Korg BX3 Combo Organ
Korg BX-3 Combo Organ: Vintage Sounds And Modern Features
Looking for the sound of a real tone-wheel organ? In the past there was only one instrument that could deliver. Until Korg created the CX-3 Combo Organ. The CX-3 single manual organ accurately and faithfully recreated the classic sound that every organ enthusiast craves. Now, based on the success of the CX-3, Korg is upping the ante with the BX-3 dual manual Combo Organ.
Korg’s state-of-the-art DSP technology has made it possible to precisely recreate the unique sound that, until now, could only be produced by the real thing. Two different tone-wheel sounds are provided: VINTAGE and CLEAN. The BX-3’s amazing realism even extends to such details as allowing you to add the “leakage” noise generated by the tone-wheels and the ability to adjust their overtone levels.
The BX-3 feature two sets of nine drawbars that duplicate the sonic characteristics of the originals – including the proper foldback settings and harmonic distortion. And you can easily select between the presets and these two sets of “live” drawbars while performing for that real organ-playing experience. The BX-3 also provide an EX mode in which all 18 drawbars can be utilized as one extended palette. The resulting new harmonics and percussion timbres can be used to create organ sounds never before heard.
One of the unique characteristics of a genuine tone-wheel organ is the percussive effect that adds a readily identifiable sound to a note’s attack. The BX-3 recreates this beautifully. The volume, decay rate and harmonic pitch (2nd, 3rd) of the percussion can be adjusted – and the percussion has the proper “multi-triggered-yet-monophonic” characteristic for authentic organ performance. You can even control the amount of key-click heard when you press or release a key, simulating the dirty contacts often found on older instruments.
With 128 programs, the BX-3 is ready to cover a wide range of musical styles including pop, hard rock, jazz, gospel and R&B. Detailed drawbar and parameter settings are displayed, and can be easily edited and stored. Thanks to the involvement of leading organ players such as Brian Auger, Bill Champlin, Tom Coster, Al Kooper, Greg Phillinganes, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Derek Sherinian, the BX-3 provides a number of “signature” sounds plus new voicings that take full advantage of this finely crafted organ.
Korg’s proprietary “REMS” modeling technology is applied to create effects that add further authenticity to the organ sound. The rotary speaker effect, so important to the organ experience, is recreated here with total realism. You can even adjust the time required for the rotor and horn to speed up or slow down when switching speeds or stop the rotation altogether. Three types of amp simulation are provided: a traditional rotary speaker sound, a blend of rotary and tube amp sounds or a preamp-only signal. The amp simulations are dynamic, so your sound naturally evolves from a warm and fat sound to a natural overdrive as your volume increases. In addition, the classic vibrato and chorus settings are provided along with three types of reverb, featuring adjustable time and depth.
Careful attention has been paid to the long-neglected aspect of keyboard response speed. The key scanning method used on the BX-3 starts the sound at the first key contact, ensuring a much faster response to your playing. Notes speak more crisply, allowing glissandi, trills and “smears” to be played with total authenticity.
Not limited to a vintage recreation, the BX-3 is equipped with many advanced MIDI features. Every drawbar, switch and control can be transmitted as MIDI data so your complete performance can be perfectly captured by a sequencer. The BX-3 keyboard can be set to transmit key dynamics via MIDI to an external device that can even be layered with the onboard organ sound.
The BX-3 provides all these features in a dual manual model. Pitc