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Totally unofficial Mojo 61/Viscount Legend shootout


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Earlier today I was in Joe Muscaras neighborhood, so I dropped by his place with my recently-acquired Legend Solo to see how it stacked up against his Mojo 61, which was a board I had yet to try out:

 

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Short version of the verdict: I will be returning the Legend and ordering a Mojo 61. While both boards have things to recommend them and would blow away all of the competition from even a few years ago, for my tastes and needs the Mojo was the clear winner in pretty much every way.

 

Heres what bugged me about the Legend: a slight-but-noticeable digital harshness in both the basic tone and the overdrive; a stiffer action than Id like; a surprisingly unconvincing key click; a C3 chorus that doesnt quite work for me (and cant be adjusted); and a strange quirk with the split mode. The Mojo performed beautifully on all these counts. The basic tone sounds more realistic to me. The overdrive is warm and natural. (I didnt bring my Vent to compare directly, but any difference is small enough not to matter to me.) The lighter action is easier to play and closer to the real thing. The key click is the best Ive heard on any clone except the XK5 with its triple contact system. The C3 chorus shimmers in exactly the way I like. And the split mode works like Id expect it to.

 

And those are just the things that the Legend does, that the Mojo does more to my liking. Then there are all the things the Mojo does that the Legend doesnt do at all: many more organ models to choose from; extensive tweakability of nearly every imaginable parameter; and a collection of other bread-and-butter sounds ranging from not bad (AP) to stunning (Clav).

 

Heres the weird thing about splitting the Legend (and its tricky to explain verbally, so bear with me): in single mode you can switch back and forth between both sets of drawbars, and the right set uses percussion, just like the first two sets on a real Hammond. But when you switch it to split mode, the left set is for the upper manual (right side of the split), and the right set is for the lower manual (left side). This too mimics how a real Hammond works  left two sets for the upper manual, right two for the lower. BUT, in practice this means that if youre playing in single mode and using a setting with percussion (i.e. the right set of drawbars), and then you hit the split button, suddenly sound on the upper manual changes to the left drawbar setting, but WITH the percussion engaged; and the lower manual has whatever setting you were previously playing, but without the percussion. In other words, if you want to go from playing the Jimmy Smith setting across the board to splitting the board with that sound on top and another on bottom, with a single button click, you cant. (Or at least, thats not how the board works out of the box. If theres some way to change that, I didnt go looking for it because by that time Id already decided I liked the Mojo better.)

 

To my ears, the Leslie sims on both boards are top notch as far as realism of the spinning; I couldnt pick a winner between the two, and I dont think either would be noticeably improved by a Vent. But I find the overdrive on the Mojo vastly superior. I see a lot of Legend owners talking about using a Tall & Fat pedal in the effects loop, and shortly after I got mine I started considering finding one to try out. The Mojo doesnt need it; it just sounds the way I want it to. Not to mention that the Mojo lets you tweak essentially all the Leslie parameters, while the Legend lets you tweak zero of them.

 

Other sounds on the Mojo The acoustic piano is nothing special, but better than none. Would I use it on a gig? Probably not, unless it was strictly in the background for just a couple tunes. Would I use it at a rehearsal rather than bringing two boards? In half a heartbeat. The Rhodes started off sounding pretty good, and got better once I started tweaking it. But I didnt spend too much time with it because Im more of a Wurly guy and the Wurly was damn impressive. The only one I like better in the hardware realm is the Purgatory Creek sample for the Forte, and that may not even be a fair comparison since Ive haven't played the Mojos from a weighted board. And the Clav rocked my friggin world. The combination of the tone, responsiveness, keyboard feel and effects just made me want to sit there and play all the Clav stuff I know. It is my new favorite Clav sound, hands down.

 

Oh, speaking of weighted keys, while the Mojo action is quite light, I nonetheless found the EP sounds very easy to play expressively. Not the same as a weighted board, of course, but if Ive had better response in an unweighted board, I cant recall it.

 

Some people dont seem to like the fact that you need a wifi device to edit the Mojo. Thats a matter of preference I suppose. For me, given the choice between tapping my phone a few times and then having a clear and intuitive interface, or having to menu-dive with a bunch of multi-function buttons and a cryptic two-character LED screen, Ill take the former any time.

 

Other exceedingly minor tidbits: the Mojo is slightly more compact, uses a better color wood, and has a cooler logo. Given all that, Im afraid that literally the only things I prefer about the Legend are the slight weight advantage (3 pounds) and the blue LEDs.

