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

[hatricklov]

Check how you have Favorite Access (Pg. 76 #12) set. You may have it set to Associate so both Favorites Buttons are calling up the same Patch. Locked 1 - 10 may work better or what you are trying to do.

That was the ticket... thanks, JMcS!

 

What an odd variant of options to have for user favorites! I never would have guessed.

[BBblues]

Hello folks!

two questions...

 

1. I would like to use my hammond sk1 for streetmusic. But for that I would need it to run with batteries.

 

Has anyone of you ever tried to run the SK1 on batteries? Or has anyone experience to run digital devices like the SK1 with batteries?

 

The powersupply provides 12V so I figured that probably a battery holder for 8x1,5V Batteries (type D, MONO) would have to do?! Or might there be a problem with the current/amperage?

Can you tell me if it would be save/risky to just try it out ?

 

2. Do you have any recommendations for recharcheable or battery amps for street use with an organ (needs more or less enough bass for the organ...)?

[hatricklov]

I would think you'd need some sort of generator?

 

The only amp I've noticed that is battery-powered is Roland's Mobile BA (http://www.rolandus.com/products/mobile_ba), but I'd assume there are others.

[LongJohn]

I've done this before with an old Roland eP7. I used a 12v sealed lead acid motorcycle battery. I think it was a 7Ah version, i.e., able to theoretically supply 12v at 7amps for 1 hour, or 12v at 700mA for 10 hours. I made up a power cable with a couple of croc clips on one end for the battery and a DC power connector on the other to match the one on the eP7. I used it for an open-air service along with a couple of battery-powered PA amps. Hardly used any charge from the battery at all. The same system should work with the SK1. I use an SK1-73, but haven't had occasion to try this. I'm not sure what the current consumption of the SK1 is, but I could measure what is for the SK1-73. Shouldn't be much different.

[simajanpa]

I have been on a quest for knowledge pertaining to the SK1-88 keybed for months. Nobody could tell me, not even the factory, what Fatar keybed was used in the 88 model.

 

I know I'm not the only one here wanting this information.

 

I wanted to know the difference between my SK1-73 and the SK1-88 keybed, so I finally said screw this and bought a fresh Sk1-88 model.

 

Contrary to popular belief, it does have full sized piano type keys, NOT waterfall. The keys are about 5/8" longer than my SK1-73 keys. Both black and white.

 

The keybed of the 88 feels just a tad heavier than the 73.

It is nowhere near as stiff as the Kurzweil Pc3a7 or Artis7.

Personally, just what I was looking for.

 

Anyway, just an FYI for all since this is such a hard model to get your hands on at any store, period!

 

Now to sell the SK1-73

 

Cheers

Paul

 

[Jazzmammal]

It never fails except for me...

 

I finally decided to update my SK1 and I need to load a library for a gig tomorrow night. I picked up a new SanDisk Cruzer 4gig drive and popped it into the SK. No prob, it saw it immediately and I formatted it. BUT...my PC won't see it. I've put it into three different USB ports and nada. It's in there now as I'm writing this and it's not showing up.

 

Any ideas or do I need to run out and pick up another drive?

 

Bob

[Mr. Nightime]

I had a similar issue when I got my SK2.

 

I ended up using a really old 256 MB Lexar drive. Worked like a charm.

 

But the 4 GB drives I have (and I have several) I could not get to read in both the SK2 and the PC.

 

I think the issue was mentioned earlier in this thread. (Long ways back)

[Mr. Nightime]

I had a similar issue when I got my SK2.

 

I ended up using a really old 256 MB Lexar drive. Worked like a charm.

 

But the 4 GB drives I have (and I have several) I could not get to read in both the SK2 and the PC.

 

I think the issue was mentioned earlier in this thread. (Long ways back)

[Jazzmammal]

I found an old 128mb drive. The SK won't recognize it but my PC does. Aargh. I guess my new SanDisc is too new and this old one is too old. What pisses me off is SanDisc is on Hammonds list for acceptable drives but after formatting it in the SK my PC won't see it. Why didn't HS simply allow us to plug it into a computer via a USB cable? Oh well. Now I have no idea what brand to try next I thought I was smart to get the SanDisc.

 

I know I shouldn't try doing this on the day of the gig but I also have my FA06 and I can use that if I have to but man, do those keys suck. We've all talked about it, great sounds but terrible keys.

 

Bob

[hatricklov]

I bought a pair of USB drives for my music stuff, and one of them I specifically use for SK updates and moving library voices. I'm pretty sure they are 4G SanDisk drives, just not 100% sure and won't be able to check until late tonight. I'll try and look up their model numbers and post later if that helps.

 

Did you happen to try formatting them on your PC first to erase any potential SanDisk 'tools' they include, then formatting with the SK? I wonder if that's the issue.

