MODX: Drawbar overdrive (part 3)

Posted on May 31, 2023 by pj

So far on our tour of MODX (Montage) drawbar organ tech, I’ve discussed drawbar control and drawbar waveforms. Convincing overdrive and distortion are essential to an authentic drawbar organ sound (B-3 plus Leslie). Technically, the overdrive (or distortion) is produced by the tube electronics in a Leslie rotary speaker. We synthesizer types must use amp and speaker simulators to produce overdrive or distortion.

Engineers are creatures of habit. After browsing a zillion MODX and Genos organ voices, I noticed that Yamaha engineers kept returning to the same effect algorithms albeit with slightly different parameter values:

    MODX Algorithm    Genos Algorithm    Characteristics 
    ---------------   ---------------    ---------------------- 
    BRITISH COMBO     BRITISH COMBO      Vox combo amp 
    MULTI FX          MULTI FX           Pedal board 
    AMP SIMULATOR 1   V DISTORTION       Vintage amp 
    AMP SIMULATOR 2   STEREO AMP SIM     Vintage stereo amp 
    SMALL STEREO      SMALL STEREO DIST  Stereo amp and speaker sim

The MULTI FX pedal board simulator includes the SMALL STEREO (DIST) algorithm. Check out Blake’s article about guitar effects.

Roadmap

We need a roadmap before driving into the weeds.

Usually, overdrive is configured as a MODX (Montage) insert effect. Once you navigate to the effects routing page (or one of the insert effect pages), you can change the effect type (algorithm) and/or effect parameters. Yamaha documentation refers to “effect types”; I use the word “algorithm” instead because we are selecting an algorithm (code) along with its parameters.

Yamaha provide several different distortion, overdrive and amp simulator algorithms. As if that isn’t enough choice, sometimes the kind of overdrive (or distortion) can be chosen by a parameter (e.g., tube, transistor, etc.) In some cases, we can choose the speaker cabinet (e.g., 2×12), too.

Why are there so many choices? If you follow the guitar pedal market, you would ask “Why are there so many distortion pedals?” Like anything else in sound and music, there are many varieties of distortion or overdrive. Some are warm (tubes), some are bright (transistor), and so forth. The trick is to use your ears and find the most appropriate kind of distortion, overdrive or amp type for the sound you want to obtain. Guitarists call this ephemeral quality “tone”.

I’ve cataloged several detailed examples in the next section. These are starting points for experimentation. If you don’t know where to start, choose something and start tweaking! If you can’t get your tone, change the kind of distortion effect if the selected algorithm allows, or move on to a different effect algorithm.

An effect algorithm is a mathematical model of a real-world device. Each algorithm simulates one or more real-world distortion, overdrive, amplifier and/or speaker cabinet effects. The models mimic an audio signal hitting a component like a tube, transistor or a mic’ed speaker cabinet. The amount of distortion usually increases when the incoming audio signal is stronger, i.e., the input level or gain (sometimes called “drive”) is turned up. The input signal drives the simulated device or component harder.

One thing to keep in mind — increasing input level (gain) also increases the output level. When you increase the gain (drive), you must decrease the output level lest you cause nasty digital distortion in the outgoing digital audio stream. Digital distortion (digital clipping) sounds unnatural and is not desirable.

Warning
Increasing drive also raises the volume of the outgoing audio, sometimes to painful levels! Keep volume low when experimenting with high drive. Protect you ears.

Most of the algorithms provide a parameter controlling the Wet/Dry mix. You’ll see settings like “D15>W”. The wet/dry value range is:

     D63>W to (D=W) to D<W63

This determines the balance between the direct, unprocessed signal (dry) and the processed sound (wet). At dead center, “(D=W)”, the wet and dry signals are equal. Move to either side to pass more of the dry sound or wet/effected sound.

The details and examples

The BRITISH COMBO effect algorithm (Vox AC30) is a Yamaha favorite. In the table below, the first settings are taken from the MODX “All Bar None” Performance, and the second and third settings are from the Genos “ClassicJazz” and “RockOrgan JS” voices, respectively.

                            MODX         Genos        Genos 
    ## Parameters       All Bar None  ClassicJazz  RockOrgan JS 
    -- ---------------  ------------  -----------  ------------ 
     1 Mode                Bright        Bright      Top Boost 
     2 Normal              5.8           3.6         4.0 
     3 Brilliant           6.0           5.4         6.0 
     4 Bass                4.4           5.0         4.4 
     5 
     6 Treble              6.0           6.2         6.0 
     7 Cut                 0.6           0.0         0.6 
     8 
     9 Output Level        69            126         71 
    10 
    11 Speaker Type        AC 4x10       AC 1x12     AC 4x10 
    12 Speaker Air         2             2           0 
    13 Mic Position        Center        Center      Center

The parameters “Normal” and “Brilliant” dial in the distortion.

Here’s the rotary speaker settings for two Genos drawbar organ voices. Both voices use the Genos V DISTORTION effects algorithm. The equivalent MODX algorithm is AMP SIMULATOR 1.

                           Genos           Genos 
    ## Parameters       WhiterBars JS  RotaryDriveOrg 
    -- ---------------  -------------  -------------- 
     1 Overdrive         28%             24% 
     2 Device            Vintage Tube    Transistor 
     3 Speaker Type      Stack           Twin 
     4 Presence          4               10 
     5 Output Level      88%             100% 
    10 Dry/Wet           D40>W           D26>W

The first voice simulates a tube preamp and the second voice simulates a transistor preamp. Tube amps have a warmer sound than transistor amps.

MODX does not have all of the Genos distortion algorithms. MODX implements the latest and greatest algorithms while Genos (Tyros and PSR) retain many legacy algorithms for backward compatibility. The table below shows the settings for the STEREO AMP SIMULATOR used by the “ClassicBars JS” voice.

