How do I get that Hammond B3 attack on an Electro 3?

[pint6x]

Hi all,

I have an Electro 3 73 key which I bought about 5 years ago, and which I love more than any keyboard I have ever owned. It's gigged regularly and people comment about the grungy organ sound - I have crosstalk turned up to max and use the rotary compressor to add more 'dirt' when needed.

One thing I have not been able to recreate is the 'attack' when hitting a note or chord. Watch this video of Jon Lord killing it with the track 'Lazy' on a Deep Purple tour in 1999. When he hits the Hammond keyboard at 0:43 and later at 1:46 - you can hear a tangible 'sharpness' or 'bite' when the notes are pressed - not quite sure how else to describe it. Anyway, if anyone can advise on how to get this effect, I'd be very grateful!



Cheers - Philip

[pint6x]

Pumping the Rotary drive is fine, but have you tried to apply some EQ too?

[Ignatius]

You are talking about the Percussion control, which you have on your NE3. Look at the top of the organ section on the control face, and there it is. It features a number of controls to play with.

Others can give you better schooling on this, but generally speaking, it creates an initial overtone upon hitting the key. If the first key played when this is on is kept suppressed ("pedaled"), the biting overtone will not play with subsequent notes until it is released.

It is a great effect, and I believe there are some deep parameters for you to adjust on the NE3. It's funny, because on my NE5 out of the box it is so harsh and pronounced, I have not been using it. I need to sit down with the manual and figure out what my options are for bringing it under control. I never had that problem with my NE2, but such is the march of product improvement.

[analogika]

The “hacking” attack you’re hearing is actually a combination of the 3rd percussion, set to fast, and the “key click”, into LOTS AND LOTS of distortion.

On the Electro 3, as on the 5, the finer settings for percussion volume and for key click are found in the Sound menu (hold “Shift” and select the “Sound” button — it’s the “Live” button on the Electro 3.

[pint6x]

Thanks for the replies people - really useful. I might even indulge in a spot of RTFM!

Much appreciated - cheers - Philip

[pint6x]

Well that's really made a difference - been experimenting with the percusion settings - I prefer the second harmonic rather than the third, though both add their own distinctive character.

I have been keeping the FAST and the SOFT buttons off as I prefer it without them, and I've backed the compressor/distortion off a bit, so the key click can be heard more.

Also played around with the Shift/Sound settings - key click sustain and decay etc.

Thanks again people!

[analogika]

If the replies got you poking around and experimenting with settings until the thing feels just the way you want it, then that’s the Best Possible Outcome.

Enjoy!

[JiminWales]

I'm pretty sure that the Rotary effects does tend to blur/smear out the attack - percussion used or not. I also think that Jon Lord used some conventional (Marshall)amp/speakers in addition to a Leslie. I strongly suspect that Keith Emerson did too (HiWatt). If amplifying it in mono using the merged mono output, the mixing of left & right together can also harm the attack. Stereo is all very well, but bear in mind that for many classic recordings, the organ usually only got 1 track on the studio multitrack and the final mix had to be mono compatible anyway.

I think that the Nord keyclick needs a spread feature. The real Hammond keyboard can produce a flam of clicks depending on how you press the key and how many drawbars are active. This can produce a flute-like "chiff", not a click.

[analogika]

I agree. As far as I know, the newest series of Hammond-Suzukis are the only boards that spread the click to approximate the „flamming“ you describe.

Jon Lord definitely used a Marshall stack to compete with the guitar in early Purple. But at the time of that video, he was using a Leslie. Lots of player would combine a Leslie with a HiWatt, Orange, or Marshall power amp for a more beastly crunch. It’s likely that that’s what we’re hearing here.

Brian Auger told me he always avoided Leslies because the horn being on the far side would swallow his attack, and he played too fast. He has been playing through a stationary amp for five decades.

[Schorsch]

I agree. As far as I know, the newest series of Hammond-Suzukis are the only boards that spread the click to approximate the „flamming“ you describe.

Which new series are you talking about, the Portable B3, XK-5 System or also some of the smaller portable Hammond stage organs?