David Rosenthal Interview

AT A GLANCE/BY THE NUMBERS:

GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC HAMMOND ORGAN

Authentic Chorus-Vibrato/Touch Response Percussion/Overdrive 12 HAMMOND MACRO PROFILES with 17 TWEAKABLE PARAMETERS 96 INDIVIDUALLY Adjustable, Voiceable Digital Tonewheels Create YOUR Perfect "B-3" From Showroom New to Road Worn Vintage

DIGITAL LESLIE™

8 LESLIE MACRO PROFILES:

Type 122
Type 147
Type 31H (or "TallBoy"-the first Leslie Speaker released in 1941)
Type 722 (Mid 70's "Home Organ" Model)
Type 760 (Late 70's Solid State "Combo" Model)
Type 825 (1970's Solid State Single Rotor Model)
ROCK TYPE (Early 70's Model 925 High-Power "Combo" Model)
PR-40 (Non-Rotary Vintage Hammond Tone Cabinet)

17 TWEAKABLE LESLIE PARAMETERS

Create YOUR Perfect Leslie-Store it in any of 8 User Profiles COMBINE THE HAMMOND ORGAN OF YOUR CHOICE WITH THE LESLIE OF YOUR CHOICE TO COMPLETE YOUR DREAM RIG! 1000's of Combinations Possible

32 RANKS OF AUTHENTIC PIPE ORGAN

Each Rank Adjustable for Custom Voicing

VOX AND FARFISA COMBO ORGANS

37 Hi-DEF Extravoices with 114 variations

Yamaha C-7 Acoustic Grand
Upright Acoustic Piano
Yamaha CP70 Electric Grand
Rhodes Suitcase Electric Piano
Rhodes Stage Electric Piano
Rhodes Bass
DX7 Piano Electric Piano
Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Harpsichord
Clavinet D6
Lowery Holiday Organ ("Lucy")
Clavioline ("Don't Run")
Vintage Hammond Extravoice ("Blue Star")
Suzuki A-120 Accordion
Vox Jaguar Organ
Trumpet
Mute Trumpet
Trombone
Mute Trombone
Flute
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Solina String
Hammond SX String
Synth String 1
Synth String 2
Synth sweep Pad
Synth square Lead
Sawtooth Lead
"Funny" (from vintage Japanese Organ)
Synth Harp.

EXPANDABLE LIBRARY WITH FREE VOICES FROM HAMMOND WEBSITE

100 USER (RAM) PRESETS/100 FACTORY (ROM) PRESETS
10 PROGRAMMABLE "RADIO BUTTON" FAVORITES FOR INSTANT RECALL
Mp3/.WAV PLAYER
DUAL INDEPENDENT DSP's FOR ORGAN AND EXTRAVOICES

DIGITAL TONEWHEEL GENERATOR

CHOOSING AN ORGAN

Laurens Hammond's original Organ (invented in 1935) had an intricate electro-mechanical mechanism that used 96 Quarter-sized wheels spinning on driveshafts powered by his patented synchronous motor. The wheels were notched according to pitch, and an electromagnetic pickup (much like that on an Electric Guitar) sensed those notches and rendered a musical note. The Drawbars combined those harmonic tones to produce the inimitable Hammond Organ sound.

The Modern Hammond Organ's Sk Series' VASE III "Engine" uses the exact model of Laurens Hammond's design, executing it in the digital realm, with no moving parts, retaining all of the nuances, imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the original. The wheels are always "spinning". When a note is played, the tones pass, just as water through a faucet. The random starts of each wave played allow for phase interaction, producing the rich tone so prized in the vintage Hammonds.

The Digital realization of Laurens Hammond's System allows sophisticated control of every facet. Each Digital Tonewheel can be voiced for Volume, Timbre, Motor Noise and Leakage; enabling the musician to tailor the Modern Hammond to match the characteristics of any Vintage Hammond, or to create their own vision. Twelve Macro Profiles allow the user to quickly select the most popular "kinds" of Hammond, from Showroom-New to Road-Worn Antique and all points between.

At our website, You may now download and install custom Tonewheel sets provided by some of our Artists, as well as other vintage Hammond Organs as cloned by our in-house expert staff.

CLASSIC HAMMOND COMPONENTS

The Tonewheel Generator wasn't the only great invention of Laurens Hammond, and no Hammond Organ would be complete without the full spectrum of ingredients that comprised Mr. Hammond's genius design.

DRAWBARS

Mr. Hammond used the Pipe Organ Design concept of "Unification" in creating the iconic Drawbars of his Electronic Organ. This concept allowed one or more keyboards to control the pitches of many pipes within one set or "rank" of pipes. Adopting the harmonic standards and nomenclature of the Pipe Organ, Mr. Hammond's design assured that any organist would be able to play his instrument without a steep learning curve. Unlike the Pipe Organ, Mr Hammond's design allowed variable volumes of each Harmonic represented by each drawbar. This variation gave the musician millions of combinations of harmonics, and assured that every Hammond player would be able to summon a unique voice. An extra level to the expression a Hammond Organist had at their fingertips was added because the Drawbars could be manipulated in real time. The Sk Series features real drawbars in the size, shape and configuration of Vintage Hammonds. The Drawbars also serve the Combo and Pipe Organ divisions, but with a slightly different function.

VIBRATO/CHORUS

One of the most distinctive parts of the Hammond sound is the shimmering "Chorus Vibrato". It adds a silken quality to the sound by adding a second, slightly detuned pitch to the original in the Chorus Mode, and repeat-modulating the pitch slightly in Vibrato mode. Mr. Hammond's original design used an electromechanical apparatus that looked much like the distributors you would find in the automobiles of the day, and ran off the same synchronous motor that powered the Tonewheel Generator. The Sk's Chorus-Vibrato is executed in the Digital Realm, without moving parts, and works under the same model. The classic V1/V2/V3/C1/C2/C3 controls are familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. As with the Tonewheel Generator, Digital control allows a wide range of adjustment that was simply not possible on the original. As the Antique organs aged, the components acquired their own unique qualities. Digital control allows the user to shape the Chorus/Vibrato's various facets, with the added ability to "age" the effect-with the resulting treble emphasis and subtle distortion that marks the organs that develop this patina as "sweeter" than others. The new “Mix” control allows you to temper or boost the Chorus/Vibrato creating the sound of a Vintage Hammond whose Chorus/Vibrato has dimmed with extensive use, or has grown overly intense through the years. These adjustments are saved per preset.

TOUCH-RESPONSE PERCUSSION

The chief feature of the Hammond B-3 upon its release in 1955 was the inclusion of Touch-Response Percussion™ (Perc). This effect added a high "attack" to the Organ tone at either the octave or the twelfth, with a fast note decay. This sound was reminiscent of an xylophone or clave, and became immensely popular, immediately. Perc gave the Organ a bright highlight, and every generation of music has embraced this sound. Controls for the Perc have the classic nomenclature, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. On the Sk series, Perc is executed in the Digital realm, allowing a wide range of controls the organists back in the day did not possess. The 1' drawbar muting, characteristic of the Vintage Organs can be defeated, as can the drop in Drawbar volume level that accompanied the engaging of the Percussion voice. You can control the volumes and decay times as well.

KEY CLICK:

In order that every key (and pedal) of Laurens Hammond's Organ could access every Tonewheel as predicated by the Drawbar settings, an electro-mechanical apparatus lurked behind the keyboards, with 9 contacts corresponding to each drawbar for that keyboard and a series of contacts attached to each key. As a key was depressed, the contacts sequentially touched, and the circuits were completed to produce the Organ tone registered by the Drawbars. The very nature of Electric circuitry dictated a click could be heard at the top of each note played when the current-carrying key contacts touched. Laurens Hammond considered that click to be a nuisance, and worked to no avail in order to rid his organ of that imperfection. The jazz players who embraced the Hammond Organ, however, found the click to be a percussive highlight, and wanted nothing to do with its eradication. To make matters worse, as the Vintage Hammonds aged, the click became more pronounced, and by the Rock and Roll era, Key Click assumed a role of importance that Laurens Hammond could never imagine. The Sk series allows you to adjust the intensity of the key ON click, and the key OFF click. The timbre of the click may also be adjusted. Mr. Hammond would have greatly approved of the Sk, as you can turn the click all the way off if you desire, creating a Vintage Hammond Organ that could not exist in the physical world.

THE "TONE" CONTROL:

The inclusion of this obscure feature demonstrates the commitment to authenticity Hammond has brought to the Sk Series. Inside the Vintage Hammond B-3, on one side of the tube preamp, there was a "Screwdriver Pot" with the engraved legend "Tone". It was introduced as a part of Mr. Hammond's crusade to temper "key click", but this was never made clear to the public. The "company line" was this control was to be adjusted by the Technician installing the organ in order to tame the treble response in the instance of the organ's installation in a Church or Mortuary, where a more "muted" organ was desired. The control was a cocktail of upper Mid and High frequencies (the proportions of which were, until recently, held secret.) The "Tone" control was basically a "hi cut" control and only went "down". That this control's presence and location were obscured goes a long way in explaining why there was such a variation in sound among Hammonds. Further, You could not direct the control to go "up" for "boost". The TONE control is included in the Sk's menu with the added benefit of being able to BOOST the unique blend of frequencies, which adds a nice "edge" to the Sk tone, if desired.

DIGITAL LESLIE

Chicago Engineer/Inventor Don Leslie bought a Hammond Organ not long after its introduction in 1935, but felt the instrument lacked the warmth of the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organs he so loved. The main difference between Church Pipe Organs and Theatre Organs was the deep Tremulant that took the edge off the Theatre Organ's pipes and made them emotionally "sob". Making use of an acoustic phenomenon called the "Doppler Effect", Mr. Leslie constructed a speaker cabinet that used a simple system of rotating horns and baffles to give the Hammond tone "motion" and "depth". This created a different instrument altogether, one that could play "Popular" music. Mr. Hammond intended his organ for the Church and Classical Music, looking at "Popular" Music with disdain-he wanted nothing to do with Mr. Leslie's invention when Mr. Leslie demonstrated it. The public however, took the combination of Hammond and Leslie to heart, and so it remains to this very day. It is difficult to think of one without the other, although Mr. Hammond never allowed Hammond Dealers to sell Leslie Speakers. After Mr. Hammond's death, the two companies became partners, and now Hammond owns and manufactures Leslie Speakers. For both Hammond and Leslie, the golden goal was to produce a Leslie that did not require motor-driven speakers, and the goal has been reached in the Sk series, with the finest Digital Leslie we have ever produced. Now the elusive effect can be had where space and mobility have heretofore denied it. As an added benefit to being produced in the Digital realm, many aspects of the effect can be adjusted and tailored to ones own taste and requirement. Slow and Fast Rotor speeds, "Ramp Up" and "Ramp Down" speeds, Speaker Size, Amp type, Virtual Mic Placement and other parameters may be combined into "Cabinet" Macros which then may be assigned to any Organ Preset. In addition, 8 factory Cabinets, comprising the most popular Leslie Models like the 122, 147, 760, Vintage 31-H, and others are available for instant choice. There is even a model of the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputsof the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputs

VINTAGE COMBO ORGANS:

At the dawn of the Rock and Roll age, many groups could not carry the 500 pound Hammond Console Organ and 450 pound Leslie Speaker. The advent of transistor electronics brought forth smaller, more affordable portable Organs. The Thomas Organ Company in the U.S. and Italy's Farfisa were at the vanguard of their design, and the Rock and Roll community embraced their instruments fervently. Thomas sold their Combo organs under the Vox name and their premier offerings were the "Continental" and the budget priced "Jaguar". Farfisa's organs became Rock icons, and the marque reached its height with its "Professional" model. The sound of the transistor Combo Organ never went out of style, and has even flourished in the "Indy" scene of the 21 ^st Century. The sounds of all three classic instruments are faithfully reproduced in the Sk series, with the ability to register them in the exact way you were able to on the originals. All three models employed a variation of Hammond's Drawbars, and an accompanying legend on the control panel marks the functions for each drawbar, for each model.

PIPE ORGAN DIVISION:

The compact Sk series has a mammoth heart, with the inclusion of 32 Digital Ranks of Classical (Church) Pipe Organ derived from our Flagship 935 Church Organ. The Pipe Organ division uses the Drawbars as Drawknobs to select the stops you choose. Now you can take this majestic sound wherever you desire, whether it is to accompany Worship, Perform Classical Organ Literature, or Practice with Headphones in your Dormitory Room. Progressive Rock groups have relied on the sounds of Classical Pipe Organs, and have had to compromise with the few inflexible samples contained in Synthesizers and Samplers, but now the sky is the limit with a Classical Pipe Organ that can be registered in the traditional manner. As is customary with Hammond, each rank of pipes may be voiced independently to the user's specification, and stored for instant recall.

