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Hammond Rock Legend Jon Lord
Monday, May 24 2010 11:46 PM
| Permalink
As you may have read on previous postings, Jon Lord used the New B-3 on a gig during his Russian Tour last year.
He was suitably impressed and now Jon has had his own New B-3p and 3300 Leslie for a couple of months now
Tomorrow we are going to visit him at his home studio to find out how he is getting along with his new Hammond, what he is up to at the moment & future plans and interview him for a Hammond UK PodCast
More soon
Cheers
Malc
As you may have read on previous postings, Jon Lord used the New B-3 on a gig during his Russian Tour last year.
He was suitably impressed and now Jon has had his own New B-3p and 3300 Leslie for a couple of months now
Tomorrow we are going to visit him at his home studio to find out how he is getting along with his new Hammond, what he is up to at the moment & future plans and interview him for a Hammond UK PodCast
More soon
Cheers
Malc
Poland - Finland and UK latest
Sunday, Nov 15 2009 01:40 AM
| Permalink
Hi there ....
I have been very busy since the last newsletter with HamLab activities Hammond Organ UK promotions and also gigs in the UK, Poland and Finland.
Hammond Organs in general seem to be the 'in Thing' for live performance as well as 'Home Hammond Groovers'
This is great for performing musicians and just like in the old days, the request from Promotors, Record Company A&R personal is " do you know of any competent "HAMMOND PLAYERS" NOT just Keyboard players but ... HAMMOND PLAYERS ! More on this in the December newsletter
Also, thank you to all who have visited my HamLab Studio recently and also many thanks to all the dealers who hosted the Hammond Roadshow at their stores. Edinburgh Organ Studios, Promenade Music of Morecombe, Haven Keyboards of Ipswich, Swift Music of Bristol and last but not least, Bonners of Eastbourne.
Most of all a BIG THANK YOU to all the people that came to see us at these events.
Both Barrrie and I enjoyed this very much indeed and we can only describe this last little tour as nothing less that a 'great success' meeting lots of old friends and making many new acquaintances.
Barrie at the Pro System at one of the Hammond Dealer Shows Hosted by BONNERS of Eastbourne
POLAND GIG
In September I had the privilege of being invited to play a gig for the Polish Hammond Club.
This was a fantastic experience.. What a wonderful warm friendly and welcoming country Poland is and best of all .... they like their HAMMOND Playing HOT !!!!
FINLAND GIG
At the end of October, I was invited to go and support the Hammond Finland Distributer at the HELSINKI MUSIC SHOW.
Its amazing how the sound of the New B-3 and Leslie 122 will draw crowds ... That sound is just a universal magnet to music lovers and I never tire of this kind of event.
Heikki (the Hammond Distributor) is a very 'cool character' and not only did we have a great show and lots of fun he also was kind enough to invite me to his home for a traditional Finish Sauna, fine food, great liquor & beer and to meet his wonderful family and excellent hosts Marja and Topi. Thanks ..... I will be back soon (-:
Latest UK News
Some have you have also seen me at a few UK gigs over the past few weeks and this is always a pleasure for me. Thanks once more for your support.
You will know from the 'News from Barrie' BLOG, that Music Tech Schools has equipped its new Hammond Lab with 9 Hammond organs, Leslie 2101 mk2 and bass pedals.
The official opening will be on Sat 28th Nov and the ribbon cut by Hammond Rock Legend Jon Lord. James Taylor of JTQ fame will also be there.
I am very honored to have been asked by the Kevin Webster (Head of KeyboardTech) and the Director, Francis Seria to open the Hammond proceedings with a short set using the Pro XK System, XPK-200 bass pedlas and 2101 mkII Leslie.
If you contact the school direct, they will advise you of the availability of tickets for this event.
More info:
www.techmusicschools.co.uk
www.keyboard-tech.co.uk
FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES please contact:
Michelle Humphreys
Michelle@drum-tech.co.uk or 0208 749 3131
I have been very busy since the last newsletter with HamLab activities Hammond Organ UK promotions and also gigs in the UK, Poland and Finland.
