. When you have done
this, the Info section will gain Edit and Delete buttons that you can use to
change the information stored inside the preset. Factory presets can’t be
overwritten.

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3.3.4 The second preset view

The menu next to the Search menu shows you a different view. The first option
in this menu is called Filter and will hold a record of whatever you have
currently searched for in the Search field. So if you searched for Jazz in the
main search area, those results will appear here.

Selecting the All Types option in this column on the other hand will provide a
list of all patches. The Categories shown beneath group sounds based on their
Type like keys, pads, bass and so on.

Clicking on the name field in the centre of the toolbar will show you a list of all
available presets and will also change based on what you have entered in the

Search field. So again if you have searched for “jazz”, this shortcut menu will

only show you patches that match that tag. The left and right arrows in the
toolbar cycle up and down through the preset list: either the full list, or the
filtered list if you have entered a search term.

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3.3.5 Playlists

In the lower left corner of the Preset Browser window is a feature titled Playlists.
This is used to collect presets into different groups for different purposes, such
as a set list for a particular performance or a batch of presets related to a
particular studio project.

3.3.5.1 Add a playlist

To create a playlist, click the plus sign at the bottom:

Give the playlist a name and it will appear in the Playlists menu. You can
rename the playlist at any time; just click the pencil icon at the end of its row.

3.3.5.2 Add a preset

You can use all of the options in the Search window to locate the presets you
want to have in your playlist. Once you have found the right preset, click and
drag it onto the playlist name.

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Click and drag from the Search Results list onto one of the playlists

To view the contents of a playlist, click on the playlist name.

3.3.5.3 Re-order the presets

Presets may be reorganized within a playlist. For example, to move a preset
from slot 2 to slot 4, drag and drop the preset to the desired location.

This will move the preset into the new location.

3.3.5.4 Remove a preset

To delete a preset from a playlist, click the x at the end of the preset row.

Click the X to remove a preset from a playlist

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3.3.5.5 Delete a playlist

To delete a playlist, click the x at the end of the playlist row.

Click the X to delete a playlist

3.4 Front panel

3.4.1 The vibrato switches

These switches let you toggle vibrato on or off independently for the upper and
lower manuals.

3.4.2 The Vibrato and Chorus mode knob

This knob lets you select between three different chorus and three different
vibrato types that will be applied to the manuals when their vibrato switches
are activated. They essentially represent three different depths for each kind
of effect. So C1 is a light chorus and C3 is more intense. Similarly, V1 is light
vibrato and V3 is deeper. The three settings could be thought of as Small, Wide
and Full.

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3.4.3 The Drawbars

The upper and lower manual drawbars

Every sound or note is made up of a fundamental and harmonics. The
fundamental can be considered as the "root" of the sound and harmonics are
higher frequencies you can hear, which add some shape to the sound.

The drawbars let you shape your organ sound by mixing the fundamental and
harmonics.

B-3 V has nine drawbars for each manual (upper and lower) for a total of 18.
Pulling a drawbar out will increase the volume of that tonewheel in steps
starting at zero (no sound) all the way to 8 (full volume). Each set of nine
drawbars is organised chromatically, meaning the bars on the left control
lower tones and the ones on the right are much higher.

The drawbar fundamentals and harmonics

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Think of the leftmost two (brown) drawbars as “sub” tones, the middle four as
“foundation” tones in the midrange, and the three to the furthest right as
“brilliance”, controlling higher frequencies.

Due to the fact that each drawbar has nine positions there are literally millions
of possible combinations of settings and sounds and this is what makes
tonewheel organs so flexible, capable of everything from subtle, minimal tones
to very complex, rich and powerful sounds.

Part of the skill of being an organ player is in mastering the drawbars,
manipulating them in real time to change the sound dynamically during a
performance. This is something you will see a good organ player doing very
frequently as they play their instrument. For a software organ it can be helpful
to map MIDI hardware controls to the drawbars to give you a similar kind of
control.

