Searching for the classic tonewheel sound with modern conveniences? Sweetwater’s here to help. Check out our tips for buying the best virtual drawbar organ for you! Shop electric organs at Sweetwater 👉 imp.i114863.net/5b4r32
This video is absolute GOLD. Not just for pointing out the strongest contenders for virtual tonewheel organs in 2022, but for providing general organ education for a tonewheel noob like myself. The organ has always been a mysterious instrument that I could never quite grasp how to make it do what I wanted. 20 minutes with Daniel answered so many of my questions it’s mind blowing! THIS is why I love Sweetwater so much!
I bought the Hammond XK-5. Absolutely killer. The guy is right. Once you use a dedicated organ, you won't be happy with samples. I absolutely love this organ.
I know this is a video on clonewheels... so I definitely was not expecting the Hammond organ fundamentals and basics! ! What a refreshing course! Thank you so much.
Another Crumar Mojo thing I don't think I've seen in other desktop units: it's a USB *host*, which means you can plus a USB midi controller directly into it without a converter or a computer
I'm in love with the B3. Someday I want the whole setup with the Leslie and everything. It's harder now that the generation who had them in their homes have mostly passed, but I still occasionally see one at an estate sale. Just never have the room.
I’m a Hammond user from way back (with the always aching back to prove it) and picked up the Yamaha YC-88 a couple years ago and have been really pleased with it. Especially after the recent 1.2 update.
These are sall Ok. My personal favorite is the Viscount Legend, which is a virtally perfect clone of a classic B3 down to controls and layout, with a really amazing sound. Some other good alternatives: - The Nord Electro (I'm amazed this wasn't mentioned--it's probably the #1 choice for most people). - Roland's Fantom or Fantom-0 - The Kurzweil K2700 - Korg Kronos (no longer on sale). The Korg Nautilus has the same CX engine, but has no faders/drawbars, so is not ideal. Also there some amazing Hammond softsynths--especially IK MUltimedia Hammond B-3X. This is available for Windows, Mac or iPad, so its very easy to add to your studio.
I love Sweetwater! Love my QSC E110 PASSIVE SPEAKERS! Just got them recently and they sound so beautiful that I almost cried (ok, maybe I did a little bit)!
This is such an amazing video, thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! You've explained these concepts so well I have learnt a lot! I also appreciate you sharing your own personal stories leaning organ from your nun teachers! I love the sound 17:49 so much!
I experienced leakage. Man, that was a bangin demo! I learned a ton!! I knew a lot of that already but lots and lots of extras I had no idea on. Wish I could have you in my band!! You're one seriously talented keyboard player!!!
Great explanation/demo of a tone wheel. One correction though….I know you know this (but for the benefit of neophytes), but most popular Leslie cabinets used a rotating baffle, not a rotation speaker.
One of Gregg Allman's most famous B3s was painted black with a red mushroom on the front. Played throughout the early ''70s Brothers and Sisters era. Seek it out - especially cool.
Can you all PLEASE do another organ video featuring the Viscount and Crumar organs. I think I'm literally coming to Indiana on December just to play a Crumar since I can't seem to find it in the D.C. area.
Around 1970, I saw a rig that had a 3 speaker Leslie. It also had a custom peddle board that could individually control fast and slow breaking on each of the 3 speakers. Was so cool. I also learned part of the key click sound was because there were several switches under each key. They showed me how you could press the key very slowly and hear each click. I love the rotary speaker plus drawbar organ sound. I once heard 2 Leslies in stereo. That was tripy. Wish they would ad that real strange grinding sound John Lord and Keith Emerson used in early days. Almost like putting a card on the tone wheel. There were many mechanical and electrical mods back then. That is a feature request. Find and add all the mods.
Sir, thank you for this phenomenal insight of this great subject There is nothing like the hammond organ the instrument the sound the soul 🎹👍😊❤️🏆🏅💯🌸 My vote is the xk 5 pro system Regards from Israel
Thank you for this excellent information. I had a hammond in the 80s that I learned on and I would love to get back to playing the organ. However the menu diving on these models are a bit off putting to me. I made the mistake of buying a keyboard with a million settings that I just don't use. But the sounds on these models are just amazing 🥰
Regarding the price the Roland VR ist by far the best deal. And as I don't have all these keyboards side by side on stage, I don't care about little differences in sound. Sadly Roland charges so much more for the 76 key version with waterfall keybed...
@@r.k.2487 Drawbars are hidden under the hood until you draw them out. With faders you have no hood, you have rails under the surface and fader head that is above the surface. Different feeling, no?
Great video Daniel ! btw regarding KeyClick, even if you managed to switch excactly on the ZERO level point you'd have a keyclick. To get rid of it you have to quickly fade in and out (in DigitalSignalProcessing this is called a window). I had to learn this by trial and error 🥴
This list is really missing the Vox Continental. I got one a few months ago and I have absolutely loved the cx-3 tonewheel emulation. Combined with the Nutube and boy you can get some rockin organ goin!
