Nord Electro 4 organ vs. Nord Electro 5 organ

[jeffincltnc]

Is there any difference between the organ and Leslie Sim in the Nord Electro 4 and Nord Electro 5?

 

I'm reading the comparison chart and trying to understand if there is any difference between the C2D 122 Rotary Speaker simulation in the Electro 5 and the 122 Rotary Speaker simulation in the Electro 4?

[ElmerJFudd]

Negligible imho - if not identical.

Certainly not a decision making spec between an NE4 and NE5 if you've found a great deal on a 4.

[harmonizer]

There is a discussion on the Nord user forum that discusses this:

http://www.norduserforum.com/nord-electro-forum-f9/electro-5-rotary-sim-compared-to-electro-4-sim-question-t11718.html

 

I have an Electro 3 but have never played an Electro 5, so I don't have any opinion of my own to offer.

[theGman]

Basically, the E5 has a dirty gritty sound, vs. the E3's clear sound.

If your car sounded that way you would get new CV joints.

 

Never having played on a real Leslie with a bad bearing ? , when I first when I heard it, I thought I had a bad connection; apparently to some who have had a Leslie, is adds a level of realism.

 

 

 

[DanL]

You can dial the grit in and out on the E5. It can be a clean sound if you want it to be. On the 5 the Leslie is one of the overdrive effects so you have to select that and then you can use the knob to bring overdrive in or out.

[theGman]

I'll try that tomorrow; hope for the best. Funny, no one on the Nord site mentioned that though. Cool.

 

: )

 

[cphollis]

I have A/B'd the two, and it's hard to discern a musically meaningful difference, at least to my ears. If someone cares that much, they should spring for a Vent or a real Leslie.

[theGman]

Playing live, being close is good enough for our band. Thx

[RichieP_MechE]

I have both a 4D and 5D 73. The only difference to my ears seems to be in the Leslie sim. You don't have to turn the drive knob very far on a 5D to get a really overdriven sound compared to the 4D.

[Ledbetter]

It is not possible to get a completely clean sound from the Electro 5 Leslie sim, like you can with the Electro .4. The Clavinet pickup modeling is also more limited. These matters have been discussed extensively at Nord Forums.

[iluvchiclets]

This is the truth! (Ledbetter and theGman)

 

The Electro 5 organ is naturally overdriven in a completely different manner than the E4. The Electro 4 can be completely clean sounding, but not the E5.

 

With the overdrive knob fully off on the Electro 5, there is still a small amount of grit apparent. Actually quite a nice sound, but not for those who like clean sounds! Now, I never considered whether this was a function of the "Leslie sim' or a function of the "Organ sim". Which one is causing the grit?! Likely the Leslie...

 

One point I have not explored is using an expression pedal with the Electro 5. My guess is the simulation cleans up nicely when you lower the volume with the volume pedal. But, when playing the organ without a volume pedal, it is impossible to completely dial out the overdrive.

 

(and yes, the clavinet pickup filters are gone on the Electro 5. For that reason, I feel the Electro 4 is a great find considering they are selling on the second-hand market. Not sure if I will ever move-up to an Electro 5 or not.)

[theGman]

Agree with Chicklets and Ledbetter; you cannot get the really clean sound on the 5 vs. my E3. In real time, it's not that big a deal overall, to me.

 

I don't know what Nord was thinking when then went to a dirty default sound, but these are the people who wouldn't let me split an E3 between a piano and organ...the perfect Blues single keyboard. Go figure.

 

BTW, I like my 5D/73 a lot and will start using it out gigging vs. the E3 as soon as I feel comfortable having it as my 2nd keyboard.

[DanL]

This is the truth! (Ledbetter and theGman)

 

The Electro 5 organ is naturally overdriven in a completely different manner than the E4. The Electro 4 can be completely clean sounding, but not the E5.

 

With the overdrive knob fully off on the Electro 5, there is still a small amount of grit apparent. Actually quite a nice sound, but not for those who like clean sounds! Now, I never considered whether this was a function of the "Leslie sim' or a function of the "Organ sim". Which one is causing the grit?! Likely the Leslie...

 

One point I have not explored is using an expression pedal with the Electro 5. My guess is the simulation cleans up nicely when you lower the volume with the volume pedal. But, when playing the organ without a volume pedal, it is impossible to completely dial out the overdrive.

 

(and yes, the clavinet pickup filters are gone on the Electro 5. For that reason, I feel the Electro 4 is a great find considering they are selling on the second-hand market. Not sure if I will ever move-up to an Electro 5 or not.)

 

Yes, if you are not using an expression pedal, it's like running the organ with the expression pedal floored, and there will be a bit of o/d even if you cut the drive knob all the way back.