3.4.4 Preamp Drive

This control can be used to set the amount of drive applied to the preamp.
Increasing the amount will add a slightly overdriven effect to the sound,
introducing some bite and grit which can be desirable for certain kinds of
music.

3.4.5 Master Volume

This controls the master volume output of the organ.

3.4.6 The Percussion section

This section has four switches.

 Perc On/Off - Enables or disables the Upper Manual percussion

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 27

 Vol Soft/Norm - Sets the volume of the Percussion tone.
 Decay Fast/Slow - When set to Slow, the Percussion tone will decay

slowly. Set to Fast, it will decay rapidly.

 Percussion Harmonic Selector - This sets the pitch of the Percussion sound.

Second means the pitch is up one octave above the Fundamental
Drawbar. Third means the pitch is up an octave and a fifth above the
Fundamental Drawbar.

3.5 The Advanced Section

This section allows you to make further changes to the way sound is generated.
It has the following elements.

 Drawbar Leakage lets you manually control the amount of each

drawbar that leaks into the ones either side of it. Set to zero, there is no
leakage.

 Tonewheel leakage controls the amount of signal that is allowed to leak

from each tonewheel. The more leakage you allow, the more imprecise
the sound because the tonewheels will all start to interfere with each
other. However allowing some leakage can help to give a more
authentic sound.

 Brilliance controls the amount of boost applied to the middle and upper

frequencies.

 Background Noise can be added for a more deliberately imperfect

sound.

 Polyphonic Percussion can be switched on or off

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 28

 Key Click Volume can be turned up or down, altering the organ’s sound

to make it more or less percussive when notes are hit.

 Lower and Upper Attack and Release can be used to change the speed

at which a note comes in once pressed and how long it takes to fade
out when released, on each respective manual. For regular organ
sounds these would all be set very low, but if you raise them you can get
more synth-like sounds.

3.6 The Voice Modulator Section

3.6.1 What this section does

The organ sound can be quite static if the player does not interact with it much.
A true tonewheel organ player will move the drawbars a lot while playing, to
add evolution to the sound. We decided to pursue that idea by letting the user
automate the movement of drawbars using envelopes, LFOs and step
sequencers. This opens a lot of possibilities for sound design. It can be used to
create sharp attacks with lots of harmonics that turn into a softer sound. It can
also be used to create atmospheric, evolving sounds. The harmonic
relationship between drawbars means that the sound will always feel natural,
even when the drawbars are heavily modulated.

The Drawbar Modulator lets the user change the value of the drawbars over
time. It uses a number of mono modulators (not one for each voice, but
paraphonic), multi-point envelopes, LFOs and step sequencers. There are ten
modulator slots and the user can select which type they want for each of the
modulators (envelope, LFO or sequencer). Then they can edit the modulator
shape, and finally set bipolar modulation amounts for the drawbars of the two
manuals. A double click on one of the drawbars clears the selection.

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 29

You can use up to 10 modulators at the same time and mix and match types
and settings by using the mod select dropdown menus in this section. Click on
a section and then choose a modulator type.

3.6.2 Envelope modulator

This lets you set your own envelope shape over time by adding and
manipulating values.

The Envelope modulator

You can set up to 16 points in the Envelope window and modify the curve
between any two points. Click on a point to drag it horizontally or vertically
and click on the arrow icons to alter the curves. You can navigate the time axis
and zoom in or out by clicking with the mouse, holding and dragging up or
down on the time bar above the envelope area.

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 30

3.6.3 LFO

The LFO modulator

The LFO modulator type has settings for sync, waveshape, rate and phase. You
can set the waveform, start phase, and rate of the LFO and the rate can be
quantized or unquantized. You can choose between Sine, Triangle, Saw, Ramp
and Square waveforms.

3.6.4 Step Sequencer

The Step Sequencer

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 31

You can set the number of steps from 2 to 32 and the rate can be quantized
or unquantized.

3.6.5 Assigning modulation amount to drawbars

The position of the drawbar in the main organ interface has no influence on
these modulations. You can reset a modulation amount by double clicking on
the slider.