 

To help put my remarks into a useful context, here are some things I personally dont care about in a clonewheel, which, if you do care about them, you should take what I say with the appropriate grain of salt: multiple sets of drawbars (all else being equal, sure, I'll take more; but the Mojo's "hold" workaround is just fine for me); number of storable presets; having a dedicated knob/button for every parameter; pipe organ, Vox or Farfisa sounds; the specific shape and feel of the various switches and knobs; effects loop for external processing (since all I want is a clone that doesnt need any); connectors for a Leslie; internal-vs-external power supply; pedals (yet); drawbar feel/smoothness; separate pedal outputs; the minutiae of the exact harmonic balance of the percussion against this one drawbar on this one particular setting on these three specific notes in the top octave.

 

Final thoughts: Both boards are better organ clones than have been available until recently. The Legend clearly has a lot of fans, and specifically a lot of people who prefer it over the Mojo. All I can surmise from that is that their tastes and requirements are different from mine. While I spent the better part of an hour comparing specific details, the truth is I knew within ten seconds that I was gonna trade in the Legend for a Mojo, because I instantly found it more fun and inspiring to play. If youre debating between the two, I HIGHLY recommend playing both before making a decision, which I now wish I had done.

 

And thanks, Joe, for the hang!

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Hello , I tried both next to each other ( the older dual manual crumar ) in a store briefly with crappy headphones and made pretty much exactly the same observations. I ordered the GSI ( I am used to the standard fatar and in my experience it gets softer over time ) an hour later , unfortunately it arrived here broken . I am sure both can sound equally good with appropriate speakers but for me , out of the box , it was just like you described it ( except maybe the overdrive which I did not like much on both compared to HX3 , so I would have liked to see an insert ) After I ordered it there were some reports on the facebook group about reliability issues with the crumar.But probably it is just the fact that satisfied customers don' t post on forums . Hopefully the scanner board is not velcroed in as it seems to be in the dual manual mojo ( somebody posted a photo)
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FunkKeyStuff, wow great review! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I've been in a holding pattern on whether to get a Mojo 61 or Legend Solo. I have a dual manual Mojo (which I love) and was looking for an opportunity to play a Legend to make a final decision on a single manual organ. You're review is very helpful.
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FunkKeyStuff, wow great review!

 

Agreed, thanks Joshua. As you mentioned it is best to always try something out first before buying, but this is not always possible. These types of reviews can really help those of us who are unable to try first.

:nopity:
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I returned my Mojo. From all the problems with having to send it back twice really did it for me. Plus it got lost in the mix sometimes and it has a shitty layout drawbar wise.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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Nice writeup.

 

the Clav rocked my friggin world. The combination of the tone, responsiveness, keyboard feel and effects just made me want to sit there and play all the Clav stuff I know. It is my new favorite Clav sound, hands down.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I really like playing clav from the Nord Electro 5D because its release happens at the low contact point instead of the high contact point, which makes it feel snappier to play. Any chance Mojo employs the same trick?

 

the only things I prefer about the Legend are the slight weight advantage (3 pounds)

I was wondering why the Mojo is as heavy as it is. According to their web sites, the Nord Electro 5D-61 is 17.85 lbs, the Mojo 61 is 25.35. Mechanically (keys, controls, chassis) the two would seem to have a similar starting point, but the Crumar weighs 7.5 lbs more. Its sound generating electronics are not uncharacteristically heavy, since the Gemini module, which would seem to have roughly equivalent sound generating electronics, is only about 3.3 lbs in total. In terms of other electronics, the Nord has more than twice as many controls, plus displays. And the Nord even has an internal power supply which the Mojo does not. I guess its mostly the bigger chassis, at least some of which is probably necessitated by using real drawbars that need somewhere to go instead of drawfaders. But you could get the NE5D *and* a Gemini module and it would weigh about 4 lbs less than a Mojo 61! You could even use the 73 key version of the Nord, and still be a couple of pounds ahead (though a good number of dollars behind).

 

Really, although obviously pricier, I think a Gemini paired with a 7x has nice advantages over the Mojo61, if the 7x has the proper controls and MIDI implementation. Besides Nord, the Numa Organ 2 might be a good candidate for that (also known for having an above average action), and maybe Hammond SK1-73. (A Kurzweil Artis7 could work, but obviously getting farther from the organ feel/vibe... okay if you're looking for the authentic sounds but not so much the authentic experience). But 7x would allow you to have the actual full 60-key range of the clavinet, the full 64-key range of the Wurli, more usable real estate for "dual manual" organ splits, and more Piano/Rhodes range. But yeah, that's a much pricier way to go than just getting a Mojo 61, unless maybe you happen to already own one of those boards anyway.

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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Id like to add a dissenting opinion, if I may:

 

A crucial feature missing on all Crumars is the 11-pin Leslie socket.... you can get their adaptor or use a trek, but.....

