Viscount Legend Soul 261 vs. the rest

[Mitch Towne]

6 hours ago, Niall01 said:

Do you mind me asking you're opinion on sound of the Soul 261 vs Hammond ? I'm in Clone Organ brain meltdown at his stage as none of these Organs are sold where I live. Have to order online. Keep making mistakes.

Had a Crumar sent it back, single set of drawbars ,couldn't split either manual in half.

I've Been trying to find out how you can get this Lower manual left-hand-bass, with chord comping right-hand(also on lower manual)....must be 'split' lower manual, therefore need 2x sets of drawbars? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nGSzRl1t-o (YOUTUBE won't allow me share youtube link here so it's:  VIDEO: FRANK MONTIS 'Play Like a Pro with this Carefree Hammond Organ Blues Exercise')

 

I can't afford the Hammond XK5, & a hobby player not professional. Love the vintage Hammond sound but open to different sound if you can achieve something close to Hammond.

 

Thanks for any help.

Niall.

if I’m reading what you’re looking for correctly, I think you’re looking for something that no two manual clone does.

[Aynsley Green]

8 hours ago, Niall01 said:

Do you mind me asking you're opinion on sound of the Soul 261 vs Hammond ? I'm in Clone Organ brain meltdown at his stage as none of these Organs are sold where I live. Have to order online. Keep making mistakes.

Had a Crumar sent it back, single set of drawbars ,couldn't split either manual in half.

I've Been trying to find out how you can get this Lower manual left-hand-bass, with chord comping right-hand(also on lower manual)....must be 'split' lower manual, therefore need 2x sets of drawbars? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nGSzRl1t-o (YOUTUBE won't allow me share youtube link here so it's:  VIDEO: FRANK MONTIS 'Play Like a Pro with this Carefree Hammond Organ Blues Exercise')

 

I can't afford the Hammond XK5, & a hobby player not professional. Love the vintage Hammond sound but open to different sound if you can achieve something close to Hammond.

 

Thanks for any help.

Niall.

 

Unfortunately, the cheaper boards never have the full complement of 5 sets of drawbars (1 for the pedals) and 2 manuals, except for perhaps the now-discontinued Nord C2D, which I have seen going for cheap. Having only one set of drawbars on the Hammond SK2 was a real drag.

The 'Lower Split' you describe is just 848 on the Lower manual - down low it sounds like bass, up high it sounds like chords.
Typically, one has the Lower Manual drawbars set to 848 on A# for Left-hand Bass, and 0066 on B for left-handed voicings, (which assumes a right-hand melody on the Upper manual and kicking bass with perhaps 82)

[Niall01]

5 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

It seems to me that the lower manual is not split, rather both hands on the lower manual would be playing the organ registration in the far right set of drawbars, illustrated below. I've never heard of any 2-manual organ that lets you split a manual to play a third organ registration. Just one on top and one on bottom at any given time.

 

A single manual organ can usually do a split on its one manual, even if it has only one set of drawbars. There would be a way to toggle the single set of drawbars to be able to control either the "lower" or "upper" sound (regardless of whether the "lower" was an external physical lower keyboard, or the lower portion of its own manual below a split point).

 

 

 

Thank you for that info. I see that drawbar setting you screenshot there. In that case looks like I may have sent back that Crumar mistakingly due to unclear intel on the matter. 

Makes sense now if both sets of drawbars (for each specific manual) are not simply a 'repeat' of the same pitches (?)

 

I'm liking the sound & tone of that SOUL 261 in the Frank Montis video ,it seem's a useful practical easy-to-use Organ, but won't be able to test or try one before purchase. It'll be an online purchase again. NOT ideal.

 

I'll be using bass PEDALS for slower tracks, so altogether: upper+lower mauals+bass pedals. Love to know how the SOUL 261 compare's to something like this:

 

Apologies, I may have confused the issue referring to 'tonewheel clones' earlier. Probably cause I assumed these digital (Visconut,Crumar Hammond/suzuki) organs were ,amongst other things, 'cloned' vintage Organs.

 

Thanks for all the advice + info ,it really helps!

Niall.