Your Sk-series instrument has a total of 20 Pipe voices - nine (9) for the Upper Manual, nine (9) for the Lower Manual and two (2) for the Pedals. Below is a list of the voices and the screen abbreviations:

UPPER

Bourdon 16' (“Bourdn16”)

Open Diapason 8'' (“OpnDiap8”)

Gedeckt 8' (“Gedeckt8”)

Voix Celeste 8' (“VnCelst8”)

Octave 4' (“Octave 4”)

Flute Dolce 4' (“FlDolce4")

Flute 2' (“Flute 2”)

Mixture 3 ranks (“Mixt.III”)

Hautbois 8' (“Hautboi8”)

LOWER

Principal 16' (“Princi16”)

Principal 8' (“Princi 8”)

Melodia 8' (“Melodia8”)

Rohr Flute 8' (“RohrFl.8”)

Prestant 4' (“Prestnt4”)

Flute 4' (“Flute 4”)

Super Octave 2' (“SupOct 2”)

Mixture 4 ranks (“Mixt. IV”)

Trompette 8' (“Trompet8”)

PEDAL

Sub Bass 16' & Bourdon 8' (“Bass16+8”)

Principal Chorus 8' & Mixture IV' (“PC4+Mixt”)

ORGAN DIVISION DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Drawbar and Combo Organ Divisions have a number of effects that may be applied. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus (Stomp Pedal Style-separate from Hammond Chorus), Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PROCHORD

Hammond's exclusive Prochord feature is added to a number of sounds, on the Sk series. With it, you play a chord on lower keyboard (with the keyboard split function engaged on the Sk1/Sk1-73/Sk1-88, and on the actual lower keyboard of the Sk2) and by playing a single note on the upper keyboard, you will hear complex harmonic voicings based on the chord that you are playing. With this feature, you can instantly produce a foolproof, professional sounding "horn section", or other unique arrangements. This is not an "auto play" feature you might find on non-pro instruments, but a powerful tool that can add great color to your playing.

The instances of Prochord in conjuction with the Symphonic Strings Library voices add another component, that of leading voices in perfect enharmonic form. This allows you to create a rich, orchestral score “on the fly”, playing one finger with playing chords on the lower manual.

EXTRAVOICE PIANOS/CLAV/HARPSICHORD

Even at Hammond, we realize that Musicians don't live on Organ alone. There is a set of keyboard sounds that is basic to every genre of music, centered mostly on the Piano, acoustic and electric. Our goal in designing the Sk series was to create a foundation instrument providing the basic building blocks of a comprehensive keyboard rig, and that meant a serious Piano voice.

Acoustic Grand Piano

Our engineers meticulously developed the Sk's Acoustic Grand Piano with the target being the Yamaha C7 Grand, perhaps the most widely admired Acoustic Piano in the World. It was engineered to respond to every nuance a player could ask of it, through all styles of music. It also had to have a comfortable playing feel in sight of the Sk's Waterfall Keyboard which is a hallmark of Hammond Organs, and make an instant transition between "Organ Feel" and "Piano Feel" should the player make such a program change. One touch of the keyboard confirms and verifies the research and development that went into it. It's one of the best sounding and playing Pianos anywhere-with a genuine Hammond Organ a switch press away.

Electric Pianos

After the Acoustic Grand, the next essentials are a pair of instruments that also have found their way into most every corner of music, the Rhodes and Wurlitzer Electric Pianos. These electromechanical instruments are great as rhythm voices, but are equally hot in the solo spotlight. Especially adaptable for many DSP effects, these two voices are tonal chameleons. If you can't find something to play in a song, chances are a Rhodes or Wurlitzer will fill the void. The Sk features two variations of the Rhodes voice recalling their "Stage" and "Suitcase" models. Your playing velocity will reveal the depth of Hammond's engineering, as greater velocity will call the various "artifacts" and noises that come with this electromechanical instrument. The Wurlitzer Electric Piano used vibrating metal "reeds" in place of the "tines" used by the Rhodes. The Wurlitzer was lighter in weight and sound than the Rhodes, but only until the Amps were cranked up, then the Wurlitzer became a rock/funk/blues beast. All flavors of the Wurlitzer are available in the SK series. It is difficult now to think of a time when Digital Pianos were not widespread, but it wasn't long ago if you wanted the sound of a Piano, you either had to move one (insanity for a small band), or hope the venue had one (and it was well enough in tune…). In the late 70's and 80's, Yamaha came to the rescue with their ubiquitous CP-70 Electric Grand. Not quite a "real" Piano, but close enough; it became an iconic sound in and of itself. The Sk has captured this sound perfectly for your use. The other dominant keyboard sound in the 80's was the "FM piano", used in so many ballads and R&B songs. It, too is at your fingertips in the Sk's palette

Clavs

Hohner's Clavinet was essentially a solid body guitar played with a keyboard. It was a European curiosity for many years until artists like Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston got hold of it and made keyboard history. Funk, R&B and Disco were practically defined by its sound, most often heard with Phaser or AutoWah, usually both. Nearly every modern keyboard has a "Clav" stop, but few offer all the pickup positions and the wide range of sounds they cover. The Sk has all the combinations along with a CryBaby Wah model that morphs any volume pedal attached into a Wah Pedal.

Harpsichord

The Harpsichord may not be a first call Rock and Roll or Jazz instrument, but is an important part of many other genres. Like most of the Keyboards contained in the Sk, you are able to register the Sk's Harpsichord traditionally, with a Lute stop available.

Use An External MIDI Keyboard

You can hook up an external MIDI keyboard to the Sk, such as a weighted 88 note controller, assigning all the Pianos, etc., to that keyboard and maintain the Sk's keyboard as a dedicated Organ. This gives you a full keyboard rig that is very mobile, yet complete.

EXTRAVOICE ACCORDION

Like the Hammond Organ, the Accordion is an instrument found in many genres, with few modern keyboards accurately delivering the voice. The Sk features the entire range of a Suzuki 120 Accordion, with spot-on accurate and authentic registration capability. The unique symbols for Accordion registration appear in the display window, and a Musette setting is available as well.

EXTRAVOICE ORCHESTRAL AND SYNTH

The Sk is designed to be a comprehensive foundation keyboard, providing the "meat and potatoes" for any performance, but Hammond adds a selection of Orchestral and Synth Instruments for added versatility. Trumpet, Trombone, both also with Mute, Flute, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Sax are offered in solo and ensemble voicings. Glockenspiel and Vibraphone voices are also on the menu.

String Synth and Synth

A selection of String Synth and Traditional Synth voices are available on the Sk. Like all of the Sk's Extravoices, they may be played solo or in combination with any of the Drawbar, Pipe or Combo Organ tones.

EXTRAVOICE DOWNLOADABLE LIBRARY

The Sk's voice capability will continue to grow, at no extra cost to you. Library voices may be downloaded from the Hammond Website free of charge, and easily installed in your Sk. New voices will regularly be added to the website. Please refer to the Library section of this website for the list of Library voices available. Visit our Downloadable Library Page by Clicking HERE

EXTRAVOICE DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Extravoice division has a DSP independent from the Organ division. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus, Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

The Sk series has 100 Factory ROM Presets and 100 User-adjustable Presets. A Manual button on the control panel renders the entire control panel current. The ten buttons in the center of the control panel are assignable to any of the 200 presets for instant recall of your favorites. The same panel may be switched to a numeric input pad for direct selection of presets. The entire Sk setup may be saved to a common USB "Thumb Drive" for backup or restoration.

MIDI CONTROLLER

Up to three external MIDI zones may be controlled by the Sk, with all settings saved as a preset. You can play these external zones with or without the Sk voices sounding.

OTHER FEATURES

The Sk has an onboard Music Player that reads Mp3 or .WAV files stored on an attached USB "Thumb Drive", and plays the audio signal along with the SK's output through the Stereo ¼" outputs. A discrete volume control for the player and start/pause controls are located next to the Master Volume control. There is a system-wide reverb available, also a system-wide Equalizer. The Reverb parameters are saved within each preset, but the system-wide EQ is independent of the Presets, its settings remain unchanged regardless of Preset choice. System Upgrades are issued through this Website, and are installed via a USB "Thumb Drive".

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

EXP-20: Expression Pedal EXP-50: Expression Pedal XPK-100: 13-note MIDI pedal board XPK-200L: 20-note MIDI pedal board with long wooden pedals SK 25-note pedal board CU-1 Switch (SK2 only) SK1 Gig Bag SK1 ATA Case SK2 Gig Bag SK1-73 Gig Bag SK1-88 Gig Bag

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

SK1 - 3.5"H x 35"W x 12"L, 16 LBS SK1-73 - 3.5"H x 44.3"W x 12"L, 21 LBS SK1-88 - 3.5"H x 52"W x 12.5" L, 27 LBS SK2 - 6.75"H x 37.5"W x 18"L, 35 LBS

AT A GLANCE/BY THE NUMBERS:

GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC HAMMOND ORGAN

Authentic Chorus-Vibrato/Touch Response Percussion/Overdrive 12 HAMMOND MACRO PROFILES with 17 TWEAKABLE PARAMETERS 96 INDIVIDUALLY Adjustable, Voiceable Digital Tonewheels Create YOUR Perfect "B-3" From Showroom New to Road Worn Vintage

DIGITAL LESLIE™

8 LESLIE MACRO PROFILES:

Type 122
Type 147
Type 31H (or "TallBoy"-the first Leslie Speaker released in 1941)
Type 722 (Mid 70's "Home Organ" Model)
Type 760 (Late 70's Solid State "Combo" Model)
Type 825 (1970's Solid State Single Rotor Model)
ROCK TYPE (Early 70's Model 925 High-Power "Combo" Model)
PR-40 (Non-Rotary Vintage Hammond Tone Cabinet)

17 TWEAKABLE LESLIE PARAMETERS

Create YOUR Perfect Leslie-Store it in any of 8 User Profiles COMBINE THE HAMMOND ORGAN OF YOUR CHOICE WITH THE LESLIE OF YOUR CHOICE TO COMPLETE YOUR DREAM RIG! 1000's of Combinations Possible

32 RANKS OF AUTHENTIC PIPE ORGAN

Each Rank Adjustable for Custom Voicing

VOX AND FARFISA COMBO ORGANS

37 Hi-DEF Extravoices with 114 variations

Yamaha C-7 Acoustic Grand
Upright Acoustic Piano
Yamaha CP70 Electric Grand
Rhodes Suitcase Electric Piano
Rhodes Stage Electric Piano
Rhodes Bass
DX7 Piano Electric Piano
Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Harpsichord
Clavinet D6
Lowery Holiday Organ ("Lucy")
Clavioline ("Don't Run")
Vintage Hammond Extravoice ("Blue Star")
Suzuki A-120 Accordion
Vox Jaguar Organ
Trumpet
Mute Trumpet
Trombone
Mute Trombone
Flute
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Solina String
Hammond SX String
Synth String 1
Synth String 2
Synth sweep Pad
Synth square Lead
Sawtooth Lead
"Funny" (from vintage Japanese Organ)
Synth Harp.

EXPANDABLE LIBRARY WITH FREE VOICES FROM HAMMOND WEBSITE

100 USER (RAM) PRESETS/100 FACTORY (ROM) PRESETS
10 PROGRAMMABLE "RADIO BUTTON" FAVORITES FOR INSTANT RECALL
Mp3/.WAV PLAYER
DUAL INDEPENDENT DSP's FOR ORGAN AND EXTRAVOICES

DIGITAL TONEWHEEL GENERATOR

CHOOSING AN ORGAN

Laurens Hammond's original Organ (invented in 1935) had an intricate electro-mechanical mechanism that used 96 Quarter-sized wheels spinning on driveshafts powered by his patented synchronous motor. The wheels were notched according to pitch, and an electromagnetic pickup (much like that on an Electric Guitar) sensed those notches and rendered a musical note. The Drawbars combined those harmonic tones to produce the inimitable Hammond Organ sound.

The Modern Hammond Organ's Sk Series' VASE III "Engine" uses the exact model of Laurens Hammond's design, executing it in the digital realm, with no moving parts, retaining all of the nuances, imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the original. The wheels are always "spinning". When a note is played, the tones pass, just as water through a faucet. The random starts of each wave played allow for phase interaction, producing the rich tone so prized in the vintage Hammonds.

The Digital realization of Laurens Hammond's System allows sophisticated control of every facet. Each Digital Tonewheel can be voiced for Volume, Timbre, Motor Noise and Leakage; enabling the musician to tailor the Modern Hammond to match the characteristics of any Vintage Hammond, or to create their own vision. Twelve Macro Profiles allow the user to quickly select the most popular "kinds" of Hammond, from Showroom-New to Road-Worn Antique and all points between.

At our website, You may now download and install custom Tonewheel sets provided by some of our Artists, as well as other vintage Hammond Organs as cloned by our in-house expert staff.

CLASSIC HAMMOND COMPONENTS

The Tonewheel Generator wasn't the only great invention of Laurens Hammond, and no Hammond Organ would be complete without the full spectrum of ingredients that comprised Mr. Hammond's genius design.

DRAWBARS

Mr. Hammond used the Pipe Organ Design concept of "Unification" in creating the iconic Drawbars of his Electronic Organ. This concept allowed one or more keyboards to control the pitches of many pipes within one set or "rank" of pipes. Adopting the harmonic standards and nomenclature of the Pipe Organ, Mr. Hammond's design assured that any organist would be able to play his instrument without a steep learning curve. Unlike the Pipe Organ, Mr Hammond's design allowed variable volumes of each Harmonic represented by each drawbar. This variation gave the musician millions of combinations of harmonics, and assured that every Hammond player would be able to summon a unique voice. An extra level to the expression a Hammond Organist had at their fingertips was added because the Drawbars could be manipulated in real time. The Sk Series features real drawbars in the size, shape and configuration of Vintage Hammonds. The Drawbars also serve the Combo and Pipe Organ divisions, but with a slightly different function.