Hammond Organs in general seem to be the 'in Thing' for live performance as well as 'Home Hammond Groovers'
This is great for performing musicians and just like in the old days, the request from Promotors, Record Company A&R personal is " do you know of any competent "HAMMOND PLAYERS" NOT just Keyboard players but ... HAMMOND PLAYERS ! More on this in the December newsletter
Also, thank you to all who have visited my HamLab Studio recently and also many thanks to all the dealers who hosted the Hammond Roadshow at their stores. Edinburgh Organ Studios, Promenade Music of Morecombe, Haven Keyboards of Ipswich, Swift Music of Bristol and last but not least, Bonners of Eastbourne.
Most of all a BIG THANK YOU to all the people that came to see us at these events.
Both Barrrie and I enjoyed this very much indeed and we can only describe this last little tour as nothing less that a 'great success' meeting lots of old friends and making many new acquaintances.
Barrie at the Pro System at one of the Hammond Dealer Shows Hosted by BONNERS of Eastbourne
POLAND GIG
In September I had the privilege of being invited to play a gig for the Polish Hammond Club.
This was a fantastic experience.. What a wonderful warm friendly and welcoming country Poland is and best of all .... they like their HAMMOND Playing HOT !!!!
Pawel and Monika ........ Perfect Tour Managers and Hosts
Many thanks especially to Monika and Pawel WIĘSIK who booked me for the gig (incredible gig promoters and hosts) and also special thanks to Andre and Arcadius who made me so welcome and looked after me like a VIP.
My band was formed by Polish Musicians and Pawel assured me he would get the best available..... Boy .. Wow did he deliver !!!!!! some of the best musicians I have ever had the privilege to work with.
So here is a BIG, BIG THANKS to the band:
Radosław Bolewski - Drums ... Piotr Świerzbiński - Guitar ...
Jan Cichy - Bass ... Kuba Raczyński - Sax
Now this will make some of you smile .. Pawel asked me what equipment I preferred for the gig. I asked for a new Hammond B-3 and Leslie 122 (nice ..)
What I actually got was a new B-3 and 4 YES FOUR LESLIE'S 2 x 145's, 1 x 122 and a 760 as my back-line monitor. How crazy is that ?? It was and unbelievable sound. Thanks Pawel.
The audience was fantastic and provided a great inspirational and enthusiastic vibe to play 'Cool Hammond' Grooves , and to all the members of that audience that have mailed me since the show.. Thanks allot for your support
At the end of the show I was very happy and proud to be made an Honorary Member of the 'POLISH HAMMOND CLUB' and received a special leather bound brass plaque from them.
I hope to return to Poland next year for a longer tour and maybe even record with the guys. Thanks again to all involved ... Malc
FINLAND GIG
At the end of October, I was invited to go and support the Hammond Finland Distributer at the HELSINKI MUSIC SHOW.
Its amazing how the sound of the New B-3 and Leslie 122 will draw crowds ... That sound is just a universal magnet to music lovers and I never tire of this kind of event.
Heikki (the Hammond Distributor) is a very 'cool character' and not only did we have a great show and lots of fun he also was kind enough to invite me to his home for a traditional Finish Sauna, fine food, great liquor & beer and to meet his wonderful family and excellent hosts Marja and Topi. Thanks ..... I will be back soon (-:
Some have you have also seen me at a few UK gigs over the past few weeks and this is always a pleasure for me. Thanks once more for your support.
You will know from the 'News from Barrie' BLOG, that Music Tech Schools has equipped its new Hammond Lab with 9 Hammond organs, Leslie 2101 mk2 and bass pedals.
The official opening will be on Sat 28th Nov and the ribbon cut by Hammond Rock Legend Jon Lord. James Taylor of JTQ fame will also be there.
I am very honored to have been asked by the Kevin Webster (Head of KeyboardTech) and the Director, Francis Seria to open the Hammond proceedings with a short set using the Pro XK System, XPK-200 bass pedlas and 2101 mkII Leslie.
