Welcome to GSi VB3m.
This mobile App simulates the famous american tonewheel organ better known as the Hammond Organ B3.
Main features:
- Two manuals plus pedalboard
- Two sets of 9 drawbars each for upper and lower manual
- Two drawbars for the pedalboard
- Physical modeling engine with full polyphony (91 tonewheels)
- Rotary speaker effect with two variations plus one static amp
- Virtual microphone positioning
- Tube overdrive simulation
- Two band equalizer
- Digital reverb
- Program bank with 32 memory locations
- On screen keyboard (upper manual only)
- Split function
- Pedal-to-lower function
- Pedal String Bass decay
- Global tuning between A=430 Hz and A=450 Hz
- Fully customizable Midi CC Mapping with Midi Learn function
- Reverse all drawbar CC option
- Sustain pedal support for sustaining notes
- User selectable Midi channels
- Freely assignable Program Change numbers
- Core Audio (iOS) and OBOE (Android) support
- Background audio option
- Free Cloud service to easily exchange Programs and Midi Maps
USAGE
The interface is split in several panels:
- Organ
- Effects
- Programs
- Settings
- Midi Map
- Help (this page)
THE ORGAN PANEL
This is where the main controls of a classic B3 organ are located. From left to right you have the controls for the
so-called "Vibrato Scanner" effect, with the two tab switches for the upper and the lower manual, and the rotary knob
for the 6 variations of vibrato or chorus. Following are the four tab switches for the percussion effect that is only
present at the upper manual. Finally, a vertical slider that represents the expression pedal.
On the bottom row we find the drawbars, 9 for the upper manual, 2 for the pedalboard and 9 more for the lower manual.
These are used to create the sound registration and add harmonics to the sound by pulling them out (toward the bottom
of the screen) or pushing them in.
THE EFFECT PANEL
To select the desired amplifier, swipe left or right on the amp image; there are two rotary speakers, one stack guitar
amp and the direct output (dry organ sound sans amp). Below the amp you find the classic three-way "half-moon" switch
used to switch between slow or fast speed, with the stop option in the middle.
The right part of this page shows 6 knobs for the most common adjustments:
- Volume
- Bass EQ
- Treble EQ
- Key Click level
- Overdrive level
- Reverb level
Two further knobs allow the positioning of the virtual microphones in front of the speaker.
Use the Balance knob to adjust between bass rotor and horn; use the Distance knob
for a more roomy sound or a better proximity effect.
THE PROGRAM PANEL
How to Recall a Program
Scroll the list, select a Program then tap on RECALL to activate it.
How to Store a Program
To save your Program, after adjusting all sound parameters, return
to this page, select the memory slot where you want to store your new Program (the existing one
will be overwritten without notice), double-tap on the name to enter a new name then tap OK to store.
If you also want to assign a specific Midi Program Change number, double-tap on the number and enter your choice,
then tap OK to make the change permanent.
On the bottom right of the screen there are two buttons for uploading or downloading Programs to/from
the free cloud service. Scroll down to the CLOUD SERVICE section to learn more about
this functionality.
THE SETTING PANEL
Here you can set a few useful options. On the left you have the Sound Settings, and on
the right the Global Settings. Sound settings can be stored per Program, while
Global settings are stored globally.
Sound Settings:
- Split: enable this to split the keyboard between the lower and the upper manual
- Split point: default is note 60 (Middle C), but this can be changed one octave down or up
- Pedal to lower: enable this to add the pedal tones to the lower manual for fuller bass sounds
- Pedal decay: this enables the String bass effect that produces a slow decay on the last bass note played
Global Settings:
- Tuning: Select the desired tuning using the - and + buttons or tap on the number and type your choice
- Basic Channel: select between 1 and 16; this will be upper manual's channel, lower and pedal will be consequent
- Invert Drawbar CC messages: enable this if your controller doesn't allow to reverse a fader's action
- Sustain Pedal Function: choose the action of a sustain pedal
- Enable background audio: enable if you wish this app to continue producing audio even when it's suspended
- Device Settings: click this button to open the Audio/Midi device settings page
NOTES ABOUT AUDIO PERFORMANCE:
In some devices, especially under Android, latency can be heard (a delay between a note being played and the actual sound being produced).
