Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

SK-1 and 2 Tips, Tricks and Other Cool Stuff.


Recommended Posts

I started a similarly titled topics years ago for the XK-3 and over the years a lot of good information and answers to many questions were posted. It seems like this is a good time to get the same thing started for the SK-Series.

 

To get the ball rolling I've copied two posts from the leakage topic.

 

I've had an issue getting the extra sounds (specifically #48, Solo Trumpet) to respond to cc07 volume signals from a keyboard controller.

Spike

 

Do you use an expression pedal connected to the SK-1 to control the organ volume? If so you can't have 2 expression controllers (pg. 79 #4). If you have it set for MIDI expression control the CC info needs to be sent on the channel assigned to the upper manual. If the controller keyboard is sending LM note on/off etc. data on the LM channel you would need to have it send CC 07 on the UM channel. Also, check the MIDI In settings (pg. 110 #2) and the MIDI Template selections (pg. 110 #1 and pg. 132). I think getting these settings straightened out should take care of it. I don't have an SK-1 (yet) to test it for myself though.

 

 

A link to the old XK-3© Tips topic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



There is an additional parameter that you may need to set to have the SK-1's expression pedal control the volume of the EV's. See pg. 77 #8. When ON that setting has the exp. pedal control the volume of the organ and the EV. When OFF it only controls the organ volume.

 

You may be able to control the EV volume separately by sending NRPN data from the connected device (Pg. 138 EV section) but CC #7 data won't do it. I can't test this though.

 

Good Luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is a great idea, a welcome change to endless belly-aching in the leakage thread about who has big enough cajones to use the hammond name.

 

A thread about useful tips/tricks in using the SKs will be terrific for those of us who spend our time practicing, performing, and optimizing our sounds.

 

Spike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A thread about useful tips/tricks in using the SKs will be terrific for those of us who spend our time practicing, performing, and optimizing our sounds.

 

Spike

 

You have to chip in some tips and tricks too. You don't get to just play yours while the rest of us figure out how you can get it to do what you want. ;):laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not really a trick, but the USB file player is really nice. I use it like a one-shot sampler for a few songs that need a recorded intro to start them off or finish them off. I used to do this via my iPhone. That worked but was clunky, and required another instrument cable and channel on the board. Now I don't have to leave my keyboard, and I have a volume knob to grab.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a setting for the footswitches that allows for a pitch glide down (pg. 78 #'s 2, 11, 12 & 13). The pitch drop range and speed are adjustable and the sound can either fade out as if the amp was turned off or not. This is similar to turning the run switch off and on on a B3.

 

The three octave buttons can also be reassigned to other functions (pg. 80 #'s 18, 19 & 20). Glide is one of them along with Leslie and V/C controls and some others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a setting for the footswitches that allows for a pitch glide down (pg. 78 #'s 2, 11, 12 & 13). The pitch drop range and speed are adjustable and the sound can either fade out as if the amp was turned off or not. This is similar to turning the run switch off and on on a B3.

 

The three octave buttons can also be reassigned to other functions (pg. 80 #'s 18, 19 & 20). Glide is one of them along with Leslie and V/C controls and some others.

 

There is also a fake spring reverb crash, like if you bumped your Fender Twin. I used this to mess with the guitar player the other night. It was pretty funny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

$215 for the EXP-50? That makes it pricier than the XK3 expression pedal!

 

edit: Must be the store is gouging. $149 for an SK1 case also seems ridiculous.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The SK1 has a pretty cool-sounding "FallDown" feature for a couple of brass sounds. It's supposed to be activated by a brief fortissimo attack and release. When activated, the brass pitch 'spills down', which makes an impressive sound that I haven't heard in other synthesizers. It's something that a real brass section might do.

 

The problem for me is that I can't activate this feature directly on my SK1, no matter how hard and staccato I hit a note or chord. But I can activate it from a controller keyboard using the same SK1 patch as a 'slave'.

 

Is this another bug? Nothing I can find in the manual helps me figure this out.

 

Spike

 

Do you have a way to read the velocity data of the SK-1? On the XK-3 and '3c it is very hard to get a velocity of much higher than ~100 (depending on the velocity curve being used). Playing the EV's directly from the XK-3c's keyboard the attack sounded a little lifeless but when I ran the XK-3c's lower manual (or my XK-3) through my computer MIDI Mapper and boosted the velocity ~10 - 15% and then into the '3c the attack had the missing strike harmonics etc. This might be the same thing in your SK-1. The velocity isn't high enough to trigger the full attack.

 

Good Luck.

 

You nailed it, JMcS. The velocity parameter for that SK1 brass patch was set by default to 1 (the range is 0 to 4). Increasing it makes the 'FallDown' activate more easily.

I sure wish this were explained in the manual!

 

Thanks!

