Native Instruments B4 II

Authentic Software
The B4 software organ broke new ground when it was released in 2000 and was an instant success. It reproduces the sound of the legendary B3 and its rotary speaker cabinet with unmatched accuracy. Its expressiveness and immediate playability continues to amaze even the most experienced organ players. The Native Instruments B4 II raises the bar considerably, generating a much wider sonic range and a far richer, even more authentic sound.

Through The Tube
The latest version of this award-winning virtual organ sees the addition of many extra components. A tube amplifier and a selection of classic speaker cabinets offer you greater freedom of expression. Spring and studio reverb modules lend the sound more depth and atmosphere. From silky soft to relentlessly rockin', the sound is stunningly precise and more versatile than ever before.

Attention To Detail
From the drawbars, the vibrato and chorus to the tube distortion and rotary speakers, the Native Instruments B4 II delivers the sound of the original in incredible detail. The cross-talk between the tonewheels is adjustable and 11 additional tonewheel sets are also included: 'Cosmetically age' the B4 II or transform it into a Farfisa, a Vox Continental or an Indian Harmonium.

A Joy To Play
The Native Instruments B4 II is instantly playable. Its convenient Preset Manager coupled with a large selection of presets offer a wide range of styles. The new bass pedal legato and string bass features make using the foot pedals easy: a walking bass has never been simpler. The B4 II is a rounded, enthralling and easy-to-use software organ that instantly delights– start playing and you won't stop.

The additional tonewheel sets vastly expand the B4 II's sonic potential. Adjust the age of your B4 II: From factory-fresh to old and worn after years on stage - the choice is yours. Or turn the B4 II into a completely different organ altogether: the Farfisa, Vox Continental and Indian Harmonium are all included.

Additional Tonewheels
Integrated into the Native Instruments B4 II are additonal tonewheel sets, so you can make it sound like a B3 that is sparkling-fresh from the factory, or like it was more than 100 years old. You can even replace the B3-modelled tonewheels with those of a Vox Continental, a Farfisa Compact, or a Harmonium to give your B4 a totally new character.

Vox Continental 

The classic British Vox Continental organs were played by many of the great bands in the sixties and seventies, such as The Doors, The Animals and The Monkees.
We have extracted the tones from the Vox Continental and converted them into B4 Tonewheel data to change the B4 into the classic transistor combo organ. Choose from three Vox Tonewheel Sets: Soft, Hard, and Mix, which faithfully correspond to the different tones sounds of the original Vox.

Sound example Vox MP3 (0.6 MB)

Farfisa Compact 

The highly-collectable Farfisa Compact was played by Pink Floyd, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Blondie. Included on this CD are 2 Tonewheel Sets, one with the Farfisa's Tone Booster switch activated and one with it off.

Sound example Farfisa MP3 (1 MB)

Indian Harmonium 

For something a bit unusual we have also taken an Indian Harmonium and converted its reed sound into a B4 Tonewheel Set.. With just one or two drawbars pulled out and lots of pumping on the expression pedal, the B4 sounds quite close to a real Harmonium. With more drawbars, vibrato-chorus, and the rotator turned on, it’s something else!

Sound example Harmonium MP3 (1.1 MB)

Master Tune
Classic tonewheel organs were limited to a fixed tuning, since the tonewheels run at a fixed synchronous speed that cannot be changed. The only way to change the master tuning is to change the transmission ratios in the tonewheel generator. That’s completely impractical in hardware but easily achieved with the B4's replaceable tonewheel generator. With Native Instruments B4 II we are now offering the B3 Classic Tonewheel Set in versions tuned to 436Hz, 444Hz, 448Hz, and 452Hz to complement the standard 440Hz tuning.

The Ageing Process
The filter capacitor in Hammond tonewheel generators deteriorate with age, which over time leads to an increase in leakage and rattle in the basic tone sound. At Native Instruments, we have found a way to artificially age the tonewheel sound. We can also run the process backwards to rejuvenate the tonewheels. To simulate B3 organs with different degrees of aging we offer Tonewheel Sets with varying amounts of purity or dirt:

B3 classic – well matured
B3 clean – good condition
B3 pure – better than on day one
B3 dirty – excessive ageing
B3 filthy – very crunchy
B3 trash – far beyond repair

Native Instruments B4 II Top Features

Authentic software version of the legendary tonewheel organ and rotary speaker
Plays and sounds exactly like its real-world role model
Play in stand-alone mode or use in the studio as a plug-in
New: Tube amplifier and speaker cabinets engineered using Dynamic Tube Response technology
New: Integrated spring and studio reverb units
New: More than 120 new presets and 11 alternative tonewheels sets
New: Intuitive MIDI controller integration including MIDI learn and controller templates
9 drawbars per manual and 6 drawbars for the pedals, adjustable keyclick and flexible percussion
New: Pedal legato and string bass modes make sophisticated playing techniques easy
Scanner vibrato/chorus, rotary speaker, and tube amp distortion and overdrive

Native Instruments B4 II Interfaces

Stand-alone, Audio Units™, VST®, RTAS™, DXi™, Core Audio™, DirectSound™, ASIO®

Native Instruments B4 II System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.3.x, G4 733 MHz, 256 MB RAM

Windows XP, Pentium III/ Athlon 700 MHz, 256 MB RAM

Native Instruments B4 II Recommended System

Mac OS X 10.4.x, G4 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM

Windows XP, Pentium III/ Athlon 1.5 GHz, 512 MB RAM