I run a Macbook with Logic 9 and Ableton 7. There is no compatibility issues that I am aware of. I have never referenced the manual, in fact, I am not sure it came with one. Although, if you are familiar with a real tube organ, you should get the hang of this right away. If not, look it up. In the sense that this is a reproduction visually as well as aurally of a B3, then yes it is setup simply. Yes, all the typical functions are easily accessible via the tab bar in the upper part of the window. Select either Manual, Organ, Expert or Preset and you will be able to find everything you need. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I use it in both programs mentioned earlier as well as a standalone unit from time to time. So far it has worked very well. No drop outs, no crashes. I really enjoy this plugin, but the plugin I find myself drawn to when I need a B3 is GSi's VB3. I am giving this an 8 out of 10 because the VB3 is 2 units better. I have been using this plugin for about a year. OVERALL OPINION What I like about this plugin is the great presets and the excellent attention to detail when dealing with options on an organ. What I don't like is what I don't like about a lot of plugins out there. Its so damn hard to read/use live because its small and therefore hard to read. The real problem is you cannot resize it. Hitting fullscreen leaves the plugin the same size and puts a black background blocking everything else out. Kinda dumb. I got this in the big package deal I think I paid about $100 or $150 for this. Thats not too bad, but in the end, I wish I had just bought the GSi VB3. Sound quality is very good, 2nd only to the VB3. I have organ patches in just about every sound machine I own as well as software like Logic, Ableton, Reason, and a few others have a ton too. This ranks number out of all those guys. In the end, no I would not make the same choice again. I would have just bought the GSi VB3
I had problems installing Native Instruments B4, nor did I have any compatibility issues with my machine. It was easy to install, and I have installed and used it both on a Mac and a PC. I use it as a standalone plug-in and in Logic. I don't a manual for this as it is straightforward enough where I didn't need it. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I run the B4 on a Mac Book Pro lap top with a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB or RAM. I have also used it on a Hewlett Packard lap top with a 3.0 Ghz processor and 2 GB of RAM. It has almost run smoothly on both machines for me. I only used it as a stand alone on the PC, but on the Mac have run it successfully in both Logic and as a stand alone. I only run one of these at a time to play on usually, but it can also be used as a plug-in effect that can be really cool sometimes! OVERALL OPINION I've been using Native Instruments B4 for about four years. It provides me quick and easy organ sound that I can play with my MIDI controller. The B4 is quite a realistic organ sound, and while it definitley doesn't match a real B3, it is just as good as most organ sounds on synthesizers, if not better and more versatile. I haven't used any other virtual organs like this one, as this fit my price range and I liked it from the get go. I try to use a real organ whenever I have a recording that needs organ, but when that is not possible the B4 comes in handy. It is easy to use and is also great for getting down ideas before you go to dub with a real organ. Overall, the B4 suits my needs and I would definitley recommend looking into it.