3.7 The Rotary Speaker

3.7.1 The Slow / Fast Lever

This lever controls whether the rotary speaker runs at slow or fast speeds. More
precise settings can be made on the speaker module itself.

3.7.2 The Stop / Run Lever

This lever controls whether the rotary speaker is moving or not. In the Stop

position, it doesn’t add any rotation effect to the sound. In Run mode, it

introduces movement based on the position of the Slow / Fast lever and the
settings on the speaker itself. If your switch is set to Run while playing, you hear
that rotary effect. If you move the lever to the “stop” position, it will act as a
brake: the rotary effect will slow down until it stops

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 32

3.7.3 Slow and Fast speed control

On the speaker module you will find additional controls. The Speed knobs let
you set what speeds will be used when the Slow or Fast lever positions (see

3.7.1) are selected. The Slow knob can be set anywhere from 0.100Hz to 2Hz.
The Fast knob runs from 2Hz at its minimum setting up to 8Hz.

3.7.4 The Horn and Stereo controls

Rotary speakers have two elements: a large drum that deals with lower
pitched sounds, and a smaller horn that handles higher tones. The two of these
rotate separately which is what gives the sound such unique character. Here
there are four controls.

 Balance lets you set the mixture between the horn and drum sounds for

a more muted or a brighter effect.

 Stereo Width controls the amount of stereo spacing between the two

elements. Turned hard left, the sound is more mono and to the right it
becomes wider.

 Horn Accel and Drum Accel set the speed of the acceleration that takes

place when you flip the Slow / Fast lever. There’s a short period when

you flip the lever that the sound transitions in speed. The change is not
instantaneous. Varying this speed lets you be more creative with your

playing, and it’s an effect used by all good organ players. Like other

controls on B-3 V it can be helpful to assign these to MIDI for better hands­on tweaking.

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 33

3.7.5 Speaker on / off

You can deactivate the speaker to just hear the output of the organ plus any
of the effects you have activated.

3.7.6 Model select switch

Here you can switch between open and closed models. Each option gives a
significantly different kind of sound.

3.7.7 The Reverb section

The area contained within the white border is the reverb section. You can
switch it on or off, control the dry / wet level and also click on the reverb name
to select from one of the other included reverb types.

3.8 The effects

3.8.1 How this section works

There are five insert effect slots and each one must contain an effects unit,
even if it is switched off. You can change the order of the effects units by

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 34

clicking on the name below a pedal and choosing a different effect. If you do
this, its position will be swapped with the one it is replacing.

3.8.2 The flanger

Flanging works by mixing two identical signals together, one signal delayed by
a small and gradually changing period. This produces a swept comb filter
effect. Here, the controls are:

 Flanger Rate
 Delay amount
 Effect Depth
 Resonance

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 35

3.8.3 The phaser

Phasing is the psychedelic sweeping effect that was popular in the 1960s and
70s and adds a sense of movement and swirling to the sound. It works
particularly well on organ sounds. The controls are :

 Modulation Rate
 Feedback amount
 Phaser depth
 Stereo spread

3.8.4 Chorus pedal

Chorus works by adding a second voice to the signal and in the process
making it harmonically richer and adding a sense of movement. The controls
are:

 A three-position chorus type switch
 Stereo Chorus Rate
 Stereo Width

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 36

 Rate
 Delay amount
 Chorus Amount
 Dry / Wet Mix

3.8.5 Analog delay pedal

Delay is a great effect to use on organs as it can really increase the sense of
depth and space without becoming “splashy” and adding to much air and
high end like reverbs sometimes do. The controls are :

 Delay Rate
 Delay Feedback Tone
 Feedback Amount
 Dry / Wet Mix
 LFO Rate
 LFO Depth

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 37

3.8.6 Overdrive pedal

Overdrive is great for adding drive, crunch and grit to organ sounds. The
controls are:

 Drive Amount
 Output Level
 Drive Tone

3.8.7 The swell pedal

The swell pedal is situated pre-amplifier and connects directly to the organ.
Assigning a MIDI hardware pedal to the swell pedal is a good way to get more
creative control over your performance.

