HX3 MIDI expander module

[Doerfler]

Very slick set up.

 

QFT

[Doerfler]

That said, the newest firmware 3.92 or 3.93 is fantastic. They have really upped the ante with the Leslie and the C/V in the newest OS.

 

Finally updated to 3.92 last night. Everything went smoothly. Sounds great directly into my CPS SS3 using built in stereo leslie sim. Eventually I'll test it through my GSI Burn, just don't feel compelled to do so, it's that good.

[LX88]

In response Vanderschoot's post above....

 

After hearing the Mojo at NAMM I would certainly choose it over the HX3 version that I had last summer.

 

Supposedly, there has been an improvement in the HX3 chorus vibrato but it is still unclear to me whether it is significant. Several recent video demos have been made mixing the CV with chorale on leslie or chorale on the HX3 leslie sim, which doesn't help the situation at all.

 

The CV has to be right because to me, it is the first option you have if you have to play in mono. Many stages just do not accommodate stereo speaker separation ( for leslie sim) so CV in mono is often the option that I have to go with.

 

And the HX3 CV just did not do it for me. There was way too much throb in the 888000000 setting. It's the second drawbar from the left that is usually the culprit. 808000000 sounded fine. 888000000.... no.

 

I wish that I could use the HX3 because now I have a Hammond XK-2 that would be great to use for a controller. But from what I have heard so far.... online and in person, I would tend to go with the Mojo or anything Key B.

[DaBous]

Very slick set up. Where did you source the right angle USB connector?

 

newegg.com

[vanderSchoot]

In response Vanderschoot's post above....

 

After hearing the Mojo at NAMM I would certainly choose it over the HX3 version that I had last summer.

 

Supposedly, there has been an improvement in the HX3 chorus vibrato but it is still unclear to me whether it is significant. Several recent video demos have been made mixing the CV with chorale on leslie or chorale on the HX3 leslie sim, which doesn't help the situation at all.

 

The CV has to be right because to me, it is the first option you have if you have to play in mono. Many stages just do not accommodate stereo speaker separation ( for leslie sim) so CV in mono is often the option that I have to go with.

 

And the HX3 CV just did not do it for me. There was way too much throb in the 888000000 setting. It's the second drawbar from the left that is usually the culprit. 808000000 sounded fine. 888000000.... no.

 

I wish that I could use the HX3 because now I have a Hammond XK-2 that would be great to use for a controller. But from what I have heard so far.... online and in person, I would tend to go with the Mojo or anything Key B.

You've always been very straight forward and honest about your taste, so no complains...

 

I am no purist and everything ''Hammond'' i liked was from rock/blues/soul orientated albums i had. Always creamy, distorted and balsy.

My first clone was the Emu B3 and i liked it for quite some time, because it captured some of that rough sound i liked so much.

 

When i started listening to most clone vids (starting more than a decade ago) i couldn't believe why anyone would ever use the sterile and plastic sounding 888 000 000 on stop + chorus and third percussion.

 

Then i rediscovered ''Jimmy Smith'' from my early childhood (was totally forgotten about him all those years due to other musical interrests) and i couldn't believe the galaxy in between his sound and some cheezy vid showing off a truly crappy immitation of supposedly that ''jazz'' signature sound.

 

Yes i do enjoy my Numa, but it doesn't quite sound like the B3 of Jimmy Smith or Carlo de Wijs (Dutch Hammond B3 player)

All Mojo vids with that specific ''jazz'' sound scream fake too, no matter how many users rave about how they think it is just like their A100/C3/B3....

I demonstrated with simple vids with the same persons playing (Joe Doria )that even with youtube quality it is still some margin in favour of the real thing.

 

Now to the point i want to make.....jazz is not my style, but HX3 is the first clone that captures the soul of the Hammond sound i like so much. Some clues that reveal the fake character of any clone are missing in the settings i use HX3 for......it simply sounds like a balsy beat up Hammond.....

 

 

 

 

 

[DiversiOrgan]

Great way to have everything in one place. How long does it take for you to setup for a gig, not including a sound check? ;-)

 

[Markay]

Very slick set up. Where did you source the right angle USB connector?

 

newegg.com

Thanks

[DaBous]

Last gig setup with just my Forte 7 and the rack was around 15 minutes

 

Also - Quick update after a couple of gigs with the HX3.

 

Much to my surprise ( and I'm sure many others ) I actually prefer the sound of the HX3 without the vent.

 

The internal sim sounds really good in the mix. Very balanced. I have the tube amp gain mapped to the mod wheel so I can dial in the amount of grit I need for the song. I have the tone control mapped also as that helps getting the tone to sit right in the mix. If you use a lot of overdrive the vent may be better but I usually set the OD right on the edge of distortion - some grit but not heavy. The internal OD sounds fine for that.