Hi Joshua. I'm putting the Vox Continental link here (for others who might want to see it) www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Continental73Bk--vox-continental-73-key-performance-keyboard-with-stand-black -_Daniel_
GOOD One, Daniel! My latest fave is XK-3c, but so heavy! SK-1 still rocks, but Numa 2x is light, with aftertouch, speakers, some unique features, nice pianos...VR-09 sometimes fits the bill...so many choices. yeah. I was hoping the Yamaha YC-61 would be great, but I like their Reface YC's organ sound better! - maybe the demos don't utilize the gain structure with the two distortion locations as well as they could (I don't mean yours.) To me, their FM organ drawbars sound better, go figure!. MainStage and VB3-2 are great, virtually.
I have the XK3c, too. It replaced a VR09 and, yeah, the Hammond is heavier, but it feels much more substantial. Palm slides on the Roland always made me worry that I’d throw it right off of the stand! I A-B’d the XK1c with the Sk1 and I had the definite sense that the organ sound- which supposedly uses the exact engine- was fatter and more authentic on the XK3c than on the Sk. Ymmv, of course.
Hi Jeff. My two main bands are Pink Droyd, and The Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra. Pink Droyd plays as far east as Pittsburgh, as far west as El Paso, plus Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, and of course, Indiana. -_Daniel_
I’m sorry but I still pick the XK-3c and XK-5 organs with real built in tubes. Joining all relevant aspects Suzuki really made the grade with those, all others come next.
awesome video! just unfortunate for a 4k one that above camera was out of focus :/ as there are not even clear pictures on yamaha's website of the control panel
Great video. Very insightful. Thank you for putting this out. Another reason why Sweetwater is the only place you need to go for gear and insight! #sweetwater
I love it all but my hammond is not B3 but some 50 years old and Not 15 pounds sounds good but very dry out oil and they cry out for lubrication , i don't know much about classic hammond I learned more watching this video and wiSH I had that hammond SK PRO, very cool throw in more MOJO thats "wow" : 64 still learning but very slowly ..
I like my Nord E6D! BTW I can easily get the Mojo or Hammond clones by using GSi VB3-II virtual instrument or Hammond B3x software which would be the software used in their hardware because at the end of the day they are all software/computer driven organs.
@@adamjacksonmedia Never tried a mojo but the B3-x and VB3v.2 are on par with the Nord IMHO. In fact when I had my Electro 3 I used to use it as a controller for B3-x because it sounded way better. Don't forget with the Mojo you're paying for a premium keyboard and controls and of coarse the computer inside to run the software. This from their website: The CRUMAR Mojo is a modern computer-based musical instrument. The source of the sound of the instrument is the VB3 CE 2 software.
Hi. I like simplicity. Should I look to something like the XK4, or in the XK series rather than this on in the Sk series? I really just want something more minimalist. Also, I like the idea of adding a half moon switch to it to access Leslie sounds. I know that might seem odd because the white buttons are already there to do this, but there is something cool and maybe easier to the tactile aspect of the half moon switch. You thoughts welcome.
what a great video. would love to know more about the double-tier organs and if they differ any from the single-tier organs. is there any reason why one would prefer one over the other?
Hi Donny. If we're only talking organ sounds, it's nice to have a gentler sound for your left-hand chords on the bottom rank. Some use it for left-hand bass. Others use it exclusively for glissandos. -_Daniel_
Well put together video, lots of valuable insights and information. Why doesn’t any who showcases keyboards like this ever talk about what is the best amplifier to use with these boards? After all, the amp could totally mess with the final sounds you spend so much time producing.
hi i have a crumar mojo...i absolutely love it..the only thing that the clones still dont have ... but maybe one day ....is that fat breathing mechanical bomb sound that the hammonds have...its hard to explain the sound...the clones sound like it... but theres a living bomb thats going off in some of the killer hammonds. again hard to explain....mechanical and tubes i guess....love the crumar mojo though....35 pounds...brett g
I am VERY particular about that authentic,breathing mechanical sound. I know exactly what you are referring to. I’ve been playing Hammonds since the 70s. started on a C3, toured with a B3 and have an A100 at home.The best software emulation I’ve heard was free in GarageBand . I kid you not. ( fairly certain it’s in Logic as well.
LOL 34:34 He's got everybody thinking there's something wrong with their ears. To ACTUALLY get to the key click, you first have to turn it up using the "click" dial or you're not gonna hear any click nor any changes to it.
Surprised you did the Mojo desktop and not the Mojo 61, which is meant more to compete with things like SK Pro & the Electro. The 61 is monotimbral, but has Rhodes, clav, Wurly & acoustic piano sounds that are the same quality as its Hammond with as many crazy parameters in the menu diving.