                              Genos           MODX 
    ## Parameters         ClassicBars JS  The Jazz Organ 
    -- -----------------  --------------  -------------- 
     1 Drive                  0               15 
     2 Amp Type               Stack           Tube 
     3 LPF Cutoff Frequency   8.0kHz          5.0kHz 
     4 Output Level           114             112 
    10 Dry/Wet                D24>W           D17>W 
    11 Edge (Clip Curve)      0               n/a

The nearest equivalent MODX algorithm is AMP SIMULATOR 2. The parameters are the same except “Edge (Clip Curve)” is missing on MODX. Still, I would give these parameter values a try on MODX.

The MULTI FX algorithm simulates a guitar pedal board. The input signal hits a simple compressor (sustain) which drives a distortion block (Dist). The phaser and wah blocks are turned OFF in the examples below.

MODX Performance: More Shade 
MODX Algorithm: MULTI FX MODX Preset: Distortion Solo
                              MODX           MODX 
    ## Parameters         More Shade  8.8.8.8.6.2.2.0.0 
    -- -----------------  ----------  ----------------- 
     1 Comp. Sustain      2.3               2.7 
     2 Wah SW             Off               Off 
     3 Wah Pedal          0                 0 
     4 Dist SW            Clean             Clean 
     5 Dist Drive         2.1               1.3 
     6 Dist EQ            High Boost        High Boost 
     7 Dist Tone          0.8               1.3 
     8 Dist Presence      6.0               5.2 
     9 Output Level       108               115 
    10 
    11 Speaker Type       Twin              Twin 
    12 LFO Speed          0.1Hz             0.1Hz 
    13 Phaser SW          Off               Off 
    14 Delay SW           Echo1 St          Off 
    15 Delay Ctrl         40                40 
    16 Delay Time         48                48

The “More Shade” Performance adds a stereo echo effect using the delay block. MULTI FX is a super handy algorithm and I’ve discussed its use with organ and electric piano before.

Yamaha CK- and YC-series

The table below summarized the YC- and CK-series rotary and distortion insert effects.

    YC61 rotary effects 
        Rtr A          Standard rotary speaker for organ 
        Rtr B          Rotary speaker connected to a transistor 
                       preamplifier with strong distortion 
        Lead           Guitar amp (bass of high sound 
                       pressure and sharp treble) 
        Crunch         Guitar amp (crunch sound) 
        Double         Guitar amp (bright sound) 
        Case           Speaker amp for vintage electric piano 
    CK61 drive (rotary) effects 
        Rotary A       Standard rotary speaker for organ 
        Rotary B       Rotary speaker connected to a transistor 
                       preamplifier with strong distortion 
        O.Drive        Warm distortion (overdrive) 
        Dist           Hard rock distortion 
        Comp           Compressor controlled by a single knob 
    YC61 and CK61 insert effects 
        British Combo  Crunch distortion (Vox AC30 Top Boost) 
        British Lead   Hard rock type distortion (Marshall Plexi)
        Small Stereo   Stereo distortion

I’ll let you guess as to which Yamaha algorithms are (re)used. If you want to re-create the CK sound on MODX (Montage), have at it!

MODX: Drawbar waveforms (part 2)

Posted on May 25, 2023 by pj

Last time, we looked at the drawbar programming in MODX Performance “The Basics”. The first five voice Elements are each assigned a single drawbar waveform: 16′, 5 1/3′, 8′, 4′ and 2′.

A lot of folks (me!) frequently build on a foundation like pulling the first three or four drawbars and then pull higher bars while playing. Thus, assigning individual drawbars seems a little wasteful in these kinds of registrations, when the foundation doesn’t change. Fortunately, MODX (Montage) provide waveforms for typical drawbar foundations:

    Wave#  Waveform name            Registration? 
    -----  ----------------------   ------------- 
     441   Rock Chorus Vibrato 
     442   Rock Percussion 
     443   Rock2                    65 5444 644 
     446   Jazz w/Percussion 
     448   Jazz                     78 6600 000 
     451   Full Draw                88 8888 888 
     454   Swish 
     456   Bow                      87 4323 468 
     457   Bow Chorus Vibrato 
     458   Gospel                   87 6000 568 
     459   Soul                     80 0050 578 
     460   1st Four Draw            88 8800 000 
     479   Draw 1+3                 80 8000 000 
     482   Draw 2+4                 08 0800 000 
     485   Draw Even 
     488   Draw Odd

The MODX data list PDF has the complete list of waveforms, including the slightly detuned and offset variations. I tried to guess the registrations and please take my guesses with a grain of salt! [See Genos/PSR organ registrations.]

MODX Performance “Vib Chorus AF1” is as simple as you can get:

    Performance: Vib Chorus AF1 
    El# Waveform            Level  Pan  Coarse  XA Control 
    --- ------------------  -----  ---  ------  ---------- 
     1  Bow                   100   C      0    A.SW Off 
     2  Bow Chorus Vibrato    102   C      0    A.SW1 On

It consists of two Elements. “Bow” refers to the overall shape of the drawbars with the lowest and highest drawbars pulled out the farthest. You might hear this registration in a gospel music or soul setting.

The Elements depend on the state of the ASSIGN 1 front panel button. The Extended Articulation (XA) control parameter chooses the first Element when the A.SW switches are OFF and chooses the second Element when the A.SW1 switch is ON. This configuration conserves polyphony and Elements sparingly. You can add or disable chorus/vibrato (C/V) by pressing the ASSIGN 1 switch. The C/V is sampled into the “Bow Chorus Vibrato” waveform and you do not have the option of selecting V1, C1, etc. Unlike real world Hammond, C/V is added (or removed) only on new notes played after switching. It’s not an independent effect unit.