If you contact the school direct, they will advise you of the availability of tickets for this event.
More info:
www.techmusicschools.co.uk
www.keyboard-tech.co.uk
FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES please contact:
Michelle Humphreys
Michelle@drum-tech.co.uk or 0208 749 3131
JON LORD plays the New B-3P and Leslie 3300 in Russia read more here
Well thats about all for now.
Catch up with more news in the Dec Newsletter
Cheers
for now
Malc
Looking forward to meeting you at one of the Road-Shows
Wednesday, Sep 9 2009 12:26 PM
| Permalink
Hello there,
Well I am just about all packed ready for a few days break sailing around Fowey and St Austell Bay Yeahhhhh !
So.. if anyone is in the West Country over the next few days .... look out for a very pretty Falmouth Bass Boat called Mistress IV (don't ask ! ) and give me a wave.
When I return I have had the honor of being invited to Poland to play a couple of gigs for the Polish Hammond Club.
I am really looking forward to this as the musicians in Poland that I will play with sound very ... very 'Hot' and I hope to get some media for the BLOG whilst I am out there.
On my return to the UK, we are starting our UK road-shows for the Autumn / Winter period so I hope you get to visit us at one of the shows.
The first 3 shows are in Oct and will stat in Edinburgh then to Morecombe and then to Ipswich. I will also be putting on a Hammond Weekend during this period at my HamLab base in South Yorks.
There will be a live Hammond Band performing on the Saturday evening and a Free Hammond Player Clinic on the Sunday. I just have to confirm the availability of the band and then will post the date on the web site.
After this, we have some VERY exciting things happening in Nov... 'Watch This Space'
Let me know if you are interested in coming as the last time we did this seats were at a premium.
Thats all for now and don't forget to try your best to visit Barrie and myself at on of the shows.
Cheers
Malc
Well I am just about all packed ready for a few days break sailing around Fowey and St Austell Bay Yeahhhhh !
So.. if anyone is in the West Country over the next few days .... look out for a very pretty Falmouth Bass Boat called Mistress IV (don't ask ! ) and give me a wave.
When I return I have had the honor of being invited to Poland to play a couple of gigs for the Polish Hammond Club.
I am really looking forward to this as the musicians in Poland that I will play with sound very ... very 'Hot' and I hope to get some media for the BLOG whilst I am out there.
On my return to the UK, we are starting our UK road-shows for the Autumn / Winter period so I hope you get to visit us at one of the shows.
The first 3 shows are in Oct and will stat in Edinburgh then to Morecombe and then to Ipswich. I will also be putting on a Hammond Weekend during this period at my HamLab base in South Yorks.
There will be a live Hammond Band performing on the Saturday evening and a Free Hammond Player Clinic on the Sunday. I just have to confirm the availability of the band and then will post the date on the web site.
After this, we have some VERY exciting things happening in Nov... 'Watch This Space'
Let me know if you are interested in coming as the last time we did this seats were at a premium.
Thats all for now and don't forget to try your best to visit Barrie and myself at on of the shows.
Cheers
Malc
Josh Phillips of Procul Harum with his new Hammond and Leslie
Wednesday, Sep 9 2009 12:19 PM
| Permalink
I had a great afternoon with Josh Phillips at the HamLab recently.
As you may know, Josh is the Hammond (and other keyboards) player in Procol Harum.
Josh has being playing Hammond for many years and as well as his Procol Harum connections he has also played with many of the greatest bands and musicians around including the legendary 'Arthur Brown' and currently can be seen with the Jones Gang featuring the incredible drums of Kenny Jones !
We had a great few hours playing around with the various Hammond Leslie options and had a bit of fun jammin' together on a B-3 and Pro system. Eventually we both came to the conclusion that a Pro XK-System on a wooden B-3 style stand with the new Leslie 2101 MK2 was going to do the job nicely.
