Digital Tone Wheel™Sound Engine and Direct Analogue Keying™

The unique Hammond B-3 sound is reproduced by a revolutionary newly designed sound generator system (96 digital Tone Wheels). This new digital Tone Wheel generator perfectly generates pure tones that is tones which have no harmonic content of their own. This purity is essential in order to attain a desirable tonal cohesion between the fundamental and its harmonics when they are mixed through the use of the drawbars.

When a manual key is pressed, it closes 10 small electrical switch contacts. These contacts are connected to the digital Tone Wheel generator as well as to the drawbars. The positions of the drawbars (which are under control of the player) determine the intensities of the individual electrical currents corresponding to the fundamental and its harmonics. After leaving the drawbars, the various electrical currents are connected together (or "mixed") to form a single complex current which flows from the console to the Leslie cabinet where it is amplified to operate the speakers. The swell pedal varies the intensity (or volume) of this complex current before it reaches the speakers.

Pre-Set Combinations

Each manual of the organ is equipped with nine pre-set combination keys. In addition, there are two sets of manually adjustable controls for each keyboard, thus making twenty-two different registrations which are instantly available, in addition, of course, to the many thousands of variations available by adjustment of the "harmonic drawbars". "VIBRATO AND CHORUS" has six possible positions corresponding to three degrees of vibrato and three degrees of vibrato chorus. The control pre-selects the extent of vibrato or vibrato chorus which will be obtained when either of the manual vibrato "ON/OFF" stops is used.

Touch Response Percussion Control

Percussion tones may be produced with a key-controlled "touch-response" in which desired notes of a melody may be accentuated. Now at your touch are effects like harp, chimes, orchestral bells, celeste, xylophone, marimba and a whole new world of fascinating percussion tones, which may be expressively introduced in a manner not found on any other organ.

Information Center

The drawbars, control tablets and rotary controls affect the operations necessary for performance on the organ. Advanced features such as drawbar voice mode, pedal sustain length etc., are accessed using the Information Center. This allows the player to see and make changes. The Information Center Display and touch buttons are located on the left side of the instrument just below the stylish music-rest.

The Selective Vibrato Stops

The great and swell manuals are provided with separate "ON/OFF" vibrato controls in the form of tilting stop tablets. The rotating control "VIBRATO AND CHORUS" has six possible positions corresponding to three degrees of vibrato and three degrees of vibrato chorus. The control pre-selects the extent of vibrato or vibrato chorus which will be obtained when either of the manual vibrato "ON/OFF" stops is used.

Rotary Control Panel

The Hammond B-3 mk2 has a Rotary Control Panel which is located underneath the manuals on the extreme left side. The organist can use these controls to adjust the sound of the instrument such as: master volume, bass, treble, reverb, overdrive etc.

The Registration Principle
of the Hammond Organ

This is the original, unique feature of the Hammond Organ which makes it completely different from any other organ. In the Hammond Organ, the basic elements of all musical tones (the fundamental and its harmonic overtones) are made separately available to the organist. Furthermore, their relative strengths may be adjusted at the will by the organist. The drawbars of the Hammond Organ are provided for this purpose. Flute-like tones, for instance, may be produced by a certain combination of these drawbars; string-like effects by another combination; or the effects of both strings and flutes by still a different combination of the same drawbars. Thus, the drawbars provide the tonal ingredients from which the various registrations may be compounded.

MIDI

The Hammond B-3 mk2 has a MIDI OUT jack which is located underneath the organ on the left side. To control another MIDI instrument (synthesizer, sound module, etc.) from the organ, connect the MIDI OUT from the organ to the MIDI IN of the instrument you want to control.
Due to the unique tone-generation system of the Hammond B-3 mk2, it does not implement MIDI IN or MIDI THRU.

Multiple Leslie Speaker Connection

The B-3 mk2 Hammond Organ has two 11-pin Leslie connectors, one marked MAIN and the other marked ECHO, making it easy to connect multiple Leslie Speakers to the organ.

Leslie Speed Switch

A Leslie Speed Switch is provided with the B-3 mk2 Hammond Organ to allow control of the Leslie Speaker rotors from the organ console.

Leslie Main/Echo Switch

When two Leslie Speakers are connected to the organ, the optional Main/Echo switch will allow the sound to come from only the Main cabinet, only the Echo cabinet, or both cabinets simultaneously.