You could use “Vib Chorus AF1” as the basis for new Performances that switch between drawbar registrations. Why not switch between “Jazz” and “Jazz w/Percussion”, for example? Simply change Element 1 to the “Jazz” waveform and change Element 2 to the “Jazz w/Percussion” waveform.

Here are the Element assignments for another simple Performance, “Draw Control”:

    Performance: Draw Control 
    El# Waveform            Level  Pan  Coarse  XA Control 
    --- ------------------  -----  ---  ------  ----------  
     1  Draw 1+3              100   C      0    Normal 
     2  Draw 2+4               67   C      0    Normal 
     3  Draw Even               0   C      0    Normal 
     4  Draw Odd                0   C      0    Normal

You can go from quiet to shoutin’ with this one! For extra credit, learn how to add rotor grit and rotor whistle Elements in order to sweeten the pot. [Hint: Learn how to copy Elements with SHIFT+EDIT.]

New waveforms in Montage/MODX

There are several new drawbar organ waveforms in Montage (MODX) which don’t get mentioned very often. These waveforms have the Leslie speaker effect sampled in:

Wave#  Waveform Name        Performance         Registration? 
-----  -------------------  --------------      ------------- 
  495  Tonewheel1 Fast      Whiter Bars         68 8600 000 
  496  Tonewheel1 Slow 
  497  Tonewheel2 Fast      All Bar None        88 8888 888 
  498  Tonewheel2 Slow 
  499  Tonewheel3 Fast L    The Jazz Organ, Groove Organ 
  500  Tonewheel3 Fast R 
  501  Tonewheel3 Fast St 
  502  Tonewheel3 Slow L 
  503  Tonewheel3 Slow R 
  504  Tonewheel3 Slow St 
  505  Tonewheel4 Fast                          88 8888 888 
  506  Tonewheel5 Fast      Rich Bars           63 8457 530 
  507  Tonewheel6 Fast

Sampled-in Leslie doesn’t get much love because the effect cannot be modified and the switch from slow speed to fast is abrupt — no acceleration ramp between the two speeds.

The first three sets of tonewheel waveforms cover the three most common registrations: 1. Whiter Shade Of Pale, 2. full drawbars, and 3. jazz organ a la Jimmy Smith and Groove Holmes. If you want to try them out, I took note of the MODX Performances built on these tonewheel sample sets.

I believe these tonewheel waveforms are used in the Genos™ “joystick (JS)” voices: “WhiterBars JS”, and “AllBarsOut JS” and “JazzRotary JS”. The ears don’t lie. Tonewheel4, 5 and 6 are probably in the Genos ROM somewhere, too. No time for an Easter egg hunt today. 🙂

Here is what you will see if you look inside of these Performances:

Performance: The Jazz Organ 
El# Waveform            Level  Pan  Coarse 
--- ------------------  -----  ---  ------ 
 1  Tonewheel 3 Slow L    115  L63     0 
 2  Tonewheel 3 Slow R    115  R63     0 
 3  Tonewheel 3 Fast L      0  L63     0 
 4  Tonewheel 3 Fast L      0  R63     0 
 5  Draw 16' Of            32   C    +20 
 6  Rotor Whistle           0   C    +17 
 7  Rotor Grit 1            0   C      0 
 8  Draw 4' Of              0   C      0 

Performance: Whiter Bars 
El# Waveform          Level  Pan  Coarse  XA Control 
--- ----------------  -----  ---  ------  ---------- 
 1  Tonewheel 1 Slow    127   C      0 
 2  Tonewheel 1 Fast      0   C      0 
 3  Draw 16' Of          23   C    +20    Key off - Rel key click 
 4  Rotor Whistle         0   C    +17 
 5  Rotor Grit 1          0   C      0 
 6  Draw 4' Of          127   C      0    Assign SW #1 - Percussion 

Performance: All Bar None 
El# Waveform          Level  Pan  Coarse  XA Control 
--- ----------------  -----  ---  ------  ---------- 
 1  Tonewheel 2 Slow    127   C      0 
 2  Tonewheel 2 Fast      0   C      0 
 3  Draw 16' Of          32   C    +20    Key Off - Rel key click 
 4  Rotor Whistle         5   C    +17

Example performance

I set out to build a new Performance, “8888+”, using a few of the ideas that I outlined above. The new Performance puts the “1st Four Draw” waveform in the first Element and places four individual drawbar waveforms into Elements 2 through 5:

    Performance: 8888+ 
    El# Waveform            Level  Pan  Coarse 
    --- ------------------  -----  ---  ------ 
     1  1st Four Draw         127   C      0 
     2  Draw 2 2/3              0   C      0 
     3  Draw 2'                 0   C      0 
     4  Draw 1 1/3              0   C      0 
     5  Draw 1 3/5              0   C      0 
     6  Rotor Grit 2           70   C    -24 
     7  Rotor                 127   C    -17 
     8  Percussion              0   C     -7

Elements 6 and 7 add rotor noise. Element 8 handles percussion.

I didn’t build “8888+” from scratch. I started out with the Performance “More Shade” and modified it, following the basic editing procedure which I outlined in my last post.

In the MODX All table, tap the name of the waveform that you want to change in order to select it. MODX (Montage) displays two buttons on the left-hand side of the display. Tap the “Category Search” button.

MODX displays waht looks like a category search page. Instead of Performances, this category search displays and searches waveforms. You can scroll through the waveform or type in the name of the waveform that you’d like to find. Select a waveform and press the ENTER button.

I followed his basic procedure for each of the first five Elements. Yeah, the 1 1/3 and 1 3/5 drawbars are not in the usual order, but I want to have 1 1/3 in the first group of sliders. I’m more likely to pull that drawbar than 1 3/5.

If you ride the sliders and noodle around, the individual drawbar sounds will be louder than the “1st Four Draw” sound. We need to rebalance the choir so that no individual drawbar will sound out-of-place with its peers.