 

[Aynsley Green]

50 minutes ago, Niall01 said:

I'll be using bass PEDALS for slower tracks, so altogether: upper+lower mauals+bass pedals. Love to know how the SOUL 261 compare's to something like this:

 

 

 

Tasteful, nice to see guys getting away from the Boogaloo thing for a change. 
 

The only boards on the market which offer the 'full console experience' are the Hammond XK5, MAG, and the Viscount Soul.
They all sound great but are expensive. Since you're in the EU, you'd be able to get a hold of MAG easily.

 

I've ordered the Soul 261 (full console without the Reverse Keys) + Pedalboard 18 (proper pedalboard but shorter and not two octaves) - I'll let you guys know how I get on with it in due course. 

 

[John Tweed]

9 hours ago, Niall01 said:

Do you mind me asking you're opinion on sound of the Soul 261 vs Hammond ? I'm in Clone Organ brain meltdown at his stage as none of these Organs are sold where I live. Have to order online. Keep making mistakes.

Had a Crumar sent it back, single set of drawbars ,couldn't split either manual in half.

I've Been trying to find out how you can get this Lower manual left-hand-bass, with chord comping right-hand(also on lower manual)....must be 'split' lower manual, therefore need 2x sets of drawbars? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nGSzRl1t-o (YOUTUBE won't allow me share youtube link here so it's:  VIDEO: FRANK MONTIS 'Play Like a Pro with this Carefree Hammond Organ Blues Exercise')

 

I can't afford the Hammond XK5, & a hobby player not professional. Love the vintage Hammond sound but open to different sound if you can achieve something close to Hammond.

 

Thanks for any help.

Niall.

You can split the lower manual on the Soul, and on the Live for that matter.
 

On the Soul engage the Pedals To Lower button. Now the Pedal drawbars sound along with whatever lower manual registration you have. This is usually enough to give the bottom end a bit more heft that you are getting from the lower manual drawbars alone. You can turn of the lower manual drawbars for the lowest two octaves by turning Edit/Manuals/LowerLeftHand to On.  Now the bottom octaves only sound the pedal drawbars. You can do this with the Live as well, but the second step requires a slightly different approach which I won’t attempt to explain here as I  no longer have a Live.

 

The Soul has a couple of extra tricks: firstly you can send the lower octaves out a separate audio output, allowing for separate volume and eq for the lower notes. This affects the lower manual drawbars too, if they are sounding. And finally the Soul has several alternative bass sounds which can be used instead of the bass provided by whatever set of tonewheels you are using. This includes acoustic bass and electric bass, and it can also be used to mix and match different organ models. There is a lot of flexibility on offer here.

 

Jimmy Smith never had anything like these options to play with. He developed this style of playing just using drawbar settings complimented with pedals. My preferred lower manual setting is 838. Sometimes, depending on what amplification you are using it can be difficult to get the balance right. This is the main reason I went from Mojo to Legend - with the Mojo even though the bass sounded good by itself, whenever I comped with the right hand it overwhelmed the bass, to the point where it muddied things up. I did a lot of editing on the Mojo and never got truly comfortable. With the Legend Live on the other hand I never have a problem getting that balance right. The eq knobs, especially the mids, are a big part of this.

 

Regarding Soul vs Hammond, there’s no doubt the Hammond sounds great, but the form factor (size, weight, two pieces instead of one) and the cost disqualify it for me. The Live and now the Soul provide something very close to the genuine B3 experience which is what I am interested in. I only rarely find the need to use the additional bass options.

[Ginso100]

20 hours ago, Mitch Towne said:

I messed around extensively with the Legend Soul and I was pretty impressed with the Leslie sim. 
 

But yeah…nothing sounds like a Leslie in the room. 

I recently purchased the Viscount Legend Soul 273.  I love it.  Its my first real clonewheel, so I don't have a ton to compare to.  But I will say everything about it so far has been great.  Sim seems great.  Keybed seems great.  And the desktop app to change settings if you want to get into it feels pretty straightforward.  I also purchased the Vortex speaker, their leslie-like model, that goes with it.  That has been more problematic.  The unit I got rattled and shook whenever it was rotating.  I took it back to the store I bought it and they told me thats the third unit they've sold thats had that problem.  Feels like there might be a quality control issue on the Vortexes.  I've ordered another one and the store is going to test it for me before i come pick it up....  

