SK-1 and 2 Tips, Tricks and Other Cool Stuff.

[JMcS]

Whl is a whole setup file. It includes all the user installed libraries along with menu parameters. Set files are setup files with just the parameters. Twl(IIRC) are tonewheel sets that can be loaded into the currently active setup. The setup would then have to be saved (set or whl) to keep those tonewheels in the setup to be loaded again in the future.

[Mr. Nightime]

I just found out that my owner manual was missing 2 pages - the pages for loading and saving custom tonewheel sets.

 

Luckily, they are there on the online PDF version

 

[JMcS]

What serial # is yours? The initial SK-1 and 2 had built in tonewheel sets but they were not adjustable so the manual didn't have any adjustment information. The adjustable tonewheel feature was added later and the current downloadable manual (and I think the printed version included with all SKs now) has a couple of pages on how to adjust them. I didn't see anything about loading and saving sets in the copy I downloaded, what page is it on in yours? Most of the features that have been added in updates have a PDF in the update package or at least some information in the readme. The most recent update has all the older readmes in the readme file but you will have to download all the older updates to get the PDFs.

 

 

Note: I found a newer version (1.60) that has info on the tonewheel set files on the Hammond EU website:

 

http://www.hammond.eu/support/

[Mr. Nightime]

Mine is SN 14080353, and I'm positive it was a misprint in the manual.

 

The table of contents show the section starting at page 125, and the music player starting at page 127, The online has it just that way. The manual that was in the box, while saying the music player section should be at page 127, instead has it at page 125. All the sections after that are off by 2 pages.

 

Really doesn't matter. I primarily refer to the PDF manual anyway, as I put that on my phone so I can reference it at a gig if I need to.

[JMcS]

Thanks. I'm trying to figure out if there is a version available that is up to date through OS release 8.4. The copy I downloaded from Hammond US seems to be from when the SK-88 was launched. The copy on the Hammond EU site has the tonewheel file info so it is more recent than that.

[JrussoC]

I was able to look at the disk management on my PC. I saw the drive, listed as Unallocated. It seemed to format in the SK with no problem.

 

I do have an old 256 MB drive that I can try.

 

I have USB 1 & 2 ports on my laptop

 

UPDATE: The 256 MB drive worked correctly. Now, what is the difference between a .sys, a .whl, & a .set

 

I downloaded all the files available from HammondOrganCo.com, and went through the read me files. I found 3 that I want to load in right away, and they had different extensions.

 

The only one that loaded as a library was the .sys file. What are the other extensions for?

 

Yes, I AM reading the manual

 

 

 

 

I suppose .whl is for the tonewheels, data that you can upload about the configuration of the TW.

.set must be about the way you've got the presets, the file that is created when saving all your presets.

 

Have you tried searching in the .pdf manual that is in the hammondorganco page?

[Mr. Nightime]

Yes I AM reading the manual

 

I keep the supplied manual close, and have the PDF copy on every mobile device I own. I want to be able to reference the manual any time I need to.

 

[Aussie_Chicago]

I have a confession to make....Ive owned my sk2 for 1 1/2 yrs, but have basically played it manually. I never programmed or even saved favorite patches ...Well, I finally got around to finding a usb stick ( the micro center 4GB works perfectly ), doing an update , and downloading some libraries, all with a short learning curve. I cant believe what this board can actually do now and has quickly become my favorite gigging machine. I do mostly play organ but some of the other sounds, the new mix function on the C/V and Jims TW sets are giving this board a breath of new air for me.....kind of exciting....Im a dumb ass !

.... a quick tip, the choir library has a choir pad sound that's nice, but if you raise the mids and highs in the EV eq, it completely enhances and brings the sound out. Another tip, I use an AC clav with wah pedal control,try adding 1 or 2 on the 8'drawbar and 1 or 2 on the 2 2/3' drawbar, and a little O/D, maybe 15-18 , this give's the clav more balls and sounds killer !

[KRK]

SK2 in rock

 

(we never tried these songs before - first time ever - so forgive for the mess )

 

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pAWMrVBJnE

[Tonewheel]

New SK Library

www.hammond.eu/support/downloads/voice-libraries/

 

Hammond SK Voice Library

VL-SK021 "Pf & Symphonic Strings"

 

This voice library provides the sound of a string ensemble layered with grand piano.

This library requires Software Release 3 (MAIN 1.112) or later.

 

 

St. Pf&Str:

Bowed (arco) string ensemble/layered grand piano with wide stereo separation. (The original version is available in VL-SK019.)

 

Mono PF&Str:

Monaural version of "St. Pf&Str". Use this instrument if the Audio Mode is set to "MONO," or if maximum polyphony is required.

 

PF&Str Pcd:

Same basic voice as "Mono Pf&Str" but with ProChord ("Pcd") added. The ProChord harmony pattern is, 4-part closed harmony with the

melody doubled 2 octaves below. Piano plays the top note or "lead voice" while Arco Strings play the harmony or "fill voice."

