Adam Holzman, who has been musical director and synth programmer for Miles Davis is currently on tour with prog rocker Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. He shows us his stage rig, including a Korg SV1 and Hammond XM2, in this video.
The Korg SV-1/effects combo was interesting. This keyboard has some good sounds but I've never been too comfortable with the RH3 hammer mechanic. The Hammond XM-2 is a cool piece of gear as well. But like with the Hammond XK3 and NewB3 you have to tweak and create your own custom tonewheel set by direct comparison with a real B3. If you do, the sound will change a lot (for the better). The Leslie simulator in this thing however is still far away from a real tube amp driven Leslie speaker. I noticed that immediately in the music store right before I bought a Hammond XK3. Neo Instruments got it right with their Ventilator device - it's very close. I'd say if you have a Ventilator, a tube preamp and a stereo pair of good PA-speakers backing you up, you can leave your Leslie (122/142/147/145/251) at home for sure.
Well, I don´t know. I got a 122 Leslie and a Ventilator and the thing I like with my Leslie is the fact that it nearly doesn´t matter if I play it with my C3 or with my Voce V5 it gives the organ a special frequency character that is just right and that I miss with the Ventilator. And sitting some meters in front of a Leslie cabinet is a total different experience in enjoying the organ sound than a Ventilator through two monitor cabs. So my main concern for every gig is if I can take my Leslie on stage. And by the way: I love that moment when I go on stage and the Leslie rotors are spinning. It´s like c´mon guy - I´m waiting for you, let´s make some great music. Just love the visual aspect as well and the audience too as most of the young ones look at a Leslie for the first time in their life.
I can vouch for what you say 100 %. I'm also a proud owner of one of these lovely pieces of wodden furniture, so I know what you're talking about. Some 20-30 years ago people immediately understood that there's a huge difference between a clone and the real deal but nowadays these clones came close enough to have a quality of their own. My band mates love the original tone but it doesn't justify to make the effort anymore. More than ever I'm alone with my fascination for that original sound and feel but that's how it goes. But one the other hand Moog Music recently released the original Minimood D again which made me jump up and down out of joy. I'm glad that real quality still pays off and is worth to make a comeback.
He might be using Sampletron for Mellotron sounds, but then it should be Mainstage 2 as Mainstage 3 doesn't support 32-bit plug-ins and IK Multimedia soft synth are 32-bit.
He founded The Fents, a great jazz fusion band, with amazing guitarist Ted Hall (RIP). Here's a link to their first album. Amazing music & musicianship. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Iz83SbsxEmc.html