[Jazzmammal]

Well, I'm running out of time. I just discovered the drive does show up in Device Manager and it says it's working properly but it does not show up as a drive in Computer. I tried using Disc Management to change the drive letter but that option is not available when I right click on it.

 

That means I'm done for now and I get to use my FA. Oh joy. Btw, there's nothing wrong with my SK, I just need some extra voices that I have to DL and install for tonight.

 

Effing computers...I'm the guy who will tell noobies that they need to become computer nerds if they want to mess with this stuff and I'm better at it than a lot of people and I still get blindsided.

 

GOT IT! Jeesh, I feel like I won the lotto. I needed to pick up a new music stand from Sam Ash and right next door is an Office Depot. I bought a three pack of Lexar 8 gig drives for $12. It worked, no problem at all. My only concern was the instructions said it could take an hour to do the system update but it only took about 15 minutes. I downloaded the libraries I needed, set them up as patches and I'm good to go.

 

I hope this little exercise might help someone else.

 

Bob

[hatricklov]

Glad to hear that you got it worked out in time, Bob!

 

I was wrong however, as mine aren't SanDisk. They are 8G PNY slider drives. May as well add another proven brand to the thread if it helps.

[Steeplemouth]

ey guys, is there a way to set a tempo in the SK1 so I can sync some of the synth patches like Fake ARP and 60s Sci Fi to a beat? Also,how do I set the SK1 as a MIDI slave to an external device? If I done this, would that sync the patches and effects to the clock of the master device?

 

Sorry if this is elementary stuff, I am new to the world of MIDI.

 

Thanks,

Sam

[Doug Robinson]

Guys, is there a consensus on the absolute best--most natural sounding--acoustic piano I can download for my sk1?

[RedKey]

The retriggering of notes held isn't proving useful to me.

It's not just the octave shift, but on program changes. It retriggers all notes held simultaneously at full velocity. I can work around it by "remembering" to lift my fingers prior to changing programs. I'd love the option to turn that undocumented feature off.

 

Can anyone confirm this behavior on their Sk: When I hold down a few notes and then press the octave buttons, the notes retrigger. Does this happen on your Sk? Is this normal behavior for keyboards?

Yes, I confirm this behavior on my SK1. To me, retriggering the note(s) seems like the most reasonable thing to do, since I'm holding the key(s) down. Not retriggering would leave you in a weird state where the held notes are still in the original octave, and the non-held notes are transposed. I suppose that could be useful in certain circumstances, but I can't think of one.

[JMcS]

Guys, is there a consensus on the absolute best--most natural sounding--acoustic piano I can download for my sk1?

 

There are no user installable acoustic pianos in the Extra Voice library. The only acoustic pianos available are included in the system instruments that are installed at the factory or during OS updates.

[JMcS]

The retriggering of notes held isn't proving useful to me.

It's not just the octave shift, but on program changes. It retriggers all notes held simultaneously at full velocity. I can work around it by "remembering" to lift my fingers prior to changing programs. I'd love the option to turn that undocumented feature off.

 

Can anyone confirm this behavior on their Sk: When I hold down a few notes and then press the octave buttons, the notes retrigger. Does this happen on your Sk? Is this normal behavior for keyboards?

Yes, I confirm this behavior on my SK1. To me, retriggering the note(s) seems like the most reasonable thing to do, since I'm holding the key(s) down. Not retriggering would leave you in a weird state where the held notes are still in the original octave, and the non-held notes are transposed. I suppose that could be useful in certain circumstances, but I can't think of one.

 

I don't know if this will work but you might try turning local control off and routing the MIDI Out to the MIDI In so the SK thinks it is being played by an external keyboard. You probably will have to change some of the MIDI settings too. For splits etc. you might have to set up external zones.

[RedKey]

Thanks. Much easier to lift my hands before changing patches or octaves.

 

It's a rare occurrence anyway. Just seems an odd programming choice to retrigger, and at full volume.

[Mr. Nightime]

I think it would be more useful for it to hold the notes held down rather than re-triggering. If I hit an octave shift, it will be at the point where I want the notes to actually shift. Leave the notes prior to the shift alone.

 

 

[TKN]

I'm considering buying a HX3 or a GSi Gemini as an alternative tonegenerator for my Hammond SK2.

 

However, I am worried that the keyboard on my SK2 will trigger at the deep point / low trigger point for the external midi-modules.

 

Is that correct, or will the HX3 og Gemini also be triggered on the shallow point as the internal organ?

 

I have seen the page 81 in the manual, but I'm still a little confused.

 

[Craig MacDonald]

TKN, hopefully someone with a bit more hammond experience will answer your question. It is a good question, and I would love to know the answer too. The way I read the manual, the answer is probably on pg 114 where it says that you can create a midi "template" to control midi transmission, and one of the parameters is velocity which can be set to OF (fixed velocity of 100) or 1-4 which are different velocity curves. I would assume that by setting the transmit velocity too OF, fixed velocity, the note triggers on the shallow point.. However, this may or may not be true. The bigger issue that you will run into, using the SK2 to control the HX3 or the Gemini, is if/when you want to layer an external organ (either the HX3 or the Gemini) while layering it with an internal extra voice that uses velocity.

