If you want a real bargain, or ultra portability, be aware that the VB3 software powers the Crumar Mojo organ. It's available for Windows at Mac, and also available for iOS for just $15. Even runs on an iPhone!
@@SLHkeyboards I think it's similar to 1.4 Other rockers like me say the 1.something editions sound better for rock organ, but I hear the new version from late 2023 brings back the 1.something organ sound for those of us that prefer it.
I think the xk5 is intended to be ran through a real 122 which smooths out the sound. The mojo assumes you'll be using the leslie sim so the sound is idealized a little more and some of the warts like frequency spikes are trimmed back.
Also... the Mojo has 20 different tonewheel generators. Some of them are more "clear", some are "dark" 😂 Leslie sim can sound more "open", depending on different settings...
I loved this video. I own a Mojo 61so your review was really appreciated. I wonder how it would have compared to your C3. The XK-5 is a Hammond keyboard, no doubt the best that money can buy, but it's still a digital clone of the electromechanical tonewheel generator of yesteryear which is what all clones are trying to emulate so in a way it was comparing one clone to another. This is just an observation and in NOT NOT NOT a criticism. You do a hell of a lot for us viewers. We just sit back and take it all in. It's so easy for us to be critical when most of us, myself included, don't experience the time, effort and frustration you more than likely go through creating these videos.💯 I guess it would have been much more difficult to set up a fair comparison with the vintage beast. Thankyou so much for all the trouble and effort it takes to put this content together. 👍👍👍👍
After years with Korg Kronos workstation-ish organ and also having a Hammond SK1 for a while I got myself the Crumar Mojo 61. Never been happier with my organ sound.
To my ear, all of the Hammond SKs and XKs have a certain ‘artificial’ (LOL) quality that irritates me. The Mojo seems to nail the tone better and the overall effect is more authentic - IMO
I just tried out a Hammond XK4, which has the same engine and key touch as the XK5. I loved the sound, but the Leslie emulation was terrible. It's a mono effect that sounds almost more like a tremolo than a Leslie. My YC61 has a better rotary speaker emulation. Would love to get my hands on a Crumar, though!
To my ears the Crumar has "THE SOUND" and the xk5 5 sounds too clean . Almost Farfisa like . The Crumar could use more Bass on the overdrive . Crumar Leslie definitely wins .
Maybe that the xk5 sounds a little bit better than the Mojo, but this has nothing to do with the name „Hammond“. The current Hammond-Suzuki has nothing to do with the old Hammond company. And technically, a Hammond xk5 is a digital clone like any other clone and has technically nothing in common with the old tonewheel Hammond A100‘s/B3‘s or C3‘s. .
@@organeutoo bad is not a Hammond. Its a Suzuki and they have done little to honor Hammond’s reputation. I am a Hammond player with several vintage consoles and have owned and performed with Suzuki organs for years. I was so tired putting up with Suzuki’s lazy sound development and basically selling their crappy organs for premium prices just because they slap the “Hammond” name on it, that I switched to a Mojo 6 years ago and never turned back.
very interesting video. saturation is conceived differently, on xk5 it is tube, on crumar it is a simulation. otherwise crumar mojo seems superior to me, with a warmer sound.
Both are excellent. 🎧The XK5 has a bit more girth and eq in certain frequencies, but the mojo 61 deserves a consideration when portability and cost are a determining factor. Nice presentation, Nick.
Coming from a Hammond XK1c to the Mojo 61, I feel there's a big difference. The Mojo just sound more like a real Hammond. There's more depth to the overall tone. And in the lower register, the Mojo wins hands-down. The growl of the lower end with overdrive just kills. I prefer the Mojo's Leslie Sim too. Don't get me wrong, the 1c is a nice, lightweight portable keyboard and that's is a plus, the Mojo is much heavier if you gig. In the end, I sold the 1c and kept the Mojo. Just my 2.5¢.
Sold my Hammond XK1c, I just hated it! now bought a Crumar Mojo Suitcase, it’s like night and day.. would like to try a Neo Vent II on my Mojo, although I don’t really think I need it
Perhaps "strident" is the word that best characterizes the differences between the Hammond and the Mojo. If you want the Hammond sound in digital form then the XK-5 is the way to go.
I have a small 61 key xk-1c Hammond and the Crumar Mojo, they both sound different, the hammond is a more refined sound and the Mojo is a strong more full bodied sound with not as much detail as the hammond, but I think they both sound great.
Guido Scognamilio is the designer of the Mojo and was very particular in designing the modeling for the Mojo. As you can tell, he did a remarkable job.
When disengaging the Leslie on the crumar (not stop function but fully off), the brightness comes back and can certainly suit a real Leslie. Perhaps the different voicing between the Mojo and xk5 is mainly caused by the Leslie Sim with cabinet emulation
The Mojo has definitely more mids which can be felt as well on the overdrive character. Tuning the EQ or internal settings in the editor could be worth spending a little time to adjust things
Slow Leslie seems nicer on the Mojo but fast rather on the xk5... The trick would be to tame down the Doppler effect on the Mojo (editor) to improve a bit the fast Leslie which can be a bit wobbly
In overall, it is impressive to see that despite a big price difference, both of them are good and different in terms of characters ! Italians can be proud :)
@@akallonsI love the mojo chorale (slow) Leslie and I've slowed down the tremolo a bit. Horn slow 0.80 Horn fast 6.66 Mic angle 76 Mic distance 76 Dry leak 10 It's a work always in progress 🤭
Just got a mojo 61. Sound is fantastic. A few things I would like though. A wah for the clav, and less bright LEDs. They are so bright that in a dark environment (on stage) you can't see what's selected. Electric pianos are great. Best thing is the waterfall keyboard. Phenomenal dynamics makes the playing so fun and alive. The organ sound is better than Hammond as it also has all the noise included which gives it real character. The comparison to me makes the hammond sound muffled. The mojo leslie is far better. The hammond has a weird emphasis on the pulsing that distracts from the sound, where the mojo Leslie is sweet and doesnt sound sythetic like the hammond.
