Gary75 Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi folks, Im running a Muse Receptor with one of my plugs being B4 II. I love the sound apart from the Leslie sim. I keep seeing great reviews about the Dynacord CLS-222, but these are quite old and compare them to previous generations of clone sims. How does the CLS stack up against the current generation of clone leslie sims, XK1 B4 etc. Thanks in advance. b3boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I have yet to hear a leslie sim that can stand up against the CLS. Tried B4, CX3, Nord, Voce, H&K, pretty much most of them. Have yet to audition the XK1, am anxious to see how much improvement HS did over my XK3. Don't get put off because it's old - they don't break. Leslie simulation is really hard to nail because you have to have the right balance of frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, and phase modulation. Different balance in each horn, different modulation depths at each speed. And you have to simulate the frequency response of a Leslie cabinet, they do not have a flat response. Not easy. The XK3 nailed the animation but missed the frequency response. CLS nailed everything except that 3D effect of a real Leslie in a room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Not to go too far off topic, but it can also be difficult to get a good, or "the right" sound from a real Leslie (when recording, that is). When I was working as an engineer, we mic'd our 122 dozens of different ways. Sometimes to get a specific sound, other times just to get the sound to fit in the mix right. It's such a dynamic effect and the sonic possibilities are so varied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I have a CLS-222 and though it really is probably the best electronic simulator I have every owned, I've had trouble with my amplification getting a level out of it that doesn't distort at the volumes I play at live.... It is a very very good recording unit I have found though! lb CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Actually T.Lavitz suggested to me many many years ago at a Sam Ash technical show at a hotel somewhere in Queens NY that it was very very good in 1988 or something! I think I bought mine at Manny's in Manhatten NYC. lb CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Another vote here for the CLS-222. I've used it for years with a Voce organ module, and it really kicks! I am not electronically versed, but my service tech has explained to me that one reason it is so good is because it has two separate processors, one each for the upper and lower rotors. The only issue with reliability I have experienced has been a short in the 1/4-inch jack from extensive use.....a minor fix. The Leslie sim on the Nord Electro/Stage is excellent as well, representing a very close second to the CLS-222, IMHO. But of course, this is not a free-standing unit. If Clavia ever ventured into an external Leslie sim product, I bet they would have many customers. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 The CLS-222 does indeed rule. I wish I still had one, but frankly don't need it now with the Electro and 2 Leslies. I first used a CLS-222 in the studio back in '91 or '92 with an old CX-3. I did not have a real Leslie with me for this session and was trying to get by with just the CX-3, but it did not sound good at all. The engineer went into a storage closet and came out with a beat-up CLS-222 and said to give it a shot. It was great and the organ tracks sounded really good - the only complaint I had (similar to another post above) is that it would distort with higher volume and it was not the warmest or most pleasing distortion. After this session, I made it my goal to own a CLS-222 and they were still selling new. This was in the day of no big box music stores around, so I called up Caruso's Music and ordered one for $695 + tax. I had just bought an XB-2 around this same time and I used that pair together for a really long time. I eventually sold it to buy some Motion Sound gear in about 1999. It was pretty road tired by then, but still working. I actually had to ship it back for servicing a few times, but it was always done promptly and at no charge. At first, it was going to Dynacord proper, but they were later bought by EV and they took on servicing (imagine they might still do it today). Just a few years ago, I stumbled upon another CLS-222 at a used gear shop and I snapped it up. I used it occasionally with a Voce V5 and then sold it after getting the Electro and not really using it much and it fetched quite a profit, to boot. I miss having one, but without much daily use for it on the gig or at home, it is better off in someone else's hands. I've used (actually owned) just about every Leslie simulator ever made (as well as the rotary stuff) and I've never heard one of the sims beat the CLS-222, though the Electro's sim is almost identical in terms of what it does to the tone of the organ. It takes the straight organ tone and puts a nice glaze on it with excellent stereo swirling and clear separation between high and low. Long live the CLS-222!!! Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWeldon Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Real MC, you mentioned that you had tried most of the Leslie sims out there. Have you tried the Boss RT-20? After owning one about six months I finally tried it out at a gig on New Years Eve and it sounded great. The organ presets on my Kurzweil Micro Ensemble sound huge and expressive going through it. The only weakness is the overdrive. I stay away from it cause it sounds like junk. The only other Leslie sim I have tried was the Korg, but I thought it was overpriced considering it leaked into my piano sound and I needed to purchase a bypass in addition to the $350 it would have cost me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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