Use Vintage B3 preset keys in Logic Pro for iPad

The Hammond B3 is equipped with 12 buttons, located below the draw bars. These preset keys are laid out like a keyboard octave, but with black keys and white sharps. They are used to recall draw bar registrations (draw bar positions). Vintage B3 replicates these features.

You can edit the draw bars of recalled presets immediately, with changes to draw bar positions being automatically memorized as you make them. You can, however, use the Save Morph To function to save a registration to a specific preset key. See Use Vintage B3 Morph controls.

Important: The presets relate only to the registration (draw bar) settings of a single manual. They do not store vibrato or other parameter settings. If you want to save and recall the overall instrument settings (including effects), use the Settings pop-up menu.

On keys C# to A#, the percussion works only if the Percussion Mode is set to Always. See Percussion options.

The default range for preset (registration) keys spans MIDI note numbers 24 to 35 (C0 to B0). This means that the lowest playable MIDI note number is 36 (C1). You can transpose the keyboard range in Logic Pro or Vintage B3 itself. A 61-note keyboard—which spans notes C to C—can be played across the entire range when Logic Pro Transpose values are set to 0. The preset (registration) keys are positioned one octave below this transposed or non-transposed range. See Use a single-channel controller with Vintage B3.

Choose a registration

In Logic Pro, do any of the following:
- Choose a preset key from the UM Preset pop-up menu (upper manual).
- Choose a preset key from the LM Preset pop-up menu (lower manual).
- Play one of the preset key MIDI notes (MIDI note numbers 24 to 35).
  Note: MIDI note 24 (C0) is assigned as a “clear” key that initializes the current registration.

Initialize a registration

In Logic Pro, do any of the following:
- Choose None from the UM Preset pop-up menu (upper manual).
- Choose None from the LM Preset pop-up menu (lower manual).
- Play MIDI note number 24 (C0). The MIDI to Preset Keys button must be turned on if you want to use MIDI note 24.
- Tap the UM Cancel or LM Cancel button.

Switch Vintage B3 registrations while playing (organ gate effect)

In Logic Pro, hold the Clear key (C0) on your master keyboard with the small finger of your left hand, while sustaining a chord with your right hand.
Press the preset keys with the other fingers of your left hand.
The chord being played with your right hand is retriggered (with the new registration) each time you play one of the preset keys. This two-handed technique results in an organ-specific gate-type effect. Each time you switch to a new registration, the chord is retriggered.
Note: The MIDI to Preset Keys button must be turned on for this feature to work.

Disable MIDI preset key switching

Disable preset switching with MIDI notes 24 to 35, thus eliminating problems that may arise from transpositions.

In Logic Pro, tap MIDI to Preset Keys to turn it off.

Switch Vintage B3 registrations with a two-draw bar controller

When you use a two-draw bar hardware controller, there is an additional mode that allows Hammond-like switching between two registrations. By default, moving draw bars always changes the registration of the currently active preset registration key. This works differently in a real Hammond organ, where the draw bars affect only the Bb (upper manual) and B (lower manual) preset registrations. You can use the “Drawbar Affects” feature to prepare a new registration while playing, then switch to the new registration later.

In Logic Pro, choose the B and Bb Key item from the Drawbar Affects pop-up menu in the Preset section.
The upper manual drawbars can now change the registration of the Bb preset key, and the drawbars of the lower manual affect the B preset key.
Change the drawbars of the Bb preset key. You can play the keyboard while doing so, without changing the currently chosen registration.
Switch to the prepared registration with the Bb preset key.

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Logic Pro User Guide for iPad