Nord User Forum

[2xbasssist]

I own a C2. I had never owned a Hammond Organ in my life. I'm improving in my playing as a Hammond organist does (always busy making sound changes, drawbar modifications at the fly, and the need of real or "close to real" drawbars, is getting stronger. I've waited 4 years for Hammond to improve their XK3c, they still don't launch a respectable product as much as the xk3c did. The Sk2, is a toy! (IMO). But, I'm getting older and I want to keep on playing as well as keeping my stuff lightweight so, I'm thinking seriously in upgrading to a C2D.

I got very used to watch the "changing lights" everytime I do a sound program change(because of this feature, I've learned a lot in drawbar settings!).
My question is: How can you check in the C2D, the way that the chosen sound program setting is build? I know that in the LCD screen of the XK3c, there is a set of bars representing each drawbar (see attached image) With this feature, you can see the drawbars settings for each program. Does the C2D small screen display give that information? Or does the new drawbars has lights beside each drawbar? it doesn't seem to be this way...

I would appreciate your help guys.

Best Regards,

2xbasssist.

[flmc59]

The LCD screen does not have that information.
I own bot models C2 and C2D and I do think that this is a problem.
When you have 2 sets of drawbar you work the organ in a different way.
There are some different models for doing it.
How I think is

You use the presets for basic fixed sounds.
You uou change the inactive drawbarset with the next sound you want to play (as you play). Then switch.
The drawbarset you switched from is now the target for uour changes.
You also change drawbar settings on the fly directly on the active set since it is so much faster.
The slownes of using led drawbars lends toward using a lot if presets.

Regards Frederick

[ben2veld]

I have owned a Hammond XK-2 and Hammond A-100.
IMO the drawbars from the C2D respond like a A-100
When I tried the C2D I had the feelin that I was playing on my old Hammond.
I've played 6 years on the A-100.

it's great during a performance to play with your drawbar settings.
I think with the C2D you have a close to real" drawbars setup.

Regards
Bennie
website: http://www.theveldmanbrothers.com

[flmc59]

Good to hear that you liked the C2d and felt at home with the concept. I think the idea behind the C2d is to get as close to the B3 MMi (man machine interface) within the confines of the formfactor and wheight.

[flmc59]

Great to see the C2d in your gear list.
Do you use the 11 pin contact with your 760 with reduction to 9 pin standard?

[bdodds]

I've been a Hammond player for more of my life than I haven't at this point, and I can say that when you play a Hammond you don't have lights or buttons, just the drawbars and your ears, and there's nothing quite like it. I really dislike the drawbuttons more and more though I've been playing them for 10 years now almost so I'm used to them, but nothing beats grabbing a handful of drawbars and tweaking - once you get used to it you'll love it. The C2d from everything I've seen and looked at will be as close as you'll be able to get to that experience in a compact, non-b3-clone clonewheel.

edit: I see what you mean now w/r/t switching programs and having the drawbars no longer match. I guess the question is do you want it to behave like a real Hammond in that the drawbars have no bearing on the presets, so if you choose a preset from C to A that's what you have with no visual verification. There's been some talk about it insofar as to determine if it's a problem or not, and I guess it's going to have to be a personal preference type thing - do you need drawbars to modify a preset, and if so, what behavior is expected/required?

[flmc59]

For me personally my presets are fixed sounds
While having a preset active I can change one or both of the drawbarsets.
My presets are the sounds which I do not need to tweek on the fly.

But there are a lot of possible solutions to how the MMI is structured in relation to the drawbars. Every solution has pros and cons.

[flmc59]

My XB3 shows either the numbers or a graphical view when a preset is select. Useful in on way. But if you have to select a preset - look at the display to verify - then play, then half the chorus may have passed .
Part of proficiency with the Hammond type organ, or any organ for that matter, is to know how to quickly work the controls. You should instinctively know how to get the sound in your head.
On a church organ you should know what a stop sounds like.
And what your combinations sounds like.

On a piano you spend a lot of time perfecting the touch. On the organ the soundshaping is not how you strine the note. It is how you register it.
Allthough the Hammond is actually sensitive to touch.
Not from a strength of the note point of view but the attack of the note varies with how fast you press the key. A slow attack gives a longer note on sequence of turning the partials on. Press real slow and you can rear the individual drawbar notes come on one after the other. Release of the key also affects the number of note of clicks you get.

[ben2veld]

Great to see the C2d in your gear list.
Do you use the 11 pin contact with your 760 with reduction to 9 pin standard?

I use a combo pre amp. ( jack connection)

[Mooser]

Well, I sort of like the LED system, and wish Nord would make it a touch more ergonomic with a paddle or rocker instead of the two buttons. But this weekend, I played outside in full sun. I could not see the LEDs at all!! Nothin! I wouldn't have had that problem with physical drawbars. I had a bunch of program changes and drawbar moves planned, but all that went by the wayside. I couldn't see anything on the C2. This was on a cloudless day, with the sun almost directly overhead.