#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MANUALS#
#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MANUAL#
#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS PRO#
#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MAC#

#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS PRO#

When I reviewed Creamware's Pro 12 ASB in SOS May 2006 I criticised the cheap-looking, thin brown plastic UK mains adaptor supplied with it - the main problem was that it fitted too loosely over the power supply so that when plugged into a wall socket, the power supply was prone to fall out. Unfortunately, the B4000's power supply is the wall-wart type with a European two-pin plug. I tried plugging my sustain pedal into it - it didn't work, but caused no apparent harm.

#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MANUAL#

As for the 'switch' socket, I've no idea what it's for and the manual gave no clue.

I also discovered that the B4000 ignores sustain-pedal and volume-control changes on all MIDI channels apart from channel one, which I presume is another mistake. I also figured I'd be able to use the MIDI Continuous Controller number 11 (CC11) Expression controller, but the B4000's response to this control is inverted so that high controller values make the signal quieter! Until Creamware fix this fault you'll have to use MIDI CC7 (Volume) instead. Duly warned, I refrained from connecting my Korg expression pedal, feeling it might be better to finish the review before destroying the unit. The manual makes a terrible fuss about the latter, insisting that models other than a Yamaha FC7 may cause permanent damage.

#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MAC#

On the back panel there are stereo analogue jack outputs and inputs (yes folks, external signals can be run through the Leslie effect) MIDI In, Out, and Thru a USB socket for Windows and Mac connectivity a power supply socket, about which more below and two jack sockets for switch and expression pedals. But small is beautiful - unlike the original, you can take this lightweight box to a gig in a shoulder bag, and if the gig happens to be in Yokohama or Oklahoma you won't be looking at an excess-baggage bill of thousands of pounds.

#CREAMWARE SYNTHESIZERS MANUALS#

If you placed it side by side with a real B3 (a huge, intimidating beast with two manuals and a large, two-octave pedal board) it would be like seeing a kitten standing next to a baby elephant. It must be said that Creamware do the miniaturisation thing very well - from a distance, their petite instrument (32.5 x 21 x 9.5cm) resembles a little 1970s rhythm box, and it's only on coming closer that one notices the set of drawbars on the front. Economy Of ScaleД¬reamware's B4000 ASB (short for Authentic Sound Box) is a sturdy, well-built hardware unit in a wooden case which, along with its various front-panel controls, boasts a set of nine full-sized Hammond-style drawbars which feel smooth and solid in operation. The big, rich, churning, but incisive sound we all know comes from hooking the B3 up to a Leslie rotary-speaker cabinet, which means that anyone who attempts to emulate the famous Hammond sound has got to get the Leslie effect right as well. This instrument towers over the 20th-century music scene like a colossus: since it first appeared in 1935, it's been played by legions of legendary organists, is still widely used by touring bands, and can be found in recording studios throughout the world. (You can read the reviews in SOS May and January 2006 respectively.) So when I heard that Creamware were planning a digital clone of the mighty Hammond B3 organ, my ears pricked up. Apparently their Minimax ASB Minimoog emulation does the business too. On that score, German company Creamware recently allayed a few of my fears with their Pro 12 ASB, a very creditable hardware recreation of Sequential Circuits' fabulous 1978 Prophet V analogue synth. While I'm grateful to be spared the bills and the backache, I'm still suspicious that behind the flashy graphics and hip retro stylings of the modern replicants, the software-driven sound engine might not be doing justice to the original instrument. Having played most of these vintage items in their heyday, I well remember that they required regular and costly maintenance, tuning, and repair, and, as my shredded back muscles will testify, some of them weighed a ton. Virtually every popular keyboard from the '60s and '70s seems today to be available in software, sampled, or emulated hardware form - Vox Continental, Farfisa, and Hammond organs Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos Mellotron Hohner Clavinet and Pianet Yamaha CP70 electric grand Minimoog, Moog Modular, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, Yamaha CS80, Prophet V, and PPG Wave synths and even the daftly-named, UK-designed Oscar! The past is all around us, and it won't go away. Having served up convincing hardware emulations of the legendary Minimoog and Prophet V analogue synths, Creamware turn their attention to the mighty Hammond B3.

Creamware synthesizers