From james_eaton@btopenworld.com Tue Dec 30 03:57:50 2003
Subject:Re: Electro ho!

There has been a lot of discussion on this list about how good the
Electro is since it first came out, so I've been curious to hear for
myself. I played the Electro 1 a while back in a shop through a
nasty combo amp and it sounded okay but it wasn't really a fair
test. However, Turnkey in London now have an electro 2 73, a VK-8, a
CX-3 and a DB-3 in their basement available for demo using
headphones. Taking the opportunity I thought I'd have a go since I'd
tried each organ individually, but never in rapid succession, and
with the same pair of headphones.
My preference for tone is stock Hammond -3 series and Leslie
122/147. For reference I have regular access to a re-capped '62 A-
100 and Leslie 147R, 2 other -3 series consoles, and a Leslie 145.
I've also gigged with the B4 software, a VK-7, XB-2 and Motion Sound
Pro-3T. So here goes: (I'd tried the DB-3 before and didn't bother
this time)

Basic Drawbar tone
------------------
1. Electro / Roland VK-8 / Korg CX-3
2. -
3. -
I didn't think there was much to choose from here

Percussion
----------
1. Roland
2. Korg CX-3
3. Electro
Electro sounded a bit too steely, and too short for my liking, but
still usable.

Leslie Simulation
-----------------
1. Electro
2. Korg CX-3
3. Roland VK-8
Roland sounded quite thin. The electro was really nice, clearly
better than either of the other two.

Amp/Pre-amp Simulation
----------------------
1. Roland VK-8
2. Electro
3. Korg CX-3
The Roland could be tweaked in a very musical way to get different
tones that tended to always sound quite Hammond-like. I didn't find
any reason to change the Electro as it just sounded right. In fact
I started tweaking the treble and bass controls out of curiosity but
then just put them back to the 12 o'clock positions. I didn't try
the overdrive as I wasn't tempted. ON one preset, the overdrive
effect on the Korg had a nasty fizzy high frequency component that I
didn't like. I tried some other presets that didn't have this and
it was okay.

Chorus/Vibrato
--------------
1. Electro
2. -
3. Korg CX-3 / Roland VK-8
Electro is clear winner here by a long way, even with chorale Leslie
setting, which is the acid test for me. Nice change in brightness
when enabled. Korg was a bit naff sounding, like the old VK-7 but
not quite as bad. I couldn't see myself using it. Roland sounded
really warbly through headphones - they must be doing something
wrong. Also not selectable per manual.

Keyboard Feel
-------------
1. Electro
2. Roland VK-8
3. Korg CX-3
The fulcrum on the Electro is nicely set back from the back of the
key so it feels really good. Whilst the Roland felt as good as the
Electro, the springiness of the keys and the contact system seem to
cause a slight amount of double triggering which compared to a real
Hammond was a bit too full-on. Korg seemed a bit plasticky compared
to the others.

Drawbars
--------
1. Korg CX-3
2. Electro
3. Roland VK-8
Korg is great having 2 sets with flexible switching. Electro is
like having motorised drawbars on the presets. I think I could get
used to this however, as what you see is what you get. With the
Roland there is no display so you can't tell what the setting is
without playing a sound, and for setting the LM you have to move
every drawbar to ensure you've got the right setting. The Roland
really cries out for an external drawbar controller whereas the
other two don't really need it.

Pedal support
-------------
1. Roland VK-8
2.
3.
Sadly no pedal support on Electro or Korg CX-3. However, given the
Electro's tone, it is probably worth jerry-rigging an external
solution.

Overall
-------
1. Electro
2. -
3. Roland VK-8/ Korg CX-3
The Electro's accuracy of simulation of a stock B3/122, size and
ease of use seem to make it a clear winner for me even though it
doesn't have pedal support. Tricky to choose between the Roland and
the Korg. The Korg has the 2 sets of drawbars and good Leslie sim,
but difficult to tweak the pre-amp settings, and a big box. The
Roland has a nicer keyboard, pedal support and a smaller case. I
have a drawbar controller that I could use with the Electro or
Roland to remove their foibles in that department, but I don't think
it is really necessary with the Electro. If I was buying new now I
would go for the Electro.
There were some small differences in some other aspects between the
machines such as key click, but I feel the other areas are what
really distinguish these products. Now I just have to try them
through a PA system rather than headphones... I hope you find this
useful.

James