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Jimmy Smith Organ Settings

Jazz+

By Jazz+
in The Keyboard Corner

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kanker.

kanker.

Posted
Posted
Some organists will add a "Paradise switch" to their organ to simulate Smith's malfunctioning B-3 on the Paradise dates. Simple SPST switch in line with terminal K on the preamp. I like slow decay quite a bit, but am less enamored of it not decaying at all. That said, I still enjoy the music...priorities and all that.
Logic's EVB3 has a continuously variable decay parameter that includes a 'Paradise' (that's what they named it) setting.
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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Octopus

Octopus

Posted
Posted

I like

 

higher 888000000 c3 3´rd perc fast soft

lower 806000000 no chorus

 

Did Jimmy use this setting?

 

 

Sk2 - Vent - Tannoy active reveal - iphone (just 6sec for fun).

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAjrg8MZkvE&context=C44bcca8ADvjVQa1PpcFNg4XvC5bDEJhjYkLjHQxHOh4xyT2RAGQc=

 

 

 

 

NS2 88, Yamaha Cp300, Moog Little Phatty, Hammond Sk2, Roland Fantom X6, Ventilator, Nord C2D, Leslie 3300, Leslie 122

 

 

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LX88

LX88

Posted
Posted

I am not going to get into a huge debate on which of Jimmy's tunes use fast and slow decay. The main thing is.... I heard that possibility many years ago and I sought to achieve that sound for myself, which is still a "go to" sound for me.

 

And a big reason why any clone I would pay money for has to have good chorus vibrato and somewhat long decay possibilities.

 

So many people are worried about adding 2 speed leslies or sims to their Hammond or their clone but in the meantime Jimmy showed us so much about organ tone without so much as anything spinning at all.

 

One of the he charming things about Hammond chorus vibrato is in how the drawbar tones mix with the "straight" percussion tone which uses no vibrato at all. That is why I like slow decay so much. You hear that blend of vibrato in the drawbars vs. no vibrato in the percussion, which really kicks in on slow decay.

 

There was an interesting quote in a Down Beat magazine article on Jimmy in the early 70's. He said -

 

"Some people say that I had my organ "souped up". The organ is not souped up .... I am souped up! "

 

The decay pot had been tampered with a few times though, that's for sure.

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kanker.

kanker.

Posted
Posted
So many people are worried about adding 2 speed leslies or sims to their Hammond or their clone but in the meantime Jimmy showed us so much about organ tone without so much as anything spinning at all.
Yeah, I'm not really much of a fan of Chorale. I've left a string of 122's with unplugged slow motors in my wake.... :laugh:
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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keyClicker

keyClicker

Posted
Posted

Usually I go with brake...

The only real need I have for a leslie is while squabblin' and sometimes to bring some drama to my fullorgan.

Lx88 always mentioned his goal of a slow perc. And I agree with you, the c/v is really a big part of that equation indeed.

 

There is one registration I love using, and I copied it from a VB3 factory preset called 'The Bridge'.

It has a Holmes feel to it, no perc. and Vb3's keyclick sounds amazing.

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kanker.

kanker.

Posted
Posted
Would the Vent enhance a Jimmy Smith sound on an Electro 4 or is it more for overdive organ sounds?
It's hard not to get a little OD on a Leslie, and the Vent's realism is really unparalleled. Even at very subtle OD settings, the Vent will beat any sim currently out there.
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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bgregg

bgregg

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I always loved the 'Cool Blues' album... and it was also recorded at Smalls Paradise. It does not decay, am I correct?

 

It's so cool it's hot!

 

My reaction is almost the polar opposite--"Cool Blues"is probably my least favorite of Jimmy's recorded tones. It sounds very bright and harsh and almost digital to my ear. "Back at the Chicken Shack," which is a much mellower tone, hits me much better.

Steinway L, 1958 Hammond B3, Kurzweil Forte, Prophet-6, Minimoog Voyager, Kawai VPC-1,Oberheim SEM-Pro, Doepfer Dark Energy, Nord Rack
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LX88

LX88

Posted
Posted

Tony Monaco on the above Youtube clip is talking about using long percussion decay, a subject I discussed in this thread way back whenever.

 

The last time I saw Joey De Francesco he had the decay switch on long decay the whole time. He never put it on short decay.

 

But it's interesting that Tony thinks it is important enough to mention, as I also do. And did.

 

 

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B3Nut

B3Nut

Posted
Posted

He's not demonstrating slow decay per se the way I'm hearing him speak, he's demonstrating the way the New B-3 can be configured to not decay at all if one likes. The slow decay setting isn't decaying at all the way he has it set, listen to it...no decay at all on the slow decay setting. It's the same thing as a "Paradise Switch" mod on an old -3 console except it only requires a parameter change in the menus rather than a soldering iron.

 

With ya on slow decay though (at least with Stop and C-3 chorus)...love the contrasts it brings out. I think it really comes into its own when soloing on a ballad or slow tune...especially with a dollop of reverb...

---

Todd A. Phipps

"...no, I'm not a Hammondoholic...I can stop anytime..."

http://www.facebook.com/b3nut ** http://www.blueolives.com

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JMcS

JMcS

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Posted
I think what Mr. Monaco is talking about is a modification to the Percussion so that it doesn't fade out. On some organs the decay tab switches from fast to no decay but on others a switch has been added that can have the Percussion either decay normally or not decay at all. Depending on the position of the switch the tab either toggles between fast and slow decay or fast and no decay. It is known as the Paradise switch.
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LX88

LX88

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It's just a matter of taste as to how much decay you can choose to use.

 

But I wasn't aware that he was playing a new B-3.

 

So anyway, when you are talking about Jimmy Smith settings, all of this comes into play. And Jimmy was definitely the first to use no decay at all, on these Small's Paradise recordings that everyone refers to.

 

And he revived that sound later on some of his mid 60's Verve recordings, also discussed before here.

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J_tour

J_tour

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Posted
Yes, you can increase the percussion decay time on the NewB3/Xks all the way up.

I guess it's "C" for... constant???

Idk. :)

 

Yup. I just played around with slow decay/no decay on my XK1 this morning -- never put it or any other organ off fast decay in my life. Weird. Pretty cool. Kind of gets you some buzz for free.

 

I guess does mean constant. Well, it sounds like it anyway ;)

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WesG

WesG

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Posted
What's the difference between the Paradise sound and just pulling out the 2nd harmonic drawbar all the way?

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9

Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

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WesG

WesG

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AH! That makes sense -- thanks, Todd!

 

Wes

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9

Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

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