From den121961@yahoo.com Wed Jan 11 13:15:19 2012
Subject:Re: Real Leslie or simulated leslie


I'm kind of with Frederick here.If at all possible the real one goes. If not the vent goes.
Some interesting observations I've made though, one, the real leslie has won everytime for me in the studio here. I'm kind of obsessive about my hammond sound, so I've done tons of ABing between the leslie and vent, and I am set up where I can record them both at the same time and compare. There's just something about the real one that makes me choose that on every track so far. I've tried all the clones through it and the two real hammonds here (CV and M3, didn't see the point on doing the L100 yet), and oddly enough the difference is multiplied with the real hammonds, the clones are closer.
Now as far as live goes, I attend a blues jam here regularly, and it's moved venues a few times. I always brought the real one out until they played a very small venue, where there was absolutely no room. My self powered speaker was shot that night (blew a fuse) so I ended up running the Korg through a cheaper yamaha PA system in mono with the vent. The first comment was from a sax player who loved the real leslie, and said wow, what are you using, it sounded like the whole room was moving when I came in. A ton of other people commented similar comments. I could barely hear it except when it reverberated off the back walls, so I didn't get near the enjoyment I get when the leslie is behind me naturally. However when I got the recorder home (I always record the jams with a zoom with two onboard condensers) I could see what they meant. Funny thing is it sounded better than the real one on that recording. Now it was a different room, so it's not apples to apples. I also helped a friend out doing a godspell thing at a church and used the vent (I needed very distorted hammond at one point, and didn't want to scare the old ladies there) and wasn't terribly impressed, but the room was mush and I'm not sure the real one would have been much better.
Last sunday we moved the jam again, and the real leslie went. The room was really nice sounding with it, smaller, kind of live. When I listened at home to the recording of that one, the real leslie sounded great the first half of the night, but the second (when the louder guitar guys got up) the leslie had a ton of trouble keeping up. I'm tempted to do the vent this week, but the real leslie sounded so good and we move the location again in a few weeks so I'm torn, but I could like a direct comparison, so maybe I will and get back with my observations.
Den