MODX Performance 8888+ first Element AEG

In order to balance the bars, I visited the Amplitude EG page for drawbars 1 through five. The picture above is the Amplitude EG page for the first Element, “1st Four Draw”. Please notice the envelope Levels: Initial, Attack. Decay1 and Decay2. Attack, Decay1 and Decay2 levels are the maximum, 127. That’s good. We want the “1st Four Draw” waveform at the maximum output level.

MODX Performance 8888+ second Element (2 2/3) AEG

The next screen capture shows the Amplitude EG for the “Draw 2 2/3” Element. I reduced the four envelope levels. Attack, Decay1 and Decay2 levels are 70, which will make the “Draw 2 2/3” blend into the overall drawbar choir. I programmed Elements 3, 4 and 5 in the same way. If 70 doesn’t sound/feel right to you, dial in a different level!

MODX Performance 8888+ sixth Element (rotor noise) AEG

I also adjusted the envelope levels for Elements 6, 7, and 8. In the case of 6 (above) and 7, lower envelope levels prevent outrageously loud rotor noise if I accidently push the sliders up for 6 and 7. This can happen in the heat of battle when I’m concentrating on the music and not watching my hands on the sliders. 🙂 Similarly, I set the envelope levels for Element 8, percussion, to obtain soft percussion when its slider is all the way up.

I hope this discussion encourages experiments of your own. I also hope that you are becoming more comfortable with MODX (Montage) editing.

Arturia Keylab Essential mk3

Posted on May 23, 2023 by pj

Why do I like Arturia?

First, they make great products and I use ’em. I own and play both an Arturia Keylab Essential mk2 and an Arturia Keystep — not to mention the software!

Second, Arturia really care about customers. Recently, I posted about the new Arturia Keylab Essential mk3 and how it needed to send MIDI Program Change:

I was excited when I saw Arturia’s announcement of the Keylab Essential mk3 MIDI controller. The mk3 has some nice enhancements without increasing weight and size over the mk2. The price is only slightly higher ($219 USD for the 49 mk3). The mk3 adds a larger 2.5″ LCD display, USB-C communications and power, and expression pedal support.
I downloaded the mk3’s manual and was immediately crestfallen. Keylab Essential mk3 cannot send MIDI Program Change. This is a serious step back from the mk2.

The Keylab Essential mk2 is one of the few MIDI controllers that does it right, sending Bank Select MSB, Bank Select LSB and Program Change in one go. I’m still amazed that most other MIDI controllers send Program Change without Bank Select.

Well, guess what? Arturia saw my post and replied:

We really value our users’ input, and we are very sorry to hear that you were disappointed by the fact that the new KeyLab Essential cannot send MIDI Program Change. We know that it was a much appreciated feature on the mk2, and our R&D team is currently doing their best to implement it on the mk3 as soon as possible. For your information, a new firmware should be out in about three weeks, and we’re hoping you’d be willing to give a shot to the KeyLab essential mk3 then.

By the way, I’ll be looking at the new Part feature (split point!) as this is a super, needed advancement over mk2.

Thanks, Arturia, for reading the blog and being proactive! I think it’s always important to call out manufacturers and retailers who go the extra mile (or kilometer) for customers.

MODX: Drawbar control (part 1)

Posted on May 18, 2023 by pj

Test driving Yamaha’s CK88 motivated me to get off my tail and learn how to make the experience of playing MODX more CK-like. In particular, I want to make better use of the MODX front panel sliders for drawbar control.

This requires the most basic knowledge of MODX (Montage) Performance structure. All MODX folk should read through the first section of the MODX Reference Manual, titled “Basic Structure.” In this post, I’m going to concentrate on the Tone Generator Block.

Now, honestly, I don’t expect you to recall and understand every detail! Here are the essential basics:

A Performance is a single set of sounds consisting of multiple Parts.
Each Performance has two types of parameters; parameters unique to each Part and parameters common to all Parts.
An Element is the basic, smallest unit for an AWM2 Normal Part.
A Normal Part consists of up to eight Elements.
Each Part is created by editing parameters unique to each Element and parameters common to all the Elements.

Yep, those are direct quotes from the manual (with a few simplifying tweaks). That’s pretty much all of the “theory” that you need to know. The rest is button pushing. 🙂

I’m going to focus on single part organ Performances in this article. That will streamline the discussion. If you understand single part Performances, you should be able to scale up to multi-part. When navigating the CATEGORY screen, single part Performances are displayed in green text; multi-part Performances are displayed in blue text. I assume you know how to select a Performance…

Deconstruction

Knowing how to deconstruct a Performance is an essential MODX skill, even if you’re a player and not a sound designer. This is the way to wring the most out of the factory presets whether you ever intend to change a single preset or not.

To get started, press the CATEGORY button, then find and select the organ Performance named “The Basics”. This is a single part Performance and, yeah, it’s basic. 🙂 Press the ENTER button to go to the main screen.

When the Performance name is highlighted, pressing the EDIT button takes you to the COMMON parameters for the Performance. I’ll discuss some of those parameters in a future note about effects (i.e., system-level effects like reverb).

For now, use the arrow keys to navigate down to the first part. (You can touch the first part, too, to select it.) Press the EDIT button and MODX displays the COMMON parameters for the first and only part in “The Basics”. There’s tons of fun stuff here including access to the insert effects like rotary speaker. [Another day.]

What we really want is information about the Elements in “The Basics”. You’ll find a row of on-screen buttons along the bottom of the display. These buttons are especially handy when navigating through Parts, COMMON parameters and Elements. We could step through the Elements one by one by pressing the “ElemX” on-screen buttons. Let’s hit “All” instead.