VIBRATO/CHORUS

One of the most distinctive parts of the Hammond sound is the shimmering "Chorus Vibrato". It adds a silken quality to the sound by adding a second, slightly detuned pitch to the original in the Chorus Mode, and repeat-modulating the pitch slightly in Vibrato mode. Mr. Hammond's original design used an electromechanical apparatus that looked much like the distributors you would find in the automobiles of the day, and ran off the same synchronous motor that powered the Tonewheel Generator. The Sk's Chorus-Vibrato is executed in the Digital Realm, without moving parts, and works under the same model. The classic V1/V2/V3/C1/C2/C3 controls are familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. As with the Tonewheel Generator, Digital control allows a wide range of adjustment that was simply not possible on the original. As the Antique organs aged, the components acquired their own unique qualities. Digital control allows the user to shape the Chorus/Vibrato's various facets, with the added ability to "age" the effect-with the resulting treble emphasis and subtle distortion that marks the organs that develop this patina as "sweeter" than others. The new “Mix” control allows you to temper or boost the Chorus/Vibrato creating the sound of a Vintage Hammond whose Chorus/Vibrato has dimmed with extensive use, or has grown overly intense through the years. These adjustments are saved per preset.

TOUCH-RESPONSE PERCUSSION

The chief feature of the Hammond B-3 upon its release in 1955 was the inclusion of Touch-Response Percussion™ (Perc). This effect added a high "attack" to the Organ tone at either the octave or the twelfth, with a fast note decay. This sound was reminiscent of an xylophone or clave, and became immensely popular, immediately. Perc gave the Organ a bright highlight, and every generation of music has embraced this sound. Controls for the Perc have the classic nomenclature, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. On the Sk series, Perc is executed in the Digital realm, allowing a wide range of controls the organists back in the day did not possess. The 1' drawbar muting, characteristic of the Vintage Organs can be defeated, as can the drop in Drawbar volume level that accompanied the engaging of the Percussion voice. You can control the volumes and decay times as well.

KEY CLICK:

In order that every key (and pedal) of Laurens Hammond's Organ could access every Tonewheel as predicated by the Drawbar settings, an electro-mechanical apparatus lurked behind the keyboards, with 9 contacts corresponding to each drawbar for that keyboard and a series of contacts attached to each key. As a key was depressed, the contacts sequentially touched, and the circuits were completed to produce the Organ tone registered by the Drawbars. The very nature of Electric circuitry dictated a click could be heard at the top of each note played when the current-carrying key contacts touched. Laurens Hammond considered that click to be a nuisance, and worked to no avail in order to rid his organ of that imperfection. The jazz players who embraced the Hammond Organ, however, found the click to be a percussive highlight, and wanted nothing to do with its eradication. To make matters worse, as the Vintage Hammonds aged, the click became more pronounced, and by the Rock and Roll era, Key Click assumed a role of importance that Laurens Hammond could never imagine. The Sk series allows you to adjust the intensity of the key ON click, and the key OFF click. The timbre of the click may also be adjusted. Mr. Hammond would have greatly approved of the Sk, as you can turn the click all the way off if you desire, creating a Vintage Hammond Organ that could not exist in the physical world.

THE "TONE" CONTROL:

The inclusion of this obscure feature demonstrates the commitment to authenticity Hammond has brought to the Sk Series. Inside the Vintage Hammond B-3, on one side of the tube preamp, there was a "Screwdriver Pot" with the engraved legend "Tone". It was introduced as a part of Mr. Hammond's crusade to temper "key click", but this was never made clear to the public. The "company line" was this control was to be adjusted by the Technician installing the organ in order to tame the treble response in the instance of the organ's installation in a Church or Mortuary, where a more "muted" organ was desired. The control was a cocktail of upper Mid and High frequencies (the proportions of which were, until recently, held secret.) The "Tone" control was basically a "hi cut" control and only went "down". That this control's presence and location were obscured goes a long way in explaining why there was such a variation in sound among Hammonds. Further, You could not direct the control to go "up" for "boost". The TONE control is included in the Sk's menu with the added benefit of being able to BOOST the unique blend of frequencies, which adds a nice "edge" to the Sk tone, if desired.

DIGITAL LESLIE

Chicago Engineer/Inventor Don Leslie bought a Hammond Organ not long after its introduction in 1935, but felt the instrument lacked the warmth of the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organs he so loved. The main difference between Church Pipe Organs and Theatre Organs was the deep Tremulant that took the edge off the Theatre Organ's pipes and made them emotionally "sob". Making use of an acoustic phenomenon called the "Doppler Effect", Mr. Leslie constructed a speaker cabinet that used a simple system of rotating horns and baffles to give the Hammond tone "motion" and "depth". This created a different instrument altogether, one that could play "Popular" music. Mr. Hammond intended his organ for the Church and Classical Music, looking at "Popular" Music with disdain-he wanted nothing to do with Mr. Leslie's invention when Mr. Leslie demonstrated it. The public however, took the combination of Hammond and Leslie to heart, and so it remains to this very day. It is difficult to think of one without the other, although Mr. Hammond never allowed Hammond Dealers to sell Leslie Speakers. After Mr. Hammond's death, the two companies became partners, and now Hammond owns and manufactures Leslie Speakers. For both Hammond and Leslie, the golden goal was to produce a Leslie that did not require motor-driven speakers, and the goal has been reached in the Sk series, with the finest Digital Leslie we have ever produced. Now the elusive effect can be had where space and mobility have heretofore denied it. As an added benefit to being produced in the Digital realm, many aspects of the effect can be adjusted and tailored to ones own taste and requirement. Slow and Fast Rotor speeds, "Ramp Up" and "Ramp Down" speeds, Speaker Size, Amp type, Virtual Mic Placement and other parameters may be combined into "Cabinet" Macros which then may be assigned to any Organ Preset. In addition, 8 factory Cabinets, comprising the most popular Leslie Models like the 122, 147, 760, Vintage 31-H, and others are available for instant choice. There is even a model of the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputsof the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputs

VINTAGE COMBO ORGANS:

At the dawn of the Rock and Roll age, many groups could not carry the 500 pound Hammond Console Organ and 450 pound Leslie Speaker. The advent of transistor electronics brought forth smaller, more affordable portable Organs. The Thomas Organ Company in the U.S. and Italy's Farfisa were at the vanguard of their design, and the Rock and Roll community embraced their instruments fervently. Thomas sold their Combo organs under the Vox name and their premier offerings were the "Continental" and the budget priced "Jaguar". Farfisa's organs became Rock icons, and the marque reached its height with its "Professional" model. The sound of the transistor Combo Organ never went out of style, and has even flourished in the "Indy" scene of the 21 ^st Century. The sounds of all three classic instruments are faithfully reproduced in the Sk series, with the ability to register them in the exact way you were able to on the originals. All three models employed a variation of Hammond's Drawbars, and an accompanying legend on the control panel marks the functions for each drawbar, for each model.

PIPE ORGAN DIVISION:

The compact Sk series has a mammoth heart, with the inclusion of 32 Digital Ranks of Classical (Church) Pipe Organ derived from our Flagship 935 Church Organ. The Pipe Organ division uses the Drawbars as Drawknobs to select the stops you choose. Now you can take this majestic sound wherever you desire, whether it is to accompany Worship, Perform Classical Organ Literature, or Practice with Headphones in your Dormitory Room. Progressive Rock groups have relied on the sounds of Classical Pipe Organs, and have had to compromise with the few inflexible samples contained in Synthesizers and Samplers, but now the sky is the limit with a Classical Pipe Organ that can be registered in the traditional manner. As is customary with Hammond, each rank of pipes may be voiced independently to the user's specification, and stored for instant recall.

Your Sk-series instrument has a total of 20 Pipe voices - nine (9) for the Upper Manual, nine (9) for the Lower Manual and two (2) for the Pedals. Below is a list of the voices and the screen abbreviations:

UPPER

Bourdon 16' (“Bourdn16”)

Open Diapason 8'' (“OpnDiap8”)

Gedeckt 8' (“Gedeckt8”)

Voix Celeste 8' (“VnCelst8”)

Octave 4' (“Octave 4”)

Flute Dolce 4' (“FlDolce4")

Flute 2' (“Flute 2”)

Mixture 3 ranks (“Mixt.III”)

Hautbois 8' (“Hautboi8”)

LOWER

Principal 16' (“Princi16”)

Principal 8' (“Princi 8”)

Melodia 8' (“Melodia8”)

Rohr Flute 8' (“RohrFl.8”)

Prestant 4' (“Prestnt4”)

Flute 4' (“Flute 4”)

Super Octave 2' (“SupOct 2”)

Mixture 4 ranks (“Mixt. IV”)

Trompette 8' (“Trompet8”)

PEDAL

Sub Bass 16' & Bourdon 8' (“Bass16+8”)

Principal Chorus 8' & Mixture IV' (“PC4+Mixt”)

ORGAN DIVISION DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Drawbar and Combo Organ Divisions have a number of effects that may be applied. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus (Stomp Pedal Style-separate from Hammond Chorus), Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PROCHORD

Hammond's exclusive Prochord feature is added to a number of sounds, on the Sk series. With it, you play a chord on lower keyboard (with the keyboard split function engaged on the Sk1/Sk1-73/Sk1-88, and on the actual lower keyboard of the Sk2) and by playing a single note on the upper keyboard, you will hear complex harmonic voicings based on the chord that you are playing. With this feature, you can instantly produce a foolproof, professional sounding "horn section", or other unique arrangements. This is not an "auto play" feature you might find on non-pro instruments, but a powerful tool that can add great color to your playing.

The instances of Prochord in conjuction with the Symphonic Strings Library voices add another component, that of leading voices in perfect enharmonic form. This allows you to create a rich, orchestral score “on the fly”, playing one finger with playing chords on the lower manual.

EXTRAVOICE PIANOS/CLAV/HARPSICHORD

Even at Hammond, we realize that Musicians don't live on Organ alone. There is a set of keyboard sounds that is basic to every genre of music, centered mostly on the Piano, acoustic and electric. Our goal in designing the Sk series was to create a foundation instrument providing the basic building blocks of a comprehensive keyboard rig, and that meant a serious Piano voice.

Acoustic Grand Piano

Our engineers meticulously developed the Sk's Acoustic Grand Piano with the target being the Yamaha C7 Grand, perhaps the most widely admired Acoustic Piano in the World. It was engineered to respond to every nuance a player could ask of it, through all styles of music. It also had to have a comfortable playing feel in sight of the Sk's Waterfall Keyboard which is a hallmark of Hammond Organs, and make an instant transition between "Organ Feel" and "Piano Feel" should the player make such a program change. One touch of the keyboard confirms and verifies the research and development that went into it. It's one of the best sounding and playing Pianos anywhere-with a genuine Hammond Organ a switch press away.

Electric Pianos

After the Acoustic Grand, the next essentials are a pair of instruments that also have found their way into most every corner of music, the Rhodes and Wurlitzer Electric Pianos. These electromechanical instruments are great as rhythm voices, but are equally hot in the solo spotlight. Especially adaptable for many DSP effects, these two voices are tonal chameleons. If you can't find something to play in a song, chances are a Rhodes or Wurlitzer will fill the void. The Sk features two variations of the Rhodes voice recalling their "Stage" and "Suitcase" models. Your playing velocity will reveal the depth of Hammond's engineering, as greater velocity will call the various "artifacts" and noises that come with this electromechanical instrument. The Wurlitzer Electric Piano used vibrating metal "reeds" in place of the "tines" used by the Rhodes. The Wurlitzer was lighter in weight and sound than the Rhodes, but only until the Amps were cranked up, then the Wurlitzer became a rock/funk/blues beast. All flavors of the Wurlitzer are available in the SK series. It is difficult now to think of a time when Digital Pianos were not widespread, but it wasn't long ago if you wanted the sound of a Piano, you either had to move one (insanity for a small band), or hope the venue had one (and it was well enough in tune…). In the late 70's and 80's, Yamaha came to the rescue with their ubiquitous CP-70 Electric Grand. Not quite a "real" Piano, but close enough; it became an iconic sound in and of itself. The Sk has captured this sound perfectly for your use. The other dominant keyboard sound in the 80's was the "FM piano", used in so many ballads and R&B songs. It, too is at your fingertips in the Sk's palette

Clavs

Hohner's Clavinet was essentially a solid body guitar played with a keyboard. It was a European curiosity for many years until artists like Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston got hold of it and made keyboard history. Funk, R&B and Disco were practically defined by its sound, most often heard with Phaser or AutoWah, usually both. Nearly every modern keyboard has a "Clav" stop, but few offer all the pickup positions and the wide range of sounds they cover. The Sk has all the combinations along with a CryBaby Wah model that morphs any volume pedal attached into a Wah Pedal.

Harpsichord

The Harpsichord may not be a first call Rock and Roll or Jazz instrument, but is an important part of many other genres. Like most of the Keyboards contained in the Sk, you are able to register the Sk's Harpsichord traditionally, with a Lute stop available.

Use An External MIDI Keyboard

You can hook up an external MIDI keyboard to the Sk, such as a weighted 88 note controller, assigning all the Pianos, etc., to that keyboard and maintain the Sk's keyboard as a dedicated Organ. This gives you a full keyboard rig that is very mobile, yet complete.

EXTRAVOICE ACCORDION

Like the Hammond Organ, the Accordion is an instrument found in many genres, with few modern keyboards accurately delivering the voice. The Sk features the entire range of a Suzuki 120 Accordion, with spot-on accurate and authentic registration capability. The unique symbols for Accordion registration appear in the display window, and a Musette setting is available as well.