Nick, thanks for your presentation, wanted to tell to you that there is also an interesting review done by Tony Monaco with his own A-100 compared to the Mojo organ that he own too.
To me both sound very much different from each other. Seems the XK5 has more overdrive running, which I dislike and I wonder why this seems to be hyped so much today. I miss that both instruments are tuned to sound the same as closely as possible to make a better statement which one seems better.
Can i see there is some Gain on the Overdrive of the XK-5? For me it sounds the XK-5 make some Distorted Overtones. And im sure both Organs have different Preamp Presets. But Anyway...i like the Mojo 61. Many thanks for this Video!
Which model/variation is your XK-5 emulating? On the Crumar (assume the 61 is running the same engine as the Mojo suitcase) you can select from a pretty wide range of models & ages. Some of the sonic differences between the two in the video could easily be due to emulating different models.
Hi Nick, can you tell me please do the 2 sets of drawbars (like on the XK5) on the upper & lower manuals enable you to 'split' the manuals /have 2 settings per manual ? I got the Crumar Mojo 2 x manual but I can see that you can split either manual. Was wondering how you comp & play walking bass with lower manual, leaving you to have the Percussion set on the top manual (?)
On the XK-5 there are 2 sets of drawbars per manual and you can switch between then using the inverse keys to jump-to a new drawbar setting quickly. You can definitely split the XK5 when its in single manual form but you know, I've never tried to do it in dual manual form as its physically split. I'll have a look but my money is on yes you can do it, but I've never tried!
In my opinion at 4:26 the HAMMOND is a bit more brilliant with more attack... but I guess there's more to come later on in this video! After just listening to the whole video it's - at least for me - pretty difficult to decide WHAT keyboard you used WHEN! Regarding the price I'd always chose the CRUMAR bc it almost gives the "better bang" for half of the price of a HAMMOND and I doubt that anybody in the audience can tell the difference! I'd love to hear the "Ferrofish 4000+ " compared to a Hammond B3! Have a nice day fro Germany"
Can you remember remember my name As I flow through your life A thousand oceans I have flown And cold, cold spirits of ice All my life I am the echo of your past! 🙂
Yeah...but is there a setting on the Crumar that produces that overdriven growl associated with classic B3 tube amp volume pot adjustment. It sounds to me that the XK-5 either has a tube preamp or at least a digital overdrive simulaor. Either way. the difference or "brighter" sound of the Hammond I think is due to the slight rasp of the overdrive simulation. You can't have a true B3 simulator without the ability to add that dirty pot growl. Otherwise it's sort of useless as a rock organ. Better suited for a cleaner "gospel" sound.
Picked up a Crumar Classic Suitcase (the one w/reverse keys) Had no experience with Crumar - only ever owned Hammonds - bought it for looks because it looked like a custom chopped C3. Very impressive instrument - not built to the same spec as a genuine Hammond but man this thing smokes! John Lord fans look no further.
Nick makes some good videos. The sound of the XK5 is on other videos from him much better. The Leslie sim of the XK5 is not the burner. Comparison should be made with a real Leslie.
Non so se atraverso il Sw è possibile cambiare il tono del distorsore. Sentito così mi sembra imparagonabile. Forse occorre alzare un po le alte frequenze sul MOJO.
@@mr.hamhandleler it’s a pretty Good purchase in my view. Not too expensive in real terms. There is a secondhand one in @fairdealmusic right now around £650. Id say that was a bargain. Yes the XK-5 is amazing, totally, but full on price. I’d play a mojo - through a Leslie - all day.
Being biazed as a Mojo61 owner it definetly sound much more in your face than the XK5 here. In my taste the sound of the XK is a bit too sloppy sounding here, It does have a more warm sound in the bottom and the high drawbars seem a bit boosted compared to the Mojo, which can of cause be adjusted in both instruments. The mojo does have a boosted mid ootb here. Generally I'm not a big fan of the new Hammond Zuzuki's. The XK5 is definetly the best of their lineup. Don't like the SK Pro's at all. My honest opinion is I'd kill for the virtual multi contact of the XK-5. But as a single keyboard model the XK-5 is definetly not worth the more than twice the price of the Mojo. The sound is generally getting so good today. The Nords has long fallen of the track. The XK-5 is propably the best sound here if they were adjusted to about as close as possible the same sound. But the Mojo is not far off tho. The build quality is .. well like a true Italian keyboard not too great. It does what its good at in the sound. But the white text and black painting gets easy eaten by your fingers if you use the onboard buttons for the leslie sim. The keybed is far better than the Nord Electro despite using the same fatar bed, but god I would love to see a 1keybed Viscount soul model. Blows both of these away imho.