WELCOME TO B4 II

Thank you very much for purchasing B4 II, the reinvention of the legendary tonewheel organ.

1. Software Updates
B4 II is a powerful piece of software that is constantly being improved. Please check the
Readme.txt file located in the B4 II folder on your hard drive. It contains late-breaking informa-
tion that may apply to your set-up.
After installing and registering B4 II, go to www.native-instruments.com to check for updates
(these are located in the site’s Support section). Installing updates as they become available will
insure optimal operation, as well as add any new features. If you experience problems, please do
not contact tech support until you have checked for, and installed, any updates.

2. Contact
For more information about other NATIVE INSTRUMENTS products please visit the
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS homepage:

www.native-instruments.com or contact us at info@native-instruments.com

Enjoy the power of B4 II! We sincerely hope it helps turn your musical dreams into reality.

Your NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Team

GETTING STARTED
Here’s how to get up and running fast
with B4 II. These are merely the ba-
sics; for more detailed information and
examples, please refer to the manual.
Please note that the manual is also pro-
vided as a PDF file within the Documen-
tation folder, which is located in the B4
II folder.
Hardware Setup
Sound Card
To simplify the process of getting start-
ed, we will explore B4 II in stand-alone
mode. Note that the setup procedure
described here applies only to stand-
alone mode. Starting with Part 2, ev-
erything in this document applies to
both stand-alone and plug-in modes.
Computer
After installing B4 II and any updates
that may be available from the website,
double-click on the B4 II 5 icon in the
B4 II application folder (PC: \Program
Files\Native Instruments\B4 II). Or,
if you chose to create an icon on the
desktop during installation, double-
click on that. Upon first starting B4
II, a dialog box will appear that allows
adjusting your system’s Audio and MIDI
settings.
These settings should be adjusted for
your set-up. Afterward, you should not
need to make changes unless you in-
stall a new audio interface / MIDI de-
vice, or change the configuration of an
existing device. You can access these
settings by selecting Set-up from B4
II’s File/System menu. Note that if in
the future B4 II appears to have no au-
dio output or response to MIDI input,
re-check these settings to make sure
they are still valid. Sound Card
1. Choose your interface type. ASIO
and CoreAudio are preferred as they
have the potential for the lowest pos-
sible latency (the delay time between
hitting a note and hearing it).
2. Choose your output device. Most
modern interfaces have drivers (soft-
ware that connects your software to the
interface) written specifically for that
hardware rather than relying on lower-
performance, general-purpose drivers.
We highly recommend using these cus-
tom drivers whenever possible.
Note: Companies often update audio in-
terface drivers to improve performance.
Check the appropriate web site periodi-
cally. Caution for PC users: Most sys-
tems provide generic drivers like “ASIO
DirectX” or “ASIO Multimedia.” While
these are still ASIO, they give poor re-
sults compared to an ASIO driver written
for your card. You can usually identify
a custom driver because its name will
include the model number, audio inter-
face name, or name of the interface’s
manufacturer.
3. Select a sample rate that’s compat-
ible with your audio interface. We sug-
gest starting with 44100, as virtually all
sound cards support that rate.
Routing Setup
If your soundcard has multiple output
capabilities, this is where you config-
ure them.
If “multiple routing capabilities” doesn’t
sound like it applies to your soundcard,
then let’s skip this one. Most standard
soundcards have just one stereo out.
MIDI Setup
This tab accesses where you connect
B4 II’s MIDI input to your MIDI inter-
face’s MIDI in (typically from a USB,
FireWire, or more rarely, PCI card de-
vice).When you start B4 II for the first
time, any MIDI devices will be turned
off. To turn on a MIDI device, click on
Off and it will toggle to On.
If the window doesn’t show any de-
vices, then B4 II could not detect your
MIDI interface. For USB and FireWire
devices, the solution may be as simple
as unplugging, then re-plugging, the
device’s associated cable. Or, perhaps
the device does not have MIDI drivers
installed. Consult the interface’s docu-
mentation for information about driver
installation and other interface-related
issues.

Loading and Auditioning

sounds
B4 II includes an extensive library of
ready-to-play sounds. Many of them will
sound familiar to you from various infa-
mous recordings. You can get started
with these very easily, and without hav-
ing to dive into B4 II’s editing.

There are two basic ways to load

sounds: Loading from the Control Cen-
ter pull down-menu or from the Preset
Manager.

To learn more about B4 II, read the

manual, experiment, visit our B4 II fo-
rum.

And don’t forget to check

www.native-instruments.com for up-
dates, as well as visit the User Library
where B4 users share their sounds and
tunes.
… but most of all, don’t forget to make
some great music!

Enjoy the warmth of B4 II!

Your NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Team