EXTRAVOICE ORCHESTRAL AND SYNTH

The Sk is designed to be a comprehensive foundation keyboard, providing the "meat and potatoes" for any performance, but Hammond adds a selection of Orchestral and Synth Instruments for added versatility. Trumpet, Trombone, both also with Mute, Flute, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Sax are offered in solo and ensemble voicings. Glockenspiel and Vibraphone voices are also on the menu.

String Synth and Synth

A selection of String Synth and Traditional Synth voices are available on the Sk. Like all of the Sk's Extravoices, they may be played solo or in combination with any of the Drawbar, Pipe or Combo Organ tones.

EXTRAVOICE DOWNLOADABLE LIBRARY

The Sk's voice capability will continue to grow, at no extra cost to you. Library voices may be downloaded from the Hammond Website free of charge, and easily installed in your Sk. New voices will regularly be added to the website. Please refer to the Library section of this website for the list of Library voices available. Visit our Downloadable Library Page by Clicking HERE

EXTRAVOICE DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Extravoice division has a DSP independent from the Organ division. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus, Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

The Sk series has 100 Factory ROM Presets and 100 User-adjustable Presets. A Manual button on the control panel renders the entire control panel current. The ten buttons in the center of the control panel are assignable to any of the 200 presets for instant recall of your favorites. The same panel may be switched to a numeric input pad for direct selection of presets. The entire Sk setup may be saved to a common USB "Thumb Drive" for backup or restoration.

MIDI CONTROLLER

Up to three external MIDI zones may be controlled by the Sk, with all settings saved as a preset. You can play these external zones with or without the Sk voices sounding.

OTHER FEATURES

The Sk has an onboard Music Player that reads Mp3 or .WAV files stored on an attached USB "Thumb Drive", and plays the audio signal along with the SK's output through the Stereo ¼" outputs. A discrete volume control for the player and start/pause controls are located next to the Master Volume control. There is a system-wide reverb available, also a system-wide Equalizer. The Reverb parameters are saved within each preset, but the system-wide EQ is independent of the Presets, its settings remain unchanged regardless of Preset choice. System Upgrades are issued through this Website, and are installed via a USB "Thumb Drive".

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

EXP-20: Expression Pedal EXP-50: Expression Pedal XPK-100: 13-note MIDI pedal board XPK-200L: 20-note MIDI pedal board with long wooden pedals SK 25-note pedal board CU-1 Switch (SK2 only) SK1 Gig Bag SK1 ATA Case SK2 Gig Bag SK1-73 Gig Bag SK1-88 Gig Bag

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

SK1 - 3.5"H x 35"W x 12"L, 16 LBS SK1-73 - 3.5"H x 44.3"W x 12"L, 21 LBS SK1-88 - 3.5"H x 52"W x 12.5" L, 27 LBS SK2 - 6.75"H x 37.5"W x 18"L, 35 LBS

AT A GLANCE/BY THE NUMBERS:

GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC HAMMOND ORGAN

Authentic Chorus-Vibrato/Touch Response Percussion/Overdrive 12 HAMMOND MACRO PROFILES with 17 TWEAKABLE PARAMETERS 96 INDIVIDUALLY Adjustable, Voiceable Digital Tonewheels Create YOUR Perfect "B-3" From Showroom New to Road Worn Vintage

DIGITAL LESLIE™

8 LESLIE MACRO PROFILES:

Type 122
Type 147
Type 31H (or "TallBoy"-the first Leslie Speaker released in 1941)
Type 722 (Mid 70's "Home Organ" Model)
Type 760 (Late 70's Solid State "Combo" Model)
Type 825 (1970's Solid State Single Rotor Model)
ROCK TYPE (Early 70's Model 925 High-Power "Combo" Model)
PR-40 (Non-Rotary Vintage Hammond Tone Cabinet)

17 TWEAKABLE LESLIE PARAMETERS

Create YOUR Perfect Leslie-Store it in any of 8 User Profiles COMBINE THE HAMMOND ORGAN OF YOUR CHOICE WITH THE LESLIE OF YOUR CHOICE TO COMPLETE YOUR DREAM RIG! 1000's of Combinations Possible

32 RANKS OF AUTHENTIC PIPE ORGAN

Each Rank Adjustable for Custom Voicing

VOX AND FARFISA COMBO ORGANS

37 Hi-DEF Extravoices with 114 variations

Yamaha C-7 Acoustic Grand
Upright Acoustic Piano
Yamaha CP70 Electric Grand
Rhodes Suitcase Electric Piano
Rhodes Stage Electric Piano
Rhodes Bass
DX7 Piano Electric Piano
Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Harpsichord
Clavinet D6
Lowery Holiday Organ ("Lucy")
Clavioline ("Don't Run")
Vintage Hammond Extravoice ("Blue Star")
Suzuki A-120 Accordion
Vox Jaguar Organ
Trumpet
Mute Trumpet
Trombone
Mute Trombone
Flute
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Solina String
Hammond SX String
Synth String 1
Synth String 2
Synth sweep Pad
Synth square Lead
Sawtooth Lead
"Funny" (from vintage Japanese Organ)
Synth Harp.

EXPANDABLE LIBRARY WITH FREE VOICES FROM HAMMOND WEBSITE

100 USER (RAM) PRESETS/100 FACTORY (ROM) PRESETS
10 PROGRAMMABLE "RADIO BUTTON" FAVORITES FOR INSTANT RECALL
Mp3/.WAV PLAYER
DUAL INDEPENDENT DSP's FOR ORGAN AND EXTRAVOICES

DIGITAL TONEWHEEL GENERATOR

CHOOSING AN ORGAN

Laurens Hammond's original Organ (invented in 1935) had an intricate electro-mechanical mechanism that used 96 Quarter-sized wheels spinning on driveshafts powered by his patented synchronous motor. The wheels were notched according to pitch, and an electromagnetic pickup (much like that on an Electric Guitar) sensed those notches and rendered a musical note. The Drawbars combined those harmonic tones to produce the inimitable Hammond Organ sound.

The Modern Hammond Organ's Sk Series' VASE III "Engine" uses the exact model of Laurens Hammond's design, executing it in the digital realm, with no moving parts, retaining all of the nuances, imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the original. The wheels are always "spinning". When a note is played, the tones pass, just as water through a faucet. The random starts of each wave played allow for phase interaction, producing the rich tone so prized in the vintage Hammonds.

The Digital realization of Laurens Hammond's System allows sophisticated control of every facet. Each Digital Tonewheel can be voiced for Volume, Timbre, Motor Noise and Leakage; enabling the musician to tailor the Modern Hammond to match the characteristics of any Vintage Hammond, or to create their own vision. Twelve Macro Profiles allow the user to quickly select the most popular "kinds" of Hammond, from Showroom-New to Road-Worn Antique and all points between.

At our website, You may now download and install custom Tonewheel sets provided by some of our Artists, as well as other vintage Hammond Organs as cloned by our in-house expert staff.

CLASSIC HAMMOND COMPONENTS

The Tonewheel Generator wasn't the only great invention of Laurens Hammond, and no Hammond Organ would be complete without the full spectrum of ingredients that comprised Mr. Hammond's genius design.

DRAWBARS

Mr. Hammond used the Pipe Organ Design concept of "Unification" in creating the iconic Drawbars of his Electronic Organ. This concept allowed one or more keyboards to control the pitches of many pipes within one set or "rank" of pipes. Adopting the harmonic standards and nomenclature of the Pipe Organ, Mr. Hammond's design assured that any organist would be able to play his instrument without a steep learning curve. Unlike the Pipe Organ, Mr Hammond's design allowed variable volumes of each Harmonic represented by each drawbar. This variation gave the musician millions of combinations of harmonics, and assured that every Hammond player would be able to summon a unique voice. An extra level to the expression a Hammond Organist had at their fingertips was added because the Drawbars could be manipulated in real time. The Sk Series features real drawbars in the size, shape and configuration of Vintage Hammonds. The Drawbars also serve the Combo and Pipe Organ divisions, but with a slightly different function.

VIBRATO/CHORUS

One of the most distinctive parts of the Hammond sound is the shimmering "Chorus Vibrato". It adds a silken quality to the sound by adding a second, slightly detuned pitch to the original in the Chorus Mode, and repeat-modulating the pitch slightly in Vibrato mode. Mr. Hammond's original design used an electromechanical apparatus that looked much like the distributors you would find in the automobiles of the day, and ran off the same synchronous motor that powered the Tonewheel Generator. The Sk's Chorus-Vibrato is executed in the Digital Realm, without moving parts, and works under the same model. The classic V1/V2/V3/C1/C2/C3 controls are familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. As with the Tonewheel Generator, Digital control allows a wide range of adjustment that was simply not possible on the original. As the Antique organs aged, the components acquired their own unique qualities. Digital control allows the user to shape the Chorus/Vibrato's various facets, with the added ability to "age" the effect-with the resulting treble emphasis and subtle distortion that marks the organs that develop this patina as "sweeter" than others. The new “Mix” control allows you to temper or boost the Chorus/Vibrato creating the sound of a Vintage Hammond whose Chorus/Vibrato has dimmed with extensive use, or has grown overly intense through the years. These adjustments are saved per preset.

TOUCH-RESPONSE PERCUSSION

The chief feature of the Hammond B-3 upon its release in 1955 was the inclusion of Touch-Response Percussion™ (Perc). This effect added a high "attack" to the Organ tone at either the octave or the twelfth, with a fast note decay. This sound was reminiscent of an xylophone or clave, and became immensely popular, immediately. Perc gave the Organ a bright highlight, and every generation of music has embraced this sound. Controls for the Perc have the classic nomenclature, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. On the Sk series, Perc is executed in the Digital realm, allowing a wide range of controls the organists back in the day did not possess. The 1' drawbar muting, characteristic of the Vintage Organs can be defeated, as can the drop in Drawbar volume level that accompanied the engaging of the Percussion voice. You can control the volumes and decay times as well.

KEY CLICK:

In order that every key (and pedal) of Laurens Hammond's Organ could access every Tonewheel as predicated by the Drawbar settings, an electro-mechanical apparatus lurked behind the keyboards, with 9 contacts corresponding to each drawbar for that keyboard and a series of contacts attached to each key. As a key was depressed, the contacts sequentially touched, and the circuits were completed to produce the Organ tone registered by the Drawbars. The very nature of Electric circuitry dictated a click could be heard at the top of each note played when the current-carrying key contacts touched. Laurens Hammond considered that click to be a nuisance, and worked to no avail in order to rid his organ of that imperfection. The jazz players who embraced the Hammond Organ, however, found the click to be a percussive highlight, and wanted nothing to do with its eradication. To make matters worse, as the Vintage Hammonds aged, the click became more pronounced, and by the Rock and Roll era, Key Click assumed a role of importance that Laurens Hammond could never imagine. The Sk series allows you to adjust the intensity of the key ON click, and the key OFF click. The timbre of the click may also be adjusted. Mr. Hammond would have greatly approved of the Sk, as you can turn the click all the way off if you desire, creating a Vintage Hammond Organ that could not exist in the physical world.

THE "TONE" CONTROL:

The inclusion of this obscure feature demonstrates the commitment to authenticity Hammond has brought to the Sk Series. Inside the Vintage Hammond B-3, on one side of the tube preamp, there was a "Screwdriver Pot" with the engraved legend "Tone". It was introduced as a part of Mr. Hammond's crusade to temper "key click", but this was never made clear to the public. The "company line" was this control was to be adjusted by the Technician installing the organ in order to tame the treble response in the instance of the organ's installation in a Church or Mortuary, where a more "muted" organ was desired. The control was a cocktail of upper Mid and High frequencies (the proportions of which were, until recently, held secret.) The "Tone" control was basically a "hi cut" control and only went "down". That this control's presence and location were obscured goes a long way in explaining why there was such a variation in sound among Hammonds. Further, You could not direct the control to go "up" for "boost". The TONE control is included in the Sk's menu with the added benefit of being able to BOOST the unique blend of frequencies, which adds a nice "edge" to the Sk tone, if desired.

DIGITAL LESLIE

Chicago Engineer/Inventor Don Leslie bought a Hammond Organ not long after its introduction in 1935, but felt the instrument lacked the warmth of the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organs he so loved. The main difference between Church Pipe Organs and Theatre Organs was the deep Tremulant that took the edge off the Theatre Organ's pipes and made them emotionally "sob". Making use of an acoustic phenomenon called the "Doppler Effect", Mr. Leslie constructed a speaker cabinet that used a simple system of rotating horns and baffles to give the Hammond tone "motion" and "depth". This created a different instrument altogether, one that could play "Popular" music. Mr. Hammond intended his organ for the Church and Classical Music, looking at "Popular" Music with disdain-he wanted nothing to do with Mr. Leslie's invention when Mr. Leslie demonstrated it. The public however, took the combination of Hammond and Leslie to heart, and so it remains to this very day. It is difficult to think of one without the other, although Mr. Hammond never allowed Hammond Dealers to sell Leslie Speakers. After Mr. Hammond's death, the two companies became partners, and now Hammond owns and manufactures Leslie Speakers. For both Hammond and Leslie, the golden goal was to produce a Leslie that did not require motor-driven speakers, and the goal has been reached in the Sk series, with the finest Digital Leslie we have ever produced. Now the elusive effect can be had where space and mobility have heretofore denied it. As an added benefit to being produced in the Digital realm, many aspects of the effect can be adjusted and tailored to ones own taste and requirement. Slow and Fast Rotor speeds, "Ramp Up" and "Ramp Down" speeds, Speaker Size, Amp type, Virtual Mic Placement and other parameters may be combined into "Cabinet" Macros which then may be assigned to any Organ Preset. In addition, 8 factory Cabinets, comprising the most popular Leslie Models like the 122, 147, 760, Vintage 31-H, and others are available for instant choice. There is even a model of the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputsof the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputs

VINTAGE COMBO ORGANS:

At the dawn of the Rock and Roll age, many groups could not carry the 500 pound Hammond Console Organ and 450 pound Leslie Speaker. The advent of transistor electronics brought forth smaller, more affordable portable Organs. The Thomas Organ Company in the U.S. and Italy's Farfisa were at the vanguard of their design, and the Rock and Roll community embraced their instruments fervently. Thomas sold their Combo organs under the Vox name and their premier offerings were the "Continental" and the budget priced "Jaguar". Farfisa's organs became Rock icons, and the marque reached its height with its "Professional" model. The sound of the transistor Combo Organ never went out of style, and has even flourished in the "Indy" scene of the 21 ^st Century. The sounds of all three classic instruments are faithfully reproduced in the Sk series, with the ability to register them in the exact way you were able to on the originals. All three models employed a variation of Hammond's Drawbars, and an accompanying legend on the control panel marks the functions for each drawbar, for each model.

