Why Halfmoon as opposed to Footswitching?

[JimboK]

I am considering a Ventilator purchase as lugging around a 302c doesn't appeal that much to me. I am noticing that everyone wants a halfmoon switch for them but I cannot fathom why one would be better then a footswitch. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

[B3bluesman59]

If you stand up while playing and are using the organ volume pedal it is not easy to also use a foot switch for the "leslie" . Much more convenient to use the half moon switch.

[Mark Schmieder]

Thanks for answering that; I was too embarassed to ask!

 

I've noticed that several manufacturers make these now, for various clonewheels and combo keyboards (including Nord products).

[Jim Alfredson]

Because you're playing pedals.

 

Right?

 

[Byrdman]

I have a footswitch on my clone but I find myself reaching for the buttons instead. Its easier to find quickly. A half moon switch falls easily to hand.

[mate stubb]

1. tradition

2. that's what you learned on

3. can switch with your forearm if playing left hand bass

[JimboK]

Cool, thanks for that input. I use my right foot for pedals, my left for volume so I have a footswitch foot ready all the time. I have a mod wheel set up for my leslie sim controller and I hate it. My left hand is always busy... forearm control, ooh, cool.

 

Funny, I always sit for my organ work, stand for wurli and such. Volume pedal solves the standing for me.

 

 

I learned all broken (aka recently, rock keyboard player so no real background)

Thanks everyone.

[Steve Nathan]

I don't kick so I prefer a footswitch. Allows me to keep both hands on the keys ( or just the left hand) while I do my fancy foot(switch)work.

[mate stubb]

In my early rock days, I stood and played a 4 keyboard tall stack.

 

I had my B-2 outfitted with a slap switch on the left cheekblock. It was made from a latching switch which had a square cabinet hinge mounted over it.

 

Slapping with the heel of my hand changed speeds. It worked pretty well.

[eric]

I do the footswitch thing, but do have a halfmoon on my A101. I'll never forget an important studio session with my old band recording a pretty high-dollar album in the mid-'90s with the engineer who did Dave Matthews Band's first few albums. The studio had a beauty of an A100 and 122, but for some unknown reason the halfmoon was gone and had a stupid LIGHT SWITCH that did the fast/slow for the Leslie. To make matters worse, it was not mounted to the organ, but was cobbled into a cheesy box and just sitting free on top of the organ! Talk about lack of ergonomics.

 

I sweated this for a bit and then came up with the solution. I asked our trombone player to stand next to me and "man the switch" while I was doing the organ tracks. I trained him that every time I stomped his foot, he would throw the switch. After a bit of practice, this worked just fine and got me through the session.

 

Regards,

Eric

[JimboK]

Ahh, Bring a horn player to man the switch! Great plan.

[mate stubb]

Heh. I used a guitar player to stomp my Speakeasy footswitch at the same time I hit the half-moon on a C3 in the studio, which had a 147 and my 2 Speakeasy leslies cobbled in too.

 

That was a pretty awesome sound.

[SMcD]

The half-moon seems inconvenient to me. As a "keyboardist" (As opposed to an "organist"), I'd prefer to move my foot a little bit over and press a button than losing half my sound my moving my left hand over.

[b_3guy]

With the clonewheels, I like having a footswitch, but I also use the switch on the board. I play standing up & this gives you the best of both worlds. Footswitch when you don't want to remove your left hand, keyboard switch when you don't want to remove your foot from the volume pedal. Having just picked up a Hammond XK-3c, I'm having trouble finding the switch on the board. My eyes immediately go the reverse colored preset keys instead of the Leslie speed switch. Go figure.

[Mr. Nightime]

I much prefer the footswitch over the half moon switch. too many times I've sat down and found that the knob was missing from the switch, leaving only the thin metal. If you get a bit too carried away, it can be painful hitting this switch.

 

Now with my clone wheel, the foot switch is perfect for me. I play seated, and don't kick pedals. So I can have my right foot for the expression pedal, and my left for the speed control.

