Hammond SKX User manual

DRAWBAR
EFFECTS

3
DrawbarEffects-Vibrato
DRAWBAR EFFECTS
You can add Vibrato/Chorus, Leslie, Sustain and Overdrive to the Organ section of your SKX. In the following
section, each effect is explained in detail.
NOTE: These effects are not available for the Pipe voices.
ËVIBRATO & CHORUS
The Vibratoand Chorus controls on vintage Hammond console organs witheither a “2" or a “3" as part of their model
designation (B-2, B-3, etc.) consist of two tilt tablets and a six-position rotaryknob to the leftof the Drawbars which
look like this:
ThesameVibratoandChoruschoicesaremadeontheSKX bymeansoftwoTouchTabsandtheVIB/CHSEditMenu.
Vibrato/Chorus ON / OFF
Toturn the Vibratoor Chorus effect "ON,” touch the appropriate Touch Tab "ON" (LEDlit).
UPPER
ThisTouch Tab turns theVibrato effect “ON” for the Upper Manual.
LOWER
ThisTouch Tab turns theVibrato effect “ON” for the Lower Manual.
NOTE: If you are using the Sk1, Sk1-73 or Sk1-88, the LOWER Vibrato Touch Tab will work only
if the SPLIT Touch Tab is “ON” (LED lit).

4
DrawbarEffects -Vibrato
ËVIBRATO Edit Menu (VIB&CHO Menu)
This Advanced Feature Menu allows you to make changes to the Vibrato/Chorus effect.
Accessing the VIBRATO Edit Menu using the MENU/EXIT Touch Button:
1. From the PLAY Screen, touch the MENU/EXIT Touch Button to see the first screen of the MENU
Mode.
You will see “A" displayed in the extreme upper left corner of the Information Center Display. This
indicates that the MENU Mode has 4 Pages and that Page 1 is displaying.
2. Touch the PAGE UP Touch Button once. The “B” screen of the MENU Mode will now display.
You will now see “CUST.TW" in the upper left corner of the Information Center Display, and it will
be blinking.
3. Touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button twice. The letters “VIB&CHO” will now blink.

5
DrawbarEffects-Vibrato
4. Touch the ENTER Touch Button. The Information Center Displayshould now look like this:
Accessing the VIBRATO Edit Menu Using the Shortcut:
Touch andhold anyoftheVIBRATO/CHORUSTouch Tabs. After approximately1 second, youwillseethe
screen shown above.
YouarenowintheVIBRATOEditMenu. YoumaynowusethePAGENAVIGATIONTouchButtonsinconjunction
with the VALUE Rotary Control to make various changes to the Vibrato and Chorus. These changes are explained
starting below.

6
DrawbarEffects -Vibrato
VIBRATO Edit Menu - Page 1
If you followed the instructions on the previous page, you should now see Page 1 of the VIBRATO Edit Menu. The
legend underneath the word “MODE” should now be blinking.
Vibrato and Chorus Modes
There are three Modes each for Vibrato and Chorus. The following paragraphs will explain these.
Vibrato
V-1 - (Small Vibrato) - Thisproduces the vibratoequivalent of most orchestral solo instruments.
V-2 - (Wide Vibrato) - This is the standard depth vibrato toproduce the effect of a theater organ.
V-3 - (Full Vibrato) - This gives the fullest amount of vibrato, adding much warmth and enhancing your music.
Chorus
TheChoruseffectistheresultofpartofthetoneisheardwithoutVibrato,andpartcontainsthevibratoamountselected
bythe first two Touch Tabs.
C-1 - (Small Chorus) - This produces the light chorus effect.
C-2 - (Wide Chorus) - This is the standard depth of the chorus effect.
C-3 - (Full Chorus) - This isthe fullest amount of Chorus, addingwarmththat enhancesyour Drawbar settings.
ThisAdvanced Feature allows you to select the Vibrato/Chorus Mode that will be added to the ORGAN sectionwhen
either of the two VIBRATO Touch Tabs is “ON” (LED lit).
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to make your selection.