PIPE ORGAN DIVISION:

The compact Sk series has a mammoth heart, with the inclusion of 32 Digital Ranks of Classical (Church) Pipe Organ derived from our Flagship 935 Church Organ. The Pipe Organ division uses the Drawbars as Drawknobs to select the stops you choose. Now you can take this majestic sound wherever you desire, whether it is to accompany Worship, Perform Classical Organ Literature, or Practice with Headphones in your Dormitory Room. Progressive Rock groups have relied on the sounds of Classical Pipe Organs, and have had to compromise with the few inflexible samples contained in Synthesizers and Samplers, but now the sky is the limit with a Classical Pipe Organ that can be registered in the traditional manner. As is customary with Hammond, each rank of pipes may be voiced independently to the user's specification, and stored for instant recall.

Your Sk-series instrument has a total of 20 Pipe voices - nine (9) for the Upper Manual, nine (9) for the Lower Manual and two (2) for the Pedals. Below is a list of the voices and the screen abbreviations:

UPPER

Bourdon 16' (“Bourdn16”)

Open Diapason 8'' (“OpnDiap8”)

Gedeckt 8' (“Gedeckt8”)

Voix Celeste 8' (“VnCelst8”)

Octave 4' (“Octave 4”)

Flute Dolce 4' (“FlDolce4")

Flute 2' (“Flute 2”)

Mixture 3 ranks (“Mixt.III”)

Hautbois 8' (“Hautboi8”)

LOWER

Principal 16' (“Princi16”)

Principal 8' (“Princi 8”)

Melodia 8' (“Melodia8”)

Rohr Flute 8' (“RohrFl.8”)

Prestant 4' (“Prestnt4”)

Flute 4' (“Flute 4”)

Super Octave 2' (“SupOct 2”)

Mixture 4 ranks (“Mixt. IV”)

Trompette 8' (“Trompet8”)

PEDAL

Sub Bass 16' & Bourdon 8' (“Bass16+8”)

Principal Chorus 8' & Mixture IV' (“PC4+Mixt”)

ORGAN DIVISION DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Drawbar and Combo Organ Divisions have a number of effects that may be applied. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus (Stomp Pedal Style-separate from Hammond Chorus), Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PROCHORD

Hammond's exclusive Prochord feature is added to a number of sounds, on the Sk series. With it, you play a chord on lower keyboard (with the keyboard split function engaged on the Sk1/Sk1-73/Sk1-88, and on the actual lower keyboard of the Sk2) and by playing a single note on the upper keyboard, you will hear complex harmonic voicings based on the chord that you are playing. With this feature, you can instantly produce a foolproof, professional sounding "horn section", or other unique arrangements. This is not an "auto play" feature you might find on non-pro instruments, but a powerful tool that can add great color to your playing.

The instances of Prochord in conjuction with the Symphonic Strings Library voices add another component, that of leading voices in perfect enharmonic form. This allows you to create a rich, orchestral score “on the fly”, playing one finger with playing chords on the lower manual.

EXTRAVOICE PIANOS/CLAV/HARPSICHORD

Even at Hammond, we realize that Musicians don't live on Organ alone. There is a set of keyboard sounds that is basic to every genre of music, centered mostly on the Piano, acoustic and electric. Our goal in designing the Sk series was to create a foundation instrument providing the basic building blocks of a comprehensive keyboard rig, and that meant a serious Piano voice.

Acoustic Grand Piano

Our engineers meticulously developed the Sk's Acoustic Grand Piano with the target being the Yamaha C7 Grand, perhaps the most widely admired Acoustic Piano in the World. It was engineered to respond to every nuance a player could ask of it, through all styles of music. It also had to have a comfortable playing feel in sight of the Sk's Waterfall Keyboard which is a hallmark of Hammond Organs, and make an instant transition between "Organ Feel" and "Piano Feel" should the player make such a program change. One touch of the keyboard confirms and verifies the research and development that went into it. It's one of the best sounding and playing Pianos anywhere-with a genuine Hammond Organ a switch press away.

Electric Pianos

After the Acoustic Grand, the next essentials are a pair of instruments that also have found their way into most every corner of music, the Rhodes and Wurlitzer Electric Pianos. These electromechanical instruments are great as rhythm voices, but are equally hot in the solo spotlight. Especially adaptable for many DSP effects, these two voices are tonal chameleons. If you can't find something to play in a song, chances are a Rhodes or Wurlitzer will fill the void. The Sk features two variations of the Rhodes voice recalling their "Stage" and "Suitcase" models. Your playing velocity will reveal the depth of Hammond's engineering, as greater velocity will call the various "artifacts" and noises that come with this electromechanical instrument. The Wurlitzer Electric Piano used vibrating metal "reeds" in place of the "tines" used by the Rhodes. The Wurlitzer was lighter in weight and sound than the Rhodes, but only until the Amps were cranked up, then the Wurlitzer became a rock/funk/blues beast. All flavors of the Wurlitzer are available in the SK series. It is difficult now to think of a time when Digital Pianos were not widespread, but it wasn't long ago if you wanted the sound of a Piano, you either had to move one (insanity for a small band), or hope the venue had one (and it was well enough in tune…). In the late 70's and 80's, Yamaha came to the rescue with their ubiquitous CP-70 Electric Grand. Not quite a "real" Piano, but close enough; it became an iconic sound in and of itself. The Sk has captured this sound perfectly for your use. The other dominant keyboard sound in the 80's was the "FM piano", used in so many ballads and R&B songs. It, too is at your fingertips in the Sk's palette

Clavs

Hohner's Clavinet was essentially a solid body guitar played with a keyboard. It was a European curiosity for many years until artists like Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston got hold of it and made keyboard history. Funk, R&B and Disco were practically defined by its sound, most often heard with Phaser or AutoWah, usually both. Nearly every modern keyboard has a "Clav" stop, but few offer all the pickup positions and the wide range of sounds they cover. The Sk has all the combinations along with a CryBaby Wah model that morphs any volume pedal attached into a Wah Pedal.

Harpsichord

The Harpsichord may not be a first call Rock and Roll or Jazz instrument, but is an important part of many other genres. Like most of the Keyboards contained in the Sk, you are able to register the Sk's Harpsichord traditionally, with a Lute stop available.

Use An External MIDI Keyboard

You can hook up an external MIDI keyboard to the Sk, such as a weighted 88 note controller, assigning all the Pianos, etc., to that keyboard and maintain the Sk's keyboard as a dedicated Organ. This gives you a full keyboard rig that is very mobile, yet complete.

EXTRAVOICE ACCORDION

Like the Hammond Organ, the Accordion is an instrument found in many genres, with few modern keyboards accurately delivering the voice. The Sk features the entire range of a Suzuki 120 Accordion, with spot-on accurate and authentic registration capability. The unique symbols for Accordion registration appear in the display window, and a Musette setting is available as well.

EXTRAVOICE ORCHESTRAL AND SYNTH

The Sk is designed to be a comprehensive foundation keyboard, providing the "meat and potatoes" for any performance, but Hammond adds a selection of Orchestral and Synth Instruments for added versatility. Trumpet, Trombone, both also with Mute, Flute, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Sax are offered in solo and ensemble voicings. Glockenspiel and Vibraphone voices are also on the menu.

String Synth and Synth

A selection of String Synth and Traditional Synth voices are available on the Sk. Like all of the Sk's Extravoices, they may be played solo or in combination with any of the Drawbar, Pipe or Combo Organ tones.

EXTRAVOICE DOWNLOADABLE LIBRARY

The Sk's voice capability will continue to grow, at no extra cost to you. Library voices may be downloaded from the Hammond Website free of charge, and easily installed in your Sk. New voices will regularly be added to the website. Please refer to the Library section of this website for the list of Library voices available. Visit our Downloadable Library Page by Clicking HERE

EXTRAVOICE DSP AND OTHER FEATURES

The Extravoice division has a DSP independent from the Organ division. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus, Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

PRESET, FAVORITES, AND BACKUP

The Sk series has 100 Factory ROM Presets and 100 User-adjustable Presets. A Manual button on the control panel renders the entire control panel current. The ten buttons in the center of the control panel are assignable to any of the 200 presets for instant recall of your favorites. The same panel may be switched to a numeric input pad for direct selection of presets. The entire Sk setup may be saved to a common USB "Thumb Drive" for backup or restoration.

MIDI CONTROLLER

Up to three external MIDI zones may be controlled by the Sk, with all settings saved as a preset. You can play these external zones with or without the Sk voices sounding.

OTHER FEATURES

The Sk has an onboard Music Player that reads Mp3 or .WAV files stored on an attached USB "Thumb Drive", and plays the audio signal along with the SK's output through the Stereo ¼" outputs. A discrete volume control for the player and start/pause controls are located next to the Master Volume control. There is a system-wide reverb available, also a system-wide Equalizer. The Reverb parameters are saved within each preset, but the system-wide EQ is independent of the Presets, its settings remain unchanged regardless of Preset choice. System Upgrades are issued through this Website, and are installed via a USB "Thumb Drive".

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

EXP-20: Expression Pedal EXP-50: Expression Pedal XPK-100: 13-note MIDI pedal board XPK-200L: 20-note MIDI pedal board with long wooden pedals SK 25-note pedal board CU-1 Switch (SK2 only) SK1 Gig Bag SK1 ATA Case SK2 Gig Bag SK1-73 Gig Bag SK1-88 Gig Bag

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

SK1 - 3.5"H x 35"W x 12"L, 16 LBS SK1-73 - 3.5"H x 44.3"W x 12"L, 21 LBS SK1-88 - 3.5"H x 52"W x 12.5" L, 27 LBS SK2 - 6.75"H x 37.5"W x 18"L, 35 LBS

Sound Generator

Drawbars
2- VASE III (61 note polyphony)
Extra Voice
80 note polyphony

Manuals and Pedalboard

Manuals
Swell C1 to C6 61-key
Great C1 to C6 61-key
Pedalboard
25-note, radiating, detachable

Harmonic Drawbars

Swell 9 Pitches, Great 9 Pitches, Pedal 2 Pitches
Drawbar Voicing – Manual 5 choices
Drawbar Voicing – Pedals 4 choices

Touch-Response Percussion

Buttons
Second Harmonic, Third Harmonic, Fast Decay, Volume Soft
Adjustable Parameters
Touch, Velocity, Decay (Fast, Slow), Level (Normal, Soft)

Extra Voice

Instruments
880 Instruments, 56 Drum Kits, General MIDI upper compatible
Parts
1 Part per keyboard

Effects

Internal Leslie
Advanced Digital, 2 Rotors Buttons, On, Fast
Vibrato and Chorus
Digital Scanner,
Rotary Mode Knob: V1, V2, V3, C1, C2, C3
Buttons: Swell On, Great On,
Overdrive
Advanced Digital
Equalizer
Drawbars: Bass, Mid & Treble tone
Extra Voice: Bass, Mid & Treble tone
Reverb
Continuously Variable, Digital 10 programs
Pedal Sustain
5 lengths
Button: Pedal Sustain On

Tuning

430 – 450 1Hz. Steps

Transpose

-6 to +6 semitones

Coupler (Buttons)

Pedal to Great, Great to Pedal

Combination Presets

9 Banks, 9 Presets

Controller

Volumes
Master Volume, External Volume, Extra Voice Volume
Wheels
Pitch Bend, Modulation
Pedal
Expression Pedal with 1 Foot Switch

Sequencer

SMF compatible Sequence Recorder with Simple Rhythm Player

Storage

Compact Card Slot

Display

20-Characters, 2-lines, 9 control buttons

MIDI

Templates: 3 Templates External Zones: 1 Zone per Keyboard

Connections

MIDI
In (Keyboard), In (Multi), Out
MIDI Templates: 3 Templates External Zones: 1 Zone per Keyboard
Audio
Line In, L, R, Line Out, L, R,Headphones
Leslie
11-pin, 1 to 3 channels available

Sound System

Amplification
3 – 50 watt RMS amplifiers
Speakers
2 – 2” tweeters, 8” & 6” full range,15” woofer

Cabinet

Red Walnut w/ Walnut Veneer

Dimensions and Weight

Closed, without pedal keyboard
37 3/4” (H) x 46 1/4” (W) x 26” (D)
Console and Bench & Pedalboard 277 lbs

