Organ to pair with SV-1

riffwrangler · Post by **riffwrangler** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:21 am

I love my SV-1 Black. I am now looking for an organ to pair with it; something with drawbars or drawlights.
Seeing as I love the weighted keys on the SV1 I had been leaning towards a Nord Stage 2 76 or 73, (not sure compact or fullsize); or Electro 4 HP, or 4D. I've also been reading up about the Hammond SK1 etc.
If anyone has paired an organ above their SV1 I would love to learn more.
Thanks SO much in advance!

JJESP · Post by **JJESP** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:34 am

Since you already have a stage piano in the SV-1, I would say that the Nord Stage 2 would be overkill. (Unless you need all the different sounds it has, but then I would recommend the Nord Electro instead, since it is cheaper)

I have a Nord C2 and I love it. If you are lucky you can find a good price (used or new), since it has been replaced with the C2D now. The sound is the same as in the C2D, only difference is the drawbars. The C2 is really a great organ, and it has the best Leslie simulation there is.

riffwrangler · Post by **riffwrangler** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:40 pm

I greatly appreciate your post- thank you for taking the time to let me know about the Nord C2 organ. I agree that the stage may be overkill.
I think for my needs that the double keyboard in the c2 would also be (for me) too much keyboard for me as a player of my limited organ ability (I am more of a piano player).
For this reason, could you help me to understand whether I should go for a weighted or non-weighted Nord or Hammond to pair with my sv-1?
Is 5 octaves enough for an organ? I am thinking electro 4 d, or 73 waterfall, or hammer portable. Should I completely give up on the Hammond sk1?
Very appreciated for any who can offer me advice and your experience

JJESP · Post by **JJESP** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:47 pm

If you really want to play the organ, you should not have non-weighted keys. The C2 (and C1 + C2D) only comes with a keybed that is non-weighted. You can do things with the keys that you cannot do with at weighted keyboard. The spring tension is totally different.

The double keyboard is great, and I wouldn't miss it. You can setup the upper and lower manual just as you would on a Hammond B3. I am mainly playing saxophone, so keyboard is not my main instrument. But I am glad that I chose a C2 with the double keyboard for playing organ. And it is not that much heavier than a single keyboard. And I actually now prefer to play the C2 over the the SV-1. (But again piano is not my main instrument)

The Electro 4 is also a great keyboard. And sound-wise it has the great hammond sound. So it all depends on your needs.

Good luck with your decision!

nerdtro · Post by **nerdtro** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:13 pm

I own the Hammond SK1 and love it,I have also owned and gigged with the Electro 3. Either board is good,but the Hammond has a better leslie and better bottom end for bass

ChriswithaK · Post by **ChriswithaK** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:23 am

Ha! We're in the same boat! Last month I picked up a Korg Microstation to pair with my SV-188 Black. love to play piano and organ at the same time, and with no split on the SV-1, was the only way to go. The Micro was cool, but like the SV-1, only had the "essence of a rotary organ" sound. Plus, I'm way to impatient at the moment to wade through the 273 page downloaded manual to figure out all the awesome stuff it can do. Someday. Right now, I just wanna play. I've never even hooked anything up with a midi cable! Anyway, I got it on sale for abou $350. I brought it back today for a refund and came home with a clearance Nord electro 3 for $1499. The organ is far better than the SV. I was kind of kicking myself, thinking I could have just spent all that, we'll plus several hundred more, on a Krome or Kronos or Nord Stage, -something with a split, but I really feel nothing has the piano sounds of the SV-1. It's the best I've heard, anyway, comparing it to my old Korg Sp-100, our Kurzweil k2500 and Kurzweil PC3 at church, and what I've done so far on my new Nord Electro 3 61 key. Plus, just plug a volume/effects pedal into the rotary jack and voila! Can really hit the sweet spot now. Hope this helps, Riffwrangler!

mantrak · Post by **mantrak** » Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:33 pm

Hi, my SV-1 and Electro 4D are perfect combination. The E4D hammond emulation is amazing. I also like Clavia sample library and the ability to add my own samples. It can be a lifesaver.

And, it fits perfectly on top of SV-1. I am using slightly modified light weight X stand to support the E4D's back edge and some velcro in between for the front edge.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Thu Aug 29, 2013 5:14 am

riffwrangler wrote:whether I should go for a weighted or non-weighted Nord or Hammond to pair with my sv-1?

non-weighted

riffwrangler wrote:Is 5 octaves enough for an organ?

yes

Roland VR-09: budget choice, non waterfall keys, lesser organ sound, but low-priced, very light, with a wide variety of additional sounds

Hammond SK1 or Nord Electro 4D
... Hammond has MIDI controller and split/layer functions and a lot of customizability; Nord has a very interesting downloadable sample library of other vintage keyboard sounds in particular. Besides tonewheel, both also have Vox and Farfisa organ emulation.

Numa Organ: more authentic layout/ergonomics/look, though fewer features than SK1/E4D. Nothing but tonewheel organ emulation, no other sounds like the models above. Many people think it sounds better, though. Possibly better action, too.

Hammond XK-3C: most authentic layout/ergonomics/look, and a tube to match the SV1. Doesn't have all the "extra sounds" of the cheaper SK1, though.

