[Ed. -- I have been told that this piece of gear represents a "Howler" style preamp.]
In the last decade we've seen many Hammond clones come along with their own version of the Hammond/Leslie sound, and while some recent entries have gotten closer than ever, there is no one single unit that is yet a perfect clone. It's a huge task, for there are so many characteristics unique to the Hammond/Leslie sound that it's difficult for any one clone to nail them all down; in fact, it's nearly impossible.
First off, given all the so-called "flaws" in the original Hammond design and the way different units have aged over the years, there are scores of Hammond/Leslie combinations still in use, all with the trademark "sound," but all just different enough that there isn't one single example of what the "sound" is. The best clone has a lot of ground to cover. Adding trademark Hammond characteristics (percussion, C/V, EQ sliders [drawbars], and variable Leslie rotor ramping speeds) to tonewheel samples will start converting a standard synth "organ" patch into a more Hammondesque sound, but this often fails to address the changes that occur as these unique characteristics all start to interact with each other in real time.
Modeling synthesis is a big step towards addressing this drawback, but it still fails to capture all the subtle, intangible tonal qualities that accompany the sound you hear out of a real Hammond/Leslie. Just as hearing a very good Leslie emulator or a mic'd Leslie through a hi-fidelity amp & speaker is just not the same as sitting 10 feet away from a real Leslie cranking away; there is an ethereal quality to the overall tone of a real Hammond that even the best of the latest digital clones aren't providing. I believe this missing link is in the preamp/amplifier stage: I have yet to hear a dead-on digital emulation (modeling or otherwise) of the "warmth" (that magical word) you get from the preamps in a Hammond and Leslie. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of an all-digital signal path, the best you can do to correct this deficiency is to add some sort of tube preamp at the outputs of your digital clone and hope that it imparts enough "tube warmth," and maybe enough grunge, to get things sounding a little more authentic. The problem is compounded by the need to add this to both channels if you want to maintain a stereo signal; there is no cost efficient way in the all-digital domain of a single unit clone to add a real "tube preamp" stage post-Hammond and pre-Leslie. On my Korg CX-3, I tried to remedy this with both an ART 'Dual MP' and TubeWorks 'Blue Tube II' (and then the two together), and while it helped the sound a little, the payoff wasn't great enough to warrant adding another piece of gear; part of the allure of the CX-3 (for me) was getting to lighten my live rig. At the same time, I kept reading rave reviews of the Speakeasy preamp, but the cost of adding two of them to maintain my stereo signal seemed prohibitive, and I was somewhat skeptical of what the benefits might be, given my experience with the previous preamps.
About four weeks ago I was approached by Steve Hayes to beta test a Stereo (dual channel) rackmount version of his Speakeasy Vintage Tube Preamp (or SSVTP) using my CX-3. I feel that you lose a lot of the aural sense of movement when you condense a stereo Leslie signal to mono, so it was very important to me to maintain the stereo signal I feed to the mains. Plus, I like to keep as much gear racked as possible: The floor in front of me gets cluttered enough with the pedals that have to be there. So far as these conditions were concerned, this new Speakeasy fit the bill. Steve [Hayes, designer of the pedal] and I spoke about what features were essential for my application (tone controls, jacks, etc.), and then shortly thereafter the unit arrived at my door. Luckily, it arrived the day before I had a weekend full of gigs, and I had a chance to mess with it before a live situation. In order to properly A/B the unit, I split each of my L & R output signals and sent one stereo pair into the Speakeasy, and then that output into chnls 1 & 2 of a Mackie board; with the other stereo pair sent dry into chnls 3 & 4 of the same board. I used an Alesis RA-500 amp to drive a pair of KRK K-RoK reference monitors.
Playing through the SSVTP at moderate sound levels in my house, I immediately noticed a difference in the clarity of the sound. The best way I can describe it is that it seemed I had lifted a cloth off of my speakers. There are tones I'm now hearing that didn't seem to exist previously. It's almost as if I had added an Aphex 'Aural Exciter' or BBE 'Sonic Maximizer' into the chain, but these results were completely natural sounding. The SSVTP was not only adding the warmth that I wanted, softening a little of the shrillness you tend to get at the upper end, but it also added more presence to the sound. I know this somewhat seems like a contradiction, but the unit somehow makes the sound clearer while toning down the overall harshness at the same time. Kicking up the SSVTP's volume controls added plenty of grunge, but didn't degrade the clarity of the tone; in fact, the unit really shines the more you crank it up. Clean, dirty and everything in between were all easy to attain. As I ran through all the CX-3's presets and several drawbar settings I noticed that the more drawbars you use, the more significant the improvement. 88 8888 888 never sounded better. For most drawbar settings, I kept the SSVTP's tone controls around 1 or 2 o'clock, but kicking up the bass control really gave a little more body to what I call 'wispy effect' settings like 00 0080 088. To help cut through a loud band mix, I like to set the virtual Leslie microphones real close and the SSVTP enhanced this effect even more; you could almost feel the virtual wind of the horn on fast speed.