My quote of the decade comes from Josh ... When asked how important Hammond Organs are to him as a musician he replied ... "As important as OXYGEN" cooooooool !
So the dosh was exchanged and 2 days later his new rig could be seen and heard at a 'Jones Gang' gig.
Procul Harum are back on the road in a few weeks time so check on the dates etc here: http://www.procolharum.com/ and maybe go along and see them and Josh's new toy in action.
Also check out one of Josh's other projects http://www.danandjosh.co.uk/
Not only is he a very talented Hammond Guru .. he is also a very gifted composer and writer / arranger.
I am sure you have all heard the Strictly Come Dancing Theme ...... well thats down to Josh and his partner alongside many other well known TV and film themes.
When we both get chance, I will meet up again and do a full length interview with the man himself.
Cheers
Malc
I had a great afternoon with Josh Phillips at the HamLab recently.
As you may know, Josh is the Hammond (and other keyboards) player in Procol Harum.
Josh has being playing Hammond for many years and as well as his Procol Harum connections he has also played with many of the greatest bands and musicians around including the legendary 'Arthur Brown' and currently can be seen with the Jones Gang featuring the incredible drums of Kenny Jones !
We had a great few hours playing around with the various Hammond Leslie options and had a bit of fun jammin' together on a B-3 and Pro system. Eventually we both came to the conclusion that a Pro XK-System on a wooden B-3 style stand with the new Leslie 2101 MK2 was going to do the job nicely.
My quote of the decade comes from Josh ... When asked how important Hammond Organs are to him as a musician he replied ... "As important as OXYGEN" cooooooool !
So the dosh was exchanged and 2 days later his new rig could be seen and heard at a 'Jones Gang' gig.
Procul Harum are back on the road in a few weeks time so check on the dates etc here: http://www.procolharum.com/ and maybe go along and see them and Josh's new toy in action.
Also check out one of Josh's other projects http://www.danandjosh.co.uk/
Not only is he a very talented Hammond Guru .. he is also a very gifted composer and writer / arranger.
I am sure you have all heard the Strictly Come Dancing Theme ...... well thats down to Josh and his partner alongside many other well known TV and film themes.
When we both get chance, I will meet up again and do a full length interview with the man himself.
Cheers
Malc
Malc and the Ham Lab Project
Thursday, Jul 16 2009 11:59 AM
| Permalink
Well hello there ......
You may have already heard that I am opening a brand new concept called Hammond Laboratory or as I like to call it HamLab.
This is a brand new concept and a total resource for Playing - Learning - Trying - Using and Owning Hammond Organs and Leslie Speakers.
HamLab is equipped to a very high level and some of the equipment installed in the Lab is as follows... New B-3 Pro portable - Hammond Pro XK System on the new wooden B-3 style stand - Hammond XK-3c - Hammond XK-1 Leslie 2101 mk2 - Leslie 3300 and normally the classic Leslie 122 + an assortment of back-line and PA including a Roland KC500 combo and a bi-amped CROWN powered 4 x cabinet PA. So ... you can hear any of the Hammond's though every scenario from Leslie Speakers to straight amps or a combination of both. Cool eh ???
There is also a full APPLE MAC powered DAW recording / production system running the very latest version of LOGIC Pro + 1000's of software instrument and effects plug ins. If that is not enough there is also normally a high end workstation like a KORG M-3 or similar available !
So.....what can you achieve by visiting HamLab ... er well .... just about everything !
You can come along and just try the gear or you can book an appointment for Hammond Player Lessons, book a product knowledge session and get to know your XK keyboard or organ in depth. Ever fancied learning to play a B-3 ? well we have one here. If you want to get more into using your Hammond with other MIDI equipment, keyboards, computers and the like HamLab can help here as well. I'll show you how to use you Hammond as part of a mix in an band or MIDI ensemble and you can even burn then session to CD and take it home with you.