MODX displays a table showing all of essential parameters (information) about the Part (the “Osc” tab). Each row in the table is an Element showing:

Element ON/OFF status
Extended Articulation (XA) control
Waveform
Velocity limit
Note limit

Press the “Balance” tab. MODX displays another table showing:

Element ON/OFF status
Coarse tuning (semitones)
Fine tuning (cents)
Filter cutoff
Pan
Level

Wow, this is a terrific overview! Now you know how I populate and compose all of these kinds of tables on my site.

Drawbars and settings

Let’s stop here and reflect on what we’re seeing.

    MODX/Montage Performance: The Basics 

    El# Waveform       Level  Coarse 
    --- ------------   -----  ------ 
     1  Draw 16'         106     0 
     2  Draw 5 1/3       127     0 
     3  Draw 8'          100     0 
     4  Draw 4'           26     0 
     5  Draw 2'            9     0 
     6  Rotor Grit 2       5   -24 
     7  Rotor             16   -17 
     8  Percussion        47     0

“The Basics” consists of five individual drawbars: 16′, 5 1/3′, 8′, 4′ and 2′. In Hammond language, the registration is (roughly) 68 6210 000. There is also percussion, provided by Element 8. Element 6 adds a little bit of rotor grit. Element 7, rotor whine, is turned off initially. Press the on-screen ON/OFF button for Element 7 if you want to add rotor whine to the mix.

Extra credit. Press the on-screen “Elem7” button. This takes you to the main page of parameters for Element 7. You can turn Element 7 ON/OFF there and do a whole lot more damage to it! Press “All” to return to the table(s).

You can change the drawbar registration by adjusting one or more of the Element levels. For example, touch the Level parameter for Element 1 in order to select it. Then, hold a key, spin the data wheel and listen to the sound change. More dramatically, change the Element 5 level and listen to the 2′ drawbar come in.

Play the drawbars

Of course, this isn’t a practical way to change a registration while playing. That’s where the MODX front panel sliders come in.

MODX sliders controlling Elements 5 through 8

As shown in the picture above, use the top button to select ELEMENT/OPERATOR. Use the middle button to select Elements 5 through 8. Now move the first slider and watch Element 5 level change. Hold a key and hear the change.

Congratulations! You can now play the drawbars and you understand the relationship between the sliders and Element levels.

But, wait, there’s more. Move the fourth slider to change Element 8 level. This adds and removes percussion. Move the second slider (Element 6 level) and listen to the rotor grit. Now you know how to make your Leslie sound busted. 🙂

If you grok all of this, try deconstructing the “More Shade” Performance. Judging from its name, this Performance tries to emulate “Whiter Shade Of Pale.”

    MODX/Montage Performance: More Shade 

    El# Waveform       Level  Coarse 
    --- ------------   -----  ------ 
     1  Draw 16'         127     0 
     2  Draw 5 1/3        41     0 
     3  Draw 8'          127     0 
     4  Draw 4'          107     0 
     5  Draw 1 3/5        18     0 
     6  Rotor Grit 2      18   -24 
     7  Rotor             23   -17 
     8  Percussion         0    -7

Yamaha CK88: Yes, I played one

Posted on May 15, 2023 by pj

I always hesitate calling one of these posts a “review,” especially when the actual trial is serendipitous. Had to stop at Whole Foods and decided to drop into Guitar Center just to see what they had on the floor. Lo and behold, a Yamaha CK88!

It was a nice surprise, but I didn’t have the usual lead sheets that I use when testing. So, it came down to random plunking and noodling.

First, I’m going to lay out most of the good news. For instruments in the $1,000USD (61 key) to $1,500 (88 key) range, the CK sounds damned good. The user interface (UI) is intuitively direct and had only one “What the?” moment.

I played and listened to the CK88 through its built-in speakers. The built-in speakers are a bit unusual for Yamaha stage/synth instruments, but not so for its digital pianos and arranger keyboards. The CK88 has sufficient volume for practice and maybe enough for an acoustic-level rehearsal. Thus, I put the CK’s speakers in the “courtesy speaker” category. Being 2x6W, 12cm by 6cm ovals, they are not unlike the courtesy speakers on the Case CT-S1000V (or S500) — just OK. They are not boxy, something I don’t tolerate under any circumstance.

I started out with acoustic piano because, err, it was the 88 GHS keybed in front of me. I found both the main acoustic piano (CFX) and Rhodes (78Rd) to be satisfying. I would prefer to play the Rhodes on the GHS rather than the CFX. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been playing the Petrof grand occasionally, but the GHS just did provide the same enjoyment. On again, off again, I’ve been thinking about a digital piano for home and the GHS action ain’t it. The GHS seems to bottom out, for lack of a better description. Forget organ swipes on the 88, too, unless your hands are made of leather.

Practical tips department. The piano sounded muffled when I first started playing. The last customer pulled all of the EQ sliders to -12dB, thank you. Reset, always reset.

Next, I jumped into the acoustic, non-keyboard sounds. The CKs are like a “greatest AWM2 hits” from MODX/Montage. The brass voices are pleasant enough and would be useable in a band setting. The voices range from Jerry Bruckheimer to mellow, more musical horns. The only voice that threw me is “Sweet Trumpet” which is suitable only for mariachi covers.

The saxes are typical AWM2 saxes — emergency use only. I’m spoiled by Super Articulation sax. The oboe is a bit too bright for my taste. The clarinet and bassoon are not bad. The flutes are cool. Strings are varied and useable. I can’t be too harsh because the CK beats the up-scale, expensive YC61 for orchestral voices and, notably, pipe organ.

Venturing into synth brass, pads and leads, we’re back to greatest hits territory. You’ll probably find something close enough for rock’n’roll among the lot. There’s no point in getting too OCD on a machine with limited editing and few real-time parameters to tweeze. CK has what I would call “Yamaha Quick Edit” which apply offsets to the actual voice parameters. Want deep editing? Look to MODX/Montage.