 

[BBblues]

I do not understand why hammond does not make some other piano samples (some rhodes variations would be great too). Clearly the pianos on the sk1/sk2 are "ok to use" but nowhere near great (though they are still a bit better than the ones on the Nord Electro 2). Some variations would be awesome, so WHY?? Nord is bringing new samples of different piano and grand piano models all the time...

All these strange string pad piano samples synths, etc. may be interesting for SOME people but I am sure there are still many people like me hoping for other pianos... I only use pianos, organ and the electromecanical instruments (rhodes, wurly, clav) on my sk1...

[DanL]

string/pad samples are usually smaller, easier to loop, etc. A great piano sound is huge- look at the Nord libraries. Their small piano samples are just ok- its the big ones that sound great.

 

Have you tried playing the SK pianos/EP's from a weighted board?

 

[JMcS]

Have you tried playing the SK pianos/EP's from a weighted board?

 

Also tweak the Velocity Offset parameter (Pg. 80 #24) in conjunction with the Velocity Curves (Pg. 77 #7). It can be pretty difficult to generate a high velocity value on the SK keybeds and without that the attack harmonics and overall tone can sound a little dull. The Offset Velocity adds (or subtracts) a set value to/from the generated value.

[BBblues]

That is true, size might be one reason for them, that they might think it is not practical to bring new "huge" piano samples. but still as a user I would prefer to be able to exchange my piano samples (for example the standard stereo piano of the sk1) with other models if they finally offered alternatives.

I am always tweaking the velocity settings to fit most with the style of the songs I play. As I said, I find this ok but there is a lot more possible also with the fatar tp08 keybed (as one can see with the nord electros) of the sk1/sk2. I have not tried to connect other keyboards to my Hammond since I use a real piano whereever i find one on stage/in the rehearsal room and chose the Hammond because of its all-in-one concept. I do quite a number of gigs and rehearsals and therefor do not like to have too much gear to transport and set up...

 

Generally I find it cool that hammond still developes and publishes new voices for the sks but speaking freely I cannot say that I find any of those "new" voices practical (usable) for me as a musician who uses this instrument as a substitute for electromechanical instruments (organ, rhodes, wurly, clav) and pianos and NOT as a synth... I already wrote them two times (once 3 years ago and once 1 year ago) in the past but they tell you that your request has been forwarded to the hammond suzuki devellopers and nothing seems to happen at all in this direction :-( There is still literally no other instrument on the market which satisfies my needs as much as the sk, so i still love it but some "usable" extra voice updates for the sk's library would be great...

[Aussie_Chicago]

+1 on some better Rhodes and Wurli samples. As much as the acoustic piano sounds don't sound too good , they actually cut through playing live pretty well and don't sound too bad in a live context. Do we need hand bells, recorder's,and some of the other goofy sounds ? I know the sampling size is limited on this board but some better "usable" sounds are long over due. Let us the players decide what sounds we need.

[DanL]

+1 on the velocity offset, forgot about that. I have mine dialed back some so it's not as bright when you hit it hard.

 

Yes, it'd be nice to be able to pick your piano like you can on the Nords, but the pianos on the SK are part of the operating system it seems, when new releases of the o/s come out that's when they include some new sounds that must be ROM based vs the memory you can overwrite with the add on sounds.

[Jazzmammal]

All these strange string pad piano samples synths, etc. may be interesting for SOME people but I am sure there are still many people like me hoping for other pianos... I only use pianos, organ and the electromecanical instruments (rhodes, wurly, clav) on my sk1...

 

What you're missing is the fact that Hammond is very much a traditional organ company just like they were in the old days. By old days I mean the 40's. They are heavy into churches and traditional (read old, boring crap to us) music and that's where what we think of as useless weird sounds comes from. But they are into classic rock and jazz too so they have a foot in both camps. I have no idea where the majority of their sales comes from.

 

Bob

 

 

[Jefsong]

Hey guys I have been having a little issue with my SK2 regarding volume. It seems that the output is lower than my other keys in my rig. Almost like it has a compressor on it. I usually keep the master volume at 50% cuz I've noticed unwanted distortion when kept in the full position. I have it running through a small mackie mixer, then out to the FOH. But it always seems to me that it gets buried in my monitor mix. Does anyone else experience this?

[Jazzmammal]

It depends on what sound you're playing. If it's mostly organ then consider the huge amount of gain you get from the drawbars and effects. If you're using a mostly jazz setting like 888 the volume output seems low but go full out and suddenly there's plenty of gain. Then add some distortion and you're screaming. There's no easy answer to that because there's limited headroom in the output amps. If you set the basic jazz setup to 50% more volume then when you pull out all the stops you're overdriving the output causing clipping. There's a reason why the old B3 was known as a ballsy beast when using a Leslie. A B3 would easily overdrive the amp in a Leslie and initially this was a problem for organists until the rockers took over. Now it's a feature. You have to learn to balance this between the expression pedal and your stage amp.

 

for example if I'm going from a jazz setting to the AP the piano sounds a lot louder but if I'm going from a full out rock sound then the piano is much closer to the organ.

