Mitch Towne

Dave, it all comes down to how important the keybed feel is to you. And, from the way you raved about how much you liked the new Mojo, it sounds like it's pretty important!

Gemini EPs are more detailed and customizable. Mojo eps are very good (I've done countless gigs with them and I'm picky) but you can't edit them at all.

You will have to direct that question to info@crumar.it Andrea will know.

Dave, Check out the different tonewheel sets. They are really varied. My personal Hammond organs were modeled and are #4 (1956 B3) and #13 (1962 A100).

I told ya so!! It blows the XK3 action away. Why? Because the XK3 pushes back to strongly. A good 1950s to mid 1960s Hammond doesn't do that. Some later models do and I hate those.

I think you might be able to, but it's witchcraft. You might have to sacrifice a goat or a couple chickens. (Seriously, it isn't a user-friendly, straight-forward thing. No instructions for it, etc.)

The keybed on the Numa 2 is superior to the Numa 1. Much more realistic. It would be a killer controller board for the HX3 if the high MIDI trigger point responded when in controller mode. However, it does not. Studiologic should make a controller version of the Numa 2 with this fixed. I bet they could sell a few.

This. Exactly. The updates that are made are rarely full engine overhauls. Just adjustments to C/V and Leslie sim (XK3) or keyclick (Nord - and they have NEVER updated their C/V which is the weakest part of the Nord, IMHO). So, you buy a whole new instrument for a few software adjustments. It's a total drag. And this. Same for the Mojo. Markus is right about the HX3 flash tool. Makes things very easy. Updating the Mojo software is as easy as inserting a USB stick and running an .exe program. (Updating the FW is a little trickier.) And, Markus is also right about the Numa 2. It is a step back.

Al, that's an excellent point. The ability to upgrade is fantastic, but sometime the update project seems like witchcraft. I shouldn't feel like I have to sacrifice a chicken to make sure the firmware update doesn't brick my instrument!

Guys, this is the world we now live in. A lot of these products are moving to a more powerful and readily updateable architecture. The Mojo has been updated countless times since I got it 4 years ago. The XK3 was NEVER updated, nor was the Nord Electro 3. What you got was what you got. If you didn't like the C/V or the Leslie sim, tough. It was only going to change if you shelled out another $2k+ for the latest version. For many months, Mojo owners begged for the "Memphis Mod" for the internal Leslie sim. Guess what? They got it. Why could they get it? Because the underlying architecture allowed for an update with the existing internal technology. It didn't need a new circuit board or new RAM or whatever. Same with the HX3. New updates and improvements are happening all the time. That's the beauty of this style of tech. When the XK3 came out, that was the pinnacle of the current state of Hammond emulation. But times change and technology advances. But Hammond couldn't update the XK3. They had to create a whole new instrument to install some of the improvements to the sound. (To Nord's credit, they were able to make an update to the C2 to make it like a C2D.) LX88, there are things you would like to change about your Numa. But, guess what...they are never going to update it. Well, I guess they did. It is called the Numa 2. But you have to buy a whole new keyboard for that. (BTW, have you tried the Numa 2? The keybed feels very nice.) This message isn't meant to be harsh sounding. Just kind of a statement of where we are with technology. iPhones are the same way.

Bill, at this point, there is no need to update. The pedal tones aren't improved between 3.83 and 3.84.

Yeah. I'm not sure what was wrong with the original C/V. Pedal tone is still weak.

My initial impression of the new CV is that it isn't an improvement. I can't seem to dial in a nice shimmer. Is it possible to roll back to my previous version (3.82)?

And, nevermind. I started the program over and everything took just fine!

Well, I can't blame LX88 for wondering if the techno level is above his head. I just tried updating my HX3 using the Diversi instructions and it has gone haywire. I updated the FPGA which went fine, but it won't find the unit when I try to update the FW...and then it says the FPGA is corrupted. Any thoughts?

If you notice that they have been making pretty regular software updates since introducing the product, you should probably assume they will continue to do so. If you loved everything else about it, why dump it so quickly? Unless you needed the money, I'd have kept it and waited a while to see if there were any updates. Also, I don't know if you spent any time on their forums or not but there are always posts about requests for updates and improvements and they seem to pay attention to those.

FYI: I tried my HX3 with a friend's Nord Electro 4. It utilized the high trigger point when it was in organ mode, lower trigger point when in piano mode. Might want to check to see if the Nord Stage 2 is the same.

Dave, Yeah, I think that is the only way to do it. I have only done this once on a gig and wasn't really happy with it.

It sounded pretty great to my ears right out of the box. But there are a lot of tweakable parameters in there.

It most certainly does. I would say basic/intermediate if you are just turning the dial through the parameters. Setting up a custom MIDI CC set would be more difficult, I think. It does not. There is not. However, there are parameters that ostensibly mimic the tone control on the AO28 pre-amp (which is, essentially, a treble cut) and the swell pedal cap (which affects the overall balls of the organ, which is most noticeable when running with the internal Leslie sim). Easy as turning the dial to that parameter and adjusting it. The CV in the HX3 is fantastic and extremely tweakable. It is the only clone CV that I like other than the Mojo. The link about the leslie sim above is out of date. As of right now, the leslie sim is only stereo. Other things to note: The keyclick is the best I have ever heard. However, there is no keyclick volume parameter. It is naturally generated and can't be increased or decreased. This fact hasn't bothered me in the slightest. There is no cross talk adjustment. You can, however chose from four ages of organs which add different levels of crosstalk. There is no universal "volume" control, just like there is no "volume" control on a Hammond console. You will control your level from your Leslie or amp, just as you would with a real Hammond. Expression works as expected.

The manual is written in English. No worries.

It might be prudent here to offer a word to the wise: from my experience with the HX3, it might not be considered a "plug and play" module like the VK8m, for example. It makes extensive use of an internal menu structure, so you need to be comfortable with knob tweaking and parameter navigation. If you aren't intermediately tech savvy, this might not be the right module for you. I'd suggest getting an X3 that is already wired with all the right parameters and settings.

LX, I don't know how the original NUMA works, but if it is built like the NUMA 2, the high trigger point won't work with an external module. Total deal breaker for me.

I disagree. The nuances all come together to be very significant in a live situation. When you go to play something and the whole sound is "there," that makes all the difference.

The "Tone Trim Pot" function of the HX3 ostensibly simulates the tone control knob on the A028, which is essentially a high cut. Additionally, the "Swell Trim Cap" function adjusts the output level of the A028 like the trim cap in the swell pedal control on a Hammond. According the manual, "higher values add more punch and output transformer saturation effects."