If you have an auto arranger keyboard or MIDI piano let us show you how blend your Hammond into this fantastic way of making music with a Hammond Connections Session. You wont believe your ears when you experience a Hammond Keyboard configured correctly to an auto arranger. This is a field I know very very well and as some of may know I have worked as a promoter demonstrator for Farfisa, Ketron, Korg, GEM, and of course the mighty Hammond of the years so I have a vast knowledge base of using this kind of set up. I have also worked extensively in R&D for certain manufacturers designing and programming keyboards. May I even say (blush, blush) .... after a major product launch in New York I was described by the press as the Worlds Ultimate Arranger Keyboard Player (-:
Even as I type this blog, there is a brand new KORG PA arranger workstation waiting to be installed in the Lab. More on this in a late edition
Couple this with 40 years experience of professional playing, demonstrating and using Hammond Organs and other keyboards all over the world with extensive tours of the USA, Far East and of course Europe and the UK circuit, I am sure I have something to offer all players no matter what age group or style of music is involved.
HamLab is open for business Friday 31st July and Sunday 1st August as 'Open Days' so you can have a look at what we have to offer.
Visits to HamLab are strictly by appointment only so if you intend to come along, please call or email me to arrange a time. The actual studio room is not that large so I need to make sure that no one is kept waiting.
mailto:info@malcdeakin.co.uk or call 07702 446618
There will be another BLOG very soon outlining some of the events taking place very soon at the Lab.
Don't forget to subscribe to the mail list to be informed of any events or special offers at the Lab
Thats all for now ..
Hopeful will see you at the Lab in the near future.
Cheers
Malc
visit the HamLab Web Site
You may have already heard that I am opening a brand new concept called Hammond Laboratory or as I like to call it HamLab.
This is a brand new concept and a total resource for Playing - Learning - Trying - Using and Owning Hammond Organs and Leslie Speakers.
HamLab is equipped to a very high level and some of the equipment installed in the Lab is as follows... New B-3 Pro portable - Hammond Pro XK System on the new wooden B-3 style stand - Hammond XK-3c - Hammond XK-1 Leslie 2101 mk2 - Leslie 3300 and normally the classic Leslie 122 + an assortment of back-line and PA including a Roland KC500 combo and a bi-amped CROWN powered 4 x cabinet PA. So ... you can hear any of the Hammond's though every scenario from Leslie Speakers to straight amps or a combination of both. Cool eh ???
There is also a full APPLE MAC powered DAW recording / production system running the very latest version of LOGIC Pro + 1000's of software instrument and effects plug ins. If that is not enough there is also normally a high end workstation like a KORG M-3 or similar available !
So.....what can you achieve by visiting HamLab ... er well .... just about everything !
You can come along and just try the gear or you can book an appointment for Hammond Player Lessons, book a product knowledge session and get to know your XK keyboard or organ in depth. Ever fancied learning to play a B-3 ? well we have one here. If you want to get more into using your Hammond with other MIDI equipment, keyboards, computers and the like HamLab can help here as well. I'll show you how to use you Hammond as part of a mix in an band or MIDI ensemble and you can even burn then session to CD and take it home with you.
If you have an auto arranger keyboard or MIDI piano let us show you how blend your Hammond into this fantastic way of making music with a Hammond Connections Session. You wont believe your ears when you experience a Hammond Keyboard configured correctly to an auto arranger. This is a field I know very very well and as some of may know I have worked as a promoter demonstrator for Farfisa, Ketron, Korg, GEM, and of course the mighty Hammond of the years so I have a vast knowledge base of using this kind of set up. I have also worked extensively in R&D for certain manufacturers designing and programming keyboards. May I even say (blush, blush) .... after a major product launch in New York I was described by the press as the Worlds Ultimate Arranger Keyboard Player (-:
Even as I type this blog, there is a brand new KORG PA arranger workstation waiting to be installed in the Lab. More on this in a late edition
Couple this with 40 years experience of professional playing, demonstrating and using Hammond Organs and other keyboards all over the world with extensive tours of the USA, Far East and of course Europe and the UK circuit, I am sure I have something to offer all players no matter what age group or style of music is involved.
