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Crumar Mojo 61 Review - (LONG)


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I have had my Mojo 61 for a couple days now, so I thought I would put together a few of my initial thoughts and impressions of this board. (Please apply all of the normal caveats to my review if you feel they are necessary: Mojo endorser, good relationship with the company, etc.)

 

Short version of this review: I love this board.

 

Long version:

 

 

Form factor

 

I love this board. I don't think I have had this kind of "sit and just stare at it because it looks so cool" kind of feeling since I got my first Hammond chop. I definitely haven't had that feeling about a keyboard. The form factor of this board is fantastic. It is compact and very streamlined. It just looks freaking cool. The side panels that say Crumar under the wood look really modern. It weighs a touch above 25 lbs, so it is heavier than a Nord Electro, which makes it feel more substantial. You don't feel like you are going to send it flying off the stand if you do a glissando. There is 5 inches of flat real-estate above the controls, which might just be enough for a mini keyboard. I have ordered a Korg MicroKey Air, so I will report back later on whether or not this is a realistic possibility.

 

 

Controls

 

The layout and controls are, at initial glance, very straight-forward (drawbars, EQ knobs, rotary speaker controls, reverb and click), with a few exceptions (A-B Presets and Hold for the organ sounds), and a few hidden features that are accessed with a a shift button.

 

I think the thing I love the most about the layout are the "chicken head" knobs for Volume and Drive!! Maybe it is my long-held guitarist envy, but I love turning the drive knob to add more grit to the mix. It just looks and feels cool as hell.

 

The organ preset/hold system takes a second for you to get your brain around, but once you do, it makes sense. One thing about this board that you have to realize and either be ok with or not ok with, is that it doesn't utilize a traditional preset structure like an Electro or SK. Guido programs with a real purist spirit. "If the real thing doesn't do this, than my instrument will not do it," seems to be his mantra. (For example, it took just about every Mojo user to convince him to incorporate a "front stop" on his Leslie simulation because, "the real Leslie doesn't do that!") So, in the case of the Mojo 61, if you are someone who needs to have a different preset for every song you play (super processed Rhodes for one song, overdriven organ for the next song, clean Rhodes next, clean organ next), you might be frustrated by the Mojo 61. The Mojo 61 is programmed to be more like if you had a Hammond, Rhodes, and Wurly set up surrounding you with a few effects pedals. You don't get to have presets on those instruments. The Rhodes is going to sound the way it sounds unless you kick on the phaser pedal and crank the drive knob. For me, this is not a problem at all in the gigs that I do and the way I have structured my personal playing and preferences.

 

For the organ presets, you basically have one "live" preset (labeled "Hold" (more on that later)) which can be adjusted on the fly, and two presets that are constant and cannot be adjusted by the drawbars. Again, some might find this odd, but this is mimics the preset key behavior or a real Hammond organ. Percussion is only available on the live presetagain, like a real Hammond. For someone who is primarily a jazz organist, this is just fine.

 

The "Hold" function allows for presetting a drawbar setting that you don't have saved as a preset before changing to it. It basically mimics having a second set of drawbars that you can kick in when you want to. I probably won't use this much. Others might.

 

The board can be split between upper and lower manual for playing LH bass or comping. One thing that I wish were different is that, in order to shift the lower manual up an octave for LH comping with a sound like 00750000, you have to do the octave shift in the editor. You can't do it from the panel. This is kind of a drag. Fortunately, on gigs where I might want to comp with my LH, I am not going to be playing LH bass, so I can just set it and forget it at the start of the gig.

 

I never, ever use combo organs nor pipe organs, so I can offer no information about how these controls work. Someone else will have to speak on that. I wish I could disable these options so I could switch between organ and EPs with just one button push instead of three quick clicks.

 

The EP controls are a combination of dials (volume, drive, EQ, reverb) and button clicks. FX 1 controls mono or stereo tremolo, and FX2 controls phaser or chorus effects. The shift button is involved in turning the amp simulation on and off (Shift + FX1) and in switching between Rhodes and Wurly (Shift + EP button). Pressing and holding the FX1 button cycles through the different tremolo effects (mono/stereo) and pressing and holding the FX2 button switches between phaser and chorus.

