From anotherscott@hotmail.com Wed May 19 11:03:27 2010
Subject:Re: Clonewheel Shootout 2010

I didn't mean it to sound like ragging, but really, doesn't it seem like it would have been more helpful if, instead of throwing a bunch of (admittedly experienced and talented) players in there and saying "what do you think of these," they had made some attempt to take into account how much the sounds of these things could be varied from how they happened to have been set at the time? I mean, some of these have so many ways to adjust the sound that limiting their evaluation to the particular settings of the moment would be like asking them to evaluate them with drawbar and CV settings that were different for each one and not letting them change them.

I realize that it would be overwhelming to adjust for all the possible variables... The Korg CX-3 had 17 adjustable parameters JUST for the Leslie effect, each of which can be set from 0 to 99! But I think that they should have done two things:

One, as I said, put each organ into its purest, cleanest mode, for a common starting point that will also expose much of the basic character of the underlying sound engine. Check that out straight, with the built-in Leslie effect, and with an external Leslie effect (a la Ventilator) that they would all share in common.

Then show each player just a handful of the most sonically significant adjustments that are available for each model, so that in addition to playing as they did with the drawbars, percussion, and CV settings they were used to, they could also check out the really major alterations that are available that give the organs different sonic characters. I think that could be done without anyone having to bother with countless settings, just a few have really substantial effects to the whole tone of the organ (more so on some models than others). i.e.:

for Nord C2: Speaker model (3 choices), Tonewheel mode (4 choices), and the Drive knob

for Korg CX3: Wheel type (2 choices), DB LevelCurve (2 choices), Overtone level, Leakage level, Amp type (3 choices), Speaker Simulator (2 choices), and the Overdrive knob.

for Roland VK8: Tonewheel type (3 choices), Amp type (4 choices), leakage level, the tone knob, and the overdrive knob.

etc.

Other parameters could be addressed to solve complaints... i.e. if someone says something is too bassy or not bassy enough, you could try the bass and treble controls... if someone says there is too much or too little click or percussion, there are level controls for that, etc. But I look at those more as more subtle tweaking compared to the ones I listed which demonstrate deeper different tonal characteristics.

If, besides the sound, they want to comment on the feel, in addition to the obvious issue of how the keys feel, some of the models allow you to alter where the sound is triggered in the key travel. Again, if someone is comparing the responsiveness of the keys, and they don't know how that setting is set, they can't really draw a good conclusion about the responsiveness and playability of the keys, right?

I just had the feeling that it was like listening to people review ladders, and someone complains that the 4-foot ladder doesn't go as high as the 5-foot ladder, but no one took into account that the 4-foot ladder could be extended to 6 feet.