Voce Micro-B

Sorry to disagree with some other reviewers, but I was sorely disappointed by the Micro-B. Its sound is thin, reedy and electronic -- it sounds nothing like a tonewheel Hammond. The top end is shrill while the bottom is weak. Of course anything sounds better through a Leslie, but even at $100-$150 I see no point in getting a Micro-B. The only positive is the percussion, which is a pretty good approximation of the B-3 2nd and 3rd harmonic perc tabs. Otherwise it's unconvincing and wimpy. The fact that you have to take the sounds as it gives them to you -- no drawbars, no editing -- just makes it that much less desirable. I sold mine 60 days after I bought it used and have never looked back.

The Micro B is a great organ module. It is very easy to use. Make sure your synthesizer has push presets buttons for example:1 to 36 or whatever,set the module to presets and it will correspond to your syntesizer's presets. The manual is short and very informative.

It is 32 polyphony.It can not be expanded but who needs it to be. I use this thing only because of its great organ'presets. I do not use its leslie effect which I find very displeasing rather I use the Rotosphere and the Motion Sound Pro-3t. Sometimes, even a leslie 122.

I have the new Voce V5 module also but till this day I can not part from the Micro B because IT HASSS GGGRRREEAATTT Hammond B3 sounds. I still can't tell the difference between it and a real B3 when the module is plug in a leslie 122.

I 've done two gospel concerts using the micro B. I use a Juno HS 60 keyboard and since I know which presets have my favorite settings . I press the buttons and voila I am there. I' ve sent one CD to Dave Amels and he was surprised on how good those presets sounding through the leslie. It was as though it had drawbars.Now it is being use in my home studio and it is also a reliable backup to my Voce V5. Oh you can also use a pedal board with it.

Excellent Company. Very helpful indeed.

I bought it when it first came out. You can now buy it used for a little over hundred dollars. But I never let it go because it use for a backup to the V5. But then I bought a second V5 organ module so I do have a powerful arsenal of organ modules I can go to.

Scores a 10 for ease of use. Preset half-rack module with 7 knobs (volume, overdrive, key click, effects select, percussion volume, percussion decay, preset select) and 3 buttons (percussion on/off, 2nd/3rd percussion, and rotary simulator fast/slow). Back panel: MIDI IN and THRU jacks, tuning knob, power switch and wall wart jack (12V AC, 800 mA), Ch1 and Ch2/Phones 1/4" jacks, MIDI channel selector (1-16 and omni), and foot switch jack (takes any momentary switch, like a sustain pedal) to toggle the rotary simulator speeds.
Absurdly easy. Pick a presetwith the knob (or via MIDI Program change), pick your effect (Chorus 1, 2, 3; Vibrato 1, 2, 3; rotary speaker, but only ONE effect at a time). Tweak the overdrive (much nicer than the DMI64, where distortion is simply on or off), and adjust keyclick and percussion to taste. No editing of patches, but there's a good assortment of B3 timbres. 3 split programs, and two combo organ presets (VOX continental and Farfisa Compact). Preset knob only goes to 22 plus multitimbral and Program Change positions , so you need to use Program Change commands to access the remaining 1, presets. No Display, so you've gotta stare at the knob closely or look at your synth's display.
Manual is good if brief. I never needed it, but if y're going to use it for multitimbral sequencing/playing, it helps.

Polyphony is maybe 20-32 notes (the manual doesn't say). It's a module, nonexpandable, with the built-in effects listed above. Multitimbral mode allows reception and program changes on any 3 consecutive channels (set with the knob on back). Note On/Off and program change only. Leslie speed must be triggered with the footswitch jack or the front panel button (no MIDI). Does NOT respond to MIDI volume (CC7), so get out your old volume pedal.
Not bad for ~5 years old, and they corrected the volume problem with teh MicroB II.

Tonewheel organs are great; combo organs are not as good, and that's all, folks. Excellent and cheap for Hammond sounds. If I could afford it, I would buy a Spin II stomp box, as the Leslie simulator is not modifiable. I think it speeds up too slowly (horn and rotor frequencies change at different rates) and the top speed is short of what I would consider "full out". No velocity or aftertouch responses. Would be nice to use multiple effects simultaneously (which you can on the Micro B II.)

I don't gig, but I think it is pretty bulletproof. Just don't drop it if you've balanced it on your rig to get at the effects and overdrive knobs. I would velcro it to the top of your keyboard, to keep it handy.

Voce is the greatest. Simply great people who answer phones and email (are you listening Roland?), provide info and literature upon request, and should be a model for other companies. Patronize these guys and keep them around. Dave Amels (sp?) is the organ man to talk to.
Anyone used their Electric Piano module? I'd love a good Wurli in a a halfrack, with stereo tremelo/pan. And if anyone has rackmounted a Voce halfrack module, tell me how you did it (what tray).

Definitely worth $100-150. Over that, I would look for the B II, since the lack of MIDI volume control and only one active effect limits it, and the B II remedied both of these shortcomings. Scored very favorably in the Keyboard B3 Wannabe roundup of a few years back.
Knobs are a definite plus, especially for adjusting overdrive, key click, and percussion. Others have complaied that the key release click (not adjustable on the B I, but is on the B II) is too loud on busy parts, but I can't say it's ever bothered me. Keyboard mentioned this criticism. Whatever...
Not as good for sequencing as the DMI64 (MIDI control of volume and Leslie simulator), but I seem to play with this one a lot more, probably because of the knob factor (tm). Pair this module with a good Leslie simulator (Korg G4, Voce Spin, or a Motion Sound [drool......]) and you *will* be loving life. a 4 pound B3-like sound, but not in the same league (and much older) than the V3, OB3(squared), Hammond XM1, etc but good for plug and play B3 sounds.