Sound Generator

Drawbars
2 - VASE III as Digital Tone-wheels, 61 polyphony

Keyboards

Swell: 73 (C1 to C6 61-key + Preset keys)
Great: 73 (C1 to C6 61-key + 12 Preset keys)
Pedal: 25-note radiating, detachable

Harmonic Drawbars

Drawbars
Swell: 9 Pitches
Great: 9 Pitches
Pedal: 2 Pitches
Voicing
Manuals: 5 choices (B-Type1, B-Type2, Mellow, Brite, Sawtooth), variable key click
Pedal: 4 choices (Normal, Muted, Synth1, Synth2), 5 choices key-click

Touch Response Percussion

Buttons
Second, Third, Fast, Soft
Adjustable
Touch, Velocity, Decay (Fast, Slow), Level (Normal, Soft)

Effects

Internal Leslie
Advanced Digital, 2 Rotors; Buttons: Bypass, Stop, Fast
Vibrato and Chorus
Digital Scanner, Rotary Mode Knob: V1, V2, V3, C1, C2, C3, Buttons: Swell On, Great On
Overdrive
Digital
Equalizer
Bass, Mid (sweep), Treble, Tone Reverb
Digital, 11 programs
Sustain
Pedal Drawbars

Tuning

Master
430-450, 1 Hz Steps
Transpose
-6 to +6 semitones

Coupler

Functions
Pedal to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal
Adjustable
Highest Note

Presets

Capacity
12 Banks, 11 Presets per manual keyboard
Preset Load Option
Drawbar Registration, Drawbar Parameters, Percussion, Internal Zone, External Zone, EQ/Reverb, Animation, Overdrive

Controllers

Volumes
Master Volume, External Leslie Volume
Pedal
Expression Pedal w/1 - Footswitch

Storage

CompactFlash Card Slot

Display

20 - Characters, 2 - Lines
9 Control Buttons, Value Knob

MIDI

Templates
3 Templates
Internal Zones
1 Zone per keyboard
External Zones
1 Zone per keyboard

Connections

MIDI
In, Out
Audio
Line In L, R, Microphone In w/Volume control, Line Out L, R, Headphones
Leslie
11-pin, 1 to 3 channels available
Other
Foot Switch (optional CU-1 console switch)

Sound System

Amplification
3 - 50 watt RMS amplifier
Speakers
8” and 6” Full Range, 15” Woofer

Cabinet

Red Walnut w/ Maple Veneer

Dimensions

Without music rack & pedalboard
38" (H) x 47" (W) x 25.5" (D)
With music rack & pedalboard
45" (H) x 47" (W) x 36.5" (D)

Weight

Console
200 lbs
Pedalboard
76 lbs
Bench
42 lbs

AT A GLANCE/BY THE NUMBER

GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC HAMMOND B-3 ORGAN

With the Exact Proportions and Controls of the Vintage Instrument

96 INDIVIDUALLY Adjustable, Voiceable Digital Tonewheels

Create YOUR Perfect "B-3" From Showroom New to Road Worn Vintage

CLASSIC “BUSS BAR” 9 CONTACT MECHANICAL KEYING

AUTHENTIC CHORUS-VIBRATO “DIGITAL SCANNER”

TOUCH RESPONSE PERCUSSION

3 HAMMOND CUSTOM DRAWBAR PROFILES with USER-TWEAKABLE PARAMETERS

DIGITAL LESLIE™

9 LESLIE PROFILES:

Type 122

Type 147

Type 31H (or "TallBoy"-the first Leslie Speaker released in 1941)

Type 722 (Mid 70's "Home Organ" Model)

Type 760 (Late 70's Solid State "Combo" Model)

Type 825 (1970's Solid State Single Rotor Model)

ROCK TYPE (Early 70's Model 925 High-Power "Combo" Model)

TYPE 21-H (Predecessor of Model 122)

COMBINE THE HAMMOND ORGAN OF YOUR CHOICE WITH THE LESLIE OF YOUR CHOICE TO COMPLETE YOUR DREAM RIG!

1000's of Combinations Possible

REVERSE COLOR, LATCHING Vintage B-3-Style PRESETS, with 5 Banks containing 9 presets. (A# and B♮ call the current drawbar settings-C is Cancel)

REAL TUBE PREAMP provides warmth and overdrive characteristics

Comprehensive MIDI Controller functions with 9 external zones
(3 Upper Keyboard/3 Lower Keyboard and 3 Pedal)

DIGITAL TONE WHEEL GENERATOR

Laurens Hammond's original Organ (invented in 1935) had an intricate electro-mechanical mechanism that used 96 Quarter-sized wheels spinning on driveshafts powered by his patented synchronous motor. The wheels were notched according to pitch, and an electromagnetic pickup (much like that on an Eelectric Guitar) sensed those notches and rendered a musical note. The Drawbars combined those harmonic tones to produce the inimitable Hammond Organ sound.

Hammond's adherence to quality has allowed many vintage instruments to remain vital today, and they are among the most desired and imitated musical instruments ever, but at a high cost. The Electromechanical Hammonds require expensive maintenance, regular doses of oil, and were of great weight; not easy to move at all.

The B-3mk2’s DTW1 "Engine" uses the exact model of Laurens Hammond's design, executing it in the digital realm, with no moving parts, retaining all of the nuances, imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the original. The wheels are always "spinning". When a note is played, the tones pass, just as water through a faucet. The random starts of each wave played allow for phase interaction, producing the rich tone so prized in the vintage Hammonds.

The Digital realization of Laurens Hammond's System allows sophisticated control of every facet. Each Digital Tonewheel can be voiced for Volume, Timbre, Motor Noise and Leakage; enabling the musician to tailor the Modern Hammond to match the characteristics of any Vintage Hammond, or to create their own vision. A variety of Macro Profiles allow the user to quickly select the most popular "kinds" of Hammond, from Showroom-New to Road-Worn Antique and all points between.

CLASSIC HAMMOND COMPONENTS

The Tonewheel Generator wasn't the only great invention of Laurens Hammond, and no Hammond Organ would be complete without the full spectrum of ingredients that comprised Mr. Hammond's genius design.

DRAWBARS:

Mr. Hammond used the Pipe Organ Design concept of "Unification" in creating the iconic Drawbars of his Electronic Organ. This concept allowed one or more keyboards to control the pitches of many pipes within one set or "rank" of pipes. Adopting the harmonic standards and nomenclature of the Pipe Organ, Mr. Hammond's design assured that any organist would be able to play his instrument without a steep learning curve. Unlike the Pipe Organ, Mr Hammond's design allowed variable volumes of each Harmonic represented by each drawbar. This variation gave the musician millions of combinations of harmonics, and assured that every Hammond player would be able to summon a unique voice. An extra level to the expression a Hammond Organist had at their fingertips was added because the Drawbars could be manipulated in real time. The B-3mk2 features 4 sets of real drawbars in the size, shape and configuration of Vintage Hammonds.

VIBRATO/CHORUS:

One of the most distinctive parts of the Hammond sound is the shimmering "Chorus Vibrato". It adds a silken quality to the sound by adding a second, slightly detuned pitch to the original in the Chorus Mode, and repeat-modulating the pitch slightly in Vibrato mode. Few musicians realize the Chorus effect pedal widely used for Guitars and Electric Pianos had its genesis as a component of the Hammond Organ. Mr. Hammond's original design used an electromechanical apparatus that looked much like the distributors you would find in the automobiles of the day, and ran off the same synchronous motor that powered the Tonewheel Generator. The B-3mk2’s Chorus-Vibrato is executed in the Digital Realm, without moving parts, and works under the same model. The classic V1/V2/V3/C1/C2/C3 controls are familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. As with the Tonewheel Generator, Digital control allows a wide range of adjustment that was simply not possible on the original. As the Antique organs aged, the components acquired their own unique qualities. Digital control allows the user to shape the Chorus/Vibrato's various facets, with the added ability to "age" the effect-with the resulting treble emphasis and subtle distortion that marks the organs that develop this patina as "sweeter" than others.

TOUCH-RESPONSE PERCUSSION™

The chief feature of the Hammond B-3 upon its release in 1955 was the inclusion of Touch-Response Percussion™ (Perc). This effect added a high "attack" to the Organ tone at either the octave or the twelfth, with a fast note decay. This sound was reminiscent of an xylophone or clave, and became immensely popular, immediately. Perc gave the Organ a bright highlight, and every generation of music has embraced this sound. Controls for the Perc have the classic nomenclature, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. On the B-3mk2, Perc is executed in the Digital realm, allowing a wide range of controls the organists back in the day did not possess. The 1' drawbar muting, characteristic of the Vintage Organs can be defeated, as can the drop in Drawbar volume level that accompanied the engaging of the Percussion voice. You can control the volumes and decay times as well.

KEY CLICK:

The Key Click you hear on the B-3mk2 is natural, originating in the Mechanical Buss-Bar Keying System, as it was in Vintage Hammond Organs. This Key Click is not adjustable, and as the B-3mk2 ages, the Key Click will do so as well in the same manner as the Vintage Models.

THE "TONE" CONTROL:

The inclusion of this obscure feature demonstrates the commitment to authenticity Hammond has brought to the B-3 mkII. Inside the Vintage Hammond B-3, on one side of the tube preamp, there was a "Screwdriver Pot" with the engraved legend "Tone". This control was adjusted by the Technician installing the organ in order to tame the treble response in the instance of the organ's installation in a Church or Mortuary, where a more muted organ was desired. The control was a cocktail of upper Mid and High frequencies (the proportions of which were, until recently, held secret. The "Tone" control was basically a "hi cut" control and only went "down". You could not direct the control to go "up" for "boost". The TONE control is included in the B-3mk2's menu with the added benefit of being able to BOOST the unique blend of frequencies, which adds a nice "edge" to the Organ tone, if desired.

DIGITAL LESLIE™

Chicago Engineer/Inventor Don Leslie bought a Hammond Organ not long after its introduction in 1935, but felt the instrument lacked the warmth of the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organs he so loved. The main difference between Church Pipe Organs and Theatre Organs was the deep Tremulant that took the edge off the Theatre Organ's pipes and made them emotionally "sob". Making use of an acoustic phenomenon called the "Doppler Effect", Mr. Leslie constructed a speaker cabinet that used a simple system of rotating horns and baffles to give the Hammond tone "motion" and "depth". This created a different instrument altogether, one that could play "Popular" music. Mr. Hammond intended his organ for the Church and Classical Music, looking at "Popular" Music with disdain-he wanted nothing to do with Mr. Leslie's invention when Mr. Leslie demonstrated it. The public however, took the combination of Hammond and Leslie to heart, and so it remains to this very day. It is difficult to think of one without the other, although Mr. Hammond never allowed Hammond Dealers to sell Leslie Speakers. After Mr. Hammond's death, the two companies became partners, and now Hammond owns and manufactures Leslie Speakers. For both Hammond and Leslie, the golden goal was to produce a Leslie that did not require motor-driven speakers, and the goal has been reached in the B-3mk2, with the finest Digital Leslie we have ever produced. The elusive effect can now be had where space and mobility have heretofore denied it. As an added benefit to being produced in the Digital realm, many aspects of the effect can be adjusted and tailored to ones own taste and requirement. Slow and Fast Rotor speeds, "Ramp Up" and "Ramp Down" speeds, Speaker Size, Amp type, Virtual Mic Placement and other parameters may be combined into "Cabinet" Macros which then may be assigned to any Organ Preset. In addition, 9 factory Cabinets, comprising the most popular Leslie Models like the 122, 147, 760, Vintage 31-H, and others are available for instant choice.

PRESETS AND BACKUP

The B-3mk2 has 5 banks of 9 presets each, controlled by the Traditional "Reverse color" Preset keys at the lower end of each Manual. The entire B-3mk2 setup may be saved to a common CF Flash card for backup or restoration.

MIDI CONTROLLER

9 external MIDI zones may be controlled by the B-3mk2, with all settings saved as a preset. You can play these external zones with or without the B-3mk2 voices sounding..

WEIGHT(including Pedal & Bench)

Console
293 lbs

DIMENSIONS (Opened)

48 3/4” (W) x 29” (D) x 38 3/8” (H)

LOCKING KEYBOARD COVER

Included

CABINET FINISH

Red Walnut w/ Walnut Veneer

OPTIONAL ACCESSORY

Main/Echo Switch

Keyboard

61-note Keyboard x 2 and a 25-note pedal keyboard

Preset Key

12 keys, Mechanical Latch

Preset Memory

Internal memory, CF card

Keying Method

Direct Analog Keying

Polyphony

Full Polyphony (Upper & Lower)/8 notes Polyphony (Pedal)

Generator for Upper & Lower Manual Key Generator for Pedal

96 digital tone-wheels (Btype1, Btype2, Mellow)
Level is adjustable wheel by wheel for 96 tone wheels
VASE III (Muted, Normal, Synth 1, Synth2)
Normal timbre is adjustable by drawbar’s composite system.

Swell Drawbars

9 pitches, 2 sets

Great Drawbars

9 pitches, 2 sets

Pedal Drawbars

2 pitches

Vibrato / Chorus

V1, V2, V3, C1, C2, C3, (programmable), Swell On, Great On.

