E-mu B-3

Back in the late '90s, this rackmount gem captured the elusive roar of the Hammond B-3 tonewheel organ using 32MB of meticulously sampled drawbar settings, complete with authentic distortion and a clever Leslie rotary emulator that nails the fast/slow swirl.

Its digital sample-based engine delivers 64-voice polyphony across four layers, with 17 Z-plane multimode resonant filters, three multi-stage envelopes, and three multi-waveform LFOs per layer for deep sound sculpting. A 37-source/40-destination mod matrix and 24-bit dual stereo effects processor let you warp tones into wild territory, while 12 assignable front-panel knobs offer instant real-time tweaks—like lag-processed Leslie speed ramps via mod wheel or sustain pedal for seamless transitions. Measuring a compact 1.75 x 19 x 8.5 inches and weighing just 3.1kg, it fits any rack with stereo analog outs, S/PDIF, and full MIDI I/O, plus 384 ROM and 512 user presets expandable via ROM slots up to 128MB.

Over two decades on, players still praise its full-range response—no high-end dropouts or weak lows—making it a go-to for convincing organ tones in studios and live rigs, though some note the Hammond-style lack of default sustain requires controller tweaks.