From eslawson@juno.com Thu Jan 31 18:10:40 2002
Subject:Re: recording a Leslie


I have a couple of suggestions based on some sessions I did with a
Leslie a few years ago. We did a lot of experimentation and came up
with a great sound in the following fashion:

Place the Leslie in the middle of a large room that has some
reflective surfaces such as hardwood. This room should be separate
from the room in which you or any other musicians are performing.

Close mic the top rotor with two mics on either side of the cabinet
by the louvers. Do the same on the bottom rotor, so you have a
total of 4 mics on the Leslie. Don't ask me for mic type, as I know
little about them and can't remember what we used. They were high-
end deals from what I recall. The engineer can pan each mic to a
different location in the stereo field, using experimentation to
figure out what sounds good to you and your bandmates. I believe
these may be somewhat standard techniques for getting a good stereo
Leslie sensation.

Then, here's a little twist: Place another mic or two far away from
the Leslie, such as down the hall or around the corner, but away
from any other types of noise so as to ensure they are getting the
Leslie only. These mics will get the ambient sound of the Leslie
spinning around and bouncing sound off the walls, etc. It sounds
interesting to listen to a track and kill all the channels but the
distant mics. It won't work by itself, but when you A/B the close
mics alone vs. mixing in the distant mics, it definitely opens up
the sound of the Hammond and makes it really swirl.

As with anything, experimentation is key. Good luck.

Regards,
Eric