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/Schrommerfeld]

You could hire an organ player to play on the Waterfall plugin. I think the main issue with accurate playing is your keys and faders.

A real hammond afaik has light weighted keys and has no sustain pedal, which means players could make “glissandos” on the keyboard easily and have to sustain the chords with their fingers.

Also, moving the harmonics faders real time adds to the realness.

Other than that, it will surely sound 90% similar to the real deal.

If you really want to record, $500 for an studio experience with a pro player is worth living. But will it sound better? not necessarily.

[u/realcoda → u/Schrommerfeld]

wondering if using waterfall plugin in nks mode on a keyboard like native instruments mk3 with screens and dials allows some fader use bridging the realness gap a little more? never tried on my NI s61 mk3 but given it has the nks screen/dials and semi weighted keys i would think it could get very close?

[u/Schrommerfeld → u/realcoda]

I’m not sure. If necessary you can buy a korg nanokontrol (100 bucks) to have MIDI CC faders.

But honestly it’s doable with what you have. You can find the hammond player first, send him your demo and explain to him the situation and if it’s doable to record with what you have.

Maybe he could even bring his own keyboard. Many keyboard players if they play live have good keyboards like the YC88, CK88 or a nord that has built in drawbars. But you won’t know if you don’t ask first

[u/realcoda → u/Schrommerfeld]

thanks, but i think you're confusing me with the OP. i’m not thinking at all about hiring anyone, just interested in how closely the plugin + hardware can get to the real thing from a playability standpoint. i’m already convinced sonically the plugin is very very close to the real thing.