Hammond/leslie sound

I love the classic sound of the 70's era Hammond B3 with Leslie cabinet sound. What do you recommend (short of actually buying the organ and cabinet) 😊

Sanderxpander
GSi's VB3, without any reservation.

Yep.

I am a fan of the GSi VB3 too.
 
What version of SONAR? You may have some options already installed.
 
The new DSF - B3 Tone Wheel Organ loads into Rapture Session/Pro.
 
 

If you don't want the entire virtual instrument but just a really good rotating speaker plug-in, try PSP's L'otary. You can download a 14-day fully functional version. I reviewed it for Harmony Central. The main thing I like about it is that it does all the conventional effects, but you can also "push the parameters" and there are miking options, good distortion, etc.

I also wrote this review on all the Hammond B3 emulators on my DAW.  There's also several discussions going on at KVR audio, where I originally posted this review.   Search KVR audio forums for "GG Audio Blue3", and you'll read some great, insightful reviews on Blue3, as well as other Hammond B3 emulators:

Here's a link to my Cakewalk Software forum review on Hammond emulators:
http://forum.cakewalk.com...s-Review-m3638726.aspx

For Leslie cabs consider MeldaProduction MVintageRotary (currently on sale for ~$30) or MRotary (not on sale ATM but like all Melda plug-ins and bundles goes on sale regularly) although GSi VB3 has a decent Leslie built-in and a separate 32bit cab FX plug-in.
 
The only caution I offer about GSi VB3 is it is only suitable for 44.1/48K sample rate.

free soundfont here Hammond Organ B3 con Leslie veloce
 
 link:
http://www.suonoelettroni...0con%20Leslie%20veloce

Not much love for Blue3, huh?  I was talking with someone in the KVR Audio forums about all the comparisons of the many Hammond/Leslie emulators.  This person has the good fortune of owning and playing a real Hammond organ, and he did the ultimate side-by-side comparison test of all the Hammond emulators out there.  He even set me straight about my love for the deep bass growl coming from the VB-3 plugin, which I told him I miss in the Blue3.   He claims the real Hammond organ does not produce such a heavy bass tone. He claims that Blue3 comes closest to sounding like the real thing. (including the Leslie speaker emulator)
Blue3 is only $99 and has a demo version at GG Audio. I highly recommend it.

Hey Leee, I really like Blue3 too.  If you're looking for hairy Jon Lord/Goldy McJohn rock Hammond sounds, it's tough to beat.  It's overdrive is killer and there is a huge pallete of useful tone controls to play with.  But if your organ tastes tend more toward Jimmy Smith, then I'd recommend AccousticSamples B-5 Organ V2, which runs within the UVI Workstation.  If you play jazz or traditional R 'n' B or funky reggae stuff, this sampled product is great, probably the best out there in reproducing the power and glory of real Hammonds.  Both Blue3 and B-5 Organ have good Leslie emulations.  I'm also a fan of L'otary.  To go with it, PSP have created PSP B-Scanner, a terrific plug that emulates a Hammond B-3's vibrato and chorus functions, often a weak point in Hammond VST's.

Yeah... I'm still using the NI B4 and loving it...
 
When I have some cash I am thinking of getting the VB3 so as to have a 64 bit version at least. It sounds the same as the B4 to me...
 
I'll have to check out the Blue3 too...
 
I use B3's constantly! ;-)
 

Greybeard, I have about 7 Hammond plugins, including B-5 (in the UVI Workstation).  And as I said before, it really does sound good.  Just another flavor of the "Hammond sound" available through all the various Hammond emulators out there (which really isn't a single, specific sound to begin with, if you take into account all the different tonewheel sets, models, physical condition of all the parts, that Hammond produced over the years).
I'll have to check out the PSP B-Scanner, thanks for the recommendation.  However I do think Blue3 does a pretty good job at emulating the Leslie speaker.  (But as I've found, you can never tell unless you do side-by-side comparisons)

In my latest project I've combined the VB-3 and Blue3 plugins, played and mixed them together to create a composite tone, getting the best of both plugins into a single sound.  I've even matched up the rotary speaker speeds, so they stay pretty much in sync.   By combining the two, I still can get that strong, deep bass when playing a gliss, from the bottom keys to the top, while adding the bright tones of Blue3.

I thought VB-3 was the ultimate sounding Hammond emulator, but it's not until you play them side-by-side that you can really hear the differences.  VB3 almost sounded a bit muddy or muted on the high end compared to Blue3.
So by combining the two plugins, I have a Hammond B3 sound that will cut through all the other instruments (when I want it to), when playing with a full band's worth of instruments.

One more tip I learned during all my research.  When playing around with Blue3, it's worth experimenting with the many different tonewheel sets (including the waxed and recapped ones), also in my opinion the "custom" speaker option sounds best out of all the available speakers in the plugin.  So many choices, it takes days just experimenting with all the various combinations.

I wish GSI would sell in VST format the upgraded version of VB3 they include in their superb Mojo and Gemini keyboard hardware.  Their VST currently on the market--VB3 version 1.4--is getting long in the tooth.  Blue3 sounds at least as good (better, to my old ears) and, as previously noted, is far more tweakable.  It also has the best user interface, IMHO.  As for B-5 version 2, it's sampled rather than modeled like VB3 and Blue3, which may explain why old fart Hammond players give it the nod in the sonic verisimilitude derby.  It's also on sale right now, I think.  The L'otary and B-Scanner plugs go beyond Hammond verisimilitude and are cool effects to play with in other contexts.
 
If you're burying a B3 in your mix as a pad or an accent, any one of these three VST's will do the job.  If you're exposing it as a foreground lead instrument, Blue3 or B-5 V2 will shine.   

The main thing that stays with me from my years performing and recording with former Mott keyboard player Verden Allen is the strain of shifting his flightcased split C3 and twin Leslie cabs around. On more than one occasion we found ourselves jammed between the organ and the wall of a narrow passage or stairway, it still makes me shudder.
 
I'd have been delighted to carry the VST version :-)

As been mentioned, PSP L'otary is very good but so is Melda's MVintageRotary plug.  I have both of them and they are both EXCELLENT albeit PSPs allow more custom settings.  I stay away from the built in Leslie effects inside of VSTi organ instruments in that they really aren't that good and with a dedicated VST effect, you can use it on any audio track.
 
The reason I have both is that they actually sound different enough that depending on the mix, one will fit better than the other.  Again, I highly recommend either one.  Another great thing about having a standalone LESLIE Vst is that you can use it on any track (leslie effect on vocals, leslie effect on guitar tracks, etc.).
 
The MELDA one goes on sale about once a year for 50% off.  I have not seen the PSP version on any significant sale.  If I could only have one of these VSTs, I would go with the PSP version but like I said, both are very useable.
 
I started a thread about this in 2015 in the software section of the forum if you want some more info about these Leslie VSTs.