From tyrvaine@hytti.uku.fi Thu Aug 16 00:24:57 2001
Subject:Re: build up a midi drawbars set

--- In CloneWheel@y..., uest@l... wrote:
> I have to decide what to do with the drawbars (to control the EMU
> B3) ...

Well - as E-mu isn't originally supposed to be controlled with
drawbars it's going to be quite a job to get things working with that
one... I don't have an E-mu B-3 but have studied the specs carefully.
For the Leslied versions I wouldn't see a chance to get a decent
drawbar-controlled sound. You'd have to mix too many drawbar
instruments to get a proper sound out of it. It wouldn't sound
realistic at all: like 9 Leslies synced together each having
different drawbar sound rather than one Leslie with a drawbar sound
coming out of it.

But for the direct-out B-3 sounds there would be a decent chance to
get a drawbar controlled sound (if even only partially controlled).
Although I'm afraid there just aren't enough MIDI-programmibility in
the controllers(/E-mu B-3?) to do the job. You would have to pick the
basic drawbar sound on the bottom which would have some drawbar
controlled layers to it (848000000 + 000000800 + 000000080 +
000000008 for example - each layer with corresponding volume to the
drawbar setting: 848000124 would have 1st with full volume, 2nd with
eigth of the full volume, 3rd with quarter the volume, 4th with half
the volume - just for example maybe some filtering would be needed
too). You'd have to program it by 4 layers because I guess there
aren't more in one B-3 preset(?). So you'd have three freely
controllable drawbars + the basic drawbar sound(?).

The finding of the layer combination would be the hardest problem.
The controller would have to know E-mu's instruments and would have
to be able to get the closest mix possible to the desired/given
drawbar combination. I'm not sure if the specs of B-3 would allow
more than four layers in one preset, but I don't think so. At least
that's the impression which I got after browsing the B-3 manual a bit.

I've come to think of B-3 as a one possibility to give B-3 in my kbd
rig. I guess the sound really is quite ok if there aren't too many
thick chords or dense passages played - I think the drawbar sound
doesn't "melt" together as well as in the modeled sound sources (CX-
3, Nord Electro, VK-7..) - it's a sample playback synth you know.
I've heard it's better than Hammond-Suzuki XK-2 though. I guess it's
best used with few notes only at a time and when there aren't too
quick solos going on... B-3 users - what would you say about this?

-- Mika Tyrväinen