Slats8

Thanks all for the input on mixers - it looks like the Mackie ProFx now has a v2 after the name and a little bump up in price - may go with that one. Although I own 4 boards and some modules, I usually will only take one or two boards to a gig. I've been real pleased with my SK1's ability to cover AP, EP, and of course, organ, so I've been getting by with just that board for most gigs but I've been itching to start bringing my Korg SV1 as well and my Ventilator - thus the need for multiple ports (mixer). I also own a rack mount line mixer which works great, but not real practical, small footprint and no effects (but I generally prefer not to use effects on my keys anyway, so not a big deal). Well, I'll probably think on this a bit more, but I am going to go ahead and order the b1200d. Cheers all!

As you can tell, I am having extreme difficulty figuring out how to use quotes, etc. to respond to posts - sorry about that. I wanted to say thanks to Aspen, Drawback, and Al for your helpful replies. I also wanted to get a little feedback from Aspen or others for recommendations on good/quality small mixers for keyboardist - I have a Mackie 12 channel mixer, but it's pretty huge - what's out there these days that is reliable, portable, and gets the job done?

I ditto Al's comments here Slats8, for higher volume gigs that will let the SS3 play louder and cleaner. There is a small gain reduction, and not just because of the Hi Pass filters, but that is easily made up with the SS3 Level...we have lots of gain there. Two more things I have mentioned before, and which bear repeating (because who's gonna review 122 pages!), is your comments about the distortion you hear when you have your SS3 maxed out, and your fear of blowing speakers. Blown speakers: These speakers are extremely well rated and balanced to this amp design, and as such, so far (knock wood) we have had no blown speakers! We did have one 6.5 Side that had a buzz but we believe that was defective unit from the start. This reliability rate is also due to the Tri-amp design. The electronic crossovers (as opposed to passive crossovers) provide additional protection because each speaker only sees signal in it's useable frequency range. Additionally, our use of 4 Class D amps, which actually get cleaner as you turn them up, provide a comfortable sine wave signal for speakers, as opposed to a distorting square wave signal that hammers speakers and causes wear and damage. Distortion at higher levels: Most any amp can be driven into distortion, and the SS3 is no exception. However the SS3 is a really clean amp and the distortion issues I have seen so far with the SS3 have been input signal based, that is, the signal is distorting BEFORE the SS3 input. In every case, this was easily corrected by use of a mixer between the KB and the SS3. This allows for optimum impedance matching and better gain management as you will have a "peak" indicator and several gain stages that allow for optimum gain management. You may not need a mixer for every application, but it sure helps for most those higher SPL situations, and it also gives you the ability to "match" several KBs and also have convenient mixing features at your fingertips, as you can locate the mixer close to your KB. It also doesn't have to be a big bulky expensive mixer, there are several small format quality mixers with these gain management features AND have some cool stereo FX (for that sit in vocalist or guitarist) available for under $300. There are even some "mini mixers" under $99 can work fine too if it's just gain management you are after. That said, there is one Achilles heal to the SS3 that may be the source of that distortion you are hearing; the sub jack. The SS3 is a sealed system, that is, it is a non-ported design with no "vents" to allow air to escape as the speaker moves and pushes air. However, the Sub jack has a 1/4" outlet so when not in use there is a tiny amount of air that can escape thru this hole, and it produces a small "farting" sound (for lack of a better word, sorry..last time I mentioned this we had a page of farting jokes...let's not go there again please!). This "escaping air distortion" is only heard at higher volume levels and only if you are within 5-6 feet, so the audience isn't hearing it, and it doesn't really hurt anything. The "fix" is pretty easy; just plug in any 1/4" phone plug into the Sub jack and "seal that hole". Problem gone. Any old plug from a bad cable with the wire cut off at the head works fine for this. Of course when you use a sub (or small bass amp as many are using), that also seals that rear Sub hole and eliminates the problem too. Again, this "escaping air distortion" is only heard at very high sound levels, so many of you may never notice this. But in the case you do, now you will know how to "fix" it. I ditto Al's comments here Slats8, for higher volume gigs that will let the SS3 play louder and cleaner. There is a small gain reduction, and not just because of the Hi Pass filters, but that is easily made up with the SS3 Level...we have lots of gain there. Two more things I have mentioned before, and which bear repeating (because who's gonna review 122 pages!), is your comments about the distortion you hear when you have your SS3 maxed out, and your fear of blowing speakers. Blown speakers: These speakers are extremely well rated and balanced to this amp design, and as such, so far (knock wood) we have had no blown speakers! We did have one 6.5 Side that had a buzz but we believe that was defective unit from the start. This reliability rate is also due to the Tri-amp design. The electronic crossovers (as opposed to passive crossovers) provide additional protection because each speaker only sees signal in it's useable frequency range. Additionally, our use of 4 Class D amps, which actually get cleaner as you turn them up, provide a comfortable sine wave signal for speakers, as opposed to a distorting square wave signal that hammers speakers and causes wear and damage. Distortion at higher levels: Most any amp can be driven into distortion, and the SS3 is no exception. However the SS3 is a really clean amp and the distortion issues I have seen so far with the SS3 have been input signal based, that is, the signal is distorting BEFORE the SS3 input. In every case, this was easily corrected by use of a mixer between the KB and the SS3. This allows for optimum impedance matching and better gain management as you will have a "peak" indicator and several gain stages that allow for optimum gain management. You may not need a mixer for every application, but it sure helps for most those higher SPL situations, and it also gives you the ability to "match" several KBs and also have convenient mixing features at your fingertips, as you can locate the mixer close to your KB. It also doesn't have to be a big bulky expensive mixer, there are several small format quality mixers with these gain management features AND have some cool stereo FX (for that sit in vocalist or guitarist) available for under $300. There are even some "mini mixers" under $99 can work fine too if it's just gain management you are after. That said, there is one Achilles heal to the SS3 that may be the source of that distortion you are hearing; the sub jack. The SS3 is a sealed system, that is, it is a non-ported design with no "vents" to allow air to escape as the speaker moves and pushes air. However, the Sub jack has a 1/4" outlet so when not in use there is a tiny amount of air that can escape thru this hole, and it produces a small "farting" sound (for lack of a better word, sorry..last time I mentioned this we had a page of farting jokes...let's not go there again please!). This "escaping air distortion" is only heard at higher volume levels and only if you are within 5-6 feet, so the audience isn't hearing it, and it doesn't really hurt anything. The "fix" is pretty easy; just plug in any 1/4" phone plug into the Sub jack and "seal that hole". Problem gone. Any old plug from a bad cable with the wire cut off at the head works fine for this. Of course when you use a sub (or small bass amp as many are using), that also seals that rear Sub hole and eliminates the problem too. Again, this "escaping air distortion" is only heard at very high sound levels, so many of you may never notice this. But in the case you do, now you will know how to "fix" it.