[mrk7421]

Unfortunately we lost David Sanborn recently and it made me go back to the live recording he did with Joey De Francesco of Let The Good Times Roll at a European jazz festival more than 10 years ago. I have heard comments here and there that the chorus vibrato on Key B instruments might not be up to snuff....What??..that Key B from back then sounds so good.....                                                 ..I                                    I have  both Mojo and Key B modules and to my ear they sound quite similar...except for the CV on the 30's model that Key B included. I love that sample because it is so unique.....there is nothing else like it in the clonewheel market. For whatever reason I prefer the Key B sim to anything else but I know I need to understand what is going on with Mojo editing. Most of the parameters mean nothing to me.And also I am starting to get frustrated with just about every speaker system I try.....but at home I just use phones and CV sounds great.  I have actually had etter luck with some of the cheaper PA type speakers I have tried.The original Jensen driver's used in Leslies we're not exactly high tech.....oh well

[JoJoB3]

On 5/21/2024 at 5:44 PM, Niall01 said:

Thank you for that info. I see that drawbar setting you screenshot there. In that case looks like I may have sent back that Crumar mistakingly due to unclear intel on the matter. 

Makes sense now if both sets of drawbars (for each specific manual) are not simply a 'repeat' of the same pitches (?)

 

I'm liking the sound & tone of that SOUL 261 in the Frank Montis video ,it seem's a useful practical easy-to-use Organ, but won't be able to test or try one before purchase. It'll be an online purchase again. NOT ideal.

 

I'll be using bass PEDALS for slower tracks, so altogether: upper+lower mauals+bass pedals. Love to know how the SOUL 261 compare's to something like this:

 

Apologies, I may have confused the issue referring to 'tonewheel clones' earlier. Probably cause I assumed these digital (Visconut,Crumar Hammond/suzuki) organs were ,amongst other things, 'cloned' vintage Organs.

 

Thanks for all the advice + info ,it really helps!

Niall.

 

This is an original/vintage Hammond A-101 (my fave A-1xx model) and likely with a vintage leslie (off cam).

[Niall01]

On 5/22/2024 at 1:24 AM, Aynsley Green said:

 

Unfortunately, the cheaper boards never have the full complement of 5 sets of drawbars (1 for the pedals) and 2 manuals, except for perhaps the now-discontinued Nord C2D, which I have seen going for cheap. Having only one set of drawbars on the Hammond SK2 was a real drag.

The 'Lower Split' you describe is just 848 on the Lower manual - down low it sounds like bass, up high it sounds like chords.
Typically, one has the Lower Manual drawbars set to 848 on A# for Left-hand Bass, and 0066 on B for left-handed voicings, (which assumes a right-hand melody on the Upper manual and kicking bass with perhaps 82)

Would you be able to clarify those settings a bit more for me please regards:

1)848 on the Lower manual

2) A# for Left-hand Bass (does the refer to drawbar ,5th from left marked as: '2+2/3' ?)

 

I have the XK3c. One set of drawbars per manual(screenshots attached)

 

It has one 8' & one 4 ,can't see 2x 8' drawbars (apart from an 8' under the Pedal Drawbar section seperately) does that make sense ?

 

I am starting to be able to get close to that sound you describe, but using the 16 & the 8, pulled approx half way out, on lower manual.

 

Not as defined as in the video using the SOUL 261 ,but I'm trying subtle alterations with the drawbars to try to improve it. 

