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


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The half-moon from HS is made of plastic. I might be wrong, but I think the spacing is probably different. Also, the size of the screws are different. I'm not sure because I've never measured it. Maybe somebody else can help on this.

 

If you would often gig with the organ, I would take the half-moon off when I put the organ in a case or a gig bag. The tip of the switch is plastic as you know and that sometimes comes off because it's not glued on both Nord and HS switches.

58 Hammond B3, 74 Leslie 122, 64 Hammond, A100, 61 Leslie 45, Hammond XK-5 system, Hammond SX Pro, SKX Pro, MAG P-2, etc... owned many others...

 

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Hey guys,

 

I picked up an SK2 a few weeks ago, to replace my Nord C1 and Electro 2.

 

I'm loving the instrument; but one thing that's been troubling me is the expression pedal settings for my Yamaha FC7.

 

I have the polarity configured correctly, where the "monitor" shows a pretty clean sweep of 0-100; but even with the min volume as "OFF", I still get a substantial volume coming through with the FC7 in the full back position.

 

The monitor inside the CONTROL expression pedal settings reads 0, and the minimum level is set to OFF:

 

"The setting range is OFF, -40dB to 0dB. At OFF the instrument is silent when Pedal is at Minimum (all the way back). The other value points represent the lowest volume that will be present at the Pedals minimum position."

 

But volume is still coming through the organ.

 

I've been thinking about turning the gain down as a workaround, but wondered if anyone else has encountered this.

 

Cheers, glad to have found this thread!

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Do you have the Limit Low and Limit High Frequencies (Pg. 79 #'s 7 & 8) set the same way? The expression pedal is really a 3 band control. The highs and lows change in relation to the mid range. Starting with the pedal floored and all three at full volume the more the mid range changes the more the highs and lows change but it is still less than the mid range changes unless they are all set to go to silent. See the graphics on the right side of pg. 79.
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Do you have the Limit Low and Limit High Frequencies (Pg. 79 #'s 7 & 8) set the same way? The expression pedal is really a 3 band control. The highs and lows change in relation to the mid range. Starting with the pedal floored and all three at full volume the more the mid range changes the more the highs and lows change but it is still less than the mid range changes unless they are all set to go to silent. See the graphics on the right side of pg. 79.

 

I think I'm using the default U001 settings for expression frequency response, but I'm not sure what those actually are.

 

Are you implying that if there's a frequency response boost to either the lows or the highs, that that's what could be letting the sound through at MIN expression?

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There is no boost to any frequencies. The way the organ works is basically that the full range signal goes through the expression pedal and that the pedal works as a 3 band equalizer. The pedal only reduces the signal and it reduces the three bands unequally. The three expression parameters allow you to adjust the amount those three bands change. Normally at full expression all frequencies are at relatively the same volume. As the pedal is raised (volume decreased) the mid range volume decreases more and faster than the high and low frequencies. In a vintage Hammond when the expression pedal is at minimum it isn't silent. For example, if the mid range volume has decreased to 30% of full volume the highs and lows may have decreased to 45% of full volume. With the expression pedal at its mid point the mid range may be at 60% of full and the highs and lows at 80%. The highs and lows do not have to match in %. In vintage Hammonds this is set and not adjustable. In the SK's and XK's the expression can be adjusted so that the mid range can be adjusted from a little to a lot of change and silence. The amount highs and lows can change in relation to the amount of mid range change is also adjustable. If you want them to go to silence you have to set that parameter other wise they only change in relation to the mid range.

 

 

The reason it is called an expression pedal as opposed to a volume pedal is tied in with pipe organs but also because the way it works allows the musician to use the pedal to add force/power and emotion to what they are playing. Usually while playing the pedal is held somewhere less than at full expression. As the musician wants to add intensity to the notes pushing the pedal forward raises the volume but it also brings in more mid range which gives more power to the tone. Lowering the volume pulls out more mid range which thins out the sound and weakens the tone.

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I am curious though about why anyone would want the expression pedal to go to silence. If one wants silence all one has to do is stop playing. If one is playing, why would they want silence. The audience might but that is another topic.
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I am curious though about why anyone would want the expression pedal to go to silence. If one wants silence all one has to do is stop playing. If one is playing, why would they want silence. The audience might but that is another topic.