I should stop here to explain the layout of the SSVTP. It's standard 19" rack width and two rack spaces tall to accommodate the two transformers inside. Also, given the two transformers inside, if you have the room it wouldn't be a bad idea to isolate it by one empty rack space from other gear in your rack. This unit is basically set up like two independent preamps in one box. On the front panel of the unit there are separate volume, treble, and bass controls and a 1/4" unbalanced input for each channel, a master power switch and indicator light. It is possible to get a unit with only one set of tone controls, but it made more sense to me to have the flexibility of two distinct channels; that way you could use one SSVTP with two different Clones (two manuals, or one manual and one pedal board, etc.) You could stack the channels if you wanted by running the output of channel A into the input of channel B, but each channel already provides plenty of grunge on it's own, and I didn't see the need. The back panel simply has a 1/4" unbalanced output for each channel, a fuse holder and the AC cord. Couldn't be simpler. The power supply is internal, so no pesky wall-wart here. Since I use the internal Leslie on the CX-3, all I needed was the 1/4" outs, but for a small additional fee you can get a Leslie connecter for whichever Leslie setup you might have. I liked this idea; no sense in paying for Leslie connectors if you don't use a real Leslie.
I didn't find having 'unbalanced' ins & outs to be a problem; the unit sits close enough to my mixer to keep that cable length short and I don't know of any clones with balanced outputs anyway. There was initially a small grounding problem, but a jumper supplied by Steve quickly remedied that. Opening up the unit was a little intriguing: There are no circuit boards inside; only tubes, transformers, and wires running all over. You can immediately tell that a real human put this all together; each unit is individually assembled to order. Much the same way that 25 years ago I could do all my own work on my old Chevy Impala, whereas nowadays I don't even dare lift the hood on my Riviera, with the SSVTP I felt that I would easily be able to maintain it myself if the need ever arose. (However I doubt it ever will; this sucker is solid.) This old-fashioned assembly is more than just a nod to the latest retro trend; it's the heart of what makes the SSVTP sound so good.
Steve explained to me what's going on inside. There are basically two stages to the unit, with the front section designed around the early blackface Fender Twin amps, and the back end or driver section designed around a Hammond B-3 AO-28 preamp with a true Class A output. The transformers he uses were specifically designed for this application and are manufactured exclusively for the Speakeasy preamps. Likewise, the tone controls are optimized for the frequency range of a Hammond. Once you know what's going on inside, it makes sense why this unit works as well as it does. Instead of trying to digitally recreate older technology, Speakeasy recognizes there was nothing wrong with the original designs and it capitalizes on this premise. In order to scale down the weight, size, and cost of a real Hammond B3, it makes sense to incorporate new technology to attain the original sound. But instead of a huge tonewheel organ, this is just a preamp where size and weight aren't really major factors, and the benefit of scaling it down doesn't justify compromising the tone, especially given that nobody has figured out a way to digitally model what the SSVTP provides. This is a good example where simple is better.
I soon got to use the SSVTP at a gig and it didn't take long for my band mates to notice the change in my sound. I finally can cut through with all the same presence that used to be exclusively the guitar player's. Frankly, I'm getting tired of being asked to turn down. It seems now that my sound is quite up front, the other guys don't like sharing the bandwidth. I fail to see what the problem is! Seriously, my organ has never sounded so good. Our band plays through a stereo Mackie P.A. (24x8Bus mixer, SR1530 3-way speakers and SRS1500 subs) and I pan my stereo signal at 10:00 and 2:00. I got a chance to stand out front while a buddy of mine sat in for a couple songs. The Mackie system has the fidelity of a really good (and really big) home stereo and it was thrilling to hear the entire range of the CX-3 coming through the mix in all it's swirling glory. Heavier low-end, grunge settings for songs like "Chest Fever" now dominate the midrange without muddying up the mix.
A note about Steve Hayes and Speakeasy: This is about the best gear manufacturer I've ever dealt with. Steve has been a Hammond player and a Hammond tech for several decades and he truly gets a lot of pleasure providing equipment that makes Hammond players smile. He couldn't be more hands-on if he came to your house and set everything up for you (or maybe he does this if you live in Pennsylvania). Speakeasy is small enough that all you need to do is ask, and they should be able to provide it for you. I've really enjoyed all the interaction I've had with this company.
In a way, I'm now kind of sorry I ever played through the SSVTP. With the CX-3, I've been able to eliminate pieces of my live rig and still maintain a sound quality I felt I could live with. In my opinion, the sonic improvement I get with the SSVTP makes it indispensable, and it will now permanently remain part of the rig. Oh well, I think I can handle it.
Ed Fliege
k2mojo@groovedaddies.com
www.groovedaddies.com
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