 

[mrk7421]

Today I did an experiment. I wanted to hear what my Viscount Solo would sound like if I took the percussion out of the sim and added it from another source........ in order to have percussion not be affected by the Leslie sim.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                I ran a midi cable into a Mojo module and then ran the Viscount and the Mojo into a mixer.The only sound from the Mojo is percussion with no sim spin at all. The Viscount had percussion turned off.                                    .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The tonality of the notes.   IMO...... is much better with no spin in the percussion. It is very much like having no vibrato in the percussion with the chorus vibrato dial engaged on a real toneweel ..Hammond kept vibrato out of the percussion circuit for a reason and I think these clonewheel manufacturers could benefit from taking a serious look at what I am saying here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Those Leslie Sims screw up the natural sound of percussion dramatically in my opinion. They have come so far with all of this technology to be missing this important element.Percussion.....IMO.....just does not work well with attempts at making it spin.You may disagree but just push in the drawbars to listen to what having an effect engaged does to percussion. To me it makes a tremendous difference and I am just hoping I can get somebody to listen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The addition of percussion to Hammond was a big factor in making a B-3 etc. the legend it became. They did it right for a reason. I see a lot of people pay big money for the latest and greatest when we could make adjustments to what we already have.

O         

[wd8dky]

Has anyone given a thought or tried to use a chorus pedal external to the clonewheel like we do with our Leslie pedals? You can turn off C/V in the clonewheel and use the chorus pedal instead, but how would you mix that with the Leslie Sim (e.g., Neo Vent) to get the right sound? 

 

Thanks! 

[mate stubb]

1 hour ago, Niall01 said:

Would you be able to clarify those settings a bit more for me please regards:

1)848 on the Lower manual

2) A# for Left-hand Bass (does the refer to drawbar ,5th from left marked as: '2+2/3' ?)

 

I have the XK3c. One set of drawbars per manual(screenshots attached)

 

It has one 8' & one 4 ,can't see 2x 8' drawbars (apart from an 8' under the Pedal Drawbar section seperately) does that make sense ?

 

I am starting to be able to get close to that sound you describe, but using the 16 & the 8, pulled approx half way out, on lower manual.

 

 

You misunderstand what 848 or 838 means. It's shorthand for 848000000 or 838000000. These numbers refer to how far drawbars get pulled out, starting from the left.

 

IOW, pull the 16' drawbar out to 8, the 5 1/3' drawbar out to 3 or 4, and trhe 8' drawbar out to 8. This gives you your lower manual jazz setting. If your XK-3 has a pedal drawbar coupler to the lower manual, you can add it for more bass in the lower 2 octaves.

 

 

[AnotherScott]

3 hours ago, mrk7421 said:

 The tonality of the notes.   IMO...... is much better with no spin in the percussion. It is very much like having no vibrato in the percussion with the chorus vibrato dial engaged on a real toneweel ..Hammond kept vibrato out of the percussion circuit for a reason and I think these clonewheel manufacturers could benefit from taking a serious look at what I am saying here...Those Leslie Sims screw up the natural sound of percussion dramatically in my opinion. They have come so far with all of this technology to be missing this important element.Percussion.....IMO.....just does not work well with attempts at making it spin...The addition of percussion to Hammond was a big factor in making a B-3 etc. the legend it became. They did it right for a reason.

On a real Hammond B-3 etc. (connected to a Leslie), the percussion does indeed go through the Leslie. It is not the same as the CV scenario you describe. Putting percussion through the Leslie is "doing it right," if your goal is to be more authentic to the original.

[Delaware Dave]

1 hour ago, wd8dky said:

Has anyone given a thought or tried to use a chorus pedal external to the clonewheel like we do with our Leslie pedals? You can turn off C/V in the clonewheel and use the chorus pedal instead, but how would you mix that with the Leslie Sim (e.g., Neo Vent) to get the right sound? 

 

Thanks! 

 

Years ago i had a synth with good tone but lousy C/V, so i bought one of these pedals that improved the C/V. I placed it in  between the keyboard output and the Motion Sound leslie.

 

Link

 

Then the issue became that the percussion flowed through the pedal as well since it was part of the output coming out of the keyboard so the percussion was wobbly.  Then i rigged the output so that the percussion came out of the auxilliary output (separated from the normal output) and merged both lines at the input of the motion sound. I ran this way for a couple of years before i purchased my Voce.

[wd8dky]

Did you use a small mixer at the input to your Motion Sound amp? 

[Delaware Dave]

2 hours ago, wd8dky said:

Did you use a small mixer at the input to your Motion Sound amp? 

Yes, a small rolls mixer.  Like the one below ....