Onboard Digital Leslie

Advanced 2 rotor, digital Leslie

Leslie Switch

Slow, Stop, Fast

Percussion

ON/OFF, Second / Third Harmonic
Slow/Fast Decay, Normal/Soft Volume

Preamp

Vacuum tube x 2(12AU7: Overdrive, 12AX7: Preamp)

Control

Expression Pedal w/Foot Switch
Motor Control (Up/Down Switch
Pedal Sustain, Manual Bass, Normal/Soft Volume

Digital Reverb

Spring and 10 more models, Leslie On Reverb, Reverb Volume

Volume

Overdrive, Reverb, Master Volume

EQ

Bass, Treble, Mid-Range (adjustable center frequency), B-3 type “tone” control

Display

LCD 20 Character x 2 Lines (orange back Light)

External Slot

CF (Compact Flash) Card
Head Phone, Line in L/R, Line out L/R, Pedal out
Effect Send/Return

Input/Output

11-pin Leslie Socket x 2 (Main, Echo)
MIDI OUT, MIDI PEDAL IN
Leslie Switch, Main/Echo Switch

Weight (including Pedal & Bench)

276 lbs

Console Dimensions

51 1/2” (W) x 28” (D) x 38” (H)

Keyboard Cover

Included

Optional

Main/Echo Switch

Sound Generator

Drawbars
2 - VASE III as Digital Tone-wheels, 61 polyphony

Keyboards

Swell: 73 (C1 to C6 61-key + Preset keys)
Great: 73 (C1 to C6 61-key + 12 Preset keys)
Pedal: 25-note radiating, detachable

Harmonic Drawbars

Drawbars
Swell: 9 Pitches
Great: 9 Pitches
Pedal: 2 Pitches
Voicing
Manuals: 5 choices (B-Type1, B-Type2, Mellow, Brite, Sawtooth), variable key click
Pedal: 4 choices (Normal, Muted, Synth1, Synth2), 5 choices key-click

Touch Response Percussion

Buttons
Second, Third, Fast, Soft
Adjustable
Touch, Velocity, Decay (Fast, Slow), Level (Normal, Soft)

Effects

Internal Leslie
Advanced Digital, 2 Rotors; Buttons: Bypass, Stop, Fast
Vibrato and Chorus
Digital Scanner, Rotary Mode Knob: V1, V2, V3, C1, C2, C3, Buttons: Swell On, Great On
Overdrive
Digital
Equalizer
Bass, Mid (sweep), Treble, Tone Reverb
Digital, 11 programs
Sustain
Pedal Drawbars

Tuning

Master
430-450, 1 Hz Steps
Transpose
-6 to +6 semitones

Coupler

Functions
Pedal to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal
Adjustable
Highest Note

Presets

Capacity
12 Banks, 11 Presets per manual keyboard
Preset Load Option
Drawbar Registration, Drawbar Parameters, Percussion, Internal Zone, External Zone, EQ/Reverb, Animation, Overdrive

Controllers

Volumes
Master Volume, External Leslie Volume
Pedal
Expression Pedal w/1 - Footswitch

Storage

CompactFlash Card Slot

Display

20 - Characters, 2 - Lines
9 Control Buttons, Value Knob

MIDI

Templates
3 Templates
Internal Zones
1 Zone per keyboard
External Zones
1 Zone per keyboard

Connections

MIDI
In, Out
Audio
Line In L, R, Microphone In w/Volume control, Line Out L, R, Headphones
Leslie
11-pin, 1 to 3 channels available
Other
Foot Switch (optional CU-1 console switch)

Sound System

Amplification
3 - 50 watt RMS amplifier
Speakers
8” and 6” Full Range, 15” Woofer

Cabinet

Red Walnut w/ Maple Veneer

Dimensions

Without music rack & pedalboard
38" (H) x 47" (W) x 25.5" (D)
With music rack & pedalboard
45" (H) x 47" (W) x 36.5" (D)

Weight

Console
200 lbs
Pedalboard
76 lbs
Bench
42 lbs

Manuals

Upper and Lower 73 notes each (61 playing keys plus 12 Preset Keys) Square-front (“waterfall”-style) New mechanical key-bed design

Pedal (optional)

13, 20-note spinet-style 25-note radiating Adjustable Pedal Sustain Pedal to Lower coupler Custom Pedal Registrations (3 Factory, 3 User)

Split

SPLIT panel control Assignable split point

Tone Generator

MTW™ (Modeled Tone Wheels) Farf/VX/Pipe Organ 61-note polyphony for Manuals 5-note polyphony for Pedals

Virtual Multi-Contacts™

Custom Contacts (3 Factory, 3 User) 3 Physical Contacts, 9 Assignable Virtual Contacts Adjustable Attack, Release, Decay

Harmonic Drawbars®

5 sets (4 Manuals, 1 Pedal) Upper 2 X 9 pitches Lower 2 X 9 pitches Pedal 2 pitches

Drawbar Voicing

4 choices for Manuals (A-100, B-3, C-3, Mellow) 4 choices for Pedals (Normal, Muted, Synth 1 & 2)

Custom Tone Wheel (CTW™)

3 Factory, 3 User for A-100, B-3, C-3 & Mellow Drawbar Voicings CTW’s identified by model and serial number Adjustable parameters for each tone wheel 12 complex tone wheels for bottom 12 pedal tones.

Touch-Response Percussion™

Percussion On, Normal/Soft Volume, Slow/Fast Decay, 2nd & 3rd Harmonic Adjustable Normal/Soft Volume settings, Slow/Fast Decay rates, Velocity, Key Tracking, 1’ Drawbar Cancel ON/OFF

Vibrato & Chorus™

Virtual Scanner™ (3 settings) Adjustable rate, Vibrato/Chorus Mix Vibrato on Pedal ON/OFF

Overdrive

Tube/Solid State Adjustable drive level

Preset Keys

9 Presets plus Cancel each Manual 2 Adjust Presets each Manual 9 programmable Preset Banks

Patches

100 User, 100 Factory Patches Assignable to Preset Keys as Favorites Assignable Patch Load: Drawbar registrations, Drawbar parameters, Internal & External Zones, Multi-Effects, Reverb.

Tube Preamp

12AU7/12AX7 Tubes Adjustable Routing & Drive Level

MT™ Matching Transformer

Adjustable drive level, Hysteresis, upper/lower/percussion levels

Multi-Effects

Tremolo, Auto Pan, Wah-Wah, Ring Modulator, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus, Delay. Adjustable parameters for each effect.

Master Equalizer

Bass/Mid/Treble panel controls Adjustable gain & center frequency

Programmable Equalizer

Bass, Mid, Treble Adjustable center frequency Hammond Preamp Tone Control

Leslie®

STOP, FAST, BYPASS panel controls. Custom Cabinets (8 Preset, 8 User) Adjustable Slow & Fast Speeds, Rise & Fall Times, Horn/Drum/Subwoofer Volume Balance, Microphone Settings.

Reverb

ON/OFF panel control 11 programs Leslie On Reverb ON/OFF

MIDI

5 MIDI Templates 3 Keyboard Channels (Upper, Lower, Pedals) 6 External Zones (3 Upper, 2 Lower, 1 Pedals) Assignable MIDI channels, key range, Program Change, Pan, Velocity Curve, Min/Max Volume IN 1, IN 2, OUT Connections

Display

OLED, 20 character, 2 line 7 Control Buttons & VALUE Rotary Knob

USB

“A” port (“To USB Flash Drive”) “B” port (“To Host”)

Tune/Transpose

Transpose +- 6 semitones Fine Tune +- 10 cents Octave Up/Down +- 2 octaves

H-BUS® Connector

To Pedals/Expression Pedal

Audio Connections

LINE OUT L/MONO / R Headphone Jack

11-pin Leslie® Connector

Other Connections

CONTROL 1, CONTROL 2, 8-pin DIN (EXP-100F Expression Pedal) AC Input

Dimensions

46.8” (W) 15.8” (D) 4.7” (H) Weight 34.6 lbs.

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

11-pin Leslie Cable CU-1 Switch EXP-50 EXP-100F XPK-200L XPK250W Gig Bag

Sound Engine:

Organ Section: MTW1 (Modelled Tone Wheel I), Polyphony: 61 (Tone Wheel Organ)
Piano/Ensemble Section: Sampling Sound Engine, Polyphony：128
Mono Synth Section: Analog Modeling Synthesizer, Monophonic

Keyboard:

61/73 note, with velocity, semi-weighted, Square-front ("Waterfall"・-style)
61 note C1 to C6 / 73 note F1 to F7

Organ Section:

Parts: 3 (Upper, Lower, Pedal)
Drawbars: 1 set, 9 pitches
Voicing:Upper & Lower: 8(A-100, B-3, C-3, Mellow, Vx, Farf, Ace, Pipe), Pedal: 3 (Normal, Muted, Pipe)
Percussion: Buttons: On, Volume Soft, Decay Fast, Third Harmonic

Piano/Ensemble Section:

Component: 4, LFO: 2

Mono Synth Section:

Oscillator: 6 types (Duo, Unison, Pulse, Sync, FM, Noise)
Filter: 4 types (LP12, LP24, HP12, HP24), Resonance, Drive
Modulator: LFO: 1, EG: 2 (Pitch&Filter, Amplitude)

Effects:

Organ Section: Vibrato & Chorus , Multi Effect 1, Overdrive, Multi Effect 2, Matching Transformer , Leslie, Equalizer & Tone Control

Piano/Ensemble Section: For each section: Multi Effect 1, Overdrive, Multi Effect 2, Equalizer

Mono Synth Section: Multi Effect 1, Overdrive, Multi Effect 2, Equalizer

Master: Equalizer, Reverb

Key Map:

Internal Zone: Transpose, Octave, Split, Pedal To Lower, Allocate, Pedal Sustain

External Zones: 3 Zones (assignable to each keyboard)

Controllers:

Pitch Bend wheel, Modulation wheel, Portamento, Leslie (Bypass, Stop, Fast)

Memory:

Favorites: 10 banks x 10 numbers (Combination), 10 numbers (Page)

Combination: Factory: 100, User: 100, Bundle: 100, Manual

Organ Patch: Factory: 100, User: 100, Bundle: 100

Piano / Ensemble Patch: Factory: 300, User: 400

Mono Synth Patch: Factory: 100, User: 100, Bundle: 100

Custom Tone Wheel: Factory: 4 x 3, User: 4 x 3

Custom Pedal Registration: Factory: 3, User: 3

Custom Pipe: Factory: 3, User: 3

Custom Cabinet: Factory: 8, User: 8

Storage:

Internal Memory, USB Flash Drive

Display:

320 x 240 pixel

Connections:

MIDI: IN, OUT

USB: To Host

Audio: Line Out L, R, Headphones, Individual 1, 2, Rotary Out, Organ Pedal Out, Aux In (with Volume control)

Leslie: 11- pin, 1 and 3 channels available

Others: Foot Switch 1/Leslie Switch, Foot Switch 2, Damper Pedal, Expression Pedal

Rated Power Consumption:

22W

Dimensions:

SK PRO：1004(W), 322(D), 109(H) mm / SK PRO-73： 1170(W), 322(D), 109(H) mm

Weight:

SK PRO： 9.3kg / SK PRO-73 ： 11kg

Accessory:

AC cord

DIGITAL TONEWHEELS AND HAMMOND ESSENTIALS

GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC HAMMOND ORGAN

Authentic Chorus-Vibrato/Touch Response Percussion/Overdrive

12 HAMMOND MACRO PROFILES with 17 TWEAKABLE PARAMETERS

each USER-PROGRAMMABLE

3 BLANK USER-PROGRAMMABLE PROFILES

96 INDIVIDUALLY Adjustable, Voiceable Digital Tonewheels

DIGITAL TONEWHEEL GENERATOR

Laurens Hammond's original Organ (invented in 1935) had an intricate electro-mechanical mechanism that used 96 Quarter-sized wheels spinning on driveshafts powered by his patented synchronous motor. The wheels were notched according to pitch, and an electromagnetic pickup (much like that on an Eelectric Guitar) sensed those notches and rendered a musical note. The Drawbars combined those harmonic tones to produce the inimitable Hammond Organ sound.

Hammond's adherence to quality has allowed many vintage instruments to remain vital today, and they are among the most desired and imitated musical instruments ever, but at a high cost. The Electromechanical Hammonds require expensive maintenance, regular doses of oil, and were of great weight; not easy to move at all.

The Modern Hammond Organ'sXk-1c's VASE III "Engine" uses the exact model of Laurens Hammond's design, executing it in the digital realm, with no moving parts, retaining all of the nuances, imperfections and idiosyncrasies of the original. The wheels are always "spinning". When a note is played, the tones pass, just as water through a faucet. The random starts of each wave played allow for phase interaction, producing the rich tone so prized in the vintage Hammonds.

The Digital realization of Laurens Hammond's System allows sophisticated control of every facet. Each Digital Tonewheel can be voiced for Volume, Timbre, Motor Noise and Leakage; enabling the musician to tailor the Modern Hammond to match the characteristics of any Vintage Hammond, or to create their own vision. Twelve Macro Profiles allow the user to quickly select the most popular "kinds" of Hammond, from Showroom-New to Road-Worn Antique and all points between.

CLASSIC HAMMOND COMPONENTS

The Tonewheel Generator wasn't the only great invention of Laurens Hammond, and no Hammond Organ would be complete without the full spectrum of ingredients that comprised Mr. Hammond's genius design.