 

 

Sounds

 

The VB3-II is the best Hammond organ clone engine on the market as far as I am concerned. It is the only clone I have played that gets me as close to "there" as possible. I have written about this a lot in the past, so I am not going to belabor the point.

 

AgainI hate combo organs, so I assume these are great since they annoy me.

 

The EPs are fantastic! Guido has posted a couple Youtube videos demonstrating the qualities of the virtual modeling technology used to create the EPs. One of the most interesting things about the EPs is the modeling of the key strikes. Real electric pianos don't have a static key strike. There are different qualities as you strike a key over and over, especially when the damper pedal is pressed. This is a really amazing effect. Another thing that I personally have not run across in an electronic simulation of a piano is the ability to play a key so softly that no sound is produced. Usually, there is at least the lowest MIDI information level transmitted with a very soft sound. Not here. If you press very slowly and lightly, no sound triggers. That's pretty cool.

 

The Rhodes (ersorry"Tine Piano") has different default settings that can then be adjusted to taste: Default EP, Mellow, Hard Tines, Prepared, Wanna-Be-Dyno, So Dark, Sweet, Piano Bass, and Wurlish. My favorites so far are Default and Sweet. From there, you can adjust the attack level, release level (I think the default setting is too much so I dialed it back), hammer hardness, bite and bark, the metallic nature of the tines, the amount of resonance when the pedal is depressed (this is a fantastic emulation), the offset of the pickups (this really opens up the amount of different qualities you can get), a Hi Pass Filter and Pedal noise. Here is where being able to save different snapshots of settings would REALLY come in handy. However, at this point, you have to choose something and leave it.

 

The Wurly is designed with the same physical modeling engine but with less parameters available for adjustment. I think the default setting is a little punchy for my tastes, so I dialed it back a bit. The Wurly seems to be have a lower default volume than the Rhodes. I am not sure if that is the nature of the two instruments, but I find I have to bump the volume a bit when I switch sounds (which, again, is a blast with the chicken heads. I knowI'm weird.)

 

The pedal-down resonance effect of both EPs is amazing. I was messing around yesterday and had turned away from the keyboard while still holding the pedal down and I had this weird moment where the resonant sound of the keyboard totally made me think I had bumped the side of my real Wurly!

 

The effects stay the same when you switch between EPs, meaning that if the phaser is set as the effect on the Rhodes, it will still be set when you switch to Wurly. However, as I said above. if you hold the FX button, the effect will switch to chorus. Same with stereo tremolo vs mono.

 

The effects include a 4 stage Phaser and a two-voice chorus based on the chorus Roland included in the RD-1000. Interesting choice!

 

The amp simulations are extremely realistic and have basic parameter adjustment possibilities - EQ and overdrive. The simulations included are Fender Twin, Marshal JCM-800, Vox AC30, Roland Jazz Chorus, and a Fender Bassman. I initially lean towards the Vox with the Rhodes but I have to do some more tweaking.

 

A note about the playability of the EPs: As I said earlier, the physical modeling is a different beast when compared to samples. Samples are static and sound the same every time you hit a key. I am a big fan of the Rhodes and Wurly patches in the Korg Kronos. I think they sound extremely realistic and they record very well. If I were to compare the Kronos Rhodes patches to the Mojo Rhodes, on a purely "this sounds more like the real thing" basis, the Kronos edges out the Mojo. (I would take the Mojo over anything Roland, Yamaha or Nord offers.) However, I have always been left a little cold by the playing experience (I have a Kronos 61 with unweighted keys, which I think is a fair comparison in this case). I realized when using the Mojo 61 at rehearsal the other night, that I was "digging in" to the keybed as I would if I were playing the real thing! I believe the combination of the Crumar custom Fatar keyboard and the nature of the physical modeling create a more realistic playing experience. You can't just lay your fingers on the keyboard and get a sound. You have to PLAY it, just like a real Rhodes or Wurly. Which brings us to

 

 

Keybed Feel

 