 

I do and here's why , sometimes I'm layering organ and piano together , and I'm able to cut the organ sound completely off during some parts of the song . This also allows me to have a different drawbar setting on top compared to the lower manual with an underlying orgAn tone layered with piano. It's pretty nice to have that control.

"Ive been playing Hammond since long before anybody paid me to play one, I didn't do it to be cool, I didnt do it to make a statement......I just liked it "

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm using a second keyboard midi'd to my SK1, assigning the extra voices to it using Extra Voice midi setting. I'm playing the Bass Library voices, and would like to shift the extra voices down an octave, and I can't find a way to do this. I tried the Transpose down buttons, and have tried lowering the octave in the extra voice settings, to no avail. All help appreciated.

Yamaha P-515, Hammond SK1, Casio PX5s, Motif ES rack, Kawai MP5, Kawai ESS110, Yamaha S03, iPad, and a bunch of stuff in the closet.

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I'm using a NE2 as the lower kb and have tried shifting the octave, and that didn't work either. The good news is I get everything I need by using the "Lower Manual" midi setting, which allows me to shift the octave down. Thanks for replying.

Yamaha P-515, Hammond SK1, Casio PX5s, Motif ES rack, Kawai MP5, Kawai ESS110, Yamaha S03, iPad, and a bunch of stuff in the closet.

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My new SK2 arrived yesterday!

 

First impression: I LOVE the organ sound. It definitely has a different personality compared to the Nord I had previously. The Nord was not bad at all, but the SK sounds... don't know exactly how to describe it, more "present", I can hear more clearly each drawbar tone. And the Leslie is killer, even before doing any tweaking.

 

The quality of the extra voices surprised me: I had read everywhere that they were more than decent and quite usable, but I must say that even on headphones the APs, EPs and Clavs are quite good.

 

I'm still using the factory settings, didn't do any tweaking yet, so I'm sure I will get much more out of the beast, as soon as I start digging into the menus.

First thing I'll do is install Jim A's custom tonewheel set, I've read so much good things about it, and considering how good the "factory" sound is, can't wait to hear an even better one!

 

The looks and design are somewhat "80-ish", but I don't really care. Build quality is ok, maybe a bit too much plastic here and there (especially the side blocks) but I can live with it, as long as it doesn't compromise reliability.

 

If I liked more Nord's all-metal-and-real-wood chassis, I actually prefer the SK2's buttons: the organ-related ones (perc and Leslie) are larger and more easily accessible, I like the LED indicators integrated in the buttons, and in general they feel a bit less flimsy than Nord's.

 

Volume of the Extra Voices is a bit erratic (some are really quiet compared to the organ), but that will easily be fixed with some editing and saving of the favourites.

 

 

BUT... there is a pretty big "but". The dreaded "hiss" issue with the Extra Voices.

Unfortunately, I'm in the group of users that notices this.

I confirm all of the previous reports: it is present in most extra voices, at varying intensity depending on the specific voice. With some it's barely perceptible, with some it's a real issue. It gets worse adding effects and with large polyphony (chords using damper pedal).

 

It's definitely volume-related: as long as Master Volume and EV Volume are below 12 o'clock, it's basically unperceptible. Raising the EV Volume doesn't do much harm, while raising the Master Volume above 2-3 o'clock makes it VERY noticeable.

 

At home, on headphones, I can control it easily by turning down the Master volume to around 9 o'clock and cranking up the EV volume (the organ volume is pretty "hot" anyway, no risk of it getting drowned by the EVs). But I have to verify how it will sound live on PA, where I won't always have full volume control (and many times you're forced to crank it up in the "arms race" with the guitarists).

 

From the reports I've read, I'm quite convinced it's not a hardware issue, I can't imagine how a hardware defect could apply only to certain voices, and only with certain settings.

It sounds more like an intrinsic problem in the EV sounds. Probably residing not so much in the sounds themselves but in the processing software chain, as the problem gets worse adding effects and polyphony.

I think the difference in the "annoyance level" between the users depends on the individual tolerance threshold, and most of all on the myriad different uses, settings and amplification systems each of us uses. I can perfectly imagine that in most situations the thing is just not an issue.

 

Anyway, as it seems it's easily controllable with the volume levels, I'm not really worried about it, and I don't plan to return the instrument as some users did.

Nevertheless, it's a small annoyance I could have lived without.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys, I'm aiming to pair my SK2 with my PC361 for an upcoming project, using the SK exclusively for Hammond sound but also to control some fairly complex orchestral splits on the Kurzweil.

