Nord Electro 3 or Hammond XK-1??

[Outkaster]

 

You can add something that feels like real drawbars: http://www.oceanbeachdigital.com/Site/Home.html or you can use faders on a piece like the M-Audio Evolution UC-33e.

 

 

Faders, no I saw that already it has been discussed over on KBK. Anyway that is an upsell of $300.00.

[AstralWurks]

Also, to my ears.. the XK-1 is superior to the Nord from a sound/accuracy standpoint. The Nord's selling point is the EP's etc. The XK sounds almost like the real thing.

[AnotherScott]

 

Amen. There is NO substitute for a real doppler effect creating rotary speaker. Buying any Hammond clone and basing the choice on the Leslie emulation is horribly short-sighted. If the tone is good/accurate, you can make it sound almost exactly like a real B3 if you run it through a tube pre-amp and a Motion Sound or Leslie.

 

 

I think you're assuming the person has the desire and ability to add the weight of a Motion Sound or Leslie to his load-in, and a vehicle big enough to carry it all, and the budget, and the setup time. Without those things, it does make sense to factor the leslie effect into your organ purchase.

 

Though if the budget permits, you can at least add a $500 Ventilator, and then factor the leslie effect out of the equation for your choice or organ, even if you're not able to deal with the other bigger boxes.

[AnotherScott]

 

Faders, no I saw that already it has been discussed over on KBK. Anyway that is an upsell of $300.00.

 

 

I'm not familiar with KBK, do you have a link?

 

Anyway, it doesn't have to be $300. This is $160, and I found it worked well, and physically is a good size.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/485830-REG/M_Audio_9900_50850_00_Evolution_UC33e_USB.html

[Tomkeen]

I'm not familiar with KBK, do you have a link?

 

Methinks he means KeyboardCorner, which you are very familiar with

[Gribs]

 

Same EPs. Better organ on the Electro 3. Better piano on the Stage EX (well, same pianos, except on the Stage EX, you get the string resonance enabled). Other than that, Electro 3 has the advantage of the sample library (and the ability to load your own samples as well). Stage EX has the advantage of being multi-timbral and having MIDI controller functionality (splits/layers between both internal and external sounds), plus an analog-style synth section, aftertouch, pitch and mod controllers, and available 76 or 88 key weighted actions.

 

 

Gas bubble slightly deflated now. Its all good though as there is no room for it and no budget ATM either. Maybe after first quarter next year when my so-called "variable pay" from this year actually comes through.

[Outkaster]

Amen. There is NO substitute for a real doppler effect creating rotary speaker. Buying any Hammond clone and basing the choice on the Leslie emulation is horribly short-sighted. If the tone is good/accurate, you can make it sound almost exactly like a real B3 if you run it through a tube pre-amp and a Motion Sound or Leslie.

 

It is short sided but a lot of people buy because of that very thing. The problem with that thinking is often they have not played a real console or don't know how a Leslie ramps up. Every Leslie is a little different.

[New Trail]

 

Amen. There is NO substitute for a real doppler effect creating rotary speaker. Buying any Hammond clone and basing the choice on the Leslie emulation is horribly short-sighted. If the tone is good/accurate, you can make it sound almost exactly like a real B3 if you run it through a tube pre-amp and a Motion Sound or Leslie.

 

 

All true, but many of us don't have to ability or desire to carry all of that equipment that 99% of the people in the audience won't audibly notice, anyway. And if it's all about us, and what WE are hearing, if we're all just playing for ourselves, then nothing less that a real B-3 and two Leslies will work. However, if getting a good sound in a manageable package is the goal, then the quality of the built-in rotary effect is as much a part of the equation as sounds, feel, playabilty, etc., IMO.

[Bandard]

 

All true, but many of us don't have to ability or desire to carry all of that equipment that 99% of the people in the audience won't audibly notice, anyway. And if it's all about us, and what WE are hearing, if we're all just playing for ourselves, then nothing less that a real B-3 and two Leslies will work. However, if getting a good sound in a manageable package is the goal, then the quality of the built-in rotary effect is as much a part of the equation as sounds, feel, playabilty, etc., IMO.

 

 

There in is the debate - are you playing for yourself, or for the other people listening to you? I will guarantee that, in that mix, very few people will be able to hear the difference, but your back will at 3am on the loadout.

[suitandtieguy]

i don' t have much to add to the thread other than i'm a hardass who has been carrying a Hammond to every gig (save one) that needed a Hammond since 1998.

 

i just bought a Clavia C1 for my friend Judy Howard. i spent a couple days with it, and sat in with her husband tonight playing it myself at their gig.

 

i have to say, the drawbar thing doesn't bother me in the least. it was pretty cool to be able to carry in a keyboard under my arm that had 2 manuals on it!