HamLab is open for business Friday 31st July and Sunday 1st August as 'Open Days' so you can have a look at what we have to offer.
Visits to HamLab are strictly by appointment only so if you intend to come along, please call or email me to arrange a time. The actual studio room is not that large so I need to make sure that no one is kept waiting.
mailto:info@malcdeakin.co.uk or call 07702 446618
There will be another BLOG very soon outlining some of the events taking place very soon at the Lab.
Don't forget to subscribe to the mail list to be informed of any events or special offers at the Lab
Thats all for now ..
Hopeful will see you at the Lab in the near future.
Cheers
Malc
visit the HamLab Web Site
Sean Barry uses XK-3c on tour with Duffy
Thursday, Jul 16 2009 11:47 AM
| Permalink
Sean Barry
Keyboard Player
uses XK-3c with
DUFFY
SEAN BARRY
here is a nice note from one of our pro players .........
Hey Malc, long time no speak! Hope you guys are all well there? Sorry I haven't been in touch for some time but things have been thankfully very busy.....
Just thought i'd email you a few pics and let you know that my XK3c is currently all around Europe at major festivals with Duffy.
We had a nightmare in Athens recently in as much that the heavens opened once our gear had been setup and completely drenched the stage (and all the equipment) in water! Thankfully it would seem that the XK3c is built to survive such rigors of the road and worked perfectly at the next show despite other bits of my kit suffering the consequences :(
Kind regards, Sean ;)
Sean is currently on tour with ..Duffy, & recently worked with
Natalie Imbruglia, Alesha Dixon, Jamie Scott & the Town, Jason
Mraz, The Bodyrockers, Jason Donovan & Ruby Turner to
name a fewcheck out his web site: http://www.myspace.com/seanbarrymusic
Keyboard Player
uses XK-3c with
DUFFY
SEAN BARRY
here is a nice note from one of our pro players .........
Hey Malc, long time no speak! Hope you guys are all well there? Sorry I haven't been in touch for some time but things have been thankfully very busy.....
Just thought i'd email you a few pics and let you know that my XK3c is currently all around Europe at major festivals with Duffy.
We had a nightmare in Athens recently in as much that the heavens opened once our gear had been setup and completely drenched the stage (and all the equipment) in water! Thankfully it would seem that the XK3c is built to survive such rigors of the road and worked perfectly at the next show despite other bits of my kit suffering the consequences :(
Kind regards, Sean ;)
Sean is currently on tour with ..Duffy, & recently worked with
Natalie Imbruglia, Alesha Dixon, Jamie Scott & the Town, Jason
Mraz, The Bodyrockers, Jason Donovan & Ruby Turner to
name a fewcheck out his web site: http://www.myspace.com/seanbarrymusic
Malc's XK-1 and XK-3c demo tweaks
Sunday, Apr 26 2009 10:15 AM
| Permalink
From recent questions asked at the shows about how I set up the XK-3 and XK-1 for the demo, here are a few basic tweaks I perform ....
Percussion: Press and hold the percussion switch which will take you to the main edit screen for the percussion. Leave the normal value at 12 but reduce the soft to 1. This will give a very soft but still prominent percussion on the drawbar setting used. Remember that the percussion only triggers on a full note on / note off keystroke i.e. holding a note down and pressing any other keys will not sound the percussion. This is one of the most useful features of hammond Organs that allows you to add expression and accents into your chops and licks.
Vibrato: This is very personal choice but I like to use C3 vib on quite a slow cycle. Press and hold the vibrato button, now take the setting down to 6.10. The result is a slower 'pulse' which I like particularly on slower bluesy numbers on slow Leslie.
Key click: go to Menu then Drawbar then I usually set to B type 1 - Key Click 8 or 9 but try turning the LPF down to around 95 - 100. This takes the edge off the click without reducing its effect in the mix. Also while we are in this menu DO NOT DISMISS the 'mellow' tonewheel setting ! Many think this is the 'cheesy' setting but in actual fact it is a very fact wholesome, fat sound that is great for ballads and blues.