 

Spike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm having an 8 pin to 1/4" cable made so you can send the organ to the Ventilator and still have the stereo outs for the other sounds. It will be ready on Sunday. Send me a PM and I will give you the contact I fo to order one for your SK1 or 2..

 

Hammond C3, Leslie 122, Steinway B, Wurlitzer 200A, Rhodes 73,

D6 Clav

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scott May told me that Hammond techs were creating one of those you should email him. Hey man, you're lucky you got your sk2 when you did, I'm now told I probably won't receive mine until end of September, oh the waiting...

 

I can't wait for Hammond to do it. That could take months.

Hammond C3, Leslie 122, Steinway B, Wurlitzer 200A, Rhodes 73,

D6 Clav

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

There is a new software update for the SK-1 and 2 available here:

 

SK-1 & 2 Update Release 2

 

There is a readme file in English in the downloaded zip file. It looks like the ability to pitch bend the Extra Voices from an exterior controller has been added but the range is fixed at 2 semitones. It also indicates modulation control has been added. It looks like there are some new instruments in some of the libraries and a couple of new libraries. There are a number of other tweaks and changes as well

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm having an 8 pin to 1/4" cable made so you can send the organ to the Ventilator and still have the stereo outs for the other sounds. It will be ready on Sunday. Send me a PM and I will give you the contact I fo to order one for your SK1 or 2..

Scott May told me that Hammond techs were creating one of those you should email him. Hey man, you're lucky you got your sk2 when you did, I'm now told I probably won't receive mine until end of September, oh the waiting...

 

I can't wait for Hammond to do it. That could take months.

 

I've read that the SK's Leslie sim can be tweaked to be virtually perfect - why don't you go without the Ventilator for the time being?

 

Also, I'd be glad I didn't get ANY "instrument" off the assembly line before it's truly ready, ever again. I waited almost 8 months for Kurzweil to fix some bugs & modify some sounds for the SP4-7 so it was usable. By then, the glow had worn off.

 

I really want to buy an SK2, but I don't see the point of paying $3,000 to be a beta-tester for Hammond-Suzuki until they get it right.

 

 

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks JMcS! I'll try this update later today.

 

Can anyone confirm this behavior on their Sk: When I hold down a few notes and then press the octave buttons, the notes retrigger. Does this happen on your Sk? Is this normal behavior for keyboards? Is it a cool thing, or a bug? It happens on organ and on the extra voices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a tip that's been useful for me with the SK1. My 'motherboard' is a Nord Stage 2 Compact. I often use this NS2 as a controller for a brass patch on the SK1. As you probably know, the SK1 brass patches are bright and a bit too tinny to be used by themselves. So I layer an SK1 brass patch with a beefier NS2 brass patch.

 

This is just ordinary stuff. What's cool is that I can then control the volume of the SK1 patch with the expression pedal. So I can brighten or soften the layered brass patches with the volume pedal and do it on the fly during a tune. Typically I crank the SK1 volume up on the chorus and down on the verses. It's a cool way to dynamically control both the timbre and volume of the brass sound.

 

Just a little something to ponder.

 

Spike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if I'm the only person that's noticed this, but the power cord from the keyboard will barely reach the floor when playing standing. For the wall wart, I built a duplex outlet in a weatherproof box and Velcroed the wall wart to the side of said box.I then made a 1ft IEC cable to go from the wall wart to the outlet. I use the other outlet for my CP33 transformer. If I'm not doing a good job of explaining, I'll try and take a picture...

Jim Wells

Tallahassee, FL

 

www.pureplatinumband.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone confirm this behavior on their Sk: When I hold down a few notes and then press the octave buttons, the notes retrigger. Does this happen on your Sk? Is this normal behavior for keyboards? Is it a cool thing, or a bug? It happens on organ and on the extra voices.

 

Yes, I confirm this behavior on my SK1. To me, retriggering the note(s) seems like the most reasonable thing to do, since I'm holding the key(s) down. Not retriggering would leave you in a weird state where the held notes are still in the original octave, and the non-held notes are transposed. I suppose that could be useful in certain circumstances, but I can't think of one. :crazy:

Legend '70s Compact, Jupiter-Xm, Studiologic Numa X 73

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Connecting to the Leslie 2101 mk2* - 8Pin Cable

 

(* the following applies only to the 2101 mk2; the original mk1 does not accept "stationary" L/R audio thru the 8-pin connector.)