 

I have them paired up and speaking (SK2 out to PC361 in) but for some reason the SK2's keys don't appear to be sending ANY velocity information. I can't right at this minute see where you turn this on or off within the Hammond's menus can anyone help, please?

Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37

Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D

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Hi Aidan, I had a similar problem with my SK2 used as a master keyboard (Fixed velocity) It was the "sounding point" set to Auto ? affects the External zones?

 

From The manual:....

Page 81... SOUNDING POINT (S)

Set the sounding point if the internal keyboard is played.

DEEP All the section sounds on the deep point in the stroke.

AUTO The Organ section sounds on the shallow point if the [ALLOCATE] of the Extra Voice section is

OFF.

NOTE: The External Zone notes on at shallow point, and the velocity value is fixed at 100 when

the Sounding Point is set at AUTO, and the [ALLOCATE] is OFF.

Hammond XK3C, Hammond SK2, Crumar Mojo 61, Roland FA-06, Leslie 122, Motion Sound Pro 3, Motion Sound Pro 3X, Neo Ventilator,
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Thanks, that's sorted that problem! Now I need to get my head around the intricacies of Kurzweil set-ups :/

Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37

Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D

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Hi Aidan, I had a similar problem with my SK2 used as a master keyboard (Fixed velocity) It was the "sounding point" set to Auto ? affects the External zones?

 

From The manual:....

Page 81... SOUNDING POINT (S)

Set the sounding point if the internal keyboard is played.

DEEP All the section sounds on the deep point in the stroke.

AUTO The Organ section sounds on the shallow point if the [ALLOCATE] of the Extra Voice section is

OFF.

NOTE: The External Zone notes on at shallow point, and the velocity value is fixed at 100 when

the Sounding Point is set at AUTO, and the [ALLOCATE] is OFF.

 

I was just about to post the same question Aidan did. I hooked up my SK1 to my Receptor yesterday and couldn't figure out why everything was at a fixed velocity. So I hooked the SK into my FA08- same thing. I will try this right now!

 

Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1

Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6

www.bksband.com

www.echoesrocks.com

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well that works! Just gotta save the patch with the EV at zero volume but have it allocated.

 

This is going to let me use the Receptor with the SK1 for one of my bands that is mostly organ, piano, and EP's. A nice easy/small setup.

 

 

Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1

Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6

www.bksband.com

www.echoesrocks.com

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Congrats for your new organ! I also have a Sk1. I still really like this keyboard and remember quite well how positively surprised I was when I first got it. As the only alternative, I could only think of the Nord Electro 5 (which just now appears on the market) - since it seems to have the features the SK1/2 has but no Nord had so far had in one package (Layering, midi manual+midi pedal, full leslie switch support, physical drawbars etc.). But the SK is simply the real deal - Hammond :/

 

But I also was annoyed by the hiss problem in the beginning. But I do not really have problems with it in day to day use. It sounds like some sort of digital sample ratio problem (A/D converter,---) to my ears.

But I think compared to any analog clones this is minimal noise. You can actually even minimize it with the tricks you mentioned in your post. Any real amp / leslie or even piano which is microphoned has way more noise - except you do it very properly...

Hammond SK1, Doepfer D3m, Hohner ORT-100, Roland SA-300
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Thanx BBblues!

Yes now the Electro 5 is the direct competitor of the SK line, even if the two products remain a bit separate IMHO: Nord remains more piano-oriented (more and better pianos, piano-style action available), while SK is more towards organ (more organ and Leslie types, WAY more customizable, two-manual version available).

 

As for the hiss, after taking the SK2 to rehearsals I'm quite relieved: it is an annoiance only at home through headphones, but in a mix it gets totally lost, no trouble at all!

 

Really happy with my new toy!

:)

 

 

BTW, what's there in your avatar? Is that a SK2 coated with wood-style dc-fix? I was thinking of doing exactly the same thing, you could give me some tips!

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BBblues could have the Dr Lonnie signature edition SK2, which had wooden end caps. I know Hal Tschushida has some wooden panels for his, too, which he obtained direct from Hammond. Not sure if they are the same as used on the Dr Lonnie.

Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37

Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D

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Yeah, my wooden end caps are the same as the Dr. Lonnie signature one without his name. If you have the SK2, it's interchangeable, but like BBblues's end caps wound't work because you need the original metal brackets from the SK2. I heard that another company in Holland will soon start making wooden end caps, and I think they look better. I haven't replaced the original end caps yet because the whole for the screws are bigger on the wooden caps, so I need to go to a hardware store to get bigger screws. Also, they are 1.5 kg heavier than the originals, so I cannot fly with the SK2 with no extra cost...

58 Hammond B3, 74 Leslie 122, 64 Hammond, A100, 61 Leslie 45, Hammond XK-5 system, Hammond SX Pro, SKX Pro, MAG P-2, etc... owned many others...

 

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thanks for the info guys!

I won't go so far as to purchase (or build) entirely new wooden pieces, I was thinking of a much easier and quicker solution, using dc-fix or similar films to coat the existing panels.

 

But to do a decent job, I'd need to disassemble the sides.

On the web I saw many tutorials about substituting the Nord red panels, but I don't recall seeing anything similar for the SKs...anybody tried to do it?

 

If it's just a matter of removing a few screws I'll do it, but I don't want to take ANY chance - if the panels have a structural function (i.e taking them out will cause the whole instrument to collapse on itself), and/or there's any risk of damaging the keybed and electronics, I'll happily stay with my burgundy plastic sides!

;)

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ditto, just found this... somehow I'd missed it in my previous searches!

 

looks great and not that difficult, we'll see!

:)

 

 

and btw, BBblues' avatar is not a SK2 at all!

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2617911#Post2617911

 

The answers are all already out there... mommy always told me to be more patient and to search well, before asking stupid questions!

:idea::roll:

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Sorry, have not been at home the last days, but I see you already found my post which answers the question.

 

Yes the removal of the side panels is no problem at all as you see in the video you posted. Actually the whole design of the SK1's casing/hardware looks very similar to the Nord's (I had an Electro 3 before I switched to the SK1).

 

 

I still play my SK1 in this setup and I appreciate especially the extra storage which I have under the SK1:-) I can put the power supply, the volume pedal and a mini mixer which can be plugged to the SK1 and an mp3 player so that I can practice with backing tracks comfortably without the need of an amp with multiple inputs. Also the mini mixer acts as kind of a headphone preamp because for practicing purposes the pure signal out of the SK1's headphone jack is a little bit low for my taste..

Hammond SK1, Doepfer D3m, Hohner ORT-100, Roland SA-300
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In the meantime, I did the mod to my SK2 and confirm, the sides are easily and safely removed and reassembled, they are not linked to any sensitive component and there's no risk of damaging anything.

 

I'm trying to post pics but it doesn't seem to work, I've tried linking them from facebook and dropbox, but it doesn't visualize the image... any hint what I'm doing wrong?

 

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Thanks for the compliments, too kind!

 

The last photo is the more true-to-life, the others have a slight reddish tinge (indoor lights, and I didn't bother to do color-correction). The film is supposed to mimic medium-dark oak.

 

Yeah I'm pretty satisfied with the result, given how little money and effort it took.

Beware, it's far from perfect: if you look close enough you can see the junctions of the wrapping film and a few wrinkles and imperfections here and there.

But from a couple of meters away it's really hard to tell, and it looks great anyway!

 

Wonder if I could match the wood to my '69 B3?

 

You may well give it a try, dc-fix has a pretty extensive catalogue of wood-mimicking films, they even reproduce the wood texture and surface.

It's great because it's really inexpensive, easy to apply and remove, and reversible: if you don't like the result, or grow tired of it and want to go back to the original color, it takes a minute, you just rip it off and it's done.

 

 

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New sounds for the Sk series http://hammondorganco.com/new-sk-library-voices-debut/

Havnt had a chance to try them out yet but they look ok. Nice to see Hammond still putting stuff out, unlike the korg SV-1

"Ive been playing Hammond since long before anybody paid me to play one, I didn't do it to be cool, I didnt do it to make a statement......I just liked it "

 

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New sounds for the Sk series http://hammondorganco.com/new-sk-library-voices-debut/

Havnt had a chance to try them out yet but they look ok. Nice to see Hammond still putting stuff out, unlike the korg SV-1

 

The Pf & Symphonic Strings library has been out already since January. Did they update it?

'57 Hammond B-3, '60 Hammond A100, Leslie 251, Leslie 330, Leslie 770, Leslie 145, Hammond PR-40

Trek II UC-1A

Alesis QSR

 

 

 

 

 

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