Nord User Forum

I have a 2021 Electro 6D 73. I have played Hammonds for years and in my view, the NORD Electro 6 percussion settings for the B3 (both the 2'nd and 3'rd) are awful. The 2'nd is more like a "pop" and the 3'rd is way too "sharp". I have used the "soft" function but this does not help.

Does anyone know if there is a way to adjust these percussive sounds?

The NE6 manual can tell you all parameters that are available (and, no, there are none specific for Organ Percussion)

Does the equalizer help?

Thanks for jumping in!

Equalization does help a bit, but it also affects the rest of the sound.

I suspect the organ sound engine on the 6D is the same as found on the Stage 3, which I used for about two years, mostly for piano and synth parts, but when I just had to go light, I also used the Stage 3 for Hammond parts in lieu of my Hammond XK-5. After gigging with a B-3 for over 50 years I can easily recognize the right Hammond sound. For me, Nord organ sounds can't be made to sound completely satisfactory, but, they are good enough to work in a typical rock/blues band situation. Most audience members won't notice, especially if the organ is just "in the mix". Discerning listeners can tell. I've had multiple occasions where a fan approached after a gig using the Stage 3 for organ and asked me something like, "Where is your Hammond", or "you sounded different tonight." A few months ago I decided to just not "go light" anymore, sold the Stage 3 and bought a Piano 5 to use with my XK-5 rig. Here's another thought I keep in mind: How you play your instrument is far more important than what instrument you play.

wtibbit - thank you for your insights. I use to play an Hammond XK-2. Bought it new and just retired it this year, so it was dated both in terms of sound and feel. I was interested in the XK-5, but there no stores within striking distance that ever had one available to try. So I went with the Electro 6D. I totally agree with your comments re the NORD vs. Hammond sound. I also agree that most people in the audience will not notice. I am hoping that I can figure out how to adjust the Electro 6 so that the percussive sounds better.

herdy, I couldn't determine by looking at the manual if you can simultaneously use both the Leslie function and the compressor function on a E6D. If so, you might try using the compressor to "tamp down" the volume of the percussion attack, especially when playing with less volume. It might sound better.....

wtibbit. That''s a great idea. I will try it this evening. I am guessing that the compressor function does not work with the rotary amp setting (which we need for the B3), instead when using Rotary the Drive (overdrive) effect will be active). But I will experiment and see! Many thanks.

It has to be said - if playing Hammond sounds is a large part of your requirements for a keyboard, Clavia doesn't have a good solution for you. They shine with acoustic pianos, sample sounds, and their built-in synth options. For Rhodes they are so-so, mostly because of the keybeds they use. But for Hammond - it's not a focus for the company anymore. They discontinued their "C line" which were Hammond clones, and for some reason their current Hammond sounds on the Electro (and i've heard Stage) have regressed - at least there have been a lot of complaints. Even I've noticed that my Electro 6 Hammond does not sound as good as my old Electro 4, and I'm no organ specialist.

Take a look at the Crumar Mojo or the Hammond SK. These aren't cheap, but if you need an authentic sounding B3 clone for your work, you'll need to go in this direction. But don't think either of those can be a jack-of-all-trades. They will be great for organ and weak on everything else. The Mojo especially has terrible acoustic piano sounds. Nord is still the best for those.

Gambold wrote:Hammond SK.

The SKx Pro has an updated organ engine, plus all other sounds. More expensive than the regular SK but I guess it's more comparable to the latest Nords for someone looking for an all in one solution.