Arturia B-3V User Manual

USER MANUAL

Special Thanks

DIRECTION

Frédéric BRUN Kevin MOLCARD

DEVELOPMENT

Pierre PFISTER

Theo NIESSINK

Germain MARZIN

Alexandre ADAM

Arnaud BARBIER

Baptiste AUBRY

DESIGN

Pierre PFISTER Shaun ELWOOD Morgan PERRIER Jonas SELLAMI

SOUND DESIGN

Paolo NEGRI

Dave POLICH

MANUAL

Stephan VANKOV (Author)

Vincent LE HEN

Benjamin RENARD

Corentin COMTE

Florian MARIN

Geoffrey GORMOND

Kevin ARCAS

Loris DE MARCO

Nori UBUKATA

Pierre PFISTER

Minoru KOIKE

Charlotte METAIS

Marie PAULI

Mathieu NOCENTI

Matthieu COUROUBLE

Maxime AUDFRAY

Pierre-Lin LANEYRIE

Raynald DANTIGNY

Victor MORELLO

Jose RENDON

Holger STEINBRINK

Samuel LIMIER

Simon CONAN

Timothée BÉHÉTY

Yann BURRER

Jack VAN

SPECIAL THANKS

Adrien BARDET

Clement BASTIAT

Chuck CAPSIS

Thierry CHATELAIN

Marco CORREIA

www.arturia.com

Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Arturia. The software described in this manual is provided under the terms of a license agreement or non-disclosure agreement. The software license agreement specifies the terms and conditions for its lawful use. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any purpose other than purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission of ARTURIA S.A.

All other products, logos or company names quoted in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Product version: 2.0.0

Revision date: 25 April 2019

"Koshdukai"

Simon GALLIFET

Florian MARIN

Theo NIESSINK

George WARE

Fernando Manuel RODRIGUES

Terry MARDSEN

Stephen WEY

Jeffrey CECIL

Peter TOMLINSON

Tony Flying SQUIRREL

Andrew CAPON

Bernd WALDSTÄDT

Chuck ZWICKY

Thank you for purchasing Arturia's B-3 V2

This manual covers the features and operation of the Arturia B-3 V2 virtual organ.

Be sure to register your software as soon as possible! When you purchased B-3 V2 you were sent a serial number and an unlock code by e-mail. These are required during the online registration process.

Special Messages

Specifications Subject to Change:

The information contained in this manual is believed to be correct at the time of printing. However, Arturia reserves the right to change or modify any of the specifications or features without notice or obligation.

IMPORTANT:

The software, when used in combination with an amplifier, headphones or speakers, may be able to produce sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. DO NOT operate for long periods of time at a high level or at a level that is uncomfortable.

If you encounter any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of Arturia's B-3 V2!

We’d like to thank you for purchasing B-3 V2, a physically-modelled recreation of a tonewheel organ, which captures all the nuances and character of the original instrument to bring you the most playable and customizable virtual organ to date.

Arturia has a passion for excellence, and B-3 V2 is no exception. Listen to the preset sounds, tweak a few controls, skim through the features, or dive as deep as you like; it is easy to understand and use. We are confident that the B-3 V2 will be a valuable addition to your instrument collection, and that you'll have a lot of fun with it.

Be sure to visit the www.arturia.com website for information about all of our other great hardware and software instruments. They have become indispensable, inspiring tools for musicians around the world.

Musically yours,

The Arturia team

1. WELCOME ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.1. What is B-3 V2?....................................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.2. History of the original instrument .............................................................................................................................. 2

1.3. Notable users............................................................................................................................................................................ 3

1.4. What does B-3 V2 add to the original instrument?........................................................................................ 3

1.5. What's new in V2? ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

2. ACTIVATION AND FIRST START.......................................................................................................................... 4

2.1. Register and Activate.......................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2. Initial setup............................................................................................................................................................................... 5

2.2.1. Standalone Audio and MIDI settings.............................................................................................................................................................. 5

2.2.2. Using B-3 V2 in plug-in mode............................................................................................................................................................................. 7

3. USER INTERFACE .......................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.1. The virtual keyboard ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.2. Toolbar......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

3.2.1. Save preset....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

3.2.2. Save preset as............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

3.2.3. Import preset................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.2.4. Export preset .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.2.5. Export bank ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

3.2.6. New preset....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

3.2.7. Resize window .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.2.8. Audio settings ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

3.2.9. Preset browsing quick look.................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

3.2.10. Modulator and Advanced button................................................................................................................................................................. 10

3.2.11. FX button ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

3.2.12. MIDI learn assignment ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

3.2.13. MIDI controller configuration.......................................................................................................................................................................... 12

3.2.14. The lower toolbar .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

3.2.15. The Keyboard Preferences window........................................................................................................................................................... 13

