E-mu B-3

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This module is designed to deliver the classic sound of the B-3 Tonewheel Organ in a programmable rack module. It does this via 32MB of sampled B-3 sounds at a lot of different drawbar settings. Authentic sounds are completed by the addition of distortion and a rotary speaker (Leslie) emulator, with B-3 like real-time control! There are also 12 assignable real-time front panel controls, and the B-3 is expandable with an additional ROM slot (or more with the Turbo upgrade) for adding more sounds. This is the best B-3 hardware solution available (for software check out Native Instruments B4) and is used by Steve Walsh of Kansas.

Current E-mu sound modules ship with one 32 MB sound-set each, but are expandable up to 128 MB via three additional slots for 32 MB expansion cards. These cards include (ranging from $249 to $395):

  • 9061: Siedlaczek Orchestra 32 MB ROM.
  • 9062: Pure Phatt 32 MB ROM - standard in Mo’Phatt, MP-7 and MK-6.
  • 9063: Beat Garden 32 MB ROM - standard in Orbit 3.
  • 9082: Protozoa 16 MB ROM - standard in Proteus 1, 2, 3.
  • 9083: Definitive B-3 32 MB ROM - standard in B-3.
  • 9084: Techno Synth Construction Yard 32 MB ROM - standard in Orbit 3.
  • 9085: Orchestral Session Vol. 1 32 MB ROM - standard in Virtuoso 2000.
  • 9086: Orchestral Session Vol. 2 32 MB ROM - standard in Virtuoso 2000.
  • 9087: World Expedition 32 MB ROM - standard in Planet Earth.
  • 9088: Sounds of the ZR featuring the Perfect Piano 32 MB ROM - standard in Ensoniq Halo.
  • 9089: X-Lead 32 MB ROM - standard in Xtreme Lead-1, XL-7 and XK-6.

With these expansion options, you could buy a PK-6, then add the sounds of the Orbit 3, XK-6, and the MP-7... or any other combinations you may want. If you like desktop synths, you can start with an MP-7 or XL-7, and then add these same expansion card options to add Proteus, Orchestral, or the new Halo sounds to them. E-mu/Ensoniq's interchangeable sound cards and a variety of keyboard/sound-module options means that there's a model out there for everybody now.

Lookup Prices for B-3

Demos & Media

Audio Clip 1 Demo grooves on the E-mu B3 from Future Music CD, issue 98.

Specifications

Polyphony - 64 voices (expandable to 128 with Turbo upgrade)
Oscillators - 32 MB ROM "Definitive B-3" Soundset
Misc. - 12 Front Panel real-time controllers
Effects - 24-bit dual stereo-effects processor
Amp - Rotary speaker simulation
Keyboard - None
Memory - 384 ROM and 512 User Presets
Control - MIDI (32 channels)
Date Produced - 1999/2000

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