 

Also, as to essential aspects like Keyclick, percussion, overdrive:

 

Mojo is Ok with all, but I find Legend holds up better over time in real world situations than Mojo....although many folks say its taste. Digtal simulations all fall short of the real thing .... overdrive is tricky ....a little goes a long way, unless you are playing in a Rock context, then you need real tube saturation, but, imho, thats the key in jazz too.

 

Yes, the action IS stiffer......but not prohibitively so...

 

As an Electro Killer the Mojo 61 is awesome, as a single manual clone, moderately so.

 

Also, as Jason mentions, there are build quality issues with Mojo.... I had to return 2 dual mauals as well.....

That MAY be a transport issue from Italy to USA....

 

"I have constantly tried to deliver only products which withstand the closest scrutiny � products which prove themselves superior in every respect.�

Robert Bosch, 1919

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Would you say the same thing about a dual manual?

 

I personally find the Legend Live to be a much more enjoyable playing experience and connection to the instrument than the dual manual Mojo classic or the DMC-122 controller.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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Very interesting comparison.

 

Has anyone compared the MIDI implementation on both the Mojo 61 and the Legend Solo? I'm thinking of getting one of these two boards for home use as an interface to GarageBand and Logic, and to complement an 88-key hammer action board for non-piano sounds for live use.

 

I'd also like to consider using the smaller/lighter board by itself on some gigs, possibly driving MainStage.

 

I'm really curious to see what the upcoming Mojo/GSi product is going to be.

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I have a dual manual Mojo (which I love) and was looking for an opportunity to play a Legend to make a final decision on a single manual organ.

 

That reminds me of something I forgot to mention: I also have an original Mojo, and I was really surprised at how much better the 61 sounded. I expected it only to be a slight improvement, but it's in a whole different league.

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As an Electro Killer the Mojo 61 is awesome

Well... maybe for organ, clav, EP. Not for acoustic piano, real-time effects control, availability of 73 keys, travel weight, splits/layers, user presets, custom sample loading, additional instruments (mellotrons and other vintage keys, strings/brass/winds, etc.). So it can potentially kill the Electro only as long as you only need the sounds/functionalities where they overlap, An NE5D+Gemini could probably get you all of it, albeit at a price. (And presumably a trade-off in action.)

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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That reminds me of something I forgot to mention: I also have an original Mojo, and I was really surprised at how much better the 61 sounded. I expected it only to be a slight improvement, but it's in a whole different league.

What did I miss? I thought that, as long as the latest software is installed, the Mojo, Mojo 61, and Gemini organs should all sound identical, no?

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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Really, although obviously pricier, I think a Gemini paired with a 7x has nice advantages over the Mojo61, if the 7x has the proper controls and MIDI implementation.

 

Yeah, that's a tough call. For me the deciding factor is that I just like simplicity too much, and dealing with a module is more of a drag than I want to deal with. My dream board at this point would be a bitimbral Mojo 73, but I have been told by a reliable source not to hold my breath for that one.

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And thanks, Joe, for the hang!
My pleasure! It was great to have you and return the favor for the NOKCFH last spring. Sorry again that I didn't bake cookies, though. ;)

 

I love this comparison. You mentioned some of these items while you were trying both, but I didn't realized you had covered so much ground. :D

 

I will concur very strongly on a couple of points FKS made. First, the Mojo action is much more "buttery" than the Legend. The Legend reminds me a little of the action on my Electro 2 while the Mojo reminds me of my A-100. Second, the first time I noticed the key click on the Legend, I felt like it was "disconnected" from the organ tone. That was one of those things that was an immediate turn off.

 

Also, chicken heads!

 

FunkKeyStuff, wow great review! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I've been in a holding pattern on whether to get a Mojo 61 or Legend Solo. I have a dual manual Mojo (which I love) and was looking for an opportunity to play a Legend to make a final decision on a single manual organ. You're review is very helpful.
Too bad, we would have invited you over to try both together! ;)

"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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That reminds me of something I forgot to mention: I also have an original Mojo, and I was really surprised at how much better the 61 sounded. I expected it only to be a slight improvement, but it's in a whole different league.

What did I miss? I thought that, as long as the latest software is installed, the Mojo, Mojo 61, and Gemini organs should all sound identical, no?

 

I have both dual Mojo and Mojo 61, but I've never bothered to set them up identically. Different organs for different musical needs, etc. They both sound great to me. The hardware is different though - maybe I should set them up the same to A/B them.

 

Any reliability problems I have ever heard about were for the dual Manual, which is built completely differently than the Mojo 61. The dual has a PC running stripped down Windows and VB3-2. They seem to be sensitive to power in some cases, and the very early builds were questionable (talking 5 years ago by now.)