 

Easy to get a nice full gritty rock/blues B3 tone out of it. Very convincing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M_G]

No surprise !

 

Much love for the HX-Leslie-Sim.....sold all my vents !

 

;-)

 

[TomKittel]

In response Vanderschoot's post above....

 

After hearing the Mojo at NAMM I would certainly choose it over the HX3 version that I had last summer.

 

Supposedly, there has been an improvement in the HX3 chorus vibrato but it is still unclear to me whether it is significant. Several recent video demos have been made mixing the CV with chorale on leslie or chorale on the HX3 leslie sim, which doesn't help the situation at all.

 

The CV has to be right because to me, it is the first option you have if you have to play in mono. Many stages just do not accommodate stereo speaker separation ( for leslie sim) so CV in mono is often the option that I have to go with.

 

And the HX3 CV just did not do it for me. There was way too much throb in the 888000000 setting. It's the second drawbar from the left that is usually the culprit. 808000000 sounded fine. 888000000.... no.

 

I wish that I could use the HX3 because now I have a Hammond XK-2 that would be great to use for a controller. But from what I have heard so far.... online and in person, I would tend to go with the Mojo or anything Key B.

 

Why don't you just buy what you like best and stop the HX3 moaning? Your posts don't do anything for anybody including yourself. It really gets boring.

[Polkahero]

No surprise !

 

Much love for the HX-Leslie-Sim.....sold all my vents !

 

;-)

 

I finally got a chance to try one of these out with the latest OS installed, and I would say the HX3 Leslie simulation is every bit as good as the Neo Ventilator.

[Doerfler]

When I installed 3.92 last week I had exactly the same thought regarding my memory of previously owned Ventilator. The depth of the sim is amazing, especially the clarity of the lower rotor.

[Phil Aiken]

Just received mine. My plan is to use it with my Forte 7, and I have a MOJO 61 on the way for my other rig. I fired it up using a Hammond SK-1 as a controller, and damn....I have not yet heard the MOJO, though very familiar with the VB-3, but this is the best and most organic (no pun intended) sounding clone I have ever played, hardware or software. By FAR. My priors: SK-1, XK-3, Nord of every denomination, VB-3, Voce-5, Ventilator, Burn.

Really pretty special.

[Polkahero]

I wouldn't call it "better" than my Hammond SK1 but it's definitely "different". I liken the HX3's tone as that of a Hammond tonewheel that has been recapped, whereas the SK1 sounds like an older organ with the original capacitors, more mellow. Seems like the percussion on the HX3 has more "thump" kind of like my B3 does compared to my A100.

[Phil Aiken]

I wouldn't call it "better" than my Hammond SK1 but it's definitely "different". I liken the HX3's tone as that of a Hammond tonewheel that has been recapped, whereas the SK1 sounds like an older organ with the original capacitors, more mellow. Seems like the percussion on the HX3 has more "thump" kind of like my B3 does compared to my A100.

 

Have you messed with the older capacitor and tube settings on the HX3?

 

 

 

[Polkahero]

I wouldn't call it "better" than my Hammond SK1 but it's definitely "different". I liken the HX3's tone as that of a Hammond tonewheel that has been recapped, whereas the SK1 sounds like an older organ with the original capacitors, more mellow. Seems like the percussion on the HX3 has more "thump" kind of like my B3 does compared to my A100.

 

Have you messed with the older capacitor and tube settings on the HX3?

 

 

 

Not really, I did mess with the different organ models (years) and could detect the newer ones being brighter than the default 1961 setting.

 

 

[Mitch Towne]

There doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the different models. Just the brightness factor.

[Dnsmo]

There doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the different models. Just the brightness factor.

Mitch, for those of us trying to sort out the pros and cons of the HX3 module vs. VB3II/Mojo/Gemini, could you elaborate on this?

 

Is the variety of models available (and that can be customized) in the VB3II one of its distinct advantages over the HX3? Can the HX3 have offer a similarly wide variety of tone palettes if one is willing to do some customized tweaking?

[TKN]

What is your favorite settings in the HX3?

[Mitch Towne]

I don't think you can get as wide a variety of sounds from the HX3 as you can from the Mojo. Both of them offer excellent amounts of adjustability of a wide variety of parameters. However, the Mojo offers 22 different organs while the HX3 offers, I believe, four. The different organs in the Mojo are based on the different tonewheel measurements from all of those different organs and the difference between them is more than just brightness or tricks of EQ. Some are aggressive, some are mellow, some are full bodied, some more hollow. I'm not trying to market the Mojo here, but just addressing the question about variety of tonality in the Mojo vs. the HX3.

