reggoboy wrote:I have one „standard“ patch that has the same piano on both slots, but on slot A, I can add a really subtle synth pad by switching on the synth section. And then I can switch to Slot B for the same piano, but layered with a beautiful string section that is tailored to feel like a buildup from the synth from the other slot without seeming like a jarring change.
Another patch I use starts with a Hammond on one slot, with a piano in the lower split for big bass walkdown in the interludes. I switch on the synth section on the third interlude, and in the instrumental buildup for the final run, I switch on the second slot, which adds a harpsichord across the whole keyboard.
(Hear it here at 21:59 into the set: https://youtu.be/BWrq-7Hf5-8 )
My lord, analogika, there is just so much that's wonderful about this recording; I'm not sure where to begin. Pretty impressive having the drummer play bass, too, btw.
Thank you for the effusive response! I'm glad you enjoy it — it was a very special evening for us.
Yeah, splitting bass duties between the drummer and the keyboard player was borne by necessity, but it's given the band something unique. It helps that Lars, the drummer, is one of the most tasteful and modest musicians I've worked with.
Great keyboard work. So you stop and start the fast rotary during the songs, eh? Do you just hit the button to switch between fast and slow? I often want to do that, but feel like my left hand is tied up. If you split with an organ, do you usually put the organ in the right hand? I've been putting it on the left hand because I use it more as a "pad" and the right hand more as a lead. But I'm still trying to figure that out.
The sustain pedal switches Leslie speed by default (I think; there's a setting to enable that, at any rate). On my Hammonds, I switch using the footswitch on the wedge preamps, as well (not a fan of half-moon switches).
It's a little tricky when you're layering with piano and/or synth, as the sustain pedal switches Leslie speeds every time you engage it, so you can see me sometimes re-pedaling mid-chord when I need the Leslie to rev up or smooth out, or occasionally using a finger to poke the speed button as I'm holding bass notes. But when you're layering with synth, you need to re-pedal fairly often anyway when the synth pads get overbearing, so this is something I'm used to doing a lot. (Monitoring that lets you hear *exactly* what's going on is absolutely essential.)
Anything melodic will tend to go in the right hand, as much as possible. My left hand is a bit lazy. But it really depends upon what I need it to do, and what else I have going on.
And that organ sounds very much like a synth, even in the early part of the song. Is it a B3 with just the high stops drawn? I'm still trying to figure out how to get sounds I like out of those drawbars. I feel like I often get overtones I don't want. I'd love to know how to listen to a B3 recording and reproduce the organ tone on my Nord.
I usually start that particular song out with just the 8' and a little bit of the 4' drawbars.
The white drawbars are the "pure" octaves, starting with the fundamental, and three octave up (the leftmost black drawbar, the 16', is the SUBfundamental octave). Using only these will give you a clean sound. The others are overtones — fifths and a major third. Especially the major third (1 3/5') will add slightly dissonant bite.
Beyond that, I tend to treat the drawbars a bit like a graphic equaliser as I'm playing — if I want more whump, I'll add at the bottom; for sizzle, I'll draw out the top bars. Keeping in mind that I only use the 1 3/5' if I want that colour. )
Oh, and lots and lots of swell pedal use, of course!