----- Original Message -----

From: Dave McCracken

To: hammond_zone@...

Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 10:33 PM

Subject: Re: [hammond_zone] Techy music question

"Ron Newman" <ron.newman2@...> writes:

There's?something different about the Hammond sound, it's not a pure sine wave.

And that is the only reason in 20+ years of trying to emulate the sound of the Hammond - nothing has come very close.? Native Instruments B4 is arguably as close as it has gotten.? However the interface shows that that isn't exactly a "keyboard setup".? Some use the B4 live with a laptop, controller, good sound card (once latency issues are sorted out).? I hear that that will work.? I think good things will come out of this technology in time.? Getting closer.....? The extra subtleties inherent in the tonewheel Hammonds are obviously the things that aren't being included in many simulators.? Just listen to the (not too) old Korg -X3 series....?

Although that tone wheel?looks as though it would produce a pure sine wave I wonder whether it does?

I understand it does not.? Firstly that is why capacitors are included in the circuit of each tonewheel.? That to me is a crazy concept anyway - a capacitor to filter out *audio* frequencies.? Anyway....? My understanding is those were used in efforts to make the output closer to a sine wave.? Still not pure.? By the way there are several that are more well versed in these mechanics than I.? Lars or pda may have a better understanding.? I am nowhere close to a tech.

Anyone know whether the sound that comes straight off the tone wheel is actually a pure sine wave. And if it is then the special Hammond sound is produced by everything after.

I don't think it is pure and?then you're right a lot of extra variables come into the mix.? Generator noise, key click all of which were originally considered flaws with the original design now are the subtleties that make simulators fall short.? I think simulators are coming closer though.? The key click and generator noise functions in the Voce units, while being a bit funky themselves - is getting closer to the right idea IMO.? The statement I always make to people when playing out and people comment on the Hammond, is that we can put a man on the moon but you just can't recreate that sound.? Also though simulators might be able to come closer if the market was such that big dollars could be poured into R&D.? Hammond fanatics who will pay $1000+ for that sound (and only that sound) are a small spec on the market demographic used by the planning board at Roland, Korg et al.

And I wonder how Mr Hammond went about it. Is there any literature about it?

I understand that like the Telharmonium - the Hammonds conceptual predecessor - the wheels are based on integer math.? I don't think the idea of "filling bits of tonewheels" happened.? More like a formula which dictates each wheel structure (which therefore dictated the structure of the tooling which made the parts).

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Anyone ever tried to make a copy Hammond? I mean absolute copy? Was it as good? Whoever did would know what parts particularly make the unique sound.

I don't know if someone has actually tried to recreate a mechanical product to emulate the sound of a tonewheel Hammond organ.? Although that is all the simulators are.? VK1000(?), BX3, Voce, VK7, XB...? There has always been a lot of talk over the last 10 years at least of the practical aspects of reproducing the tonewheel organ.? Suffice to say that they cost of a new XB3 (which is a quite substantial purchase and is a fine organ too)? would be dwarfed by the cost of generating the tools to build the parts and the cost to put TW Hammonds in production.? There just aren't enough of us to warrant it.? However here is food for thought towards a non technical thread.? Please forgive me if I sound ethnocentric.? I am proud that the Hammond is an American invention but I don't mean anything negative about that.? The person who I admire as the best tech on the planet (several on this list know who I mean) has told me and others that he has knowledge of where 90% of all the tooling for tonewheel Hammond organs is located.? For a while the list admin of Hamtech was curious about the pros and cons of buying some of these items.? I am talking about the molds for the rocker switches, etc and everything else used to create these glorious organs.? To me it is a sad thing - that all these items are no longer located in the US,? I think they should be displayed proudly in a museum personally.? But I understand that someone associated with Roland in Japan has a warehouse where these toolings are located.? Wouldn't it be great though?? I am a young player.? The last TW Hammond came off the production line when I was a small chap.? I didn't get into the organs until long after so I never saw/heard a new organ.? Although I try and keep my organ in great shape and try to keep it as stock as possible - I really have no idea how a brand spankin new TW Hammond would sound.? After 30+ years there is so much component drifting and other elements thrown in that it can't sound like it did when new.? I think the whole thing conjures up some neat thoughts.? But the reality is it would cost a fortune to reproduce it and it wont happen.? In the day organ cost was comparable to some new cars.? The home organ market is all but gone.? Todays professional organs (for instance Allen) still are comparable to a price of a new car and I bet none of us would be able to fork it out.? Sure makes for a fun daydream though.? Hope I got somewhere close to your original question.....

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Dave McCracken

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