 

 

[JMcS]

Having just picked up a Hammond XK-3c, I'm having trouble finding the switch on the board. My eyes immediately go the reverse colored preset keys instead of the Leslie speed switch. Go figure.

 

You can also set 3 of the 6 switches on the right side to control the Leslie.

[b_3guy]

Having just picked up a Hammond XK-3c, I'm having trouble finding the switch on the board. My eyes immediately go the reverse colored preset keys instead of the Leslie speed switch. Go figure.

 

You can also set 3 of the 6 switches on the right side to control the Leslie.

 

Isn't that cool. I haven't got into the controller/midi aspects of the XK-3C yet. But I bet it could be a wonderful controller for this . . .

 

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/images/mopho_page.jpg

 

 

[kanker.]

I'll never forget an important studio session with my old band recording a pretty high-dollar album in the mid-'90s with the engineer who did Dave Matthews Band's first few albums. The studio had a beauty of an A100 and 122, but for some unknown reason the halfmoon was gone and had a stupid LIGHT SWITCH that did the fast/slow for the Leslie. To make matters worse, it was not mounted to the organ, but was cobbled into a cheesy box and just sitting free on top of the organ! Talk about lack of ergonomics.

I've had to do quite a few sessions like this, but with a single speed Leslie, so the solution was a rheostat instead of an actual switch. You want to talk about dues....

 

I've tried to get used to the kick switch on the pedal for my XK3c, but I just can't get used to it. I use the halfmoon, and only use a switch when I can access one with my left foot.

[Mr. Nightime]

I've got the same pedal for my XB-2 as is used by the XK3, complete with the side kick switch. But, the kick switch doesn't work with the XB-2

 

A buddy of mine has the half-moon on his B3, but since he does lot of pedal work/lefthand bass he's got a kick switch on the volume pedal.

 

[bhodaway10]

Since I got my XK3c I've just been using just the buttons. The expression pedal is back ordered so I'm still waiting for it.

 

I'm used to the half moon switch but I do kick pedals. I still have a nord half moon switch which works with the Xk3c but I have to figure out how to mount it. I'm thinking velcro probably won't be secure enough (?).

[kanker.]

I'd try to find a way to retrofit it to the XK's screw holes. Shouldn't be TOO difficult...

[Mr. Nightime]

I thought of another reason to NOT have the half moon with Clonewheels.

 

I place my XB-2 as the middle tier of three. the half moon switch would hang over too much, and I'd keep hitting it with my left hand when playing the bottom board.

 

I get enough of that from the stand arms.

 

As far as the buttons on the top, I don't like them because I have to be too accurate when I hit them.

 

[clpete]

I have a footswitch that I was plugging up on every gig, but I found that I wasnt using it because I had one foot on the expression pedal and standing on the other. This has got me thinking about getting a stool for organ heavy or split part songs, so I can use both feet and both hands.

 

The problem is getting a stool that allows me to leave my rig at the current height, allows me to play while seated and reach the pedals. Looking....

 

[iLaw]

If you're going to use a footswitch, the only switch that makes sense to me is one that's mounted on the side of the expression pedal (like on the current Hammond EXP100F pedal)

http://www.sweetwater.com/images/items/215/XK3Pedal.jpg

so that, sitting or standing, you hit it with the foot that's already on the expression pedal.

 

 

That's how I had every Hammond I ever owned rigged and, frankly, I hated having to use a halfmoon when I encountered one on somebody else's rig.

 

Larry.

 

[Meisenhower]

I'm quite used to the half moon and its a very natural thing for me to use, as I cut my Hammond teeth using it.

 

On my XK3, I love the kick switch on the side of the EXP100F expression pedal. Adding a half moon on a portable makes a standard road case problematic as well.

 

Oddly enough, my BC has a "roll" switch (which was an option for an early Hammond attempt at a Leslie cabinet), right next to the expression pedal, which I have wired as a choral/tremolo switch. It's great, original and quite functional.

 

My B3, C2 and D all have have half moons!