Hammond drawbar question

[Corner Pocket]

I'm just curious....

 

What's the difference between 44444444 and 88888888?

 

Is there a difference in tone, or just volume?

 

I get that the drawbars represent upper partials, so the analogy is not quite apt, but do the drawbars act somewhat like a graphic eq, turning a flat road into a bumpy road????

 

Thanks in advance.

[DanL]

The difference in your example would mostly be the volume of the tonewheels, but depending on whether or not percussion was enabled, would give you different timbres.

 

The bars are not so much an EQ as simulations of different length pipes on a pipe organ. The 16,8,4,2 and 1' bars(the white ones, with the 16' being brown to denote it as a subharmonic tone) have a flute like tone, where the black bars have overtone qualities. For example, if you pull out the 8' bar and play middle C, you hear a C, but if you pull out a black bar, you will actually hear a different not, perhaps a fifth or octave and a fifth higher. It's blending these bars together that gives the organ it's unique sound.

[JMcS]

The all 4's drawbar setup sounds a little different than just a half volume all 8's. At least the sound wave looks a little different. You can see how the sound changes as drawbars are moved here:

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/drawbar.htm

 

Also, I'm pretty sure that because of the way the expression pedal works on a B3 (and the new Hammond models) the tone would change differently as the pedal is moved with those two setups. And, depending how you have the Leslie set, all 4's with the pedal floored would drive the Leslie (preamp and amp) differently than all 8's would - floored or half way.

 

I'll try all this on my XK-3 to confirm it later.

[mate stubb]

Superficially the sound would be the same only quieter. But if percussion was turned on it would be relatively louder with the 444444444 setting.

 

Also as was said, the softer registration would not drive the leslie as hard, so any overdrive effect would be lessened.

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by rockincyanblues:

I'm just curious....

 

What's the difference between 44444444 and 88888888?

 

Is there a difference in tone, or just volume?

 

I get that the drawbars represent upper partials, so the analogy is not quite apt, but do the drawbars act somewhat like a graphic eq, turning a flat road into a bumpy road????

 

Thanks in advance.

44444444?

 

Seriously though - other than the percusion, the big difference is you can still make some of the drawbars louder if you start at 44444444 wheras at 8 that's all you've got.

 

Plus on a real Hammond there's generally some leakage even when the keys are not depressed (unlike my VK8 where the leakage only happens when a key is depressed) and that's going to be louder.

 

Why doesn't anyone make a Hammond clone with the draw bars going to 11, anyway?

[JMcS]

I compared the two settings on my XK-3 with the preamp off as well as the various effects. With the average volume equal on the spectrum analyzer display, lower frequencies are about equal. 1k, 2k and 4k are a little lower in volume with the drawbars at 4 and the pedal floored compared to all 8s and the exp. pedal lowered to match overall volume. All 4's have a little mellower tone at full volume than all 8's at half volume. This was while holding a C chord starting at middle C.