 

For example layering a SK2 EP or AP with en external organ requires that the SK2 uses velocity internally (so the deep trigger point) but it transmits fixed velocity (shallow trigger point).. I am not sure that the SK can do that? On some other keyboards that I have used its one or the other, you can't do both things simultaneously.

 

Let's see if someone can answer this question.

[Craig MacDonald]

Btw, if you are trying to decide between an HX3 and a Gemini there is a fundamental difference between the two. The HX3 is just an organ but the Gemini can replace ALL the functionality of the SK2 including the Extra Voices.

 

AND... It eliminates the one big limitation of the SK2.... that is its inability to layer 2 non-organ sounds at once.. So if you want to layer an EP with strings, or create a split with bass guitar in the bottom and acoustic piano on top, you can do this with the Gemini, and you can't do that with the SK2 itself.

 

First things first, I think you need to sort out the SK2's capability with respect to transmitting midi based on deep vs shallow trigger points.

[M_G]

I'm considering buying a HX3 or a GSi Gemini as an alternative tonegenerator for my Hammond SK2.

 

However, I am worried that the keyboard on my SK2 will trigger at the deep point / low trigger point for the external midi-modules.

 

Is that correct, or will the HX3 og Gemini also be triggered on the shallow point as the internal organ?

 

I have seen the page 81 in the manual, but I'm still a little confused.

 

Yes, with the SK you will have the high trigger !

(had the SK2 and Sk1-73 before getting the UHL)

 

That makes them great controllers for the HX3.

 

Nord, Numa don'f do it....

[Craig MacDonald]

The HX3 does have a built in SK CC set which maps the SK controls to the HX3 functions. I'm not sure the same is true with the Gemini.

[Craig MacDonald]

I'm considering buying a HX3 or a GSi Gemini as an alternative tonegenerator for my Hammond SK2.

 

However, I am worried that the keyboard on my SK2 will trigger at the deep point / low trigger point for the external midi-modules.

 

Is that correct, or will the HX3 og Gemini also be triggered on the shallow point as the internal organ?

 

I have seen the page 81 in the manual, but I'm still a little confused.

 

Yes, with the SK you will have the high trigger !

(had the SK2 and Sk1-73 before getting the UHL)

 

That makes them great controllers for the HX3.

 

Nord, Numa don'f do it....

But what about sending high trigger point via midi, but simultaneously using deep trigger point for an internal sound like an acoustic piano.. Can the SK do this??

[TKN]

 

Thank you Craig and M_G!

 

I only use my SK2 at home as an "real Hammond organ", and do not use the extra voices. When I need a piano, I use the Ravenscroft 275 and when I need Rhodes or Wurlitzer I use the Scarbee Mark I and A200.

 

My only goal is to get the best clone as a substitute to a real Hammond organ, and I do regret a bit that I did not buy the Mojo. The market for clones is not big in Norway, so I think it can be hard to sell the SK2 and the Vent II. That's why I'm looking at the HX3 / GSi Gemini.

 

I understand that all the buttons, drawbars, bass pedals and the expression pedal on my SK2 will work on HX3, so I strongly considering buying it since I only need a new "tone wheel generator."

 

 

 

[Craig MacDonald]

Well if that's the case TKN, the HX3 should work fine as an organ engine replacement, assuming that it can transmit using the shallow trigger point. The SK CC set in the HX3 should make it really easy to set up and get working with your SK. I do prefer the VB3 V2 Mojo organ, but the HX3 organ is very good too.

 

BTW, when I use my HX3 I plug my expression pedal directly into the HX3 rather than into the controller and rely on midi expression transmission.. It works better I think. Just a tad more responsive.

[TKN]

Ok, thank you Craig!

 

Then I might start to look for a used HX3! :-)

[Pa Gherkin]

I'm using a set of Ocean Beach drawbars dedicated to the lower manual of my SK2. They suddenly stopped working the other night. The OB unit was not at fault. External MIDI access to the lower sounds had become disabled in the SK's MIDI menu. I enabled it and everything works now.I hadn't been in that menu for well over a year. I've also had a few other settings change in the SK without my having done anything and attributed it to having maybe pushed a wrong button somewhere,but now it strikes me that sometimes settings in my SK are occassionally changing spontaneously and at random.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? What might be the cause? Also,does the SK have a write protect function? If so, I've been unable to find it. Thanks for any help.

[BBblues]

Is it possible with the Hammond SK that the bass pedal sound is independent from swell pedal's volume control?

 

I would like to try to play some jazz bass lines with the foot on one constant volume level and still control volume for upper and lower manual via swell pedal.

 

Does anybody know if it's possible?