Very informative, thanks to Sweetwater! OK, I've been blessed and also cursed in having played a late 50s C3 back in the day. So...all clonewheels I've heard leave me unimpressed due to their tone being to thin...to rinky dink, so to speak. The overdrive on the clones is welcomed, but its overdriving a thin tone. In this day and age there must be a way to beef these things up, no? A Leslie, or varient is crucial IMO for the spacial depth. But isnt there something like a graphic EQ that can beef up the fundamentals? Lastly, as someone else has commnted, the menus and submenus on the clones are a drag. Peace all!
Yeah often there's an EQ (para or graph) in the Master FX. I think though, really what the issue is, is that there's no real way to make a PA or even keyboard speakers to push air in the same way as a Leslie or 2 do
Hi wil pas. Any keyboard with 5-pin MIDI Out can be used for the lower rank, but the 61B gets its power from the main Crumar keyboard, so it isn't ideal for the Hammond Sk-Pro. -_Daniel_
I suspect new ones do, but if not, it’s a fairly easy update. Save your current settings first (if not the factory defaults), so you can reload them as you left them (and/or tweak the settings you want with the new Leslie, etc).
@@planetdog1641 I think it’ll work fine for all styles of play. I’m coming from a two board, weighted key stage piano and organ setup and was just ready to lose the weight and find something to do it all. The live band test will happen this weekend. If it passes that I’ll happily go forward with it and won’t regret much!
It’s impressive how better the Mojo sounds compared to the others. The SK sounds acceptable to me but way veloce, the Yamaha and Roland sounds incredibly fake
For future reference, my unfortunate opinion... the Yamaha has the best grand piano, the Crumar has the best Rhodes, and Hammond probably has the best B3... or maybe Crumar. So... there's not one that does all 3 best. I think the Hammond has the least impressive ancillary sounds.
the tri-timbral of the yc61 is very tempting! and it has my personal favorite wurli in hardware at least. But Its lacking string resonance, its rhodes arent my fav, the clav doesnt have all pickup positions....and there are sample sets in the yamaha archive that id like AVAILABLE, NORD style, or allow for 3rd party...one way or the other. Mojo61 is only mono-timbral...but has a great modeling approach to all the main keyboards except acoustic piano, and mallet sounds. They need to make a bi-timbral mojo61 and 73 with all the engines from the Gemini.
I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to pick between the SKpro, the YC61 and the Roland Vr730. I’ve got nowhere to demo them. And feel is as important to me as sound. I’m really really picky about keybed. And i tend to get… enthusiastic when im playing live. I also need electric piano and the ability to switch/mix sounds live.
Have a look at the MOJO61. Keybed is really good (waterfall with an extra short throw to match the original hammond action); it also has one of the best Rhodes pianos (modelled,same as the Crumar 7)
23:54 There's digital clipping in the right signal when you're playing the yc. I have that same issue with a modx7. Most of the time did I hear it it's on edited patches, but there are a few stock ones that do it too. Just gotta bring down the level on that part below 105 or so depending on the number of parts. How can that be rectified in the yc?
Hi L77kim77l. YMMV but, for my Mac and iPad, it's IK Multimedia's Hammond B-3X: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/B3XPlug--ik-multimedia-hammond-b-3x -_Daniel_
When I first got the VR-09 it was about $700, and I got a 20% off Black Friday coupon so final price with shipping and tax was still under $600. Not as good as a nord or the Hammond, but for the price it gets the job done, specially with the extra piano and strings sounds. It has a bitching accordion sound too!! 🪗
Tight demo. It seems a particular keyboard, at a particular price point, and that particular keyboards additional functions is the winner. As a musician, my s*** has to work every night, all night long. Too many choices kills the vibe. If I was recording, renting a more pristinely fleshed out keyboard MIGHT be something to consider. Otherwise, grabbing keys quickly and entertaining your audience sufficiently is the point. I do congratulate you that you didn't subject me to additional Nord overpriced flatulations.
Why buy a special organ keyboard, while you'll need only one or two organ sounds in a gig? That's what I mean about a koto keyboard. For a koto sound you'll not need to buy a seperate koto keyboard. Imagine to have 128 several keyboards to cover every GeneralMidi sound...
I keep telling folks, getting the Hammond sound isn't necessarily the issue (almost any of them can get you there (just be mindful of phasing); the magic is in an adequate LESLIE emulation, which only three companies have gotten; Melda Production's MVintageRotary, PSP's Lotary, &, possibly the most accurate out of the box, IK Multimedia's Leslie@ (T-Racks or Amplitude). If you buy any of these organs, especially for studio, run it through one of those plugins. You'll thank me. Even my XK-5 (now sold) needed a plugin to sound authentic. SMH
@@dickydoes little known fact; hauling a Leslie for Jimmy Smith was actually Hercules' 13th labor. And, congrats! I'm picking up lucky Leslie #13 (8 in possession) in a few days, so I'm well aware of the burden. well, the vsts I mentioned don't weigh quite as much and they're certainly lighter on the wallet.