I am on record quite a few times about how much I like the Crumar-customized Fatar TP-80 waterfall keybed. It is the best feeling clone organ keybed I have played. Most other clones use a stock TP-80 and I have long thought they are too stiff and springy when compared to the real thing. When Crumar updated the original Mojo with the new keybed, it was a wonderful improvement and made the playing experience so much more enjoyable. I was curious as to how the new action would work with EPs and I am happy to report that it feels great. In fact, I had a DMC-122 with a Gemini module installed for a short time, which has the stock TP-80 keybed and the same organ and EP sound engines that the Mojo 61. Playing these instruments on the Mojo 61 is, for me, a much more enjoyable experience. As I said earlier, I can dig in to the EPs and and the light action and high trigger point of the organ set makes the whole thing much more Hammond-like.

 

 

Editing Structure

 

In an effort to streamline the board and take advantage of the powerful sound-shaping ability of the Mojo 61, Crumar has utilized a WIFI/web editor method of sound editing. From your tablet or phone, you connect to the Mojo WIFI and open a web browser (not an app) and you can access all of the sound and effects parameters from the browser. This is slick as hell. Each sound and effect can be deeply modified (the Wurly and amp sims have the fewest parameters). It has 22 different Hammond models, including two that I created based on my 1956 B3 and 1962 A100.

 

One thing I would like would be able to save snapshots of various settings. How the board sounds through stereo monitors and how it sounds through a mono PA speaker, for example, are totally different and it would be good to be able to call up a snapshot of your preferred settings for whatever system you were using. Maybe this will be part of a future update. I hope so.

 

 

Conclusion

 

I am loving this board and I had a blast using it on my gig last night. It took me no time to get used to clicking the tremolo on and off when I wanted, and it was easy to switch between sounds. This is going to become my go-to board for all of my gigs other than straight jazz organ gigs where I will want two manuals. This will be great for rehearsals for those gigs, though. I am so excited for this board that I popped for an expensive Mono case for it. Totally worth it because it just adds to the whole experience for me.

 

A few changes I would like to see:

 

- Settings snapshots for different amplification settings

 

- It would be cool to allow the ability to disable the Pipe and Combo organs, so I don't have to click through them to get to the EP from the organ. This probably isn't possible because it is probably a hardware issue.

 

- The short throw pedal is REALLY SHORT. The volume range changes drastically with a small amount of movement. The Crumar long throw pedal or a Yamaha FC7 work much better. Not sure if there is anything to be done about that.

 

- I need to check this out more, but it seems that the drive setting stays the same from sound to sound, depending on where the knob is set. So, if you are running a distorted organ and you switch to Rhodes with an amp sim, the drive is going to be cranked on the Rhodes as well. I need to get the board back out and test this for sure, but maybe that is something that could be changed in programming (maintain last parameter or something).

 

- The organ and EPs cannot be sent to different outputs, which means you can't run the organ into a Leslie and the EPs into an amp. The original Mojo allows this and it is a great feature that not everyone would use, but some might (me).

 

- Why didn't they use mini-Chicken Heads for all the other knobs??

 

 

Obviously, I think this board is a winner. People with different needs might not agree, but I can't wait to gig with this more. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Mitch Towne

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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If I were to compare the Kronos Rhodes patches to the Mojo Rhodes, on a purely "this sounds more like the real thing" basis, the Kronos edges out the Mojo...However, I have always been left a little cold by the playing experience (I have a Kronos 61 with unweighted keys, which I think is a fair comparison in this case). I realized when using the Mojo 61 at rehearsal the other night, that I was "digging in" to the keybed as I would if I were playing the real thing! I believe the combination of the Crumar custom Fatar keyboard and the nature of the physical modeling create a more realistic playing experience.

I'd be curious to know how you'd compare the Kronos (better sound) and Mojo (better feel/playing experience) Rhodes if you triggered the Kronos Rhodes from the Mojo action. (Or if you played either one of those Rhodes sound from an attached weighted action board.)

 

(I would take the Mojo over anything Roland, Yamaha or Nord offers.)

