The following review is written because while it has been several years since the Dynacord CLS222 and its later digital re-incarnations, the DLS223 and DLS300, have been in production, I believe (along with many others) that the German Company Dynacord reached a pinnacle of achievement in imitating the sound so beloved by organ players and guitarists alike. They achieved this with 1U rack-mount effects boxes which were designed to perform just one task: that of being a viable alternative to the bulky Leslie cabinet. Whilst arguably nothing can completely replace the tone cabinet invented many years ago by Don Leslie, to 'enhance' the sound of Hammond and other organs; the CLS222/223/300 went a long way towards achieving this goal.
Most audiences tend to hear Hammond and Leslie on a recording or through a PA system, and it is the recorded sound that has become so well-known. Most organists tend to hear the sound of the organ emanating from the Leslie cabinet itself ,as it is usually situated near to the organ. In this review of the CLS222 and DLS300, I will criticise the products on their ability to give the 'audience' the sound that it has become used to hearing, together with the physical qualities of the units and their practicality in use.
Sidebar: Inside the Leslie 'Magic'
The CLS222 has long since been out of production but is quite often seen for sale on the German auction site (ebay.de), and sells there for around 250 to 300 euros. In the UK, where it is an extremely rare animal, I recently (late 2001) saw a Dynacord listed for £250. They come up for sale on the US auction site, but tend to reach a higher figure still, as in the US, Hammond's homeland, Leslie cabinets and good simulators are still much in demand. Originally selling for around US$1000, the 222 was never a cheap alternative to a real Leslie cabinet (albeit, a good condition used Leslie), but it was the convenience that was its reason for being. It is a light-weight 1U rack-mount device with a remote latching twin pedal device to control ramp up/down speeds and rotary stop. Standard stomp-box button switches are used, so may easily be replaced if they were ever to wear out. Other non-proprietory pedals will also work but they will need to be wired to end in a stereo 1/4" jack; ring and tip, effecting the unit's speed and stop function.
The rear panel has, in addition to the aforementioned remote speed controller jack, a 1/4" mono input and two 1/4" mono (L and R stereo function) jacks with alternative XLR sockets and horn and bass spin speed adjustment knobs. Also, there is a standard removable mains lead; no wall-wart for this piece of German technology. This is as simple as it gets: No MIDI control, no tubes to change, pretty much plug and play (see the discussion on mains voltages, below). Just for the record, it is functional in appearance and although well-built, having stood the test of time, is not particularly attractive. It caters for mono and/or stereo use and has three stereo spread options, which are useful as the unit doesn't require an outboard mixer with crossfade adjustments to cater to different speaker configurations. Both European voltages and US voltages are catered for, but it requires a tech or knowledgeable electronic hobbyist to alter the transformer jumpers inside the unit.
The CLS222 is designed to do one job and it does this so well it that it may be forgiven for having no chance in a beauty parade.
This next part is a purely subjective view of the effectiveness of the device to convince. It does not replace the Leslie 145 cabinet in my room because the Leslie spins its sound to the left of me, to the right of me, and all points in between. It shimmers, it shines, it growls, it does what a Leslie does. It does what it says on the box.
The Dynacord? It pretty much sounds the same to me as a decent recording of a Leslie cabinet would. It is the most realistic simulation I have heard to date from a purely electronic box, bettering by far, in my opinion, the digital Korg G4 and even my previous favourites, the remarkable H & K Rotosphere and Voce's Spin whose fast spin emulation is pretty effective.
The analogue circuitry of the CLS hits the spot, just like a Leslie, with that delicious liquid sound that the original tone cabinets produce. It's ramp up/down is extremely accurate and will afford the same pleasure that is obtained from working the half-moon of a Leslie controller.
On cost alone, taking the original retail price against the other contenders, it ought to be a notch or two above the rest in its ability to convince, and truly it is. In the past, there have been other contenders in the rotary speaker simulator market for which their high price of purchase has not guaranteed such an improved performance.
As I understand it, the 222 was bought in the main by professionals (Steve Winwood and Dire Straits, amongst others, were reputed to use them) and studios. At today's prices, it is a bargain and if you are looking to fool your audience, your band members, and for much of the time yourself as well, you will not be disappointed. It doesn't have the tube circuitry to produce growl, so a suitable tube pre-amp may be added to complete the illusion. An addition of a suitable pre-amp is not an absolute requirement, as many Leslie Speakers are transistorised and the Dynacord product has the ability to convey the nuances of the spin, ramp up and down, cabinet resonance, and the distinct crossover of signal between the bass and treble of the real thing. Nevertheless, adding a suitable tube pre-amp puts the icing on the cake.
