B-3x on sale - BUT, still not sure over VB3m??

[miden]

So I just got notice B-3x is on sale at 59 USD ($90 AUD) - but I'm still unsure if it usurps VB3m?

 

Found this great comp video

(it's a bit long at 27 minutes, but it goes quick and the presenter is pretty cool) in it he does all three, Galileo, VB3m and B-3x

 

TBH, and in stand-alone, and going by this vid, I think the B-3x is more "genuine", VB3m always seems to me, to have too much distortion (overdrive?) in most of it's sounds. But I also own Galileo (both versions) and I've got to say that VB3 and B3 leave it standing in the dust.

 

So, is the consensus here still weighted in favour of the B-3x? (if I have read the overall sentiment in the past correctly). It's a lot of money for me for an iPad app at $90 so not sure if I'll get a bigger benefit over VB3

[drawback]

As an avid VB-3 user since Mojo first came out, and as much respect I have for the folks at GSi, B-3x wins in every category. Worth every penny.

[miden]

As an avid VB-3 user since Mojo first came out, and as much respect I have for the folks at GSi, B-3x wins in every category. Worth every penny.

Cool, thx Rod

[Delaware Dave]

B-3x. Better leslie sim.

 

As VB3m is only $16 and runs off your phone (both Android and IOS) it is probably worth downloading that app to your phone. You never know when things go awry at a gig, you could always run VB3m from your phone in a pinch. VB3m on the video, the drive is set too high; I don't get that kind of overdrive at all, so something amiss there.

[Stokely]

I probably would have just gone with vb3m for the rock cover stuff I do if it had been out when I got b-3x (also on sale). Quite a huge difference in price. That said, no regrets with b-3x, it has been reliable and it sounds great.

 

I do wish there was a phone version though, that would be even easier to place wherever you wanted it. I don't normally need to touch the ipad as I have what I need mapped (or I use the drawbar presets on the lowest octave). Speaking of those, I need to be careful when swiping up or down that I don't accidentally select an unintended one. After one gig I made sure the "full drawbars" one wasn't on B1 because I kept accidentally changing to it!

[miden]

B-3x. Better leslie sim.

 

As VB3m is only $16 and runs off your phone (both Android and IOS) it is probably worth downloading that app to your phone. You never know when things go awry at a gig, you could always run VB3m from your phone in a pinch. VB3m on the video, the drive is set too high; I don't get that kind of overdrive at all, so something amiss there.

 

Ahh, ok. That's cool. Good idea

[yannis D]

So I just got notice B-3x is on sale at 59 USD ($90 AUD) - but I'm still unsure if it usurps VB3m?

 

Found this great comp video

(it's a bit long at 27 minutes, but it goes quick and the presenter is pretty cool) in it he does all three, Galileo, VB3m and B-3x

 

TBH, and in stand-alone, and going by this vid, I think the B-3x is more "genuine", VB3m always seems to me, to have too much distortion (overdrive?) in most of it's sounds. But I also own Galileo (both versions) and I've got to say that VB3 and B3 leave it standing in the dust.

 

So, is the consensus here still weighted in favour of the B-3x? (if I have read the overall sentiment in the past correctly). It's a lot of money for me for an iPad app at $90 so not sure if I'll get a bigger benefit over VB3

 

I love my VB3 and part of the appreciation was the price. I find it more logical to have a 10 euros app in my old iPad than spend 60$ which is the price of my iPad nowdays (I have an old iPad mini 2). I believe that for most of us the VB3 is very very good. Is it better than B-3X? Maybe not, but the difference in price is way bigger than their difference in sound to be justified.

It's always a question of where you gonna use it and how much this app can justify its price (gigs/money, recordings etc)

[miden]

Thanks Yannis - in my setup for solo and one of the bands, I have lots of bass/keys splits and organ is in pretty much every one of them. As you say it is a lot, BUT, I daresay I'd use it for sure. The video certainly highlights some clear differences between VB and B3, with the latter shading the former, jmo...

[ChazKeys]

 

I love my VB3 and part of the appreciation was the price. I find it more logical to have a 10 euros app in my old iPad than spend 60$ which is the price of my iPad nowdays (I have an old iPad mini 2). I believe that for most of us the VB3 is very very good. Is it better than B-3X? Maybe not, but the difference in price is way bigger than their difference in sound to be justified.

