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Description

Unlock the soul-stirring sound of a legendary organ with the Native Instruments B4, a virtual instrument that faithfully captures the essence of the iconic B3. Designed for musicians who crave authenticity, the B4 offers a life-like experience with its meticulously emulated 91 tonewheels and rotary speaker. This VST plug-in allows you to dive deep into the rich, textured sounds that have defined music across genres for decades.

Whether you're playing jazz, rock, or gospel, the B4 provides you with a wide array of tonal possibilities. Adjustable drawbars, scanner vibrato/chorus, and a unique percussion feature ensure your sound is as dynamic and expressive as a real B3. Fine-tune your performance with adjustable keyclick and tube distortion, bringing warmth and depth to every note. Perfect for both studio recordings and live performances, the B4 is your gateway to a world of musical exploration.

Key Features:

  • 91 tonewheels for authentic sound reproduction
  • 9 drawbars per manual for versatile tonal control
  • Dual manuals and pedal keyboard for comprehensive playability
  • Scanner vibrato/chorus for added depth and texture
  • Percussion on any harmonic for unique sound shaping
  • Adjustable keyclick for customizable attack
  • Tube distortion sound for warm, vintage tones
  • Realistic rotary speaker emulation
  • Extensive parameters for precise sound customization
gearwire

gearwire

Native Instruments B4: MIDI Mapping On A Hammond Emulation

Video thumbnail for Native Instruments B4: MIDI Mapping On A Hammond Emulation by gearwire

Native Instruments B4: MIDI Mapping On A Hammond Emulation

gearwire

gearwire

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Native Instruments B4.

Comparisons

  • Users find the B4 software offers superior tone, control, and Leslie emulation compared to the Hammond XK3, despite the XK3's usability for live performances.

    Source
  • The XK5 is noted for its semi multi-contact keybed but deemed not worth the high price unless used in a dedicated organ combo setting.

    Source

Mods and upgrades

  • A user enhanced their B-3X plugin setup with a $400 MIDI keyboard with 9 faders, adding plastic drawbar tops for an authentic drawbar feel.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • The XK3 is recommended as a MIDI controller for GSI's VB3 II software for improved sound, with specific mention of a custom midipipe map for Mac users.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • The pursuit of a full XK5 setup with a Leslie could cost $10-15k, making it an expensive option compared to software solutions.

    Source

Critic Reviews

Native Instruments B4 Tonewheel

soundonsound.com

Native Instruments B4 is a virtual triumph, emulating the classic Hammond B3 organ's rich tones and the essential Leslie cabinet with impressive precision. Its standout feature is the customizable Leslie effect, capturing the iconic rotary speaker's essence. While purists might nitpick minor details, the software's sound authenticity and ease of use, including MIDI compatibility and low latency, make it an excellent alternative to the cumbersome original. The only downside is the occasional need to insert the CD-ROM for copy protection, but this is a minor inconvenience for such a stellar organ emulation.

positive

Native Instruments: B4 Virtual Instrument | Tape Op Magazine | Longform candid interviews with music producers and audio engineers covering mixing, mastering, recording and music production.

tapeop.com

Native Instruments' B4 Virtual Instrument delivers an impressive emulation of the iconic Hammond B3 organ, capturing its nuanced sound with precision. With 91 tonewheels, 9 drawbars, and adjustable effects like rotary speaker and tube distortion, the B4 offers a versatile and authentic playing experience. While the $239 price point might be a consideration, the ease of use and quality of presets make it a worthy investment for organ enthusiasts.

positive
Add

4.5 out of 5

Based on 2 Reviews and 11 Ratings

5 star
4 star
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jim_erwin

Now Completely Obsolete to Me....

I used to love PRO-53. It was one of my go-to plugins for years. NI discontinued the plugin several years ago with the policy of "If it continues to work on newer operating systems, we guess you're lucky". Well, Windows 10 is the nemesis of this old faithful standby. It simply will not work with Windows 10 64-bit. I'll miss it.

zachariah_moreno

Komplete 5 does it again.