 

This is also the reason why the proper expression pedal is so important. If you're using a basic pedal with a short throw and it's a linear straight volume curve you can sneeze on it with full stops out and blast people off the stage. Then you push those DB's back in for the jazzy sound and it's no problem. You need a pedal with a longer throw with a non-linear curve where if you're say in the middle of it a little punch with your foot won't blast your amp. This is just like the gas pedal on your street car vs a race car. Blip the pedal on a regular car you get a little more power but blip it on a race car and you're screaming down the track. A B3 is a race car and it's up to you to learn how to balance it all.

 

Probably the best pedal is the Hammond one but of course it's expensive. Lot's of us use the Yamaha FC7 which seems to be a decent compromise between the best (the Hammond) and price. It's still not perfect and sometimes I'm riding the master volume too so we just do the best we can but understand organ is the worst voice to control unless you never change your settings. If you just use the same setting then set the master volume for that and you're done but if you're using different presets and/or playing with the DB's a lot then expect big output differences that you need to control with the pedal.

 

Bob

[Jim Alfredson]

Hey guys I have been having a little issue with my SK2 regarding volume. It seems that the output is lower than my other keys in my rig. Almost like it has a compressor on it. I usually keep the master volume at 50% cuz I've noticed unwanted distortion when kept in the full position. I have it running through a small mackie mixer, then out to the FOH. But it always seems to me that it gets buried in my monitor mix. Does anyone else experience this?

 

No, I have never experienced that. It has a very healthy amount of output. What expression pedal are you using?

[Jefsong]

Thank you Bob (Jazzmammal). I do use many settings during a single song. I usually keep one preset and play with drawbars and percussion all night. I am using a Yamaha FC7 pedal. Maybe I am getting ear fatigue but usually by the second set of the night my maxed pedal seems too low. I was wondering if their is an output compressor setting or +4 output gain setting that I am missing?

[Joe Muscara]

Thank you Bob (Jazzmammal). I do use many settings during a single song. I usually keep one preset and play with drawbars and percussion all night. I am using a Yamaha FC7 pedal. Maybe I am getting ear fatigue but usually by the second set of the night my maxed pedal seems too low. I was wondering if their is an output compressor setting or +4 output gain setting that I am missing?

Maybe the rest of the band has gotten louder. Especially the guitar player...

[Aidan]

+1!

[pigger]

Hello to all; yet another long-time lurker here. This place is a great resource; I've learned a lot here and it's helped me make gear-buying decisions. Seems like a decent bunch, too.

 

I'm a 56 y.o. weekend warrior; have been playing out since I was 18, mostly in cover bands, and use mostly organ, EP, AP, brass & strings in the 2 bands I'm in presently. I'm OK, but most of the players here at KC blow me away.

 

Nuffabout me. I just bought an SK-2 from CL (in brand-new condition; dude played it twice & put it in his closet in it's case). It's beautiful! I have a few questions.

 

For those who gig, how do you keep the wooden ends nice?

 

The feet; remove them so they don't get broken off, or keep them to help laterally secure the board to the stand? (I doubt it's going anywhere, though, at 35.5lbs)

 

It came with the Hammond grey-piped soft bag; is this the one w/ the zipper issue?

 

It appears to be at Release 4; can I upgrade directly to 8.4 or whatever is current, or are there interim steps required?

 

Dare I remove the thin plastic protection sheet from the display, or is it best left on?

 

The SK-2 is replacing an EMU VK-6 w/ the B3 rom, through a Vent. I plan to use it in the 2nd band, which has another keyboard player who's a much better pianist than I, using an RD700 (I think). The Roland thang. In the first band, I use the VK-6 above an S90. The SK-2 allows me to leave that rig at the rehearsal space for that band. The SK-2 will be on a single-tier Invisible stand; it rests nicely on it.

 

 

Sorry, tl;dr.

 

[Aussie_Chicago]

Welcome to Hammond world ! To update, get yourself a usb flash, the lower the capacity the better, theres info early in this thread,format the flash in the organ first then go here http://hammondorganco.com/support/downloads/system-downloads/

download and unzip the file onto the flash then update. You don't have to leapfrog updates, can just do the latest one and see If it works.

As for the sides, I just try and be careful when gigging, not much else you can do. I would remove the film on the display, it may be out in the sun or warm one day and you may never get it off later. Once you update to latest OS, try downloading some voice libraries from Hammond. Remember to format the flash drive first, unzip the update then copy to flash, and follow steps to update. Easy once you've done it once.

[pigger]

Thanks! This thread is amazing; so much info & help. The drummer can be careless, or maybe he's just blind. He stepped on my mixer once. OTOH, stages here can be pretty small.

 

I'm going to try Best Buy for the little drives, but I saw some on Amazon also. The only extra voice I find to be sub-par is the brass, the best being the trumpet/trombone combo. I prefer sfortzando (sp?) brass; hopefully I'll find something.

 

Edit: I see you're in Chicago; I used to live in Lombard before I moved here.

[Slats8]

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!

[JMcS]

Make sure it is set to see the foot switch as a foot switch and not a half moon switch (CU-1) Pg. 79 #1.

 

 

[Slats8]

Thanks so much JMcS - that did the trick!

[JMcS]

Thanks so much JMcS - that did the trick!