 

Mojo 61 runs its code in DSP hardware like HX3 and Legend. Mine has glitched and frozen exactly once, on a 100+ degree day in full sun after several sets - and my brand new Nord Stage 2 did the same thing minutes later.

Moe

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Really, although obviously pricier, I think a Gemini paired with a 7x has nice advantages over the Mojo61, if the 7x has the proper controls and MIDI implementation.

 

Yeah, that's a tough call. For me the deciding factor is that I just like simplicity too much, and dealing with a module is more of a drag than I want to deal with.

I can relate to that. My thought would be to "permanently" velcro the Gemini to the 7x, leave the MIDI cable attached (90 degree cables to prevent damage), basically do as much as possible to minimize added setup/breakdown time. Though than you'd also need a carrying case that could accommodate.

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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As an Electro Killer the Mojo 61 is awesome, as a single manual clone, moderately so.

 

Eh. I'd almost agree with you if it wasn't for the Nord Sound Library. This is the silver bullet that keeps the Electro viable. Nord really needs to seriously step up their tonewheel organ game, but the Nord Sound Library is deep and solid.

 

Rather than an Electro killer, I would say the Mojo 61 really is an Sk1 killer. All of the core functions that an Sk1 does, the Mojo does infinitely better, from sound to ergonomics, and it even comes in a better price point to boot. All of the sounds on the Mojo are much better than Sk1 counterparts. The Leslie sim is actually usable. The C/V is best in class. I think the only place the Sk1 edges out the Mojo is that it's available in a 73, and you can layer the extra voices. I never found the Hammond extra voices to be useful, and I was coming of a 61 so the switch to a Mojo was a no-brainer for me.

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I think the only place the Sk1 edges out the Mojo is that it's available in a 73, and you can layer the extra voices. I never found the Hammond extra voices to be useful

There are some nice extra voices available for it--it's not a Nord-competitive library, but it does give you a bunch of other useful sounds beyond the Mojo's basics. Though the sounds the Mojo has, it does better. Another Hammond advantage would be in its 3-zone MIDI functionality, which allows you easily enhance its sound selection with a laptop/module/iPhone/iPad. And 100 user presets, which can include MIDI zoning. program changes, etc.

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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Eh. I'd almost agree with you if it wasn't for the Nord Sound Library. This is the silver bullet that keeps the Electro viable. Nord really needs to seriously step up their tonewheel organ game, but the Nord Sound Library is deep and solid.

 

The Sample library is bad-ass. And I have to say: every time I have quibbles about the NE5D organ sound compared to other clones, I find an adjustment that moves it back into the "competitive" slot again. (In other words, the problem is usually me.) It's not immediately as beefy as even my VK-8 was, but a little seasoning at the top of drawbar-pull helps that along. Switching to the 122-close has helped, as has upping key click and slowing down the rate of change for the hi speaker. (I left the low one as is, so they can phase as they switch.) It would be better with my Vent II, but not better enough to bother with the additional signal-chain implications.

 

Having said that, near as I can tell, the NS3 Compact is my dream board in terms of wishlist items. So watch for my NE5D in the Garage Sale section soon enough...

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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I agree with opinion that the Mojo 61 is superior to its rivals. The organ sound combined with its C3 is excellent (I favor its 1965 B3 model) . The action really outpaces the other brands and makes a big difference. The Rhodes is amazing!!! It's weak spot might be the acoustic piano samples, they do not move as quickly as the other modeled sounds do.

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

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It's weak spot might be the acoustic piano samples, they do not move as quickly as the other modeled sounds do.

 

I thought they fixed that for you. ;)

 

The AP is better since they trimmed the start point, but it is still unsatisfying to play. When I try to dig in it doesn't respond, unlike the Rhodes, Wurli, and clav.

Moe

---

 

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It's weak spot might be the acoustic piano samples, they do not move as quickly as the other modeled sounds do.

 

I thought they fixed that for you. ;)

 

The AP is better since they trimmed the start point, but it is still unsatisfying to play. When I try to dig in it doesn't respond, unlike the Rhodes, Wurli, and clav.

 

This makes me happy! This tells me that we are in the right way with physical modeling... you, as customer, easily recognize how better is this kind of approach in sound design VS sampling. Indeed Rhodes, Wurly and Clav on Mojo61 are modeled, AP is sampled. We will improve :cool:

www.crumar.it

info@crumar.it

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This makes me happy! This tells me that we are in the right way with physical modeling... you, as customer, easily recognize how better is this kind of approach in sound designed VS sampling. Indeed Rhodes, Wurly and Clav on Mojo61 are modeled, AP is sampled. We will improve :cool:

 

I've been waiting to hear this!! :2thu::cheers::cool:

 

 

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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