 

Link

[Aynsley Green]

On 5/28/2024 at 3:52 AM, Niall01 said:

Would you be able to clarify those settings a bit more for me please regards:

1)848 on the Lower manual

2) A# for Left-hand Bass (does the refer to drawbar ,5th from left marked as: '2+2/3' ?)

 

I have the XK3c. One set of drawbars per manual(screenshots attached)

 

It has one 8' & one 4 ,can't see 2x 8' drawbars (apart from an 8' under the Pedal Drawbar section seperately) does that make sense ?

 

I am starting to be able to get close to that sound you describe, but using the 16 & the 8, pulled approx half way out, on lower manual.

 

Not as defined as in the video using the SOUL 261 ,but I'm trying subtle alterations with the drawbars to try to improve it. 

 

 

Sorry if my description was a bit jargon-heavy. Don't worry about what the Drawbars are called, it's not that important.
We notate drawbar settings as using numbers, going left to right - 888000000 means the first three drawbars pulled all the way out (the classic Jimmy Smith setting).

If there's a lot of zeroes in the setting, we abbreviate that notation to just 888.

 

So one might notate a setting thusly:
Jimmy Smith = 888, C3, 3rd, Short, Soft, Stop
Which is shorthand for First three drawbars out all the way, Chorus set to C3, Percussion set to 3rd, Short length, and Soft, and the Leslie set to Stop.

Standard Rock = 8886, Dry, 2nd, Short, Normal, Chorale
First three drawbars out all the way, 4th drawbar out to 6, turn the CV off, Percussion set to 2nd, Short length, Normal volume, and the Leslie set to Chorale (also known as Slow)

 

So for your Jazz 'Left Hand Bass & Right Hand Melody' gig, this would be my go-to setting:
Upper = 888300123, Dry, 3rd, Short, Normal, Stop
Lower = 747000010, C3

Pedal = 82

 

There are, of course, many different drawbar settings for different styles and contexts - check out videos of big names like Joey DeFrancesco or Dr. Lonnie Smith and try to reverse-engineer what settings they are using. But also, half the fun is finding your own. 

Drive/Distortion is a big part of the sound - the XK3c has real tube distortion so get that cranked up to your liking, one of it's best features. Working the Swell pedal is important here - the Drive changes according to how much you are stepping on the gas.

 

There's also the rabbit hole of Leslies and Leslie Sims - that's a whole other subject.

 

Hammond XK3c was my first Hammond, I kind of miss it! The Leslie Sim is probably its weakest point, but it's still a great machine to learn on.

 

Hope that helps Niall!

[JoJoB3]

On 5/29/2024 at 6:46 PM, Aynsley Green said:

Hammond XK3c was my first Hammond, I kind of miss it! The Leslie Sim is probably its weakest point, but it's still a great machine to learn on.

 

Hope that helps Niall!

Mmm, no. The Leslie sim isn't bad on the 3c. The previous XK3 however I agree, pretty tough to work with but the 3c's upgraded sim is (still) quite decent as far as sims go.  Very editable. You have to come out stereo however for best result (same goes for all onboard or pedal sims really).  Of course hauling a real leslie is still the only appreciable upgrade in regard (because that hasn't changed, that's what organists did and do).

But yeah, sims can be just fine in many situations.

I'm starting to lean towards a Viscount Soul lately. Problem here in the states is getting some hands on test time (a must), that and future support concerns.

[Niall01]

On 5/30/2024 at 2:46 AM, Aynsley Green said:

 

Sorry if my description was a bit jargon-heavy. Don't worry about what the Drawbars are called, it's not that important.
We notate drawbar settings as using numbers, going left to right - 888000000 means the first three drawbars pulled all the way out (the classic Jimmy Smith setting).

If there's a lot of zeroes in the setting, we abbreviate that notation to just 888.

 

So one might notate a setting thusly:
Jimmy Smith = 888, C3, 3rd, Short, Soft, Stop
Which is shorthand for First three drawbars out all the way, Chorus set to C3, Percussion set to 3rd, Short length, and Soft, and the Leslie set to Stop.