 

The pinouts on the SK's 8Pin connector are:

 

1 - Rotary audio out

2 - Leslie detection ("sensing" ground indicates the presence of an external Leslie)

3 - audio ground

4 - Stationary L audio out

5 - ground

6 - Stationary R audio out

7 - speed Fast toggle

8 - speed Stop toggle

 

If you want to build your own cable for the 2101, you must cross-wire pins 4-1-6 to 5-3-7 since DIN cables use male connectors on both ends. This gives you a "mirrored" cable that is agnostic to the connectors -- in other words, it won't matter which end you plug into what:

 

1 - 3

2 - 2

3 - 1

4 - 5

5 - 4

6 - 7

7 - 6

8 - 8

 

      2               2
<-- 4     5 <-- --> 4     5 -->
<- 1       3 <- -> 1       3 ->
      8               8
<--- 6   7 <--- ---> 6   7 --->

 

With this cable (or Hammond's identically-wired LC8-7M cable) in place, the SK will deliver three channels of audio (mono organ, stereo "extra voices") and speed-control (stop toggle, fast toggle) to the Leslie 2101 mk2.

 

 

Making a "Breakout" Cable

 

If you don't have a Leslie 2101 mk2, but still want to externalize the 3-channel audio and speed controls, you'll need to build a cable that goes to ground on Pin 2. If the SK "feels" ground on that pin, it assumes an external Leslie is present, and routes the audio and speed control signals to the other pins on the connector.

 

I have not built such a cable myself, and am probably not sufficiently qualified to do so. I invite the more "electrically gifted" to post complete (and safe) instructions in this space...

 

Configuring the SK to use the Leslie 2101 mk2

 

Refer to pages 84-86 in the SK "Owner's Manual", and set the "Ext.Leslie" setting to a value of "3"; this selects a 3-channel Leslie (i.e. the 2101 mk2)

 

 

The "Bypass" Switch

 

Just as with the onboard Leslie sim, your normal playing position is with the Bypass switch OFF. In this mode, the 8Pin connector sends all three audio signals (organ, EV L/R) and the two speed toggles (stop, fast) to the 2101.

 

If you turn Bypass ON, Pin 1 is muted, and the "rotary" audio is rerouted to the "stationary" audio on Pins 4/6. In this mode, the 8Pin connector sends only L/R stereo audio -- the organ and EVs are submixed together, exactly as if you were using only the dedicated L/R 1/4" outs. The speed controls are still active, but useless since no rotary signal is present.

 

 

(Except for the "breakout" cable, I've tested and verified everything above on my own gear. Thanks to JMcS, B3-er, and Eryk at Hammond-Suzuki for helping me to sort all this out! :thu: )

 

Legend '70s Compact, Jupiter-Xm, Studiologic Numa X 73

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been running my SK-1 mostly though a Leslie 145 and on occasion though a 122 for organ sounds (Extended Voices through Fender Deluxe or Silverface Twin for now). I use a Leslie XM-47 or XM-122 to interface to the Leslie cabinets. Seems to work very well except the Leslie stop & Leslie slow/fast switches operate a little different then I would expect. Either the stop or the Fast/Slow switches can operate the Leslie speed control. A little quirky but no big deal. Has anyone else had similar experience with the XM-47 Leslie interface on the SK-1? Prior to getting the SK-1, I was gigging with an XK-1. I really appreciate the lighter weight & extended voices on the SK-1 over the XK-1. One of the 2 bands I play with is a guitar/keyboard gig for me so the smaller footprint of the SK1 is a real plus on the smaller stages.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hammond-Suzuki US site now has the SK1/2 OS Release2 posted:

 

SK Support - System page

 

Engrish description of the updates is a bit easier to read than the one on the Japan site... :/

 

I haven't tried this yet, but it seems like good news. They have addressed a lot of little gripes:

 

Updated Areas:

- A new parameter, Velocity Offset has been added to the [CONTROL] menu press [uP] 6 times.

- Blinking cursor changes to static cursor by pressing [ENTER].

- The [AMOUNT] knob is assigned to RATE when the LFO source is chosen on the Ring Modulator.

- Improved polyphonic response.

- CC#81 Receiving (Lower) Drawbar Registration Is Fixed.

- The processing for voice library, load and delete are improved.

- The selection of Voice Groups by the [VALUE] knob is now limited to each category.

- The sharp keys velocity has been slightly lowered.

- The Extra Voice Version is now available in the display.

- On the Factory Preset Patches, Vibrato & Chorus for Pedal has been turned off.

- All custom ToneWheel models now speak at the same volume level.

- In the "A.Piano" Voices, "3rd Harmonic GP" and "St. GP OldTime Pcd". have been added.

- In the "E.Piano" Voices, "EPiano Wur Mellow". has been added.

- In the "Keyboard" Voices, "Doob Real Love". has been added.

- In the "Wind" Voices, "Big Band Gliss Up Pcd", "Two Trumpets", "Unison Brass", "Syn Brs Afri" and "Syn Brs Rosa". have been added.

- In the "Other" Voices , "Noise Zap" and "Jet". have been added.

- In the Library. "Tr.Organ VxJ", and "VxJS(with sustain effect)". have been added

- Incoming MIDI pitch bend (2 semitones) and modulation control controls has are enabled when the MIDI IN mode is set at "EXVOICE".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...