Got this as a part of Komplete 5, It's really great organ emulation.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Netsky uses Native Instruments B4

Netsky

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via reddit

"Some of my favorite synths must be Omnisphere, Sylenth, Razor, B4,..."

See how Richard Barbieri uses Native Instruments B4

Richard Barbieri

Keyboardist

Porcupine Tree

...
Verified via GuitarPlayer.com

“I use a lot of Native Instruments stuff, like the Pro-53, the B4 organ. I also love the GForce M-Tron,”

See how Jerry Harrison uses Native Instruments B4

Jerry Harrison

Singer, Guitarist

Talking Heads

...
Verified via EMusician

This article states that Jerry's studio includes "Native Instruments B4, Propellerhead Reason, Sony Acid, and Tascam GigaStudio 96. Sound library of Acid and Giga files."

See how Gareth Jones (producer) uses Native Instruments B4

Gareth Jones (producer)

Music Producer

Depeche Mode

...
Verified via Garethjones

Gareth Jones' software: "Logic Audio, ReCycle!, Metasynth, MESA, Peak, ReBirth, Pluggo, Hyperprism, SonicWorx – for their amazing Time Designer plug-in, SoundDiver, Reaktor, Mercury, PPG wave 2.V, Pro-52, B4, VB1, M-Tron and Waves Renaissance bundle. Netscape, Eudora, QuickKeys, Retrospect and Action Files are also in daily use, of course."

See how Marius de Vries uses Native Instruments B4

Marius de Vries

Composer, Music Producer

The Blow Monkeys

...
Verified via Native Instruments Blog

Yes, I was there from the start! I got really into Reaktor when it was called Generator in, I don’t know, 1997? Massive was a long way in the distance then. Back then, Generator was tremendously exciting; to have that complexity and configurability in the box was pretty unprecedented, and I’m really happy that 25 years later, Reaktor is still thriving and sitting there solidly underneath all the other great Native Instruments stuff. The Reaktor community is still a treasure trove of odd, imaginative, envelope-pushing goodness. It didn’t take long to meet some of the people involved in those early Native years, and I’ve enjoyed a wonderful friendship with the team and the product ever since.

The next thing that properly sold me was Absynth, which I was a fan of since I had it as a beta v0.1. I got to know Brian Clevinger, who invented it, and just loved the synth from the start. When Native Instruments picked it up – and didn’t mess it up – it was a sign of very good taste. I also used the B4 Organ II and the old FM7 all the time.

See how Kim Bullard uses Native Instruments B4

Kim Bullard

Keyboardist, Composer

Elton John Band

...
Verified via MusicRadar

In this article, Kim mentions that he uses a laptop running B4 as his main Hammond clone.

See how David Newman uses Native Instruments B4

David Newman

Composer

...
Verified via Soundonsound

"I'll tell you what I'm in love with — that Emagic Clavinet. It sounds so cool. I just got the OS X version and it's inspiring. Their electric piano is also very nice and I think the Native Instruments B4 is great. My great concern at the moment is that when I start piling up all these virtual instrument and plug-ins as well as the video, the computer is going to reach its limits. Hopefully they will let you chain up a bunch of those XServe rackmount Macs to get around this. I'd like the whole system to be scalable. OK, you have to learn how to use the software, but beyond that, the technology should just disappear — the technology should be transparent. I don't want to have to think about anything other than my musical ideas."

See how Babydaddy uses Native Instruments B4

Babydaddy

Guitarist, Bassist

38 Special

...
Verified via Soundonsound

"I used to love the Native Instruments B4, but I got frustrated with NI because their registration keys were messing up my laptop all the time. You can put in my public complaint here! So I've been switching to the Logic B3 whenever I can, and it sounds pretty great."

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Native Instruments B4, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Apple Logic Pro
Apple Logic Pro DAW Software
2
Avid Pro Tools
Avid Pro Tools DAW Software
2
Roland XV-5080
Roland XV-5080 Sound Modules
2
Apple Mac G5
Apple Mac G5 Computers & Peripherals
2
Korg Wavestation
Korg Wavestation Synthesizers
1
Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo
Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo Effects Processors
1
Neumann TLM 103
Neumann TLM 103 Condenser Microphones
1

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