I agree with you that Kronos likewise beats any of those (though there are some Rhodes sounds you can load into the Yamahas that have flash cards, I haven't tried those). Actually I should further qualify the Yamaha statement, as I have only played the Motif based ones and older slab piano ones (like P95). I actually haven't played the CP1/5/50/4/40/reface Rhodes sounds which are also supposed to be quite nice (and incorporate modeling). Have you compared those as well?

 

OTOH, I have found some other Rhodes sounds I really like in the SV1 (different sounding than the Kronos... and getting back to your earlier point, may having to do with just the way they connect to their action), and Kurzweil, Kawai MP7, Numa, and some (but definitely not all!) Casios.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Do you find the output level to be on the low side?

I do, compared to other boards. Have not scientifically compared, just noticed I needed

to peg the volume more.

 

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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Do you find the output level to be on the low side?

I do, compared to other boards. Have not scientifically compared, just noticed I needed

to peg the volume more.

 

Out of the box, yes. So, at my gig, I hit the level boost switch. Took care of that.

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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I played the Mojo 61 at NAMM and concur with just about everything in this post. I was very surprised by the Rhodes but did not hear the Wurli. But I thought the Rhodes was excellent!

 

After using Numa presets for 5 years I would not miss them. I often mis trigger them by hitting the B preset accidentally anyway.

 

It was frustrating that Crumar shared the booth with the space station amp at NAMM.I kept wanting to hear the Mojo 61 only with headphones and the space station people discouraged that... they did not want the amp to even be touched! So after one or two demos they discouraged me from trying to hear any more.

 

The Mojo 61 should be a hit. I can't afford it and am considering a dual manual soon... but it will be between Key B or Mojo dual manual.

 

Mitch - have you noticed difference between the Mojo and HX3 CV? I sure did.

 

 

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If I were to compare the Kronos Rhodes patches to the Mojo Rhodes, on a purely "this sounds more like the real thing" basis, the Kronos edges out the Mojo...However, I have always been left a little cold by the playing experience (I have a Kronos 61 with unweighted keys, which I think is a fair comparison in this case). I realized when using the Mojo 61 at rehearsal the other night, that I was "digging in" to the keybed as I would if I were playing the real thing! I believe the combination of the Crumar custom Fatar keyboard and the nature of the physical modeling create a more realistic playing experience.

I'd be curious to know how you'd compare the Kronos (better sound) and Mojo (better feel/playing experience) Rhodes if you triggered the Kronos Rhodes from the Mojo action. (Or if you played either one of those Rhodes sound from an attached weighted action board.)

 

I thought about this yesterday and I will eventually try both.

 

I actually haven't played the CP1/5/50/4/40/reface Rhodes sounds which are also supposed to be quite nice (and incorporate modeling). Have you compared those as well?

 

I've tried them and they sound like typical Yamaha Rhodes patches. There is a certain sameness to them...even in the new Montage.

 

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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Mitch - have you noticed difference between the Mojo and HX3 CV? I sure did.

 

 

Yeah. The Mojo CV is way better.

Thanks for the review Mitch,....i am very, very tempted to place an order for the Mojo 61, but have to sell the Numa first.. and 500,- seems to much for potential buyers till date......

 

What i don't understand is all this talk about CV. I still have the Numa, Nord and HX3, but to me (and this is in a loud band context) the Numa doesn't have better CV than HX3.....Nord sucks though. HX3 sounds different, but better ?

Also the Hammond new B3 MK2 has a lousy CV, actually i couldn't believe when i first heard it. I know there are many takes on CV, but i wonder what it is that you consider ''way better'', because it excludes ''different'' !

 

Anyway, thanks for the review once again !

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I was looking to purchase the Gemini table top. The one feature you wrote about that concerns me is that you can't split the output between organ and non-organ. I hope this can be addressed in a future software release.

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

Exit93band

 

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To me, "way better" means, "When I play it, I don't mind holding a key or a chord." A really shrill chorus makes me not want to play it or get off of it quickly. To my ears, the Crumar CV is the best in show. Also, it is highly adjustable to taste. You can dial in the less deep 50's CV or a deeper late 60s CV very easily.

