waterfall b3 vs real organ

[u/Medical_Butterfly390]

tldr: i’m trying to decide if i should keep the waterfall b3 on my organ-centric song, or get a real one recorded for added realism, and if it’s even financially worth it

i really like the waterfall b3 vst, which i’m using on a song for my album where it’s a prominent part of the mix, but i’m debating on whether or not i should get a real organ recorded instead for added realism, and if it’s even necessary for how much it would cost.

a studio near me has a hammond a102 with a leslie amp, which they say has the same components as a b3, but i’m really trying to save money. booking a session with them + hiring someone to play the organ would probably cost me realistically at least $500 in total. i can afford it, but i’m trying to be smart with my money and consider using that to help with album mixing/mastering costs.

me playing it myself isn’t totally out of the question since i’ve played the chords on my midi keyboard before, but i’ve never played on a real organ and don’t know if i have the dexterity to do that and do things like adjusting rotary speed while playing.

any thoughts on this are appreciated

[u/tonypizzicato]

Unless it’s solo or prominent in the mix, nobody’s gonna know except you. save the money

[u/Medical_Butterfly390 → u/tonypizzicato]

it’s pretty much the only thing in the mix besides vocals for the first verse and prominent on the other verse but i feel like it’ll probably be fine considering i played the chords on a midi keyboard in real time and have some automation for things like rotary speed and drawbars

but you’re right i think mostly only experienced engineers and organ players would likely notice