Standard Rock = 8886, Dry, 2nd, Short, Normal, Chorale
First three drawbars out all the way, 4th drawbar out to 6, turn the CV off, Percussion set to 2nd, Short length, Normal volume, and the Leslie set to Chorale (also known as Slow)

 

So for your Jazz 'Left Hand Bass & Right Hand Melody' gig, this would be my go-to setting:
Upper = 888300123, Dry, 3rd, Short, Normal, Stop
Lower = 747000010, C3

Pedal = 82

 

There are, of course, many different drawbar settings for different styles and contexts - check out videos of big names like Joey DeFrancesco or Dr. Lonnie Smith and try to reverse-engineer what settings they are using. But also, half the fun is finding your own. 

Drive/Distortion is a big part of the sound - the XK3c has real tube distortion so get that cranked up to your liking, one of it's best features. Working the Swell pedal is important here - the Drive changes according to how much you are stepping on the gas.

 

There's also the rabbit hole of Leslies and Leslie Sims - that's a whole other subject.

 

Hammond XK3c was my first Hammond, I kind of miss it! The Leslie Sim is probably its weakest point, but it's still a great machine to learn on.

 

Hope that helps Niall!

Thank you SO MUCH Aynsley !  I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all that in such detail. It's a steep learning curve I'm getting here from you & the other guys here. I'm already hearing improvements with those drawbars settings you have given me. Thank you again! Niall.

[Niall01]

On 5/31/2024 at 5:49 AM, JoJoB3 said:

Mmm, no. The Leslie sim isn't bad on the 3c. The previous XK3 however I agree, pretty tough to work with but the 3c's upgraded sim is (still) quite decent as far as sims go.  Very editable. You have to come out stereo however for best result (same goes for all onboard or pedal sims really).  Of course hauling a real leslie is still the only appreciable upgrade in regard (because that hasn't changed, that's what organists did and do).

But yeah, sims can be just fine in many situations.

I'm starting to lean towards a Viscount Soul lately. Problem here in the states is getting some hands on test time (a must), that and future support concerns.

I hear ya. Same problem in Ireland. Not a Hammond or Viscount supplier to be found anywhere.

[elif]

On 5/21/2024 at 12:11 PM, Niall01 said:

<snip>

I've Been trying to find out how you can get this Lower manual left-hand-bass, with chord comping right-hand(also on lower manual)....must be 'split' lower manual, therefore need 2x sets of drawbars?

<snip>

The Nord C2D will do this. The great (lower) manual can be split into 2 sections at the C3 key. Above the split uses the great manual drawbars. Below the split can be either the pedal drawbars or a monophonic bass synthesizer. The synth bass has an adjustable release time and an adjustable pluck level for a more pronounced attack. (C2D manual  pp. 11, 16)

[Aynsley Green]

On 6/4/2024 at 2:32 AM, Niall01 said:

Thank you SO MUCH Aynsley !  I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all that in such detail. It's a steep learning curve I'm getting here from you & the other guys here. I'm already hearing improvements with those drawbars settings you have given me. Thank you again! Niall.

 

This book will set you on the right path
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0634014331?tag=berkleemusic-20
 

You might also find a digital copy of it on certain websites starting with S and ending with cribd, or so I have heard.

[Aynsley Green]

On 5/31/2024 at 2:49 PM, JoJoB3 said:

Mmm, no. The Leslie sim isn't bad on the 3c. The previous XK3 however I agree, pretty tough to work with but the 3c's upgraded sim is (still) quite decent as far as sims go.  Very editable. You have to come out stereo however for best result (same goes for all onboard or pedal sims really).  Of course hauling a real leslie is still the only appreciable upgrade in regard (because that hasn't changed, that's what organists did and do).

But yeah, sims can be just fine in many situations.

I'm starting to lean towards a Viscount Soul lately. Problem here in the states is getting some hands on test time (a must), that and future support concerns.

