From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Tue May 14 17:35:18 2002
Subject:Re: Shoot outs

Huw,

>But if I was doing the testing, which I'm not, I would not be
>following the Keyboard-magazine style tests, but would identify some
>distinct sounds and how well the organ works for them.
>
>For instance -
>
>- Which one sounds best for Jon Lord?
>- Which one sounds best for Jon Lord if you have a Marshall and are
>using it?
>- Which one sounds best for Jimmy Smith 888?
>- Which one sounds best for Jimmy Smith 88800008?
>- Which one sounds best for Jimmy Smith 888 + 3rd?
>- Which one sounds best for the standard jazz ending part when all
>drawbars are out and the Leslie goes from slow to fast and back again?
>- Which one does the best "Crazy World of Arthur Brown" psychedelia
>distorted sound?
>- Which one sounds best for lower manual 828 + C3 + slow leslie bass
>notes?
>- Which one has the best rhodes sound? (just kidding)
>- A million other things, I've just listed some of the ones I care
>about and tried myself when testing keyboards.
>
>Plus:
>- Which one sounds best for all the above situations if you run FOH
>in mono (most of the places I play do)?
>- Which one sounds best for all the above situations if you're using
>a real Leslie?

We didn't have enough time to do all of those things, but we followed a similar approach. We tested several voicings, all through a Leslie 122:

- 88 8000 000, with and without fast third percussion
- fast third percussion alone
- 88 8888 888
- 80 0000 008
- 88 8800 080
- 88 8500 850, with and without C-3 chorus (or the closest thing to it on each clone)

We also tested the "gliss to high C" factor, and a couple of Leslie clones, the Motion Sound Pro-3 and Digitech RPM-1.

Mark Longo summarized the results, which are available at --

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/files/shootout.html

This testing took the better part of an afternoon for 8-10 participants. A more comprehensive test like the one you outlined, coupled with the increased number of available clones -- we only tested three, but a similar shootout in 2002 would at least include the V5, CX-3, VK-7, XK-2, and Electro, plus an OB-3^2, VK-8, and VK-77, if available, and perhaps a V3 and XB-2 for reference -- would probably take 2-3 full days, which might be awfully hard to schedule.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group and HiNote moderator
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com