I am about to pick up a Nord C1 but am having some misgivings about the sound of the onboard "leslie" effect. The organ sounds (from the demos) full and meaty but the leslie emulation sounds like it might not pass muster; too stacatto and precise or something. I don't want an external leslie or leslie simulator so this is important to me. Would you click on the link below and give me your assessment. I would value your input. Much appreciated.
http://www.nordusa.com/combodownloads.html

chas

WOW Chas, I thought the demos were great..Leslie simulator sounds better on the demos than a model I demoed at Sam Ash last Dec..

I can't recall the models , but there were no physical draw bars...They had a group of organs next to each other..including Roland VK8[which I owned], Korg CX3, a Hammond {I think XB2} and the Nord..The Leslie was weaker on the Hammond than the other makes...but I have read that they improved it..At the time , I thought the Korg and Roland did sound better[B3 like)..

But listening to this demo, I like to check out the Nord again..

BTW: Have you tried Native Instruments B4?

I still prefer it over anything I have played[including a real B3.. ]

I still use the original B4 [I have both] ..something about the original I just plain prefer....

After listening to the Nord demo, I played around with my G70 [VK organ}, and enjoyed some sound ideas I got from the Nord..

I like to double up the bass pedals, and the lower manual..with the upper manual in split mode..The Bass gives it that extra...It would be nice to use bass pedal board..but would be overkill for what I use the G70 for...maybe if I found a cheap deal on a pedal board, I would try it in my studio..


All being said..I would go for that Nord...

Thanks, Fran. I wasn't excluding anyone, I just knew that these guys are not only Hammond afficianodos but are also current (and long time) users of the breed. I know that you also go back away with the Hammond, as do many others on this board, so I'd be very interested and grateful for your impressions (mostly on the Leslie simulation).

chas

Like most things Hammond, WHO you are trying to fool makes a big difference....

If just your audience, quite a lot of B3 clones will do the trick, but if you want to fool yourself, IMO, nothing less than a Motion-Sound top cab horn (and really, a real 145/7) will make ANY clone ever fool you. Just sitting that close to a REAL Leslie does things to your ears that NO Leslie sim can ever approach.

Just IMO...

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 08-13-2007).]

Sounds pretty realistic, although it's hardly much better than the Leslie sim in my PSR-S900.

It probably has adjustments to tailor it to your own liking...upper and lower rates...ramp speed etc.

Ian

Hi Chas,

I think the sound and Leslie simulation on the Nord is just fine. I played a gig where the backline was furnished and they had an Electro 73 to use for organ. I though it sounded great (and it was running in mono). The up/down buttons as opposed to actual drawbars takes some getting used to and depending on your technique on drawbars this may or may not present a problem. Check out the following video at around 1:33 minutes to see what I mean.

Barabara Dennerlein

The only other thing that was a bit annoying to me when playing the Electro was the point in key travel that notes were actually triggered. Triggering didn't occur until the key was practically at the end of its travel which made playing fast passages require more effort than on other keyboards or there would be the occasional missed note.

I have an XK3 myself and although I normally run it through a vintage Leslie 145 or for smaller venues a Motion Sound Pro 3, I have used the internal Leslie simulator when necessary and from the audience perspective it was acceptable.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Dave

Hey, Chas. not bad demos as far as they go. But the problem is, the real sound is a doppler effect. You gotta hear that sound being physically thrown around. I use real 145's and 147's on my house job with a B-3, but I use a Motion Sound top box and a Polytone bottom when I need something more portable. Don't even know if Motion Sound makes the unit I use (About 20 lbs-about 17"x9"x11", but those horns spin and it makes a difference (to me,Diki).

That being said, the Nord simulator is better than the XB-2, which is pretty nice.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Russ

I also believe that running in stereo would make a significant difference in the spatial effect.

Ian

If you play the B4 by Native Instruments in stereo, the sound moves between the speakers as if you were sitting in front of a Leslie, which throws the sound out of the box. The effect used on the B4 can be edited to match the venues requirements. (Moving the sound between speakers 10’ apart would be very unnatural, hence the editing facilities)

Bill

Thanks very much, guys. That reassured me enough to go ahead and pull the trigger. I've only heard good things about NI's B4 but I didn't want to go that route. I want to take a single dual-manual ORGAN and a speaker to the gig and nothing more. Okay, maybe some pedals. Someone has a 17 note pedalboard which would be fine for me. 13 just doesn't cut it, like trying to play piano on a 61 key synth.

Also didn't someone have a stereo keyboard amp (combo) that was contained in a single unit? Fran, maybe? Couldn't find the thread. Don't want to go the Motion Sound route in case I have to plug a "guest" vocalist in (don't want to carry around or setup a PA either). I figure the single unit stereo amp would inhance the Leslie effect much like a real single Leslie. I'm trying to keep it as simple and lightweight as possible. Saw one recommendation for an expression pedal over on the Nord site, but not too much info on footpedals or amps. Any info or suggestions based on personal experience with the gear will be appreciated.

Thanks,

chas

The one thing that blows Leslie sims, for me, is the fact that a real Leslie chucks the sound around 360º. So you get the bounce off the walls and anything else standing close by, whereas the sim just outputs what would come from the front.

There is a complete three-dimensionality to a real Leslie that eludes all the sims I have ever heard. Once again, if you are only trying to fool the audience, they are fine, but if you want to fool YOURSELF...

If the Leslie(or any other rotary clone) is used in a solo situation and not mic'ed, then it would be superior to a sim.

On the other hand, if the Leslie is mic'ed and pumped through a P.A. then the differences would be less obvious.

Ian

Ok, found Fran's post of the amp I was thinking of; the Traynor K4. Sounds like pretty much what I am looking for.

chas