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 38

4 END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

1. General

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All intellectual property rights in the software belong to Arturia SA (hereinafter:
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1.2 The following editions of the Product are available: “Demo”, “Standard”,
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the editions vary as regards both the scope of functions activated in the
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www.arturia.com/support/askforhelp/purchase.

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sub-license the software. The Licensee is not authorized to modify the software.

2.2 Owning any product provided to the Licensee as “Standard” version grants the

Licensee a non-exclusive right to use the Product in perpetuity including
commercial purposes. The Licensee can activate the Product on up to five
computers, as long as only one installation is used at any given time. The
Licensee must register the Product to Arturia to get access to client support,
and to activate his Product. (An internet connection is required to register and
activate the Product, either on the computer on which the Product is installed,
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2.3 Any Products provided to you as "NFR" (Not For Resale) version grants the
Licensee a non-exclusive right to use the Product for a limited period of time.
The Product shall only be used for demonstration, testing and evaluation
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ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 39

not be resold or transferred. The Licensee can activate the Product on up to
five computers, as long as only one installation is used at any given time. The
Licensee must register the Product to Arturia to get access to client support,
and to activate his Product. (An internet connection is required to register and
activate the Product, either on the computer on which the Product is installed,
either on another device able to exchange files with the computer on which
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Products must not be used for commercial purposes, and must not be resold
or transferred. The Licensee can activate the Product on up to five computers,
as long as only one installation is used at any given time. The Licensee must
register the Product to Arturia to get access to client support, and to activate
his Product. (An internet connection is required to register and activate the
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another device able to exchange files with the computer on which the
Product is installed). These Products are exempt from upgrade or crossgrade
offers, and cannot be purchased with or exchanged for vouchers or coupons.
Furthermore, as an owner of an educational Product, you are not entitled to
any vouchers that ship with the standard version of the Product.

2.5 Any Products labelled or otherwise provided to you as a “Demo” version
grants the Licensee a right to use the Product only for demonstration and
evaluation purposes. These Products must not be used for commercial
purposes, and must not be resold or transferred. These Products are exempt
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3. No Unbundling

Bundles (product bundles are an association of software and hardware or

software-only products) can only be resold / transferred as a whole. The
individual components of a bundle must not be resold / transferred separately.

4. Resell

4.1 Renting or lending the licensed Software to a third party is expressly

forbidden. Apart from that and if not provided otherwise within this EULA.

4.2 Except if otherwise stated within this EULA, Licensee may resell the software
to a third party or transfer the software permanently free of charge, provided

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 40

the third party agrees in writing with this EULA and Licensee ceases all use of
the software, completely removes all installed copies of the software from his
computers and – if the software was not purchased via download – deletes or
transfers the original media delivered with the software to the third party. In
addition, Licensee is required to de-register the purchased software with
Arturia (more information available on www.arturia.com).

5. In case a sound library is part of the purchased Product the following shall
apply in addition to the EULA

The provided samples, instruments and presets can be used for commercial or
non-commercial music and audio Productions without the prior permission
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particular samples, instruments and presets) for the creation of a sound library
or as a sound library for any kind of synthesizer, virtual instrument, sample library,
sample-based Product or other musical instrument is strictly prohibited.
Individual samples, sound sets or audio loops may not be distributed
(commercially or otherwise) standalone. Furthermore these samples, sound
sets or audio may not be repackaged in whole or in part as audio samples,
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Arturia attaches great importance to compliance with legislation on data
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7. Limited Warranty

Arturia warrants that the physical media on which the software is provided is
free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period

of thirty (30) days from the date of purchase. The Licensee’s invoice shall be

evidence of the date of purchase. Any implied warranties on the software are
limited to thirty (30) days from the date of purchase. Some states do not allow
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8. No Liability for Consequential Damages

Neither Arturia nor anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery
of this Product shall be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or
incidental damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use this Product
(including without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business

ARTURIA – B-3 V – USER MANUAL 41

interruption, loss of business information and the like) even if Arturia was
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