 

i'm not going to be replacing my Hammond C2 with one anytime soon, but there are some thing about it that if Clavia changed i would actually consider it. i might buy one anyway to work into my electronic rig and use for the occasional tight scrummy gig. i don't know.

 

the things i didn't like about it are not dealbreakers for the application i bought it for, but definitely keep me from buying it as a primary instrument.

 

first of all, i thought even C1 chorus was too deep. i never liked C3 anyway, and always used C1. well i can't even stand C1 on the C1.

 

also i am really getting sick of these jokers who make clonewheels with stereo outputs who think they don't need to provide for a way to send the upper manual to one output and the lower manual to another. there's even a L/R output split feature on the C1, but it's for L - tonewheel, R - V/F model. it's just another couple of selections in that menu, guys. as far as the other dual manual clones go there is NO EXCUSE for this not being available.

 

another complaint i have was fixed in the C2, that percussion should kill the 1' drawbar. now that i've used it i have to say you'd probably be using presets so much it doesn't matter as much. but still i'm glad it's been fixed.

 

i'm going to spend some more time with the C1 this week and compile my {censored} list. it's about time i gathered together the list of everything i think is wrong with clonewheels in one place.

[AnotherScott]

 

i'm a hardass who has been carrying a Hammond to every gig (save one) that needed a Hammond since 1998. ... i just bought a Clavia C1 for my friend ... the things i didn't like about it are not dealbreakers for the application i bought it for, but definitely keep me from buying it as a primary instrument. ... i am really getting sick of these jokers who make clonewheels with stereo outputs who think they don't need to provide for a way to send the upper manual to one output and the lower manual to another.

 

 

AFAIK, you can't do that on your real Hammond C2 either, right? So why would this be a feature that would stop you from gigging with a clone instead? I don't think any real Hammond can do this, I'm surprised you find it essential for a clone.

 

If you must have that feature, you could buy a pair of single-manual clones and stack them, then the two manuals would have separate outputs. The Hammond XK-1 would probably be the best choice for this, because the drawbars are to the left, so with the right stand, you could get the two manuals about as close to each other as they would be on a single 2-manual organ.

[thenagus]

Many years ago now, I was facing a pretty similar decision - Looking for my first proper board, thought I was only interested in the hammond sound, and torn between the Electro 2 and the XK-1.

In the UK, it was hard to find any of these to demo, and I pretty much decided on the XK1 because it was slightly cheaper and word on the net was that it had a more authentic sound. but then at the last minute, I found an ad for a used electro 2 at a good price, and jumped on it. And boy, am I glad I did!

 

I goddamn love that board. I still suspect the XK-1 has a better organ tone. *but* I hadn't realised how much I'd actually use the other sounds on the Electro. I was (and still am) infatuated with that B3 sound, but as I settled into the NE2 I found myself more and more just sitting down and playing the other sounds. Never imagined how much I'd use the clav/rhodes/wurli. Totally worth it. The sounds all cut through a live mix like magic. And it's all in such a great compact package. Im a student with no car (Why spend money driving when you can buy keyboards, right?), so being able to just sling it on my back and take it on a bus is great. Also, its such a great interface. After the first week, I never used the preset buttons, ever. Just no need, unless you need to change tone and lightning speed. The whole thing really feels like an instrument, not like a gadget or a machine or a computer.

 

Ive upgraded to an E3 now. The organ is noticably better. I realise now that the E2 had a distinctive midrangey sort of organ sound. Perhaps that was why it cut through so well. One organ difference people dont often mention is that the E3 has the option to trigger on a much shallower keypress than the E2. I find this allows me to make lots of precussive sounds and use techniques (eg machine gunning) that I physically couldn't do on the E2.

Another huge difference for me is infact the new amp models - the organ distortion is *much* more big and throaty now, whereas the NE2's distortion felt small and compressed with the knob anywhere past 12'o'clock. The amp models really add a lot to the rodes/wurli/clav too, in my opinion. I swear the pedal wah's a lot better too, although the effects section in general has lost a fair bit of functionality. The interface generally isn't as good as the NE2. But again, im finding myself using sounds (like the vox/farfasia) with I never thought I'd use.

 

Id definately go for the E3 over the XK1, every time. Though, I mean, Ive never played one, so I don't know how much my opinion's worth!

 

Also, I think the E3 is noticably better than the E2, in all (sonic) areas, but especially in the organ and acoustic piano. If you're goign to be playing haavily distorted music, the E3 is (to my ears) hugely better.

 

But, having said that, if money's really tight, a used E2 ( or E1 - can be loaded with E2 software, so basically the same) isn't a bad option at all. Probably wouldnt hold its value too badly if yo uhad the cash to sell and upgrade later.And although the organ sound isn't as good as the XK1 or E3, it's still great fun to play, and close enough that 95% of an audience probably couldnt tell the difference. Mine's long gone, but I still think its a great board.