MidiKarval has released version 1.1 of VB3 Controller, a midi processor for controlling the VB3 synth by GSi.
The VB3 Controller is a midi processor VSTi that allows you to control, using a midi controller keyboard, the VB3’s five drawbar sets (upper manual A and B sets, lower manual A and B sets, and pedals) from a single set of nine physical drawbars (sliders or knobs).
Changes in VB3 Controller v1.1
- INVERTED KEYS – “USE UPPER FOR BOTH”: pressing one of the keys (C# to A keys) of your upper manual’s “inverted octave” you can call up the relevant presets (internal or “alternative” presets) of such both manuals’ “inverted key” (this is useful if you want to have consistent presets on both manuals with only one touch). The “Use Upper for both” function doesn’t work with Bb and B “inverted keys”, so you can temporarily change the preset of the upper manual without affecting the sound of the lower one.
- PEDALS “COUPLER” AND “STACCATO”: when the “Pedals/Upper” or “Pedals/Lower” function and the “Coupler” function are active, using the “pedals octaves” of your keyboard you can play in unison the pedals’ sound and the lower manual sound, as many great jazz organists do. Moreover you can choose to make the pedals sound “staccato” (like an upright bass, whilst the “meat of the bass” comes from the lower manual sound). According to Joey DeFrancesco, this is the secret to kicking bass (see Keyboard Magazine, n. 6/1999, page 50). Changing the value in the “Staccato” label you can activate/deactivate the “Staccato” mode and select the relevant length, expressed in milliseconds (from 20 to 400 ms.).
- Now you can activate/deactivate the VB3 Controller’s functions directly clicking on the relevant labels with your mouse’s left button (whilst clicking on the labels with the right buttons allows to change the value shown on each label).
VB3 Controller is availabe as a VST plug-in for Windows PC for 10 EUR. A fully functional demo version is available from the product page (expires after 15 minutes of use, remove and re-load it in your host to use it again).
Visit MidiKarval for more information.