 

The HX3 chorus was, to my ears, better before they did the big CV update. Nord really needs to address the CV in the top octave because it is terrible up there. The Numa CV is pretty nice, but again, it seems to lose it up high.

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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To me, "way better" means, "When I play it, I don't mind holding a key or a chord." A really shrill chorus makes me not want to play it or get off of it quickly. To my ears, the Crumar CV is the best in show. Also, it is highly adjustable to taste. You can dial in the less deep 50's CV or a deeper late 60s CV very easily.

 

The HX3 chorus was, to my ears, better before they did the big CV update. Nord really needs to address the CV in the top octave because it is terrible up there. The Numa CV is pretty nice, but again, it seems to lose it up high.

Okay i think i understand you....

I am using the XB2/HX3 MK2 and never felt the need to update anything, because it sounds so extremeley pleasing for what i do.

So updating is not always an upgrade. The Numa1 is better than the Numa2 and the vent2 was according to a big store owner causing latency in some circomstances and had to take back many units. While the original vent was as good as it gets.

And i am in the latter camp,....i am under the spell of gearsyndrome, but i am more critical lately.

 

So we seem to have 3 super contenders in HX3, Mojo and the B5 vst.

I am looking forward to much more comparisons between the three with audio examples !

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You are correct. It is monotimbral, but you can split the organ, so comping and playing LH bass are possible. But you can't do EPs and organ at the same time.

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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hi Mitch

 

First of all, thanks for for taking the time to write up this very informative review - it is very helpful and encouraging me to spend money. (So maybe I should not be thanking you?)

 

Anyway, quick follow up on FunkKeyStuff's question

 

Can the Mojo61 do an Organ sound with the main keyboard, with a simultaneous EP sound triggered from a 2nd keyboard by MIDI (maybe on another channel or something?)

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OK, thanks Mitch - I agree, indeed it would be great if it could do that - I have a Roland RD64 with "escapement" (whatever that is).

 

I really like the way it feels playing piano, and with only 64 keys, is not much longer than the Mojo 61.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not super excited about its EP sounds (they are ok, but not great).

 

anyway, thanks for the quick answer!

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Do you find the output level to be on the low side?

I do, compared to other boards. Have not scientifically compared, just noticed I needed

to peg the volume more.

 

Out of the box, yes. So, at my gig, I hit the level boost switch. Took care of that.

 

Wait, what?????

I guess i DO need to read the manual!!!

 

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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Do you find the output level to be on the low side?

I do, compared to other boards. Have not scientifically compared, just noticed I needed

to peg the volume more.

 

Out of the box, yes. So, at my gig, I hit the level boost switch. Took care of that.

 

Wait, what?????

I guess i DO need to read the manual!!!

 

It's on the back panel.

Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com

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Mitch and others,

 

How do you feel about the Leslie switching up on the panel? It doesn't seem bad, but curious how you guys respond to it.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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It's OK, but you can also use the sustain pedal to switch from slow to fast. Less chance of hitting the wrong button that way. They've done a good implementation of this. When connected to my Nord Stage, I can control expression and piano sustain from the Nord and Leslie speed switch from the Mojo61 sustain pedal. Cool.

Ken

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Monotimbral is the deal breaker for me, and I was ready to order...I made this mistake before when I got my Electro 3/73.

 

It would be so nice to have one board with a great organ and great piano/ep sounds, splittable so one could play a blues gig, or just for general one board uses. I don't get it. Oh well, 61 keys was a bit limited for my wishes anyway.

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Monotimbral is the deal breaker for me, and I was ready to order...I made this mistake before when I got my Electro 3/73.

 

It would be so nice to have one board with a great organ and great piano/ep sounds, splittable so one could play a blues gig, or just for general one board uses. I don't get it. Oh well, 61 keys was a bit limited for my wishes anyway.

Yeah, 61 is always a bit frustrating for splits. I wonder if a 73 key duo-timbral version would be the ticket for many people. Basically, the electronics of the standard dual-manual Mojo except with a (more portable, smaller footprint) single splittable 73 instead of the two 61s, in the stretched version of the Mojo 61 form factor. Maybe in another couple of years...

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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