Setting a lower buffer size should produce a lower latency. Actual latency is determined by the underlying
operating system (iOS or Androd). If you experience audio dropouts, make sure your battery is fully charged or your device is attached to the battery charger,
also check for other Apps that may be running in the background.
MIDI MAP
VB3m responds to MIDI Continuous Controller messages according to the following map (factory settings):
- CC: 31 - Vibrato Upper
- CC: 30 - Vibrato Lower
- CC: 73 - Vibrato/Chorus Selector
- CC: 66 - Percussion On/Off
- CC: 70 - Percussion Volume
- CC: 71 - Percussion Decay
- CC: 72 - Percussion Harmonic
- CC: 11 - Swell Pedal
- CC: 12 - Drawbar Upper 16'
- CC: 13 - Drawbar Upper 5-1/3'
- CC: 14 - Drawbar Upper 8'
- CC: 15 - Drawbar Upper 4'
- CC: 16 - Drawbar Upper 2-2/3'
- CC: 17 - Drawbar Upper 2'
- CC: 18 - Drawbar Upper 1-3/5'
- CC: 19 - Drawbar Upper 1-1/3'
- CC: 20 - Drawbar Upper 1'
- CC: 21 - Drawbar Lower 16'
- CC: 22 - Drawbar Lower 5-1/3'
- CC: 23 - Drawbar Lower 8'
- CC: 24 - Drawbar Lower 4'
- CC: 25 - Drawbar Lower 2-2/3'
- CC: 26 - Drawbar Lower 2'
- CC: 27 - Drawbar Lower 1-3/5'
- CC: 28 - Drawbar Lower 1-1/3'
- CC: 29 - Drawbar Lower 1'
- CC: 33 - Drawbar Pedal 16'
- CC: 35 - Drawbar Pedal 8'
- CC: 85 - Amp Selector
- CC: 1 - Rotary Speaker Speed
- CC: 93 - Mic Distance
- CC: 90 - Mic Balance
- CC: 7 - Volume
- CC: 8 - Bass EQ
- CC: 10 - Treble EQ
- CC: 75 - Key Click Level
- CC: 76 - Overdrive Level
- CC: 91 - Reverb Level
- CC: 56 - Pedal Decay
By default, all controllers respond on all channels (OMNI).
You can customize your map according to your needs. All controllers can be freely assigned to
Midi CC numbers (other types of messages such as NRPN or SysEx aren't supported) and you can also
choose the action range.
To modify a controller, you can either edit the map or use the Midi Learn function.
Move a controller (fader, button, etc.) on your Midi controller then double tap on the Parameter label (the first column).
If a valid controller number is received, this is automatically assigned to the chosen parameter. To edit values manually,
double-tap on the channel and enter a number between 0 and 16, where 0 is
considered OMNI; then select a CC number between 0 and 127. To unassign a parameter, enter -1 or leave empty,
it will change to OFF. Finally, you can enter the range between a Minimum and a Maximum.
Of course, max should be greater than min. All changes are automatically stored.
THE FREE CLOUD SERVICE
The Cloud service is used to easily and quickly exchange Programs and Midi Maps with other users. This service does not
require any particular registration, no login or password are required, and no personal information must be provided.
The service automatically identifies the device (your phone or tablet), not the user.
The first time you wish to upload a file to the Cloud, you must choose your User Name, then you give a name to your file
and an optional short description, and start your upload. From the next time on, you're automatically recognized.
You can delete your own files when you browse the file list, just select a file and, if it's yours, a bin icon appears on
the bottom on the screen.
To download a file, just browse the list, select a file and tap the download icon. If it's a Program, it will be downloaded
to a temporary memory slot, so that you can audition it without overwriting any local Program. In case you decide to keep it,
store it into one of the 32 available memory slots.
To upload a Program you must first store it locally, then select the slot and start the upload.
For more help, don't hesitate to visit the GSi Support Page.
ABOUT
This App is Copyright (2021 - 2025) by GenuineSoundware
UI design by Pierre Collard.
Visit our web site at www.GenuineSoundware.com