They in turn email an Authorisation Key back to you, which, when entered into the Registration Tool, activates B4 II permanently. You do this using NI's Registration Tool method this generates a System ID based on your computer's hardware, which you email to Native Instruments. Recorded in highest quality from the original instruments exclusively by Native Instruments. VINTAGE ORGANS brings the classic organ sounds of.

Once installed, you have 30 days of full functionality before the software has to be registered to continue working. Minimum system requirements are Windows XP with a 700MHz Pentium or 1.3GHz Athlon XP processor and 256MB of RAM, or a 733MHz Mac G4 with OS 10.3 and 256MB of RAM. So does it sound even more authentic than before? B4 II will run as a stand-alone instrument or as a VST, Audio Units, RTAS or DXi plug-in. Significant enhancements and additions abound in this version - a choice of cabinet emulations, dual rotary speakers, and a new modelled tube amp are just a few of the goodies on offer. What's more, B4 's functionality has not been updated since its first release, five years ago! However, rather than making changes to B4, NI have opted to create a new generation of the plug-in. Whereas Emagic/Apple's EVB3 offers four different 'Leslie' cabinets and a choice of single or dual rotary speakers, B4 has no choice of cabinet simulations and no ambience simulations, and one frequently voiced complaint is that the volume level rather frustratingly tails off from around middle 'C' downwards.

There is, however, always room for improvement.

Despite these, though, NI's B4 has remained the benchmark for Hammond plug-ins, gaining favour not only with studio-based musicians but with live performers, too. B4 hasn't been without its competitors - Emagic (now Apple) soon followed up with EVB3 (see SOS February 2003), and since then, we've seen the likes of USB's Charlie, a sample-based VST instrument (reviewed in SOS September 2004). With the advent of software instruments, 'virtual' tonewheel emulators began to appear, and it was NI's B4, first reviewed in SOS back in November 2000, that went on to become something of an industry standard. Since 1980, when Korg released their original CX3, and made what was arguably the first serious attempt to replicate the sound of a Hammond organ in a portable keyboard, there have been scores of ersatz tonewheel organs, some good and others, well, not so good. But NI are clearly convinced it can be better. Since its launch in 2000, NI's B4 has been the software instrument of choice for those who want realistic tonewheel organ sounds from their computer.

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