From tande.adamson@btinternet.com Mon May 06 11:47:05 2002
Subject:Re: Real vs. Simulation

--- In CloneWheel@y..., "fatboy145leslie" wrote:
> Recordings really present a comparison of a Leslie simulator vs.
the sound of a recorded Leslie, rather than a simulator vs. a Leslie

Whilst this is true, ( I have a Hammond organ and 145 Leslie at home )
and the sound really does spray round the room as Mark says, I am
still looking for a truly authentic recorded Leslie sim versus a
recorded Leslie sound.

( As an aside, a Leslie still sounds like a Leslie in the open air,
where the sound doesn't get the chance to reflect of room walls at
all)

I use a Dynacord CLS222 which is a pretty classy sim, but there is
still a difference between this sim's sound against that of a
recorded Leslie, albeit a slight difference. I haven't had the
opportunity to hear the "in the flesh" delights of the VK8 or the
CX3, nor indeed the clavia electro, but judging by enthusiastic
comments these newer wonders are illiciting from those who have
auditioned them, they really appear to be approaching that almost
indefinable quality of rotary sound which is heard even on recordings.

I'll be happy to have the authentic 'recorded sound' and if the
Electro, for one, provides this, that'll do me just fine.

Thomas.
>
> > However regarding your query regarding, real or sim, over on
> > Bruce's web-site, www.ashbysolutions.com ( clonewheel section )
> > Bruce has recorded 3 mp3 downloads, to illustrate the CX3 sim
> > versus the real thing. Difficult to spot the difference. Try
> > them to see for yourself. Over on the clavia website, the
> > electro is featured and the rotary sim is very convincing on
> > their mp3 demo.
>
> Comparing the sound of a real Leslie to a Leslie simulator by
> using recordings is problematic. That's because a very important
> aspect of a Leslie's sound is the ambience created when the rotors
> spray the sound around the room, and that's not captured by a
> recording. This is why a good Leslie simulation sounds very good
in
> a recording and also to an audience when coming through the PA.
>
> Recordings really present a comparison of a Leslie simulator
vs.
> the sound of a recorded Leslie, rather than a simulator vs. a
Leslie
> in the room with you. There is a surprisingly big difference
between
> the way a recorded Leslie sounds and the way a Leslie sounds when
you
> are sitting next to it.
>
> By the way, this is also true of a good digital piano sound. A
> good digital piano sounds good on recordings and through a PA. But
> place a digital piano together in a room with the grand piano it
was
> sampled from and the difference in tone quality and ambience
between
> the two is so large it will make you laugh out loud.
>
> So what? This doesn't mean you should ignore the recorded
> comparisons mentioned above. Just realize that you're listening to
> recording, not an actual Leslie. Compare the sound of the CX-3
> recordings on Bruce's site with the Clavia recordings of the
> Electro. That's more of an apples-to-apples comparison. And if
your
> back has already made your decision between lugging a Leslie and
> using a simulator, comparing between simulators is most important
to
> you anyway.
>
> Mark Longo