petros Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 Anybody using a "Speakeasy" keyboard preamp between their vintage sound (organ, Rhodes) rompler and their solid state amp? http://www.speakeasyvintagemusic.com/store.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 I use one with a CX-3. Not sure you care about that though. Also my solid state amp has recently transitioned to a GAS state amp as I await ADAM arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petros Posted July 16, 2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2003 Hi Markyboard, So please tell me about it. I know it is rounding the tone and warming it, but does it give a dramatic "tube punch" so that when you slap a note it really jumps out much more so than with solid state amplification. My research has indicated that such tube punch comes much more from a tube power amp stage than from the tube preamp stage and certainly not from solid state. The Music Man guitar amps had solid state preamps and tube power amps and they had that "tube punch" I talk of. My SWR Bass 350 amp with tube preamp and solid state power amp does not have good "tube punch" capability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Lets see... I guess I should steer you over to Clonewheel User Group . They have tons to say about these preamps under different keyboard/amp configurations. I will say that all the nice words about Steve Hayes- the brains behind the design are true. You will be amazed by his one on one attention to your needs/questions etc. In my setup the CX3 feeds into the Speakeasy which feeda back into my mixer(via channel inserts) over to some studio monitors. In general for me it gives the organ a fuller smoother distortion and gives the organ more bite(ouch). It is definitely gravy and can be annoying at times with the leslie sim on since it feeds into the Speakeasy. The Speakeasy should come first in the chain but no way to do this with the CX-3. So you can end up with a swooshing sound that distorts only on the peaks as the amplitude increases from the rotating effect into the Speakeasy. But when/if you program the organ patch to work in conjunction withe the Speakeasy(good levels are important - with or without the rotating sim) it give the sound a unique character from that of the internal amp simulations (which in my mind are very good but - some what lacking). This is not a set and forget device. When you change the sound of whats driving the Speakeasy(generally foe me messing with drawbars) it must be tweaked. I'm really waiting to get a Motion Sound or Leslie to check it out with. This preamp make you deal with the sound more then the programmable effects we keyboardist are acustomed to. Its feels alive and is always changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petros Posted July 17, 2003 Author Share Posted July 17, 2003 Thanks Markyboard, Since the organ does not respond to touch dynamics I assume that the "tube punch" dynamic that I am seeking (such as in all tube Fender guitar amps) is not really an issue for organ players. petros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Since the organ does not respond to touch dynamics I assume that the "tube punch" dynamic that I am seeking (such as in all tube Fender guitar amps) is not really an issue for organ players. Yeah - I let that one go since I haven't really messed with my other synths through it yet. However using the volume pedal as an accent may effectively give the same punch although I'm far from the expert on this tube stuff - rather quite new to it. Its a whole new dimension for exploration. Not sure how far I'll journey at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I was one of the original beta testers when Steve Hayes first created the Speakeasy. I've been through a couple of them as I keep upgrading and getting modifications. Great product! I wrote a very detailed review which is on the Speakeasy website: Speakeasy Click on "Independent Reviews" FYI, I am in no way affiliated with Speakeasy...just a happy user that was lucky enough to be a beta tester. I highly recommend all of the Speakeasy preamps and you would be very pleased with the personalized service that you will get. If you contact Steve, tell him I sent you. He will take care of you one way or the other! Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 If you contact Steve, tell him I sent you. Hey Eric... I thought I sent him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Perhaps I undersold this thing when I said It is definitely gravy and can be annoying at times with the leslie sim on since it feeds into the Speakeasy. The Speakeasy should come first in the chain but no way to do this with the CX-3. So you can end up with a swooshing sound that distorts only on the peaks as the amplitude increases from the rotating effect into the Speakeasy. I should have mentioned the most important thing that make it worth the money. If you think of it as another set of parameters that work in conjunction with all the organ parameters (or synth I presume) you get to a point where you find a MAGIC spot that makes you just want to play and enjoy. I just reached that point this evening as this thread got me off my Andromeda and back on my CX-3 for a while. AAAHHHH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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