Now to the organs. The CK cops the pipe organs from Genos™ — excellent choice. Maybe it was the EQ or sumptin’, but the VOX (V) didn’t pierce my ears and the Farfisa (F) didn’t have that Sam The Sham rasp. Oddly, I give Reface YC the edge as far as combo organs are concerned.

As to the main event — Hammond B-3 — the CK is much more than Reface YC in a tuxedo. The drawbars are nice and smooth, offering the right amount of resistance. The drawbar throw is a little short (a la Reface) when compared to Yamaha’s clonewheels. The CK drawbars slide and don’t have the Reface drawbar detents.

To my ears, the CK and Reface YC basic drawbar sound is the same — pretty clean and artifact (e.g., leakage) free. The rotary speaker sim and effects chain are what make the difference. Obviously, the CK is richer in that regard. You get so much more for the money with CK (full-size keyboard, better effects chain, acoustic piano, EP, decent acoustic/electronic instruments, A/D input, audio playback, etc.), why would anyone bother with Reface anymore, unless they absolutely must have the portability?

I like the CK vibrato/chorus implementation and UI more than Reface, too. All of the organ controls are more Hammond-like even if they are a bit small.

I developed a preference for the CK Rotary 2 sim over Rotary 1. I wish I knew which rotary speaker algorithms Yamaha chose for CK as I would like to recreate the CK sound on MODX. The CK horn/rotor turn a bit too fast and, unfortunately, the speeds cannot be changed.

The only “What the?” moment had to do with the DRIVE buttons and what they apply to the internal signal. If I were giving the CK a serious spin, I would study the effects chain and controls before sitting down in the driver’s seat.

So, there it is. The CKs offer great value for the money, no doubt about it. I personally would go with the 61-key model (CK61) since I play mainly organ/synth. The GHS isn’t for me and suggests that I should “go large” if I ever follow through and buy a digital piano for home. Having MODX, I don’t feel like I’m missing out although I need to make better use of MODX sliders for real-time drawbar control.

Other reviews and comments about digital pianos:

Just because…

Posted on May 10, 2023 by pj

It looks cool — the limited edition Korg microKORG Crystal synthesizer and vocder. Videos: Ooh and Aah.

The picture to ship a thousand synths (or whatever the *cliché* is)

No word of new content. €539 transparent bag included. Available July 2023.

Yeah, Superbooth 23 has commenced. I don’t intend to make a big deal out of it. After NAMM 2023, I need a break from chasing shiny objects (Korg Crystal excepted).

I like the form. I like the size. I like the price ($199 USD). Roland AIRA S-1.

I hope Roland grow the AIRA product line. Most punters — me — are more likely to buy a 200 buck expansion box than a $5,000 Oberheim OB-X8. Please, please, please add an AIRA like the D-05 boutique. Roland, you would sell zillions of ’em.

Korg NTS-2: Initial review

Posted on May 4, 2023 by pj

I’m happy to make a first report about the Korg NTS-2 Oscilloscope kit. The NTS-2 is bundled with the book “PATCH & TWEAK with KORG”, by Kim Bjorn. Whatever the reason for the delay, it took Korg several months to deliver after the NTS-2 was first announced. Fortunately, the bundle finally hit my doorstep. 🙂

The NTS-2 kit and book are a fairly hefty package, mainly due to the weight of the enclosed book. The book looks, feels and weighs like a “coffee table” book. Tain’t light.

The NTS-2 kit itself is packed in an unmarked white box. All the components are lovingly protected by bubble wrap. In addition to the printed circuit boards (PCB), you get the now-familiar corner and side pieces, hardware, USB Type-C cable, a way-too-short 3.5mm stereo cable and two acrylic stand pieces.

Printed circuit boards

The Nu:tekt manufacturing concept is rather clever. Korg design and manufacture one (or more) large-ish, break-apart PCBs for each kit. The PCBs are loaded with surface mount (SMT) components and other random stuff like the display and battery holder. No soldering is required. Thus, one gets all of the benefit of SMT without the grief of soldering components made for mice. [My old hands and developing cataracts can barely handle work at this fine level.]

The main board consists of four subboards to be broken apart.

The color display (240×320 pixel 2.8″ LCD) is mounted on the flip-side of the main board. A second fully-assembled PCB has the jacks, ON/OFF switch and other gizmos needed for interfacing. The interface board plugs into the main board.

Korg NTS-2 main board detail (the money shot)

The image above is a close-up picture of the main electronics, including the ARM processor. Thank you, Korg, for wave-soldering this!

Assembly

The NTS-2 follows the pattern established by the rest of the Nu:tekt product line. The NTS-2 arrives disassembled and you do the work of putting the major components together. The kit includes assembly instructions, and “1, 2, you know what to do.” [Apologies to Junior Wells.]

The kit includes the cutest little screwdriver I’ve ever seen. Keep the screwdriver and use it to repair your eyeglasses. Yep, the kit screws are freaking small.

The image above shows the bottom assembly. You can see how the metal corner and side pieces tie everything together. Note the orientation of the interface board. Getting the orientation right is the only step that requires any real thought. Don’t forget to connect the battery lead to the interface board.

Screws secure the main board, AKA “the top”, onto the metal corners — after you’ve plugged the interface and main boards together, of course.

Assembly time is roughly the length of the Skye & Ross album (one hour). Overall, it was a fairly pleasant way to spend the morning, including coffee.

PATCH & TWEAK

The PATCH & TWEAK with KORG book fits the cliche, “richly illustrated.” If you want to know about synths — KORG synths, in particular — this is a fantastic book.

If you want to learn how to operate the NTS-2, not so much. The book has a few basics, however you must download the NTS-2 Owner’s Manual from the Korg web site to get the real dope. The Owner’s Manual (4 pages) isn’t much to look at although it does list the basic control parameters for each of the four operating modes:

Oscilloscope mode (SCOPE)
Function generator mode (WAVE)
Spectrum analyzer mode (FFT)
Global mode / settings

The book suggests how the NTS-2 may be used — not how to actually do any of that stuff. I recommend a little background reading about oscilloscopes (the Wikipedia page at the very least).

