From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Thu Sep 29 15:27:46 2005
Subject:Re: Too many choices
Hi,
[This is directed toward the person who started the thread. Sorry, I deleted the email.]
Here's my $0.02 (USD) ...
First off, recognize that there is no such a thing as the "perfect answer" to your questions -- there's only the best answer for YOU. None of the clones is perfect, although some of them are pretty close. All of them will have strong and weak points, and some of them will just leap out at you, while leaving others scratching their heads. Also, there's no such thing as a "perfect reference Hammond," as each organ sounds a little different, due to both mechanical tolerances and aging. Plus, different Hammond sounds are better suited to certain kinds of music. Your reference Hammond and mine will probably not completely match.
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Good Contenders, Module Category:
- Voce V5 or V5+
- Roland VK8m
- Nord Electro Rack
All of these have their strong points, and depending on how much organ playing you do, will satisfy you more or less. The V5 and V8Km have drawbars, and can be mounted somewhere near to your keyboards; the Electro does not. However, the Electro has great electric piano and Clavinet to go with the organ. Which one sounds "best" is a highly subjective question, and the answer will depend on your ears, the amp and speakers you use, and any other devices in the middle of the chain like preamps.
The keyboards that you have will provide an adequate, but not stellar, platform to play a module. There are better options, if your wallet is OK with the change. How useable the old ones are may depend on the module you choose, where you can find room to put it, and how much drawbar/knob twiddlin' you do in the middle of performance. You can add capabilities by buying a dedicated knob/slider box, but that also needs a home in your stage setup. There are boxes that can take care of some of the little annoyances, but nothing is going to turn a keyboard without knobs and a module without drawbars into a perfect copy of a B-3.
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Good Contenders, Keyboard Category:
- Roland VK8
- Electro 61 or 73
- Hammond XK-3
- Korg CX-3
All of these have their pluses and minuses, and you will have to decide how much things like Leslie simulation, percussion, chorus/vibrato, keyboard feel, and ergonomics mean to you. None of them has the best of every one of these things. The nice thing about a dedicated keyboard is that it's just plug-and-go: one audio cord and one AC cord, and you have an organ. The rack systems take more time to setup, and have more pieces to forget/lose/break. The dedicated keyboards have a built-in head start on ergonomics, too, because the designers have thought about drawbar placement, knobs, etc.
I'm assuming that a double-manual organ is out of the question, and so have left out the Key5, BX-3, and VK-88.
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Good Contenders, Add-Ons:
- Speakeasy Preamp
- Motion Sound Pro-3T
- A real Leslie
Most players think that a Speakeasy preamp adds a bit of realism, and does a better job of this than most any other commercial preamp that can be purchased. The Motion Sound Pro-3T's rotating horn will add a 3D effect that no purely electronic Leslie sim can quite match; the audience may not notice a difference, but you probably will on stage. And a real Leslie still adds a bit of something that none of the other simulators can quite copy, IMHO.
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In the long run, you're going to have to sit down with your ears, your wallet, and your stage setup and decide what's best for you. Comparing the gear side-by-side in a store helps, but stores are noisy and crowded, and won't give the same results as on stage.
Regards,
-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
AshbySolutions.com™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com
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