3.3. The Preset Browser........................................................................................................................................................... 15

3.3.1. Searching presets ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

3.3.2. Filtering using tags................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

3.3.3. The preset Info section ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

3.3.4. The second preset view......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

3.3.5. Playlists............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18

3.4. Front panel............................................................................................................................................................................ 20

3.4.1. The vibrato switches.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 20

3.4.2. The Vibrato and Chorus mode knob.......................................................................................................................................................... 20

3.4.3. The Drawbars............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

3.4.4. Preamp Drive............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21

3.4.5. Master Volume............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21

3.4.6. The Percussion section......................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

3.4.7. The Swell pedal.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

3.5. The Mod Section................................................................................................................................................................. 23

3.5.1. Advanced Settings.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

3.5.2. Drawbar Modulators.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25

3.6. FX, Amp and Room Section........................................................................................................................................ 29

3.6.1. Effects .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30

3.6.2. Amp................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 44

3.6.3. Room ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47

4. Software License Agreement............................................................................................................................ 48

1. WELCOME

Thank you for purchasing our virtual organ, B-3 V2. Unlike sample-based virtual organs which can be limited in the types of timbres and sound options they provide, B-3 V2 is based on advanced physical modelling technology, allowing for vast customization of the instrument so that you can find your perfect tone.

B-3 V2 builds on the features of our original B-3 V with many improvements to provide you with an even more realistic tonewheel organ sound, better user experience and wider sound palette. We are confident that B-3 V2 will give you many hours of playing and producing pleasure.

1.1. What is B-3 V2?

B-3 V2 is a recreation of a classic tonewheel organ, 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.

The output of the preamp is then connected into a powerful and customizable set of effects pedals for achieving a variety of different sounds.

Following the effects pedals is the amplifier with two available speaker models. The first speaker type 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. In V2 we have introduced a second type of speaker model

- a popular twin reverb amplifier - to give you even more options for achieving your desired tone.

At the end of the signal flow is a new convolution reverb processor for placing the organ sound in a virtual space, ranging from concert halls and studios to vintage plate and spring reverb hardware.

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. They generate sound by creating an electric current, 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, tonewheel organs found favour first with gospel 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 at the time.

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.

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1.3. 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

1.4. What does B-3 V2 add to the original instrument?

A real tonewheel organ and rotary speaker are not only expensive to locate, purchase and maintain, but also physically very large and difficult to move around. 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 V2 adds a number of features not available in the original instrument.

• MIDI control of many parameters

• Four 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

1.5. What's new in V2?

V2 adds a number of improvements to provide you with even more realistic organ modelling, as well as UI improvements for better user experience and more tools for scultping your sound.

• Redesigned effects section with 12 available pedals for powerful sound shaping.

• New Twin amp model for more flexibility in crafting a signature sound.

• New Room convolution reverb for applying characteristics of real acoustic spaces and vintage reverb hardware to your sound.

• Complete tonewheel redesign captures all the nuances of tonewheel behavior with unparalled detail.

• Reworked contacts model, including staggered key contact at low velocities

• Organ accurate tuning

• Various improvements to key click, tonewheel leakage, vibrato, Leslie and preamp models.

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2. ACTIVATION AND FIRST START

2.1. Register and Activate

B-3 V2 works on computers equipped with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS X 10.10 or later. You can use the stand-alone version or use B-3 V2 as an Audio Unit, AAX, VST2 or VST3 instrument.

Once B-3 V2 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/

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.

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2.2. Initial setup

2.2.1. Standalone Audio and MIDI settings

If you are running B-3 V2 as a standalone application, you will first need to configure your MIDI and Audio settings so that you can get sound and MIDI flowing in and out. Once configured, B-3 V2 will remember and recall these settings next time you launch it.

To access these settings, click the Arturia B-3 V logo at the top left corner, then click Audio Settings.

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.

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2.2.1.1. Audio and MIDI Settings: Windows

Starting from the top you have the following options:

• Device lets you choose which audio driver you want to use for sound payback from 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.

• Output Channels lets you select which of the available outputs will be used for audio output. This option will only be visible if your device has more than 1 stereo output. If it only has 1 stereo output, it will not be visible.

• Buffer Size 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 in milliseconds is displayed in parenthesis to the right of your selected buffer size.

• Sample Rate 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. 44.1kHz and 48kHz are the most widely used sample rates. Higher sample rates can be used, if you audio device supports them, however they will result in significantly higher CPU load.

• Test Tone helps you to troubleshoot audio issues by checking that sound can be heard through the correct device. Make sure that your volume is turned up and click the Play button to hear a brief test tone through your speakers or headphones. If you cannot hear the tone, check your device settings.

• Show Control Panel button here will jump to the system control panel for whatever audio device is selected.

