Which Motion Sound to Buy?

Hi Folks... I'm new here, somehow just discovered Harmony. I have really enjoyed the posts, lurking for just a few days.

Question: I want to buy a Leslie sim. My present rig is:

Roland RD700sx, Nord Electro 61, Amplification: Both keyboards going into a Roland KC100 amplifier, (60 watt), then thru a direct box to a Mackie srm450.

I want to add a tube sound and true rotating horn to the Nord. I play in a 4 piece Blues band that can get loud. We play clubs and sometimes bigger gigs; unless they are small venues, I run an XLR from the mackie to the PA.

First choice: Switch the Roland amp for a Motion Sound KBRM. It has the rotating horn, a tube, and 40 more watts than the Roland, and the Mackie would provide extra volume as needed.

That choice is much preferable because the second option is the Motion Sound KBR3D, which is 70 pounds. I do not trust that it will have enough power without the Mackie, but at 70 pounds, it is just too much to bear.

Any suggestions?

Nice rig. I have a similar live rig (Yamaha S90 + Nord Electro) and I've been through just about all the Hammond clones and the various real Leslies and substitutes like Motion Sound over the years. I will gig with a real Leslie or Speakeasy Road Box for the right kinds of high-profile rigs, but I have reached this conclusion about the Electro and most of the other modern clones. The internal Leslie sims have gotten so good these days that you will only get an incremental gain from using a Motion Sound. Not something that would really change the way it sounds in the mix. No one in the audience is really going to notice, but you will notice a bit of improvement with moving air on stage. Not a night and day kind of thing. Now using a real Leslie will be a big difference, primarily from the growling real tube amplifier and the roaring rotors emanating from the wooden cabinet.

Here's what I would suggest before you spend any money or time trying to integrate a Motion Sound. Try running your keyboards in stereo - it does not sound like you are doing this now. Run left line out of the RD and Electro to the Roland amp and right line out of both keys to the Mackie. You can send either stereo or mono to FOH; that won't matter much. What matters is what you hear on stage and you want the stereo animation from the Electro's Leslie sim. Give that a shot and I think you'll notice a marked improvement.

If you are still intent on the Motion Sound, I would recommend that you get a Pro3TM for portability. Hope this helps.

I agree with Eric. The internal Leslie sims are so much better than, say, 5 years ago. If you really want a real rotating horn, a Pro-3t(m) paired with, say, a speakeasy preamp, gets you a killer sound in a very portable package. I run my Nord Stage through a classic/barker preamp, a Pro-3t and a Low-pro, and it has a somewhat different sound character then the internal Leslie sim; more 'open'...