Overdrive: Press and hold the Tube button. Now try various settings for the valve pre amp. I use S UX quite allot which is only utilising one of the valves the 'AU-7' (I think it is a little smoother then the AX-7) Now page up and change the X over to 800 and hear the difference across the keyboard range.
Deeper Left Hand Bass: In the menu, go to Drawbar and page across until you get to the fold-back parameter. It will most likely be set to 'C2' Wind it down to 'C1' and now the 16' drawbar will sound a full octave below note 'C2' instead of playing or folding back to the octave above pitch whilst playing the first octave. Great for deep grooving bass lines ! For a lot of my pre-sets. I set it to 'F1' which still gives the octave up flick effect when playing bottom C to E. Play around with it and you will see what I mean
Internal Leslie: Well I could spend ages here but a basic tweak is to set the fast speed on the horn a little faster than the bass rotor say 383 for the horn and 375 for the bass and the same for slow speeds, say 33 on the bass and a little faster on the horn. This will increase the doppler / spacial effect of the Leslie effect.
I will get a camera on the XK-3c / XK-1 screen ASAP and produce a video podcast taking you through these tweaks and much more.
Don't forget all these settings are remembered in your programs so you can have a mixture of various textures and feels to suit all styles from Theater to Heavy Rock at the touch of a button. !!
PS >>> it would be good to know how many of you rely on and use the RSS feed to keep up to date with our news and how many still prefer the mail-shot newsletter ?
Drop us a line with the subject Mail or RSS if you get a few spare moments: survey@hammondorgan.co.uk
More soon ..... Malc
Percussion: Press and hold the percussion switch which will take you to the main edit screen for the percussion. Leave the normal value at 12 but reduce the soft to 1. This will give a very soft but still prominent percussion on the drawbar setting used. Remember that the percussion only triggers on a full note on / note off keystroke i.e. holding a note down and pressing any other keys will not sound the percussion. This is one of the most useful features of hammond Organs that allows you to add expression and accents into your chops and licks.
Vibrato: This is very personal choice but I like to use C3 vib on quite a slow cycle. Press and hold the vibrato button, now take the setting down to 6.10. The result is a slower 'pulse' which I like particularly on slower bluesy numbers on slow Leslie.
Key click: go to Menu then Drawbar then I usually set to B type 1 - Key Click 8 or 9 but try turning the LPF down to around 95 - 100. This takes the edge off the click without reducing its effect in the mix. Also while we are in this menu DO NOT DISMISS the 'mellow' tonewheel setting ! Many think this is the 'cheesy' setting but in actual fact it is a very fact wholesome, fat sound that is great for ballads and blues.
Overdrive: Press and hold the Tube button. Now try various settings for the valve pre amp. I use S UX quite allot which is only utilising one of the valves the 'AU-7' (I think it is a little smoother then the AX-7) Now page up and change the X over to 800 and hear the difference across the keyboard range.
Deeper Left Hand Bass: In the menu, go to Drawbar and page across until you get to the fold-back parameter. It will most likely be set to 'C2' Wind it down to 'C1' and now the 16' drawbar will sound a full octave below note 'C2' instead of playing or folding back to the octave above pitch whilst playing the first octave. Great for deep grooving bass lines ! For a lot of my pre-sets. I set it to 'F1' which still gives the octave up flick effect when playing bottom C to E. Play around with it and you will see what I mean
Internal Leslie: Well I could spend ages here but a basic tweak is to set the fast speed on the horn a little faster than the bass rotor say 383 for the horn and 375 for the bass and the same for slow speeds, say 33 on the bass and a little faster on the horn. This will increase the doppler / spacial effect of the Leslie effect.
I will get a camera on the XK-3c / XK-1 screen ASAP and produce a video podcast taking you through these tweaks and much more.
Don't forget all these settings are remembered in your programs so you can have a mixture of various textures and feels to suit all styles from Theater to Heavy Rock at the touch of a button. !!
