Larry Shelby Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/?id=KrazyInstrumentDeals2023 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niky Serrano Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 And... you can use your JamPoints 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PavlovsCat Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 I have the original version of SampleTron, but never updated to SampleTron 2 after picking up M-Tron Pro -- plus I have tons of Tron sample libraries for KONTAKT and UVI's Mello. Does anyone here who has SampleTron 2 and M-Tron Pro think it's worth picking up SampleTron 2? Otherwise, the Hammond B-3X has always interested me. I really don't have a great B-3 and that one seems really nice. Anyone who has it want to share their thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Neudorf Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 One reason that someone might want Syntronik2 MAX is to get on the "MAXgrade" track with IK, assuming (cross your fingers) that IK continues its policy of only giving the best deals to people who have MAX software. I don't have any great love for sampled synthesizers, as there are things you just can't do using samples (for example, modulating pulse widths); wavetables seem a philosophically better choice. However, if you're one of the people who likes the specific sounds that IK chose to sample, this is a good deal for you. You will probably be able to get an exceptional deal on Total Studio 4 in 4-16 months. Otherwise you may be nickel-and-diming yourself, getting a decent product at a reasonable price. But without a good upgrade path. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 7 hours ago, PavlovsCat said: ...the Hammond B-3X has always interested me. I really don't have a great B-3 and that one seems really nice. Anyone who has it want to share their thoughts? It's the best Hammond/Leslie emulation available, imo. I wrote a review of it a couple years ago. Scroll down for a little demo I made using it. 7 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitekrazy1 Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 I was never a fan of Sampletron emulations but I like IK's version. Syntronik - I wonder if developers will ever figure out making bloated synth emulations is a bad idea. Sire it my attract analog junkies nut there average humandoesn't want to use up large junks of space on a SSD drive for such things. IK seems to be good at physical modeling. They should have tried that instead of competing with Soundpaint for the all time bloatness trophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno de Souza Lino Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 1 minute ago, kitekrazy said: Syntronik - I wonder if developers will ever figure out making bloated synth emulations is a bad idea. The problem with Syntronik is that it's just a preset player. You're gonna hit walls pretty fast if you want to create your own presets because all samples used are specific to those presets, which makes the extra modules glorified preset packs. That's a lesson and a half on ripping off the customer because both versions of Syntronik are nothing but feature limited versions of Sampletank to the point you can load Syntronik 1 and 2 presets in Sampletank. And that defeats the whole reason you're emulating a specific synth. Why wouldn't you want to tweak it? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 Oooh! I’m itchin' fir that Hammond! I’m still using ik's old 32bit b4 (i believe that’s the name) as it's still better than most out there. Opportunity calling! Can I resist? I’m essentially broke, but I know I can find a way if I give in! I'd love to drop another 32bit vst I’m still dragging around. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 I have all five of these instruments. The Hammond is the only one I'd pay $69 for. And it comes with a Marshall emu so you can bring out your latent Jon Lord. btw, I've made no secret of my dislike for IKM the company. But you have to give credit when they do something this good. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno de Souza Lino Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 Also, if you have a Hammond keyboard (I believe either a XK3, XK5 or SK-Pro), you can use it as a dedicated controller for B3-X. I don't know if you can do the other way around, but it's one of the things it can do considering it's the only emulation officially endorsed by Hammond themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 You don't even need to own a Suzuki Hammond. There are numerous dedicated drawbar controllers (and foot pedals, too). This one's $200, from Crumar, the people who make my hardware faux Hammond (Crumar Mojo). And yes, you can also control your Hammond/Roland/Crumar/Nord registrations from the same MIDI track that drives your IKM B3-X. I like this one. It's got all the controls. They actually sell a model called "FC-3 VST Organ Controller, B3-X Edition". It's double the price of the one shown above, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Steinschneider Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 20 hours ago, PavlovsCat said: Otherwise, the Hammond B-3X has always interested me. I really don't have a great B-3 and that one seems really nice. Anyone who has it want to share their thoughts? I closely follow the Hammond emulation "market". Recently UAD Waterfall has won praise for being very good for 70's style rock. I still use the original VB3 for some songs, I bought VB3-II and like it for jazz organ. I also bought Acousticsamples B-5, I've only used it for recording, it has a very realistic, "big" sound. B-3X seems to be the overall favorite. Like other IK products it can be CPU intensive, especially if you use the stomp pedals included with it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Steinschneider Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 13 hours ago, bitflipper said: It's the best Hammond/Leslie emulation available, imo. I wrote a review of it a couple years ago. Scroll down for a little demo I made using it. Great review, I'm surprised I never came across it - the demo you made for it is great! BTW, some people swear by inserting a saturator in between the organ and the Leslie to improve the growl. