Which Vent?

[dfcas]

I've searched and can't find discussion on the diffenrences. I'm an old geezer and would like to not carry my Leslie 145 to all gigs. I'd like to buy the best sounding Vent. Dont care about overdrive, just clean Leslie simulation. Price is not important. Which one sounds best?

 

Thanks

[mate stubb]

My Mini Vent sounds just as good as my full Vent, just fewer controls.

[Baldwin Funster]

The first one is mono in stereo out, some aren't stop in front. All controls are top layer. The sound MIGHT be a little creamier.

 

The vent 2 is stereo in stereo out but I believe its the only true stereo in bypass. Its stop in front. It has more parameters but many are layered with "hold this while turning that" and can be a little annoying if you are going to change some things frequently. The sound MIGHT be little clearer.

 

I'd say if you dont need the true stereo in bypass and see a vent 1 at a good price, check it out.

[Delaware Dave]

I'm going off of memory but I seem to recall that there were complaints about the Vent and its interaction with the chorus/vibrato of Hammond XK3c. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that on the Vent 2 the algorithm was slightly changed to smooth out that interaction. I would guess that all of the mini vents probably use this new algorithm as well. Whether it makes the Vent 2 sound better or not (if you dont use C/V) is an unknown. Also, have a look at the GSI Burn (discontinued but can be found if you snoop around). The Vent gives you a mic'd leslie sound, the Burn provides more of an in room sound. Some people prefer the sound of the Burn. The other attraction of the Burn is that it is feature rich. Read the specs and you'll understand what I mean. I have both the Vent and Burn and I use both.

 

https://www.genuinesoundware.com/?a=showproduct&b=41

[Outkaster]

Dave that was the problem with the XK3C also. I remember Tom and I messing with it and not getting a good sound. We talked about it on here on another thread.

[Baldwin Funster]

I seem to recall that the warble that was caused by the interaction of the vent 1 and the xk3c (which I had both at that time) was when many or all parameters of the CV and the vent were pushed to the max. I myself never wanted or needed to max those things out and never heard a bad tone from that combo.

I hope I'm not misremembering.

[cphollis]

I have the full Vent II, and I never really bonded with it. As I moved to doing everything via presets (often within a song), I now stick with onboard effects, Nord in this case. The leslie sim sounds more than good enough through PA, IEMs, etc. Also a neat trick where you can continuously morph leslie speed to create a nice burble. I never liked the "reverb before leslie" sound, so there's that. I'm also starting to now layer B3 with backing samples (e.g. pipe organ), and that wouldn't work given how organ is routed.

 

When I was I was trying it, it took a while to sort out gain levels, get rid of the perpetual "swish", learn how to press and turn, and so on. I did gig with it a few times though.

[Moonglow]

I"ve posted before that I"m not entirely pleased using an original Ventilator with the CX-3 engine in my Korg Kronos. It"s better than the internal sim, for sure, but the combination of frequencies in both machines don"t seem to interact optimally with each other. I just can"t dial out enough of the shrillness. Conversely, I much prefer it with the organs in my Nord Stage (original). So, perhaps not surprisingly, it"s probably not unreasonable to expect different levels of success depending on the organ with which the Vent is paired.

[Delaware Dave]

I"ve posted before that I"m not entirely pleased using an original Ventilator with the CX-3 engine in my Korg Kronos. It"s better than the internal sim, for sure, but the combination of frequencies in both machines don"t seem to interact optimally with each other. I just can"t dial out enough of the shrillness. Conversely, I much prefer it with the organs in my Nord Stage (original). So, perhaps not surprisingly, it"s probably not unreasonable to expect different levels of success depending on the organ with which the Vent is paired.

I did some reading recently and am going to try a different tactic with my Vent. I've been trying to reduce the shrillness by turning down the treble on my mixer. a user reported better success by turning the midrange all the way down and setting the treble to its normal mid level.

[pinkfloydcramer]

I have the original, can't say I noticed any bad interaction with C-3 of my XK1 or XK3, at least- never tried it with an XK3c. But I'm not a big fan of C-3 paired with chorale, anyway, my preference is brake for that (I DO very much like C-3 on fast). I absolutely loved it with an SK1.

 

RE Nord, I like it with the Electro 2 but not with the Electro 5d- it seemed to dull the sound badly. Which disappointed me because (to me) the latter needed some fattening up.

[CEB]

I don't know much but I like my Mini Vent because because it has no knobs that can be moved or jacked around in transport. I mounted my pedal permanently inside my rack and feed it signal straight out the 11- Leslie socket on my Hammonds. No need for foot switches or any of that stuff. I just use the Hammond Half moon switch. If I'm using the EXP-100F then I can change gears with the kick switch on the swell pedal.

 

PS - I forgot. Bruce Wahler did the remote mod on my Mini Vent. The Mini had no footswitch jack. Bruce closed Ashby Solutions. Bruce is great we miss him. Well the Full Vent has footswitch jack but it has knobs also. You can always tape the knobs down.. I don't need knobs, I never jacked with real cabinets on the job either. Controls are way overrated.

 

The overdrive on the vent is great. It reacts to the swell pedal like a real amp.

[Outkaster]

That was it. I remember asking someone about that at Neo Ventilator. Here is Guido's answer from 2011:

 

"Hi Jason,

what you hear is an intermodulation between the Lo Rotor, Hi Rotor and the Chorus Vibrato because they run at similar speeds.

This is pronounced when the distance parameter on the Ventilator is set to a close-miking position. Fix is to set distance to max,

or nearly max and maybe adjust Ventilator speed and CV speed to minimize the phasing."

[Morrissey]

OP: if you conclude any of the vents are good enough for your needs, I think the original version 1 "mini vent for organ" is the least expensive on the used market.

[Tonysounds]

I have an original Vent, an original Mini Vent, and a Mini Vent 2. I use an SK1 into the vent, and I use a Nord Stage 3 that if I use the organ on, I will "Vent" as well. I dont hear any real difference between any of them. I prefer the smaller footprint of the MiniVents, and I can import my settings from the original with the dip switches inside.

 

As for the Korg Shrillness.....I found that same sound present in the CX3s, which is why I didn't stay on that organ very long; Just couldn't get rid of it. The Nord organ can suffer this as well at certain frequencies, and I compensate with drawbars. It's like graphic EQ: you can go for the "shape" you are used to, but organ to organ (tonewheel), the results will vary; same with Clonewheels.

 

The Ventilator 2 does have recessed controls (Original not as much) that will prevent adjustment during transport.

 

The only thing I'll add is if you stand and play, the STOP switch on the miniVent can become a hazard. And DONT do the remote switch modification: there's really not enough room in there, and the modification starts to come apart. After 2 repairs, I just had him pull the mod out and pull out the STOP switch. My other 2 Vents are stock.