Here's my dilemma - I play in an 11 piece blues band with horns, two guitars and a VERY loud drummer. I've had the chance to gig with my SS3 4 or 5 times now. The highs sound great and cut through, but as soon as I go to the lower range on any patch I'm playing, the distortion overwhelms - I feel like I'm going to blow the speakers out. Consequently, I am ready to pull the trigger on the Behringer b1200D - however, most posts I have read encourage users to run KB Mix>SS3>BehringerSub to get the best results. It seems to me that this would work fine in lower volume settings, but in my case with such a loud stage volume, I would still need to have the volume up pretty high going into the SS3 and, therefore, will still be maxing out the smaller speakers of the SS before going into the sub. So, my dilemma is this - I want to run my chain as KB Mix>Sub>SS3 basically to protect the speakers in the SS (cut out the lows), but will I compromise sound quality running it this way? Does anybody out there "voluntarily" chain their gear this way? Will it adequately meet my desire for quality highs AND lows at a loud stage volume?

Thank you for your feedback Timwat - just what I needed to know. I think I'm leaning towards the Behringer but based on your explanation, it sounds like if I run a cable from sub-out on the SS to FOH it will only be sending HF and MF, correct?

Like Bernie, I am considering these two units as well and would welcome any feedback. What is the difference between the Behringer, which is advertised as a "Sub", and the GK, which is advertised as a "Bass Combo Amp."

