Released in 2023, this is the second version of GSi’s most famous product: VB3-II Tonewheel Organ emulator. This marks 20 years of research and development of this instrument.
Here follows the timeline:
2003: First experiments – a free plugin was released under the name ORGANized trio;
2006: After important developments, the name was changed to VB3 (Virtual B3) and a first version was released as a shareware;
2007: The first major update of VB3 version 1 introduced some new features such as the virtual 9-key contacts and the Ambience and Cabinet parameters that gave a boost of realism to the rotary amp simulation;
2008: VB3 was adapted to be preinstalled on a hardware organ called Hamichord;
2009: A stripped-down version of VB3 was included in GSi’s plugin Key Performer, specifically made for the V-Machine;
2010: That same version was adapted as a dedicated software for the 3rd version of the Hamichord called VB3 Hamichord Edition;
2011: The VB3 Hamichord Edition was released with a new editor interface with loads of new innovative parameters, including several tonewheel generators to choose from, the Drawbar Trims, and features such as the percussion Paradise Mod and the rotary effect Memphis Style;
2011: The whole VB3 HE was rewritten from the ground up with new detailed leakage and crosstalk algorithms, new rotary effect, new features such as Resistor Wires, rotary Front Stop, and so on… and was renamed to VB3 Crumar Edition 2
2014: VB3 became officially VB3-II but was only dedicated to hardware DSP-based Crumar and GSi instruments such as the GSi Gemini and the new Crumar Mojo line;
2017: VB3-II received major improvements such as a new overdrive, new parameters for the rotary effect, and a complex crosstalk algorithm;
2018: The same VB3-II that powered our hardware instruments was finally released as a plugin for Windows and Mac computers;
2019: VB3-II resulted as one of the most cracked plugins… This let us down a little bit, so we decided to take a pause from it and dedicate ourselves to new projects;
2020: VB3-II had its first 1:1 hardware counterpart, the Crumar Mojo Desktop;
2023: We’ve been quite busy with other projects but in the end we got to refresh the whole plugin, totally rebuilt once again from the ground up.
