Best leslie clone pedal for keyboards - and why does search not work on HC?

[fliprose]

So I'm sure this topic has been covered, but ever since HC went down with the hacking attack I haven't been able to do a successful search, OF ANYTHING.

 

So my question goes to keyboardists - best leslie clone pedal? I hear a lot about the Destination Rotation, and the HK Rotosphere is talked about too. I have what I consider to be a very good onboard leslie sim on my Korg CX-3, but what I don't like about it is the shortest ramp-up/ramp-down allowed by editing is still too slow for me. So I'd like to try a pedal to see if I can beat it, and even if I can't, I'd use a pedal for my Korg X-50 because I sometimes use the organs on that for convenience.

 

And if you have any thoughts on why HC doesn't work anymore for search, like to hear that too. I tried posting that on the complaints section, it didn't take.

 

Thanks folks!

 

Phil

[Goofball Jones]

Search has always been touch-and-go here. They're working on new forum software that is good news and bad news really. Good news is that search will work. Bad news is the look and feel and overall GUI totally sucks balls.

 

Hopefully someone else will answer your pedal question.

[Tomkeen]

The Neo Instruments Ventilator. Still want to get one myself...

 

http://neo-instruments.de/en

 

Check the demos

[ClavAnother]

Best Leslie Clone pedal I have found is this one:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for best results, make sure it is plugged into this:

 

[The Real MC]

Dynacord CLS-222 is the king of leslie simulators.

[BryanMichael]

Out of all the ones I've owned, which included:

 

Roland Revo

Multivox Full Rotor

Korg G4

Digitech RPM

Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere

Original VOCE Spin

OPtion 5 Destination Rotation 1

Option 5 Destination Rotation 2

 

My overall favorite was probably the Korg G4. I didn't like it's overdrive that much though.

AFter that, probably the Rotosphere for it's GRIT and tone, then the Original VOCE SPin (several presets that I liked), then the Original Destination Rotation, then maybe the Digitech RPM and New Destination ROtation (which is supposed to be an emulation of a single speaker, not one with a horn) and finally the FullROtor (which is like a stereo phaser thingy- not Leslie like at all) and the ROland REvo which requires hooking it up to home stereo like speakers for a stereo phaser effect thing.

 

.02

 

P.S. I forgot about the Electro Harmonix "Wiggler" pedal. While not a true "Leslie Sim" and not even close in that regard it offers several flavours of gritty, tubey, vibrato, tremolo and phasey-Leslie-ish tones that are all really a treat IMO. Full of character that pedal...

[rugge78]

I use Rt20 and I'm quite happy with it!

[whiteop]

so you can't research gear you want to buy on here from other members. It's so you'll just go ahead and buy it at Guitar Center or Musician's Friend

[frogmonkey]

The Neo Instruments Ventilator. Still want to get one myself... http://neo-instruments.de/en Check the demos

 

A lot of people are saying good things about this one.

[eric]

 

Dynacord CLS-222 is the king of leslie simulators.

 

 

+1.

 

Though I have not yet tried the Ventilator. I have heard from people that know the CLS-222 and say the Ventilator can out-leslie it.

[Vito Corleone]

 

+1. Though I have not yet tried the Ventilator. I have heard from people that know the CLS-222 and say the Ventilator can out-leslie it.

 

 

I just got a Neo Ventilator a couple of days ago. Pretty impressed! Definiately keeping it in my set up. Some pros and cons to it though when compared to my old Dynacord CLS-222:

 

PROS: The leslie effect itself actually isn't any better, IMO. That old Dynacord still does an AMAZING leslie sim. (and I think I may still actually prefer the way the Dynacord ramps up and down). But the Ventilator, being digital (and newer) is quiter and a bit beefier. One of my major complaints with the Dynacord is that it changed to tone of my original samples way too much. This MIGHT just be something faulty with my particular unit? Or something inherrent in the design? but it always ended up "muffling" my patches a bit so that they didn't cut through in a live mix the way I needed them too. Plus that old analog Dynacord was getting pretty noisy. And the "drive" feature to add some distortion is pretty cool. Warmer sounding than the distortion effect I would add in the EMU module. So that's nice. It also has a knob for adjusting simulated "mic placement". Not really necessary, but kinda cool.

 

CONS: This unit seems to be designed more for guitar players than for keyboard players. A rack mount version would be nice. And maybe a midi input so some parameters could be controlled manually. (If I want to add 'drive' to a patch, I can only do it by twisting the knob) It's essentially a little stomp box which might be OK to keep under my keys -- EXCEPT: there's two stomp switches on the box: one to speed the rotors up and down and one to bypass the entire unit. The only way to "brake" the rotors is to use a remote footswitch (sold seperately of course!) and THEN you have two stomp switches: one for fast/slow and one for "brake". (which is what the Dynacord has).

 

So I'm left with having to purchase the remote footswitch and then figuring out a way to mount the unit inside my rack in a manner that allows me access to the knobs.....

 

NOT ideal. For $500 they could have thought this through a bit more for keyboard players? But it DOES sound great!

[Beethree]

My 2 cents...

 

The hands down winner for me, as a standalone unit, is the Ventilator.

However, in terms of nailing the AMP sound of the Leslie, the Speakeasy AMA is the clear winner. This does not do the rotor emulation - just the amp, which is the main missing ingredient for me in most sims.

 

 

I have also owned and used:

Rotosphere (doesn't nail a Leslie sound, but sounds good nonetheless)

Motion Sound Pro145 (Poor tone. Hated it. Others obviously disagree)

Motion Sound ???(The upper rotor only thing....same deal as above)

Boss RT-20 (Great rotor emulation, very bad distortion)

Nord Electro 3 internal sim (Not bad)

Hammond XK3 internal sim (Not so hot)

VB3 (very good - have used this in the studio in conjunction with the Speakeasy AMA and it has worked out great.)

Native Instruments B4 (Nice rotor - pretty good crunch....prefer the B4 to the B4II in terms of tone)

Voce Spin (kinda cool)

 

Have never played through a Dynacord.

[WynnD]

I've got a Roland VK-77. The internal rotor sound is very similar to a mic'd leslie. I don't like mic'ing leslies. It takes the 3 dimensional sound and makes it 2 dimensioned. If the sound engineer insists on mic'ing the leslie, I just leave the Leslies at home and send them the internal rotor sound. (At least the mic placement is software controllable.)

[ShaneV2]

I realize this is an old thread, but while we're here I wonder if anybody has tried the new Strymon Lexx for organ yet? I have an El Capistan and an Orbit for my guitar rig and they're top notch, so I'm sure the Lexx is great too.

[Meatball Fulton]

if you have any thoughts on why HC doesn't work anymore for search, like to hear that too

 

Didn't you search for all the posts on the search function?

[Tomkeen]

 

I realize this is an old thread, but while we're here I wonder if anybody has tried the new Strymon Lexx for organ yet? I have an El Capistan and an Orbit for my guitar rig and they're top notch, so I'm sure the Lexx is great too.

 

 

The Lex sounds great indeed. Quite different from the ventilator, but awesome in it's own right.

 

[video=youtube;sg00t2978CA]

[ShaneV2]

 

 

 

Great video, thanks. So far I've only seen demos with guitars.