DRAWBARS:

Mr. Hammond used the Pipe Organ Design concept of "Unification" in creating the iconic Drawbars of his Electronic Organ. This concept allowed one or more keyboards to control the pitches of many pipes within one set or "rank" of pipes. Adopting the harmonic standards and nomenclature of the Pipe Organ, Mr. Hammond's design assured that any organist would be able to play his instrument without a steep learning curve. Unlike the Pipe Organ, Mr Hammond's design allowed variable volumes of each Harmonic represented by each drawbar. This variation gave the musician millions of combinations of harmonics, and assured that every Hammond player would be able to summon a unique voice. An extra level to the expression a Hammond Organist had at their fingertips was added because the Drawbars could be manipulated in real time. The Xk-1c features real drawbars in the size, shape and configuration of Vintage Hammonds. The Drawbars also serve the Combo and Pipe Organ divisions, but with a slightly different function.

VIBRATO/CHORUS: PIC OF VIB/CHORUS CONTROLS

One of the most distinctive parts of the Hammond sound is the shimmering "Chorus Vibrato". It adds a silken quality to the sound by adding a second, slightly detuned pitch to the original in the Chorus Mode, and repeat-modulating the pitch slightly in Vibrato mode. Few musicians realize the Chorus effect pedal widely used for Guitars and Electric Pianos had its genesis as a component of the Hammond Organ. Mr. Hammond's original design used an electromechanical apparatus that looked much like the distributors you would find in the automobiles of the day, and ran off the same synchronous motor that powered the Tonewheel Generator. The Xk-1c’s Chorus-Vibrato is executed in the Digital Realm, without moving parts, and works under the same model. The classic V1/V2/V3/C1/C2/C3 controls are familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. As with the Tonewheel Generator, Digital control allows a wide range of adjustment that was simply not possible on the original. As the Antique organs aged, the components acquired their own unique qualities. Digital control allows the user to shape the Chorus/Vibrato's various facets, with the added ability to "age" the effect-with the resulting treble emphasis and subtle distortion that marks the organs that develop this patina as "sweeter" than others.

TOUCH-RESPONSE PERCUSSION™ PIC OF PERC CONTROLS

The chief feature of the Hammond B-3 upon its release in 1955 was the inclusion of Touch-Response Percussion™ (Perc). This effect added a high "attack" to the Organ tone at either the octave or the twelfth, with a fast note decay. This sound was reminiscent of an xylophone or clave, and became immensely popular, immediately. Perc gave the Organ a bright highlight, and every generation of music has embraced this sound. Controls for the Perc have the classic nomenclature, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Hammond. On the Xk-1c, Perc is executed in the Digital realm, allowing a wide range of controls the organists back in the day did not possess. The 1' drawbar muting, characteristic of the Vintage Organs can be defeated, as can the drop in Drawbar volume level that accompanied the engaging of the Percussion voice. You can control the volumes and decay times as well.

KEY CLICK

In order that every key (and pedal) of the Laurens Hammond's Organ could access every Tonewheel as predicated by the Drawbar settings, an electro-mechanical apparatus lurked behind the keyboards, with 9 contacts corresponding to each drawbar for that keyboard and a series of contacts attached to each key. As a key was depressed, the contacts sequentially touched, and the circuits were completed to produce the Organ tone that was registered by the Drawbars. The very nature of Electric circuitry dictated a click could be heard at the top of each note played when the current-carrying key contacts touched. Laurens Hammond considered that click to be a nuisance, and worked to no avail in order to rid his organ of that imperfection. The jazz players who embraced the Hammond Organ, however, found the click to be a percussive highlight, and wanted nothing to do with its eradication. To make matters worse, as the Vintage Hammonds aged, the click became more pronounced, and by the Rock and Roll era, the Key Click assumed a role of importance that Laurens Hammond could never imagine. The Xk-1c allows you to adjust the intensity of the key ON click, and the key OFF click. The timbre of the click may also be adjusted. Mr. Hammond would have greatly approved of the Xk-1c, as you can turn the click all the way off if you desire, creating a Vintage Hammond Organ that could not exist in the physical world.

THE "TONE" CONTROL

The inclusion of this obscure feature demonstrates the commitment to authenticity Hammond has brought to the Xk-1c Series. Inside the Vintage Hammond B-3, on one side of the tube preamp, there was a "Screwdriver Pot" with the engraved legend "Tone". This control was adjusted by the Technician installing the organ in order to tame the treble response in the instance of the organ's installation in a Church or Mortuary, where a more muted organ was desired. The control was a cocktail of upper Mid and High frequencies (the proportions of which were, until recently, held secret. The "Tone" control was basically a "hi cut" control and only went "down". You could not direct the control to go "up" for "boost". The TONE control is included in the Xk-1c’s menu with the added benefit of being able to BOOST the unique blend of frequencies, which adds a nice "edge" to the Xk-1c tone, if desired.

VINTAGE COMBO ORGAN

At the dawn of the Rock and Roll age, many groups could not carry the 500 pound Hammond Console Organ and 450 pound Leslie Speaker. The advent of transistor electronics brought forth smaller, more affordable portable Organs. The Thomas Organ Company in the U.S. and Italy's Farfisa were at the vanguard of their design, and the Rock and Roll community embraced their instruments fervently. Thomas sold their Combo organs under the Vox name and their premier offering was the "Continental". Farfisa's organs became Rock icons, and the marque reached its height with its "Professional" model. The sound of the transistor Combo Organ never went out of style, and has even flourished in the "Indy" scene of the 21st Century. The sounds of both of classic instruments are faithfully reproduced in the Xk-1c, with the ability to register them in the exact way you were able to on the originals. Both models employed a variation of Hammond's Drawbars, and an accompanying legend on the control panel marks the functions for each drawbar, for each model.

PIPE ORGAN DIVISION

32 RANKS OF AUTHENTIC PIPE ORGAN

Each Rank Adjustable for Custom Voicing

Use Drawbars as Stop Keys/Drawknobs

The compact Xk-1c has a mammoth heart, with the inclusion of 32 Digital Ranks of Classical (Church) Pipe Organ derived from our Flagship 935 Church Organ. The Pipe Organ division uses the Drawbars as Drawknobs to select the stops you choose. Now you can take this majestic sound wherever you desire, whether it is to accompany Worship, Perform Classical Organ Literature, or Practice with Headphones in your Dormitory Room. Progressive Rock groups have relied on the sounds of Classical Pipe Organs, and have had to compromise with the few inflexible samples contained in Synthesizers and Samplers, but now the sky is the limit with a Classical Pipe Organ that can be registered in the traditional manner. As is customary with Hammond, each rank of pipes may be voiced independently to the user's specification, and stored for instant recall.

Your Sk-series instrument has a total of 20 Pipe voices - nine (9) for the Upper Manual, nine (9) for the Lower Manual and two (2) for the Pedals. Below is a list of the voices and the screen abbreviations:

UPPER

Bourdon 16' (“Bourdn16”)

Open Diapason 8'' (“OpnDiap8”)

Gedeckt 8' (“Gedeckt8”)

Voix Celeste 8' (“VnCelst8”)

Octave 4' (“Octave 4”)

Flute Dolce 4' (“FlDolce4")

Flute 2' (“Flute 2”)

Mixture 3 ranks (“Mixt.III”)

Hautbois 8' (“Hautboi8”)

LOWER

Principal 16' (“Princi16”)

Principal 8' (“Princi 8”)

Melodia 8' (“Melodia8”)

Rohr Flute 8' (“RohrFl.8”)

Prestant 4' (“Prestnt4”)

Flute 4' (“Flute 4”)

Super Octave 2' (“SupOct 2”)

Mixture 4 ranks (“Mixt. IV”)

Trompette 8' (“Trompet8”)

PEDAL

Sub Bass 16' & Bourdon 8' (“Bass16+8”)

Principal Chorus 8' & Mixture IV' (“PC4+Mixt”)

33 ranks total

DIGITAL LESLIE™

8 LESLIE MACRO PROFILES:

Type 122

Type 147

Type 31H (or "TallBoy"-the first Leslie Speaker released in 1941)

Type 722 (Mid 70's "Home Organ" Model)

Type 760 (Late 70's Solid State "Combo" Model)

Type 825 (1970's Solid State Single Rotor Model)

ROCK TYPE (Early 70's Model 925 High-Power "Combo" Model)

PR-40 (Non-Rotary Vintage Hammond Tone Cabinet)

18 TWEAKABLE LESLIE PARAMETERS

Create YOUR Perfect Leslie-Store it in any of 8 User Profiles

DIGITAL LESLIE™

Chicago Engineer/Inventor Don Leslie bought a Hammond Organ not long after its introduction in 1935, but felt the instrument lacked the warmth of the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organs he so loved. The main difference between Church Pipe Organs and Theatre Organs was the deep Tremulant that took the edge off the Theatre Organ's pipes and made them emotionally "sob". Making use of an acoustic phenomenon called the "Doppler Effect", Mr. Leslie constructed a speaker cabinet that used a simple system of rotating horns and baffles to give the Hammond tone "motion" and "depth". This created a different instrument altogether, one that could play "Popular" music. Mr. Hammond intended his organ for the Church and Classical Music, looking at "Popular" Music with disdain-he wanted nothing to do with Mr. Leslie's invention when Mr. Leslie demonstrated it. The public however, took the combination of Hammond and Leslie to heart, and so it remains to this very day. It is difficult to think of one without the other, although Mr. Hammond never allowed Hammond Dealers to sell Leslie Speakers. After Mr. Hammond's death, the two companies became partners, and now Hammond owns and manufactures Leslie Speakers. For both Hammond and Leslie, the golden goal was to produce a Leslie that did not require motor-driven speakers, and the goal has been reached in the Xk-1c, with the finest Digital Leslie we have ever produced. Now the elusive effect can be had where space and mobility have heretofore denied it. As an added benefit to being produced in the Digital realm, many aspects of the effect can be adjusted and tailored to ones own taste and requirement. Slow and Fast Rotor speeds, "Ramp Up" and "Ramp Down" speeds, Speaker Size, Amp type, Virtual Mic Placement and other parameters may be combined into "Cabinet" Macros which then may be assigned to any Organ Preset. In addition, 8 factory Cabinets, comprising the most popular Leslie Models like the 122, 147, 760, Vintage 31-H, and others are available for instant choice. There is even a model of the original PR-40 (Non-Rotating) Hammond Factory Tone Cabinet. A button on the Control Panel allows the bypass of the Digital Leslie circuit and sends the Organ tones directly to the Stereo Outputs

PRESET AND FOVORITES

64 USER (RAM) PRESETS/64 FACTORY (ROM) PRESETS

8 INSTANT RECALL USER-PROGRAMMABLE FAVORITES

The Xk-1c series has 64 Factory ROM Presets and 64 User-adjustable Presets. A Manual button on the control panel renders the entire control panel current. The keypad in the center of the control panel are assignable to any of the 200 presets for instant recall of your favorites. The same panel may be switched to a numeric input pad for direct selection of presets. The entire Xk-1c setup may be saved to a common USB "Thumb Drive" for backup or restoration.

DPS

The Drawbar and Combo Organ Divisions have a number of effects that may be applied. 4 different types of Overdrive, Phase, Flange, Chorus (Stomp Pedal Style-separate from Hammond Chorus), Auto Pan, Ring Modulator, Wah-Wah, Delay and Tremolo. A 3-band EQ is available with Shelf Lo and Hi with sweepable Mid control.

MIDI CONTROLLER

Up to three external MIDI zones may be controlled by the Xk-1c, with all settings saved as a preset. You can play these external zones with or without the Xk-1c voice sounding.

CONNECTIONS

MIDI

In, Out

Audio

Line Out L, R, Headphones

Leslie

8 - pin, 1 and 3 channels available

Other

Foot Switch, Exp. Pedal, DC IN (12V)

POWER

AC Adaptor AD3-1250

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

CU-1 Switch, FS-9H, EXP-20, EXP-50, XPK-100, XPK-200, XPK-200L, SK 25-note Pedal Board, XK-1c GB Gig Bag

DIMENSIONS

37.7"(W), 12"(D), 3.97"(H), 16.5 lbs

Sound Generator:

Organ Section 2

VASE III as Digital Tone-Wheels, Transistor Organ and Pipe Organ

61 polyphony (for Manual, except Pipe Organ)
8 polyphony (for Pedal, except Pipe Organ)
63 polyphony (maximum, on Pipe Organ)

Keyboards…2 x C1 to C6 61-key

Organ Section:

Drawbars Upper: 9 Pitches, Lower: 9 Pitches, Pedal: 2 Pitches

Organ Types

Manuals: 6 choices (B-Type1, B-Type2, Mellow, Vx, Farf, Pipe)
Pedal: 7 choices (Normal, Muted, Synth1, Synth2, Finger, Pick, Slap)

Touch Response Percussion Buttons: On, Volume Soft, Fast Decay, Th ird Harmonic

Extra Voice Section:

Sections 2 Sections for Manuals Instruments 6 Groups (A. Piano, E. Piano, Keyboard, Wind, Other, Library)·Upgradable via Library Control Upper On, Lower On, Group

Effects:

Vibrato and Chorus Digital Scanner

Buttons: Upper On, Lower On

Overdrive Digital, 4 programs

Control: On, Amount

Multi Effects 8 programs for Organ/Extra Voice individually

Control: On, Amount

Equalizer

for Organ: Bass, Mid (sweep), Treble, Tone
for Extra Voice: Bass, Mid (sweep), Treble

Internal Leslie Advanced Digital, 2 Rotors

Buttons: Bypass, Stop, Fast

Reverb Digital, 11 programs

Control: On, Depth

David Rosenthal Interview

Follow this link to the Interview:

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