It's always a question of where you gonna use it and how much this app can justify its price (gigs/money, recordings etc)

 

Your iPad mini 2 is a little underpowered for B-3x. Setting the buffer to 256 and switching off the effects works on mine. VB3 requires less power and has much better controller mapping. V1.2 has a few minor bugs but not a deal breaker. B3x offers a lot of extra features but still way over priced for an app. But I suppose it"s endorsed by Hammond. Both apps are far better sounding than Galileo. Despite all the features I never got close to an organ sound i liked. I also preferred the organ engine in V1.

[miden]

Just bought it

[yannis D]

 

I love my VB3 and part of the appreciation was the price. I find it more logical to have a 10 euros app in my old iPad than spend 60$ which is the price of my iPad nowdays (I have an old iPad mini 2). I believe that for most of us the VB3 is very very good. Is it better than B-3X? Maybe not, but the difference in price is way bigger than their difference in sound to be justified.

It's always a question of where you gonna use it and how much this app can justify its price (gigs/money, recordings etc)

 

Your iPad mini 2 is a little underpowered for B-3x. Setting the buffer to 256 and switching off the effects works on mine. VB3 requires less power and has much better controller mapping. V1.2 has a few minor bugs but not a deal breaker. B3x offers a lot of extra features but still way over priced for an app. But I suppose it"s endorsed by Hammond. Both apps are far better sounding than Galileo. Despite all the features I never got close to an organ sound i liked. I also preferred the organ engine in V1.

 

yes, I agree. I also have a newer iPad (12.9 iPad Pro) which would have no problem to run B-3X without a hitch, but I still believe it's overpriced in comparison to my VBV3m. I understand that it's better, has a better sim (although this is very personal) but still costs 4+times more. But as I said, if it's the workhorse for one's gig, the price is ok compared to the usual suspects for Mac or windows laptops let alone for dedicated hardware clones.

For me B3 is 30-40% of my sounds, so I find VB3m just ok for my gig needs.

[AnotherScott]

Isn"t the Drive level set too high by the reviewer on the VB3m? I have had VB3m for a year now and I never have it set to that overdriven level, I didn"t even recognize his VB3m sound.

Spoken like someone who doesn't like much bark in his Rhodes. ;-)

 

Seriously, to me, VB3m in that demo is very much what VB3m sounds like "out of the box." That's where the overdrive is set by default. I think that's a flaw in the comparison. On one hand, he (understandably) says that his goal was not to make one of these sound like another, but to simply let you compare how they sound by default, without any tweaking. But still, he does provide some basic common ground like selecting the same drawbar registrations, same percussion, same CV... and IMO, he also should have selected the same overdrive status, rather than play each with its default, which in this case meant B3X with no overdrive and VB3m with a decent amount of it. A comparison with OD dialed off on VB3m would provide for a more fair and honest comparison of the basic tone of the two apps. It's only happenstance that the VB3m defaults to OD on and B3X defaults to OD off. Then, if he wanted, after comparing them with OD off, he could have compared them both with some OD, though that will always be a bit tricker since the the determination of what is an "equivalent" amount of OD on two apps will have to be somewhat subjective (unlike a given percussion or CV setting, which is simply On or Off).

 

VB3m on the video, the drive is set too high; I don't get that kind of overdrive at all, so something amiss there.

I fired it up myself to compare, and as I mentioned above, it sounds about right to me... out of the box, by default, I got drive like that, and my screens match his (i.e. drive just shy of 10:00). Maybe you so quickly tweaked the sound when you started using it, that you forgot (or hadn't taken much note of) how much drive there was when you first played it?

[Baldwin Funster]

The OP already said he bought something. So this is for the rest who cant let this thread go. Be bold, be daring be RECKLESS...... get both. Combined it isn't even $100. I spend that much on a big night out. I might even make half that much on a gig. Ok my last gig paid me $200 but that's a fluke.

 

B3x... more controls and parameters . Sounds more refined to me.

 

Vb3m...less choices but they all sound great. More character and less clinical than b3x to me.

 

I have both and would still get some other 3rd thing if it was comparable.

 

But that's just bold, daring, reckless me.