The NTS-2 operates on either USB power or two AAA batteries. I put in two AAA batteries, hit the switch, and no smoke. 🙂 No idea about real-world battery life at this point.

The user interface is menu-driven and is a lot easier to understand than my old Gabotronics oscilloscope. The front panel buttons line up with the on-screen menus. Simply press the appropriate button to rotate (navigate) through the menu items.

I wanted to see what happens if I just put a (mono) audio signal into the NTS-2 without any set-up or prep. This seems like the most typical first use scenario. I’ll bet the NTS-2 was inspired by the Korg Minilogue scope; people love to watch signals dance around.

First, you need to know that the INPUT and signal THRU jacks are stereo and the OUTPUT jacks are mono. I connected the NTS-2 INPUT to the MONO out from Yamaha MODX, selected an organ patch and taped down a key to form a simple tone generator. 🙂 Select SCOPE mode and press VERTICAL to select Input 1L.

And, flat line. What the? Well, out of the box, the vertical voltage range is set too high, 10 volts. The MODX is line out (approximately 1V max). Turn the parameter knob and change the vertical range to 0.1V. (The current range is shown in the status bar at the top of the display.) Now, we got picture!

Thanks to the simple NTS-2 menu system, I had fun playing with the function generator, too. I did have trouble grokking the FFT spectrum analyzer and need to revisit FFT mode after reading up.

I’m quite pleased with the NTS-2 and it should handle audio and control voltage analysis, no prob. I don’t know what to expect when analyzing high speed digital signals. The old Gabotronics does OK with digital and it has a logic analyzer capability which the NTS-2 does not. I use the Gabotronics with its Windows app because the Gab is absolutely horrible as a stand-alone scope. The NTS-2, on the other hand, does not have a personal computer-based app (at least not yet).

Thus, if you intend to do a lot of digital troubleshooting, you may want to consider one of the many inexpensive bench oscilloscopes that have popped up in recent years. If you want to do audio only and want easy fun, try the NTS-2.

NAMM 2023: Little things

Posted on April 24, 2023 by pj

Roland Gigcaster

Turn your back for one second after NAMM 2023 and Roland slip out the Boss Gigcaster 5 and Gigcaster 8. These are audio streaming mixers aimed at the podcasting community.

Astutely, Roland recognize that these mixer have application beyond podcasting. They are, after all, mixers! Gigcasters have all the features one might want in a small format studio mixer. Thus, Roland show musicians happily strumming, singing and playing keys in their bedroom studios. They are rather attractively and colorfully styled.

The Gigmaster 5 sells for $480 USD and the Gigmaster 8 costs $700.

There’s gold in those podcasting hills and small format podcasting mixers (desktop production boxes) are busting out all over. Yamaha, for example, introduced the AG08 USB streaming mixer ($630) at NAMM 2023. The AG08 joins the lower-priced AG03 mk2 and AG06 mk2 models.

Indiegogo: InstaChord

InstaChord is a MIDI guitar Indiegogo project. They are trying to get enough backers to go into production with expected delivery in April 2024. Early bird bundles go for $374 USD.

The InstaChord looks like a Klingon Bird of Prey. 🙂 There are six strummable “buttons” instead of strings, and a 2-D button matrix instead of a fretboard. Buttons in the matrix select chords using a numeric method similar to I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, dim vii notation within a scale.

InstaChord produces sound through its own internal speaker. The internal tone generator is a Dream SAM2695 (GM sound set). The SAM2695 is the same chip inside of the Akai MPK Mini Play. InstaChord sends and receives MIDI via USB Type C or Bluetooth.

UJEII — AKA “My Main Man” — shows off an early prototype in this Insta Chord Demo (Katsunori UJIIE). UJIIE shows that he can rock out strumming, not just shredding keys!

The InstaChord reminds me of the old You Rock Guitar (still sitting in my closet). Unlike the YRG, InstaChord does not try to mimic guitar strings or fretboard. YRG requires standard fretboard fingering, which is a barrier for many casual players (like me). I simply don’t have the time to practice guitar skills on top of keys. InstaChord requires a modicum of music theory; any good keys player should be able to adapt.

Check out the free InstaChord-i IOS app, if you want a taste.

Not to pick on the InstaChord folks in particular, but, hey! If you have a new product, at least Google the product name before committing to the name. Searching on “InstaChord” took me to the W.A. Productions plug-in by the same name. Come on!

BlackBT SusEx Pedal

BlackBT® announced the SusEx® pedal which combines MIDI foot switch and continuous control (expression) functionality. SusEx is available for pre-order costing $150 USD. It is expected to ship in June 2023.

I contend that the SusEx is not “the first” to combine footswitch and expression control in one pedal. The “first” title goes, instead, to the Boss/Roland EV-1-WL. I’ve been using the EV-1-WL for well over a year now… Like the Boss EV, SusEx communicates over Bluetooth BLE and USB. No 5-pin capability, tho’

None the less, the SusEx has a cool way of switching between sustain mode and expression mode. It senses foot position and automatically switches mode. With the EV-1-WL, one either adds an external footswitch for sustain, or presses down hard with the toes at the top of the pedal. Check out the SusEx demo video

The SusEx pedal is absolutely tiny and should be lightweight and easy to transport. Dunno about you, but I’m tired of toting around heavy, built like a tank expression pedals. Some folks may not like the pedal throw, but that is personal preference.

Donner

Donner established a reputation for bargain-priced guitar toys. Now they are coming for keys. Donner have a line of portable piano and arranger instruments. Products include the Donner Essential B1 Analog Bass Synthesizer, the DMK-25 PRO MIDI controller, and the D1 Drum Machine and Sequencer. Of course, they also have — TA-DA — podcasting gear, too.