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleer Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 Whenever I’m not inclined to use IK’s Hammond, I’ll run over to GG-Audio’s Blue3. And then there’s Pianoteq’s little sister. Not sampled but pretty good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 36 minutes ago, Doug Steinschneider said: BTW, some people swear by inserting a saturator in between the organ and the Leslie to improve the growl. Unfortunately, the B3-X's Leslie is integrated into the instrument and not available as a separate plugin. However, it's the same Leslie that comes with Amplitube, so if you have that product it's do-able. There is a distortion effect included in the B3-X, but it's a Tube Screamer and a bit over the top. Also, you can't route it in series with the Leslie, only in parallel. My favorite Leslie for dirt is Meldaproductions' VintageRotary. I wouldn't consider it an all-around Leslie sim, but it's pretty good for gritty tones. GG-Audio sells their Leslie emu, called Spin, separately for fifty bucks. It's pretty OK but also doesn't quite nail the overdrive effect. I've had good results placing FabFilter Saturn in front of it. For pretty tones, I like to stick Valhalla Ubermod in line with a Leslie. Also, I've never been a big fan of the Hammond spring reverb, so prefer to run the Leslie into Valhalla Plate (or vice versa - reverb in front of the rotor is a quite different effect). So much fun to be had with an instrument invented in the 1930's by a clock maker looking for a cheap alternative to pipe organs for churches. And who hated the Leslie speaker and forbade Hammond dealers from carrying it. For hardcore Hammond enthusiasts I recommend a book titled The Hammond Organ, Beauty in the B by Mark Vail, published by Keyboard Magazine. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno de Souza Lino Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 2 minutes ago, bitflipper said: Unfortunately, the B3-X's Leslie is integrated into the instrument and not available as a separate plugin. It's also the same Leslie that comes with T-Racks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhonoBrainer Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 I'll put in a vote for something I bought for around $700 Once you decide that the B3 patches on your gigging keyboard suck, and that the Leslie effect on your gigging keyboard sucks, and that your DAW-based Blue3's and Acousticsamples B5's and IK's and everything else kinda sucks too, like you're embarrassed to play it, then you consider this Italian thing. Which totally does not suck at all. I did have to buy an electric outlet adapter to make it work with U.S. outlets, which felt weird but hey it's a big, wide, wonderful, non-standardized world. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno de Souza Lino Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 3 hours ago, PhonoBrainer said: I'll put in a vote for something I bought for around $700 Once you decide that the B3 patches on your gigging keyboard suck, and that the Leslie effect on your gigging keyboard sucks, and that your DAW-based Blue3's and Acousticsamples B5's and IK's and everything else kinda sucks too, like you're embarrassed to play it, then you consider this Italian thing. Which totally does not suck at all. I did have to buy an electric outlet adapter to make it work with U.S. outlets, which felt weird but hey it's a big, wide, wonderful, non-standardized world. If you're talking the price range, sure, but here's one example of what the XK5 can do: If you're not satisfied with the standard sounds, you can tweak every single drawbar, leakage and how it responds to exhaustion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhonoBrainer Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said: If you're talking the price range, sure, but here's one example of what the XK5 can do: If you're not satisfied with the standard sounds, you can tweak every single drawbar, leakage and how it responds to exhaustion. If you're talking the price range, $3800, sure ? sounds good! Them waterfall keys don't come cheap! Edited June 17, 2023 by PhonoBrainer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 19 hours ago, bitflipper said: You don't even need to own a Suzuki Hammond. There are numerous dedicated drawbar controllers (and foot pedals, too). This one's $200, from Crumar, the people who make my hardware faux Hammond (Crumar Mojo). And yes, you can also control your Hammond/Roland/Crumar/Nord registrations from the same MIDI track that drives your IKM B3-X. I like this one. It's got all the controls. They actually sell a model called "FC-3 VST Organ Controller, B3-X Edition". It's double the price of the one shown above, though. I bet you could also accomplish the same thing with a MIDI controller that has faders. However, I suspect that if you are a real organ player that it's just not the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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