 

I was pretty excited about the HX3 when I first got it, but after gigging with it a few times and comparing it side by side with my Mojo and my 1956 B3, it became clear that for what I like to hear in an organ, the Mojo was the winner.

 

I sold my HX3 module last night. It had just been sitting in my basement for a few months.

[Kurt W]

I don't think you can get as wide a variety of sounds from the HX3 as you can from the Mojo. Both of them offer excellent amounts of adjustability of a wide variety of parameters. However, the Mojo offers 22 different organs while the HX3 offers, I believe, four. The different organs in the Mojo are based on the different tonewheel measurements from all of those different organs and the difference between them is more than just brightness or tricks of EQ. Some are aggressive, some are mellow, some are full bodied, some more hollow. I'm not trying to market the Mojo here, but just addressing the question about variety of tonality in the Mojo vs. the HX3.

There is a "tapering tool" for the HX3 to adjust the tonewheels to your liking or based upon measurement from a specific organ. I think the manufacturers of both the MAG and Uhl clonewheels have made their own tapering versions. The HX3 Remote Application lets you change TG parameters, Leslie sim details, midi CC's etc.

 

http://wiki.keyboardpartner.de/index.php?tutle=HX3_Remote_Application#Updating_a_TG_tapering_file

[Al Quinn]

However, the Mojo offers 22 different organs while the HX3 offers, I believe, four. The different organs in the Mojo are based on the different tonewheel measurements from all of those different organs and the difference between them is more than just brightness or tricks of EQ. Some are aggressive, some are mellow, some are full bodied, some more hollow

I'd like to add that with the various Mojo organs there's also a difference in how volume varies across the range of the instrument. Some organs sound more even than others. I suspect amplification is also an important contributor to this. Through trial and error I've found what works for me and am very happy. I like that I didn't have to tweak parameters but instead was able to just try out different organs on a few gigs until I was comfortable. The process was easy, pleasant, and effective.

[Mitch Towne]

Having multiple organs with varying tonal qualities comes in very handy, especially when you are using different amplification systems. I use my B3 tonewheel set when I use my 147, but I use a different one when I use the ventilator or internal sim with a PA speaker.

[Jazzmammal]

I suspect amplification is also an important contributor to this.

 

Exactly. I wouldn't use the word suspect, I would use the word critical. Any detailed comments about the sound of these various instruments must include what the person is hearing them through. Headphones at home? Which set? Studio monitors at home? What brand? Then on stage. A JBL PA? A QSC setup? A SS v3? A real Leslie? Which one? Stock or modded? THAT is what you are hearing more than the direct output from the audio outs of the console that we all hear on these YT demos or from personal reports.

 

That's the first thing that went through my mind listening to those new vids posted above where they overlaid the words "external Leslie" and "internal sim" while he was playing. The internal sim sounded almost identical to the leslie but that's coming out of the organ direct to the recording console. Hearing that through whatever speaker system in the same room live and then switching from the leslie to those speakers would be a completely different thing. EV's sound different from JBL's who sound different from Yammies to whatever else. You guys know what I mean.

 

All these reports and comments are good and all and gives me an "idea" of what these sound like but in the real world going through one of my different speaker setups I know everything changes.

 

Bob

[ShadowMan]

I have to say that my HX-3 and the controller generate absolutely authentic sounds... and working with Tom and his team is an absolute pleasure. ALL companies should offer the same level of personalized service.

 

My quandary is that I Use Nord gear - which isn't really user friendly when controlling the unit. It really doesn't allow for full use of all the midi capabilities and splits. (Also, it's another case of gear to transport and set up...as I strive to downsize my rig transportability)

 

Are there any Nord users out there having better success than me?

 

[Bronks]

Having multiple orgasms with varying tonal qualities.

 

Fixed for pleasure.

[Doerfler]

Having multiple orgasms with varying tonal qualities.

 

Fixed for pleasure.

 

not taking you serious, but this is a family forum.

[Bronks]

Yeah, sorry. But actually it was what I first read.

[Josh Paxton]

not taking you serious, but this is a family forum.

 

Ah yes, many's the evening I've spent with the missus and the little ones huddled around the family laptop with our hot cocoa, taking turns reading aloud from Keyboard Corner. "Please, Daddy," my youngest son will say when I've told him it's bedtime, "just one more post about which clonewheel has the most authentic C/V!" And how can I help but give in? As for the oldest, he can't get enough of the Space Station thread. He always has had a thing for deep technical specs. But my daughter, my little angel, is at that age where she just obsesses over posts about the key of "Sweet Home Alamaba." It's that phase they all go through, I guess. Just adorable. As for the missus and me, well, after the little ones are in bed, let's just say once in a while we enjoy taking opposite sides in the Transpose Button Wars. What better way to help keep a little spice in the marriage, am I right?

[Joe Muscara]