PS >>> it would be good to know how many of you rely on and use the RSS feed to keep up to date with our news and how many still prefer the mail-shot newsletter ?
Drop us a line with the subject Mail or RSS if you get a few spare moments: survey@hammondorgan.co.uk
More soon ..... Malc
New web site and using RSS feeds
Tuesday, Apr 21 2009 02:08 PM
| Permalink
I have been asked several times about RSS feeds and how to use them to be automatically kept up to date with the latest News from Hammond Organ UK.
So rather than write lengthy emails I have put together a 'screencast' which covers RSS and the new web site on both Mac and Windows platforms.
The video screen size is a little small on the news blog but it should help with the basics.
If anyone wants a much larger viewable screen size of the video of the 'screencast' just email me and I will send you a link to download it to your computer.
Cheers for now
Malc
Back from Frankfurt and UK Road Shows
Wednesday, Apr 8 2009 02:43 AM
| Permalink
Now back in the UK for business as usual ... BUT only Just !!!!!
I had my small shoulder bag stolen at Frankfurt Airport and inside was ... yes my Passport, boarding card and also the camera and storage cards with all the media from the show.
So ... unfortunately we will not be able to post most of the media taken on Friday afternoon and Saturday. I do have a few unseen clips on the MacBook so will try and put a show overview together later in the week.
The show was great success with a very, very busy Hammond booth.
Lots of interest in the B-3 mk2 the new 2101 mk2 and wooden stand / bench option for the Pro XK System.
We will be doing a full report of all the new gear very soon.
During the demos I had the great pleasure of performing with who I can only describe as an unbelievably talented harmonica player BRENDAN POWER check out his website to see what I mean !
We had a great time working together and hope to further this partnership with more collaborations in the near future on both Hammond Organ Promo's and our own gigs.
Road Shows:
We start our 2009 UK roadshow season proper in a couple of weeks time at one of our favorite venues in Eastleigh Southampton Sat April 25th 09
This will be the UK launch of the new 2101-mk2 Leslie and the wooden stand and bench option for the Pro XK System
Then on to the Bute R&B / Jazz Festival for Sat / Sun 2nd and 3rd of May 09
There will be full details of both these events on the 'Hammond UK Roadshows' section of the news blog very soon.
Thats about it for now.
We will be sending a more detailed newsletter out soon, and don't forget to keep a regular check on the blog for all the latest news and Hammond Organ UK happenings.
Try using the RSS feed to be automatically notified of any new posts etc.
Cheers
Malc
I had my small shoulder bag stolen at Frankfurt Airport and inside was ... yes my Passport, boarding card and also the camera and storage cards with all the media from the show.
So ... unfortunately we will not be able to post most of the media taken on Friday afternoon and Saturday. I do have a few unseen clips on the MacBook so will try and put a show overview together later in the week.
The show was great success with a very, very busy Hammond booth.
Lots of interest in the B-3 mk2 the new 2101 mk2 and wooden stand / bench option for the Pro XK System.
We will be doing a full report of all the new gear very soon.
During the demos I had the great pleasure of performing with who I can only describe as an unbelievably talented harmonica player BRENDAN POWER check out his website to see what I mean !
We had a great time working together and hope to further this partnership with more collaborations in the near future on both Hammond Organ Promo's and our own gigs.
Road Shows:
We start our 2009 UK roadshow season proper in a couple of weeks time at one of our favorite venues in Eastleigh Southampton Sat April 25th 09
This will be the UK launch of the new 2101-mk2 Leslie and the wooden stand and bench option for the Pro XK System
Then on to the Bute R&B / Jazz Festival for Sat / Sun 2nd and 3rd of May 09
There will be full details of both these events on the 'Hammond UK Roadshows' section of the news blog very soon.
Thats about it for now.
We will be sending a more detailed newsletter out soon, and don't forget to keep a regular check on the blog for all the latest news and Hammond Organ UK happenings.
Try using the RSS feed to be automatically notified of any new posts etc.
Cheers
Malc