The Donner direct sales outlet is currently running a sale on select products including the B1. These guys want market share!

Donner are going to give low-cost specialists Casio and Akai conniptions. I don’t have any direct experience with Donner products, but do suggest getting native English tech writers to produce and edit their marketing literature and manuals. Slipshod writing gives people a bad impression of product quality and many people are unsure about Donner as a brand.

Just a quick Yamaha CK observation. The CKs are clearly aimed at the Roland VR-09, which sells at the same $1,000 price points. The CK beats the VR for non-organ sounds. Fight’s on!

NAMM 2023: Pickin’ up the pieces

Posted on April 15, 2023 by pj

NAMM 2023 is a wrap with all of the major products rolled out. Here are a few items that might have escaped your attention and are worth checking out on-line.

Hammond 122H Heritage Leslie

You just can’t buy a new Hammond XK-4 and not connect its 11-pin speaker port to a new Hammond 122H Heritage Leslie. This new model comes out in August: solid-core wood cabinet, 40 Watts, new servo motors, independently controllable upper horn and lower rotor, switchable from a 122 to a 147. Projected price is $7,000 USD.

Artinoise re.corder

The Artinoise re.corder is not new, but it was at NAMM 2023. The re.corder is a wireless wind controller based on the classic soprano recorder. I took a look at the re.corder a few years ago and decided that it wasn’t quite mature enough. It’s time.

The re.corder comes in four colors (black, blue, red and white) and is 120g light. Sweetwater handles re.corder sales in the USA and they posted a NAMM 2023 video of the re.corder driving Audio Modeling SWAM Cello.

It’s only $199 USD. Cheap enough to try wind today!

Audio Modeling SWAM and Camelot

Speaking of SWAM, Audio Modeling announced upgrades to SWAM (now v.3.7.0) and Camelot (v.2.2.4). These are the full fat personal computer versions. The Camelot upgrade includes a Yamaha CK Smart Map. That was fast work.

I hope that many of the enhancements will eventually appear in the IOS versions of SWAM and Camelot. I would love to see SWAM ensembles, too.

Audio Modeling, BTW, have a partnership with our friends at ILIO.

Bastl Bestie

Bastl have kicked loose a new box: the Bastl Bestie. The Bestie looks like a Dude, but it’s nasty. Bestie is a 5-channel stereo mixer with stereo distortion and saturation. It can mix clean with distortion kicking in during boost (i.e., rotating past 12 o’clock). Leave Channel 3 unplugged and it feeds the output back to the input.

Like the Dude, Bestie operates on either USB power or four AA batteries. The Bestie is 180 Euro through the B Shop. I didn’t see the Dude in the B Shop, so Bestie may be the new Dude. North American retailers include Patchwerks in Seattle.

This beast could be fun as a key-top small mixer that adds grunge.

mki x es.EDU DIY System

No, I didn’t accidently lean on the QWERTY keyboard. That is the name of the series of educational DIY synth kits developed by Erica Synths and Moritz Klein.

C’mon, dudes. Try your new product names in the Google before branding. If customers can’t easily search on a name (like “re.corder”), they ain’t gonna find you.

Kits in the EDU DIY series include:

EDU DIY VCO $79
EDU DIY VCA $69
EDU DIY EG $69
EDU DIY Sequencer $79
EDU DIY VCF $84
EDU DIY Mixer
EDU DIY Noise/S&H
EDU DIY Output
EDU DIY Wavefolder $109

You’ll find them wherever fine modules are sold. 🙂

Whimsy

Yamaha took a lot of heat by using the word “breakthrough” in its NAMM 2023 (self-)promotion. To some, releasing a modestly priced keyboard like the CK is not “breakthrough” enough, though I see Yamaha selling scads of these.

I’ll close with a little bit of Yamaha whimsy. Thanks and a tip of the hat to the person who posted this link on Gearspace.

NAMM 2023: IK AXE I/O ONE

Posted on April 14, 2023 by pj

It would be easy for a keyboard player to blow off the IK Multimedia AXE I/O ONE. It is so obviously pitched at guitar and bass players.

Not so fast. Where else can you get a 1-in/3-out USB audio interface — with MIDI — for $130 USD?

If you’re an iPad-toting keyboard player who needs MIDI IN and stereo audio out, the AXE I/O ONE has it covered. That’s 5-pin MIDI, by the way. The AXE I/O ONE has two expression/switch pedal inputs. Many MIDI controllers do not have an expression pedal input, so the AXE I/O ONE could fill that gap. The control panel application assigns MIDI channel, CC#, minimum and maximum data values. [MacOS and Windows only.]

The main audio input is a Neutrik jack backed by a Class-A mic preamp. You can go clean as well as down and dirty. Should be possible to post-process keyboard audio through an IK effect chain. Audio conversion up to 24-bit/192 kHz is supported. Unfortunately, you can’t hit the AXE I/O ONE with a stereo signal (mono input only).

AXE I/O ONE is USB-C bus powered. The box is 5.1″ x 5.7″ x 2″ (13cm x 14.5cm x 5.2cm) and weighs only 0.8 pound (0.37kg). Software includes AXE Control Panel, Amplitube 5 SE, and TONEX SE. Available today.

If you need to replace your aging Korg Plug-Key or Alesis Control Hub, the AXE I/O ONE is worthy of consideration as long as you can live within its limitations. An IOS control panel app would just about make this perfect for keys at $130.

The Arturia MiniFuse 2 provides similar features for $149 USD. The MiniFuse 2 does stereo input and also has a USB-A hub port. That means you can connect a MIDI controller to your iPad (or computer) through the hub port. Unfortunately, the hub port can source only 250mA of current. Still, a viable alternative.

Sand, software and sound

Electronics and computing for the fun of it

Category Archives: Music