![]() So close is the relationship between the B3, C3 and A100 that there is nothing to stop you from sliding the tonewheel generator out of one and wiring it into the others (well, nothing other than a few hundred wires!). Thus was the A100 born: a B3/C3 tonewheel generator and controls mounted inside a smaller case that nonetheless includes a spring reverb, dual valve amplifiers and three chunky speakers. Sometime after the launch of the B3 and C3 in 1955, Hammond's customers made it clear that they wanted a self-contained organ with the wonderful sound of the new flagships, but also the reverb and internal speakers of the less expensive spinets. If you're unacquainted with Hammond genealogy, let me explain.įor many decades, the company had a policy that its 'spinet' organs (those with four-octave keyboards) had built-in speaker systems, while the larger 'console' organs (those with five-octave keyboards) required external speakers, or 'tone cabinets'. Just across the room from where I'm writing, there sits one of greatest organs ever crafted by human hands: a Hammond A100, an instrument every bit the equal of the B3 and C3. In this case, even though we don't necessarily achieve everything we set out to do, there's plenty to be learned about how a tonewheel organ creates its distinctive sound along the way. Unfortunately, as in real life, some relationships start out as fun, but lead to frustration, although you usually learn some important lessons on the way. So now, we're going to attempt to spice things up still further. But, as I wrote when I left you last time, what these have all lacked is the excitement introduced by the Hammond's effects and side-effects percussion, chorus/vibrato, leakage, and overdrive. On other occasions, you have to work hard at things, and sometimes you just have to give up, pretending that you weren't that interested in the first place.įor the past two months, I think that it's fair to say that this series has been dishing up a good deal of the former, with the basis for some fine tonewheel organ patches being produced on some unlikely synths. When you're lucky, everything comes naturally, and you attain what you crave both easily and quickly. I find that my relationships with my synths can be much like any other romantic entanglements. So, you can synthesize a Hammond's tonewheel generator - but what about its all-important effects? This month, we look at recreating the Hammond's percussion, vibrato, overdrive, and reverb - and find that it's harder than you might think. ![]()
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