Also the older Rolands, VK-8 and VR-700, which lag behind the newest clonewheels in sound, but IMO have particularly nice actions.

oy5t3h · Post by **oy5t3h** » Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:00 am

To play organ authentically, a waterfall keyboard is required.
These trigger higher than other synth- and piano- keyboards, and have a smooth edge allowing quick palm smears and rapid repetition of notes - both of which are common techniques on a real Hammond.

So, if you want a board to pair with your SV-1 that not only sounds like a Hammond, but also allows you to play like a Hammond player, then you can discount the VR-09 (great board though for what it is).

The Numa Organ is one that has me tempted. I'm currently playing organ on my Kurz PC361, but I feel it's synth-style keyboard is limiting my ability to include Hammond-style techniques.

However, the various Nord Electros (except the HP varieties), and the Hammond SK-1 / XK-1c should also be considered.

For the full-on Hammond experience, a two-manual board would be required - a Nord C2D, or Crumar Mojo, or Hammond SK2 would then be contenders - if you can find space for them in your rig.

The other option that has me tempted is the Studiologic VMK161OrganPlus. That is a controller that provides a waterfall, organ-style keyboard. Then, with the SV-1 and the PC361, I get all three keyboard styles, piano-, organ- and synth- , with the VMK161 controlling the PC361 KB3 mode hammond sounds. Or, if I only need organ sounds, and not the full PC361 features, I can plug the VMK161 into my iPad and use Galileo - which is a superb Hammond sound.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Fri Aug 30, 2013 1:02 pm

oy5t3h wrote:To play organ authentically, a waterfall keyboard is required.
These trigger higher than other synth- and piano- keyboards, and have a smooth edge

You're mixing two different features there. The waterfall keyboards do have the smooth edge, but the high trigger is something separate. It is possible to get a non-waterfall keyboard that has a high trigger point (like the VR-09), or a waterfall keyboard that doesn't (the originally shipped version of the SK1... though they later added the high trigger feature in a software update).

Personally, I don't find these features essential, but they are good to have. Or to put it differently, for organ, there is a bigger difference between trying to play on a weighted action vs. a non-weighted action than there is between a an "ordinary" non-weighted action and one with waterfall high-trigger keys. But depending on the techniques you want to employ, these things may be more or less important to you.

(Personally, I actually prefer the overall feel and playability of the first digital version of Korg's CX-3 over their 2.0 version, which had the waterfall keys! The earlier digital CX-3 was almost waterfall, but had a small curved lip on the front of the keys. Point being that the shape of the keys is not the only thing that affects their playability.)

BTW, there were some old genuine tone wheel Hammond models that did not have waterfall keys!

oy5t3h · Post by **oy5t3h** » Fri Aug 30, 2013 3:00 pm

Scott wrote:It is possible to get a non-waterfall keyboard that has a high trigger point (like the VR-09)

I did not know that the VR-09 had a organ-style trigger. I will add that to my list of things to try.
Thanks.

SV1owner · Post by **SV1owner** » Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:37 pm

I haven't read all replies, so if these have been suggested previously forgive me. I'd suggest either a Hammond XK-3C, a used XK-3 & buy a Neo Ventilator (leslie simulator), or (my personal favorite on value alone) a Roland VR-09 999.99 USD.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:05 pm

Roland VK-8 was one of the best clonewheels I've played. Some interesting features too. It felt more real than the Nord for sure.

I'd say it was on a par with the hammond XK of the time.

downtownpaulyp · Post by **downtownpaulyp** » Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:00 pm

+1 for VK-7, VK-8, or VR-700. I've owned the VK-7 and currently the VR-700, and the action on the VR-700 is just awesome for slapping keys around!!!

riffwrangler · Post by **riffwrangler** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 8:55 pm

Thank so much for all of your replies everyone!
I continue to love the Sv1- nothing else I have played even comes close to the sounds and expressibility that I get from the SV1.
The electric pianos and the distortions are so perfect for my playing style and I'm thrilled with the board.
The organ sounds and the rotating speaker sim leave a lot to be desired however, and I was not able to get the realism that I sought.
Since I wrote I incorporated the Ventilator Pedal (neo instruments) into my setup with the SV1 and am thrilled, absolutely thrilled with the results.
The SV1 organ through the ventilator has greatly satisfied many of my concerns with the Korg organ and I performed with that setup last night (all running through a radial JDI duplex DI box: super recommended).
The issue I'm having therefore is the fact that I attempted a ton of smears and glisses with the SV-1/ventilator combo. In the heat of the evening everything sounded amazing even though I was struggling with this on the weighted keybed. Today my finger is blistered and I really think that I need some kind of non-weighted controller to play those sounds so that I don't hurt myself. If I mounted a midi controller above the SV1, any ideas as to whether this could work (midi out from the controller into midi in of the SV1) and whether that would be a possibility for controlling the SV1 organ with a very light waterfall keybed? Any ideas on a great organ controller for the SV1?
Finally- after much searching in stores in various cities I did try the Nord Electro 4D and the new Hammond XK1C to compare. I was not impressed with the build quality of the Hammond (I really wanted to love it). The Nord was much better re: build quality but I just can't get around having that red board around...and the drive/distortion sounds so fake compared to the SV1's tubes in my mind. Does anyone have an XK1C paired with your SV1? Your thoughts welcome...I may just need to experiment with it in a live situation to get used to that Hammond...it really seemed way too plastiky to me.
Many regards and appreciation for your help with my questions everyone! Riff

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