• MIDI Devices list will display any currently connected MIDI controller hardware. Click the check box to accept MIDI from the devices you want to use for playing B-3 V2. In standalone mode, B-3 V2 listens for all MIDI channels so there’s no need to specify a channel. Note that you can specify more than one MIDI device at once if you want to use multiple keyboards and controllers.

• The Tempo control allows you to set the instrument's internal tempo, which is used for modulation and time-based effects that have a sync option. This setting is only used when running B-3 V2 as a standalone application. When running it as a plug-in, the tempo will be determined by your host application.

When done, click the OK button.

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2.2.1.2. Audio and MIDI settings: Mac OS

The audio setup process on Mac OS is very similar to Windows and the menu is accessed in the same way. The difference here is that OS X uses CoreAudio to handle audio routing and your audio devices will appear in the second dropdown menu. Apart from that, the options work the same way as described above in the Windows section above.

2.2.2. Using B-3 V2 in plug-in mode

B-3 V2 comes in VST, AU and AAX plug-in formats for use in all major DAW software like Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton Live 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 few differences:

• Audio and MIDI settings will be handled by your DAW, instead of B-3 V2.

• The instrument will now use the tempo setting in your DAW for time-based effects like delay and tremolo, as well as modulation, when their Sync setting has been activated.

• You can automate parameters using your DAW’s automation system.

• You can use more than one instance of B-3 V2 in a DAW project. In standalone mode you can only use one at a time.

• You can route B-3 V2’s audio outputs more creatively inside your DAW using the DAW’s own audio routing system.

• You can use third-party audio effects to process the audio output from B-3 V2. 

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3. USER INTERFACE

B-3 V2 has many great features, and in this chapter we’ll explain what each one does. We think you’ll be amazed at how quickly B-3 V2 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 V2 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 selector for a fixed set of drawbar configurations, 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. When you adjust drawbars, these settings will be automatically remembered in the currently selected drawbar configuration while you're working with the current preset. If you want these settings to be recalled next time you load the preset from the browser, you will need to save the preset.

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. When you select this you are presented with a window where you can enter information about the preset, such as name, author, bank and type. You can also add sound tags. 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 of presets but still keeping individual copies of each one.

3.2.3. Import preset

This allows you to import a preset file. Presets are stored in the .b3x format.

3.2.4. Export preset

This allows you to 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 presets from the instrument which is useful for backing up or sharing.

3.2.6. New preset

This option will create a new preset, initialized with default settings.

3.2.7. Resize window

B-3 V2’s window can be resized from 50% to 200%. 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.

3.2.8. Audio settings

Here you manage the way the instrument transmits sound and receives MIDI. See Audio

And MIDI Settings [p.6] section of this manual for details.

3.2.9. Preset browsing quick look

The Preset Browser is opened by clicking on the button which contains four vertical lines. See The Preset Browser [p.15] section of this manual. The All Types, name field and left / right arrows in the toolbar all deal with preset selection.

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3.2.10. Modulator and Advanced button

This button opens the Modulator and Advanced section. See the Mod Section [p.23] part of this manual for more on this.

3.2.11. FX button

This button opens the FX section, which allows you to add audio effects, amplification and room reverb to the organ. See the FX, Amplifier and Room Section [p.29] of this manual for more information.

3.2.12. 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 shown in purple and can be mapped to physical MIDI knobs, faders or pedals on your hardware controllers. Note that you can also assign MIDI controls to parameters in the Mod and FX sections, as long as those windows are visible. To see these windows, click the Mod or FX buttons on the top toolbar.

For example you can map an expression pedal to the virtual swell pedal, or map controller buttons to the tone select switches so you can change the sound from the controller.

If you click on a purple control you’ll put that parameter into learning mode. Move a dial or fader on your MIDI controller and the target goes red to show that a link has been made between the hardware control and the software parameter. You'll see a pop-up window which displays which two things are being linked and a button to unassign the two from each other.

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There’s also a Min and Max value slider that you can use to restrict the parameter change range from the default 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.

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.

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.

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The final option in this window is a button labelled Is relative. This allows you to change how the parameter is adjusted from your hardware control – absolute (“Is relative” disabled), or relative (“Is relative” enabled).

This can be useful when switching presets, where a mapped software parameter may change. For example when using an absolute setting, adjusting the parameter from your hardware will immediately jump to the position of the hardware control. While with a relative setting, the hardware control will adjust the parameter from its current value in the software. Note that to use the “Is relative” option your MIDI controller needs to support relative mode. Please consult your MIDI device’s user manual for information on how to change hardware controls to send relative data.

Note that the following MIDI Continuous Controller (MIDI CC) numbers are reserved and cannot be reassigned to other controls:

• Ctrl All Notes Off (CC #123)

All other MIDI CC numbers may be used to control any assignable parameter in B-3 V2.

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

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