"So IMHO it is like 99% there is something wrong w/ A) your "stereo" signal source or B) your cables. I am no expert on your KB, but many here have already chimed in on that universal "stereo/mono" setting, but you have ruled that out." Thanks for the reply's - I do not believe the SS unit is faulty given that I am able to get the "spacious 3D effect" on the Electric Piano patches. I also believe the stereo settings are correct on the SK1, again, given that I am clearly achieving stereo sound on the EP's from my board and I have physically verified it on the board. I have also tried different cables and ran the SK through my Ventilator as well with the same results. Last night, I used the SS for practice with my band - the space is fairly small, roughly 20' by 20'. Musicians included myself, 2 guitarists, bass, and drums. I had the SS sitting about 6 feet directly behind me on the floor and slightly tilted up. I had it at a volume that was easily heard by me. After playing several songs I asked my bandmates their impressions - all but the guitarist playing right next to me said they could not hear my keys. I think if I had turned it up much more I would have overpowered the lead guitarist playing next to me (a rare situation indeed!). Consequently, I am stumped. I REALLY want to report the same results of elation that others have expressed, but I'm having reservations. The issues with a lack of the whole stereo rotary experience and stage volume are concerning to me - perhaps it is just my individual tastes and preferences with sound, etc., but outside of the awesome expansive EP Rhodes sound, I am not seeing a lot of advantages of the unit over other options I've used. Since I ordered from Sweetwater I have 30 days to continue to assess - I'll be practicing with my other band on Monday (an 11 piece blues band with horns)and have a gig next week. I'm determined to give this box every chance and I'll be trying it out in those situations as well. Hopefully, I can report back with positive results. Please know that my hope in posting on this thread is not to stir up any negativity or controversy, I am honestly just trying to reach out to the musician community for any help/suggestions/thoughts. I particularly want to express my gratitude to Aspen for his professionalism and beyond excellent customer support by directly offering up his thoughts/feedback on this site (and others). That alone makes supporting the SS all the more important to me.

Yes, audio output on SK1 is set to Stereo.

Fantastic support on this site! I just got my SSv.3 yesterday - I spent a couple of hours with it last night trying various settings etc. I have some questions that have popped up and rather than repeat what's probably already been asked and answered elsewhere in this thread, I started going through every page on this thread - I made it up to page 12 and I've learned a lot, but I can't make it through another 80 pages to get my answer, so I'm asking here - my apologies if it is repetitious. My primary reason for getting the SS was for the glowing reviews I've read about how it recreates a Leslie so well - the swirling effects that seem to fill the room. I have a Hammond SK1 (along with a Korg SV1) - after excitedly plugging in my Hammond directly into the SS and dialing up one of my favorite B3 patches, I was "disappointed" to hear little to no difference between the SS and my KC - very little "stereo, room filling effects." I am convinced I must be doing something wrong, but I don't know what. Playing EP's with FX gave me a taste of what this thing can do - I was very impressed with the spatial fill on the EP's. After I learned to back off the Width control, I found a nice balance for AP's as well. BUT, the reason I got the SS was for the Leslie effects - based on some of the posts I've read, it sounds like perhaps messing with the L/R pans, etc., might be something I'm missing. I didn't think I would have to mess with the source keyboard settings however, so I'm a bit stumped. I notice a little difference with the Width cranked up to 3 or 4 o'clock, but no sense of a stereo swirling sound - very mono'ish sounding. I have not tried using my Ventilator on this yet - perhaps that may create different results. So, particularly for any of you SK1 owners (and/or Vent owners, if you have any specific suggestions for me to get the most out of the SS for organ patches I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks so much JMcS - that did the trick!

Hello all - Just like Pigger, I am new to the forum and just purchased an SK1 73 key version. Very excited! Sold off my old Nord Electro 1 and upgraded to the SK. I've read through the manuals on the Hammond Website, and found my way through most of the functions of the board. I am having one problem so far that I need advice on - my foot switch (which is properly plugged into the Foot Switch jack) is not toggling the Leslie back and forth between slow and fast. It will only turn it down from fast to slow, but does not kick it back to fast when I depress it again. I have been into the Foot Tip Mode Editing menu and verified that it is set to "SW < Leslie S/F Alt >" Any advice would be much appreciated and thank you in advance!