 

It was good for its time, yes, but that was 15 years ago (god I'm old). I remember upgrading from the XK3c to the SK2 and the difference being significant - Hammond-Suzuki, as ever, confusingly putting their newer technology into their cheaper models, but with shonkier build quality (had to send that SK2 back twice, and it's still not right).
Viscount have swooped in at the right time - the XK5 is decade-old technology, costs and weighs too much - Hammond-Suzuki need to pull their socks up with a gig-sensible clone that isn't a mess of buttons like the SKXPro

[Aynsley Green]

On 6/4/2024 at 9:50 AM, elif said:

The Nord C2D will do this. The great (lower) manual can be split into 2 sections at the C3 key. Above the split uses the great manual drawbars. Below the split can be either the pedal drawbars or a monophonic bass synthesizer. The synth bass has an adjustable release time and an adjustable pluck level for a more pronounced attack. (C2D manual  pp. 11, 16)

 

I did like the synth bass on the Nord C2D, in fact the whole board was great if you liked the sound of the Hammond A100 - great for rock, not so great for jazz/gospel - the almost zero tweakability was its achilles heel.
A bit dated by today's standards, but the form factor was perfect. That same C2D Hammond engine persists in the Nords today, 12 years later.

It has since been discontinued - come on Nord, C3D, same form factor, updated engine with more tonal variations, can't be that hard! 

[hªdºw]

7 hours ago, Aynsley Green said:

It has since been discontinued - come on Nord, C3D, same form factor, updated engine with more tonal variations, can't be that hard!

 

I can remember when Nord introduced their dual manual organ clone, the 'Nord C3', at one of the major conventions. Hammond Suzuki had a quiet word and Nord swiftly amended the name to the 'Nord C1'. Unfortunately, Nord no longer seem to be interested in updating their organ engine. I would be all in favour of an explosive new dual manual organ clone from them, the 'Nord C4'.

[AnotherScott]

12 hours ago, Aynsley Green said:

Hammond-Suzuki need to pull their socks up with a gig-sensible clone that isn't a mess of buttons like the SKXPro

 XK4?

[Aynsley Green]

11 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

 XK4?

 

Not a bad board, but Hammond's prices are, as we say in Australia, 'taking the piss' - Hammond's business strategy seems to be 'people will pay for the name'.
The $4000 SKPro61 has a lot of sounds, but the front panel is an ungodly mess next to the considerably cheaper and sexier Nord Electro 6D, at $3000.
The XK4 somehow costs more while offering less - $4400 for a single manual clonewheel with one set of drawbars and no extra sounds.
And why pay $15000 for a full XK5 Kit when you can get something similar from Viscount or MAG for half the price? 

I've had the Hammond XK3c, SK2, and Portable B3 mk 1 - but I'm jumping ship to Viscount.

[John Tweed]

As a former Mojo owner, now with a Soul, I got to lay hands on, but not actually play, the latest two manual Mojo. The keyboard feels just as light as the Soul, but there’s no multi contacts. The schlepping factor is good, not as deep or wide as the Soul. The wood colour is a bit darker. On the minus side the rotary buttons are on the top, just like the original, not the most convenient spot if you are playing LHB. I was not happy with the sound of the Mojo, but these days I use VB3M on the iPad a lot as I’ve come to like the sound of that. Overall it looked good to me, and if the legend live or soul didn’t exist, I’d be leaning towards that over any Hammond or Nord. 

[dazzjazz]

On 6/5/2024 at 1:08 PM, Aynsley Green said:

 

This book will set you on the right path
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0634014331?tag=berkleemusic-20
 

You might also find a digital copy of it on certain websites starting with S and ending with cribd, or so I have heard.

please don’t recommend Scribd - that site is a cesspool of copyright infringement. Some a#$hole decided they had the right to publish my PhD thesis on Jazz Organ there for the whole world to have for free. Luckily once I wrote to Scribd, they took it down. 
 

if any book is worth having, then it’s worth paying for. 

[MathOfInsects]

3 minutes ago, dazzjazz said:

please don’t recommend Scribd - that site is a cesspool of copyright infringement. Some a#$hole decided they had the right to publish my PhD thesis on Jazz Organ there for the whole world to have for free. Luckily once I wrote to Scribd, they took it down. 
 

if any book is worth having, then it’s worth paying for. 

The libraries of the world called and said they would like to have a word with you.