Nord User Forum

Hello, I have read in forums that built-in simulator leslie of Electro 6 is too similar with Ventilator 2. I can't try it but I have the possibility to buy one second hand.
I like built in sim but if the sound of ventilator adds more credibility and warm, I will buy it.
Could you give me your opinion?
Thank you.

Thank you Hlaalu for your point of view!!

I'm another one that prefers the Vent and have used the Vent exclusively for over 10 years. You can get a very respectable Leslie sound out of the newer Nords starting with about NE4 and NS3, though the Vent has an extra special something that is hard to describe and it is something that the audience wouldn't really notice and only discerning ears listening closely would notice.

I use IEMs with a stereo mix and I can really tell a difference between Vent vs. internal Leslie when playing through IEMs. The Vent has this extra warmth and also does some kind of tasty compression of the sound that is again hard to describe. Also, the acceleration and deceleration of the Vent is spot-on with my Leslie 122 and the way it spins up and down is organic and cool. When not played, the Vent has this swirling sound that can be heard, just like having a swirling Leslie sitting behind you on stage.

I like the Vent so much that I actually own FOUR of them, used in different places. One original Vent that has been in my IEM gig rack since getting it new over 10 years ago, I have a Vent II in my home music room, a Mini Vent at rehearsal space, and another Vent II in a separate rack that is used for pick up gigs when not using IEMs and also as a backup to the gig rack in case something goes wrong.

I did make a lo-fi YouTube video showing the differences between the two, though it's very subtle.

Wow! Nice EricL. Could you send to me your YouTube channel to listen the ventilator 2? In action?

OceanClusters wrote:Wow! Nice EricL. Could you send to me your YouTube channel to listen the ventilator 2? In action?

Sure, here it is

https://youtu.be/z9_Bsbp1Fe0

+1 to the vent>internal sim. I've been using a first generation vent for 11 years and I love it. For rehearsals I don't bring my pedal board and the onboard simulation (E5) does just fine. But there's a more than marginal difference to my ears between the two.

afroskully wrote:+1 to the vent>internal sim. I've been using a first generation vent for 11 years and I love it. For rehearsals I don't bring my pedal board and the onboard simulation (E5) does just fine. But there's a more than marginal difference to my ears between the two.

Agree and if my long, rambling description of my experience made it sound like it was only a "marginal" difference, let me emphasize that it is more than marginal to my ears. So much that I have invested in the multitude of Vents for each place I may be playing a clone. I do have the real thing in my music room (Hammond A101 + Leslie 122), though most of my gigs and rehearsals don't utilize the real thing and the Vent is a must for me.

I was doing what afroskully does for some rehearsals (usually with one-off, pickup gigs) and NOT bringing a Vent simply due to convenience. I have become so dependent on how the Vent sounds that I have gone to extra effort to now have a small rack that includes a Vent for this type of application.

I don't have a Vent, so I can't give a comparison. My sound revolves mostly around Rhodes, but I use a lot of B3, both from my E5d and VSTs. For me, the E5d with its Leslie sim sounds like an organ, and I like it. It sounds enough like an organ that the last thing I'd ever contemplate adding to my rig is extra hardware to make it sound more like an organ. Full respect to the organ aficionados targeting the real deal, but for me what I get out of an E5 ticks that box just fine. And, my opinion, not one person on the entire planet (not even another keyboard player in the audience at your next gig), will hear the difference between your Nord sim and the Vent's sim.

I agree no one in the audience would notice the difference. They probably wouldn't care if you were playing a Casio. But I do hear the difference.

I've used an original Vent for years. IMO it is noticeably better than the built in sim on my E4D.

I should sell EricL my Vent II as I'm not using it

Seriously, they are fun to play with and sound great. For me, it became just another piece of gear to bring along, and I realized it wasn't worth the trouble. If I'm recording, there are many good software leslies to choose from, so I'm not shut out there.

Besides, the one I use (Stage 3) sounds good enough for what I'm getting paid

If you ever end up playing different gigs and/or move to the Stage, it's very nice to have everything invoked by a single "Song" including all the effects. A song may have up to 5 presets, invoked at different points in the song. That could result in a lot of pedal stomping if you use external effects.