On the downside it can't be controlled by MIDI without a suitable outboard midi switch, and the unit does not allow for different microphone placements or room reflections, nor does it cater for the difference afforded by removing the horn deflectors, nor even the back of the cabinet. It was designed to sound like a stock Leslie and to this end this analogue Dynacord succeeded admirably.
Following on from the CLS range -- which started with the CLS22 that did not have the switch for effect on/off, but which in other respects was the same as the 222 -- Dynacord changed tack, discarding analogue for digital with the advent of the DLS223. This was replaced with the similar DLS300, which is reviewed here. The DLS223/300 was also much admired, but fell down slightly in that it was less able to produce a clean divide between upper horn sound and lower rotor sound, which is a feature that really needs to be captured to emulate, convincingly, the classic Leslie sound. The crossover at 800hz should route frquencies below that figure entirely to the bass speaker and the frequencies above 800hz should be handled by the upper horn speaker alone. The DLS 300 is, to my ears, very slightly better than the CLS222 in its ability to produce biting tremelo. It also provides for tube distortion simulation, unlike the CLS-series. Also, there are numerous parameters that can be adjusted to produce extremely convincing "rotary cabinets." The parameters even allow, uniquely I believe, room simulation where the reflected sounds bounce back from the walls of virtual adjustable rooms.
Rotors can be made to spin anti-clockwise or clockwise, treble and bass independently, and treble and bass EQ can be applied and contours and cabinet liveliness (resonance) can be adjusted, again discreetly for bass and treble. There is no hint of digital artifacts nor phasing and the sound is fluid and analogue sounding and very similar in this respect to the CLS-series. The major difference in tone is in the DLS's poorer ability to provide the distinct crossover at 800hz and therefore provide the perfect Leslie tone. The DLS Organ Cabinet is altogether a better looking unit, looking somewhat like a Hi-Fi tuner, and the effects box can handle MIDI controller signals, which makes it emanently suitable for studio use, where for instance, patch changes can switch the effect on and off or a MIDI signal can alter the spin speed, or where parameters can be edited remotely. Spin speed change can also be effected from the front of the cabinet, and remotely from a foot pedal or MIDI signal.
A DLS feature improvement over the CLS is that it caters for both true stereo input, or mono input. The stereo input is useful as it allows for full use of stereo voices, from a stereo synth, for example, when organ voices are not being used, by merely switching "effect off."
Editing is performed from front of unit, but requires the manual to be on hand, as there are a host of adjustable parameters. Finally, the DLS can handle European voltages and US voltages automatically.
CLS-series
DLS-series
The above is my best shot at describing the attributes of two really fine rotary speaker simulators. Time marches on, and since Dynacord stopped production, other contenders for best simulator have made their appearance, but mostly these are integral to the organ for which they provide the rotary effect, so used Dynacord products still provide a viable effects box for the users of products such as the Voce V5, or for V3/XM1/VK7 users who would prefer an alternative to the built-in Leslie simulator. Perhaps even now, the Dynacords have only really been bettered by the Motion-Sound rack-unit, which features an actual rotating horn assembly which is mic'd and mixed with bass rotor simulation.
Both the CLS and DLS series rotary cabinet simulators do their jobs extremely well. I own both types. If I had to throw one away, with regret it would have to be the DLS300, because of the CLS's better emulation of the "classic" Leslie tone. Both mimic rotor spin, and ramp up/down very convincingly; however, the DLS300 produces marginally more effective rotor simulation, and perhaps with some suitable outboard EQ it might be coaxed into providing a closer tonal match. too. It can take advantage of MIDI, making it ideal for the home studio or PC use which might be a deciding factor. It certainly sounds like a real rotary speaker cabinet, just not one perhaps with the >classic" Leslie tone. Leslie and others did make cabinets which did not have the "classic" tone, either, but which provided the tremelo/chorale effect and the DLS does provide effective virtual rotors.
Your opinion about which is the best ever rotary speaker simulator may, of course, differ from mine but there can be no doubting that both Dynacord products are extremely fine simulators ,and do the job for which they were intended in an exemplary manner.
Thomas Adamson. UK.
Reprinting of this document, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes is prohibited without expressed written consent from the author. Use for non-commercial purposes is freely allowed, with no express or implied warranties of suitability or accuracy.