7
DrawbarEffects-Vibrato
Adjusting the Vibrato and Chorus Modes using a Shortcut
The SKX has a “Shortcut” feature that enables you quickly to access the portion of the VIB/CHS Edit Menu which
containsthesettingsforVibratoandChorus(V-1, V-2, V-3, C-1, C-2, C-3). Thefollowingparagraphswillexplainhow
to do this.
Locate the FAVORITE Button section.
Notice that FAVORITE Buttons 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10havedesignations which correspond to the VibratoMode
settings. When you are in the VIB/CHR Edit Mode, you can use these FAVORITE Buttons to select the
Vibrato/ChorusModethatwillbeaddedtotheORGANsectionwheneitherofthetwoVIBRATOTouchTabs
is “ON” (LED lit).
Each Buttonis clearlymarked as towhich Mode setting it will control.
TRY THIS:
1. Touch and hold any of the VIBRATO/CHORUS Touch Tabs. After approximately 1 second, the
Information Center Displayshould now look similar this:
Notice that the legend underneath the word “MODE” is blinking. The specific mode will varydepending on
which Patch is currentlyselected.
2. If you wish tochange the Mode setting, Touch and Hold either of the two VIBRATO Touch Tabs:

8
DrawbarEffects -Vibrato
3. WhilecontinuingtoHoldtheVIBRATOTouchTab,touchanyofthesixFAVORITETouchButtons
associated with Vibrato/Chorus Modes - for example, #8:
The Vibrato Mode will be set according to which of the FAVORITE buttons you touched.
4. Release both Buttons. The Information Center Displaywill show the Vibrato Mode you selected.
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button once. The numbers underneath the word
“TREM” should now be blinking.
Vibrato Rate
ThisAdvancedFeature allows you to select the Vibrato/Chorus Rate that you prefer. The data chart below shows the
options you mayselect.
VIBRATO RATE Options
6.10
6.50
*6.83
7.00
7.25
*default setting
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to make the Vibrato Rate faster.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to make the Vibrato rate slower.

9
DrawbarEffects-Vibrato
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button once. The numbers underneath the word
“TREM” should now be blinking.
Tremulant Amount
On an organ, a periodic raising and lowering of the pitch is called Vibrato, while a periodic raising and lowering of
volume is sometimes known as a Tremulant. In a vintage Hammond Organ, the Vibrato effect contains not only a
periodic shift in pitch, but also a slight amplitude, or volume, change, particularly in the higher frequencies. This
AdvancedFeature allows you to set the Tremulant amount of the Vibrato for each setting.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to increase the amount of Tremulant.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to decrease the amount of Tremulant.
VIBRATO Edit Menu - Page 2
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Buttononce. Page 2 of the VIBRATO Edit Menu should
now display. The numbers underneath the word “EMPH” should now be blinking.
Vibrato Chorus High Frequency Emphasis (EMPH)
This Advanced Feature allows you to set the amountthat thehigher frequencies are emphasized whenVibratoChorus
(C1, C2 orC3) is selected. You can select from“0"(mellow) to “9" (bright).
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to emphasize the higher frequencies
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to de-emphasize or roll off the higher frequencies.

10
DrawbarEffects -Vibrato
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button once. The word underneath the word “PEDAL”
should now be blinking:
Vibrato Chorus Mix
As explained on page 3, the Chorus effect is produced by mixing two audio signals together - one containing Vibrato
anda“dry”signalwithnoVibrato. TheamountofVibratoversusnon-Vibratosignalcanvarywhencomparingvintage
organs. This AdvancedFeature allowsyou tocontrolthe amount of Vibratosignal versus the amount of “dry” or non-
Vibratosignal. Youcanselectfrom“D64"(onlythedrysignalwithnoVibrato)through“63V”(onlytheVibratosignal,
with no dry signal). The middle or “EVEN” setting will mix the Vibrato and non-Vibrato signals together in equal
amounts.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to increase the amount of Vibrato signal.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to decrease the amount of Vibrato signal.
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button once. The word underneath the word “PEDAL”
should now be blinking:
Vibrato On Pedal (PEDAL)
ThisAdvancedFeatureMenuPageallowsyoutoselectwhetheryouwantVibratotoalsoaffectthePedalDrawbartones
whentheVIBRATOLOWERTouchTabis“ON.” ThisreplicatestheVibratofunctiononavintageHammondOrgan.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to turn Vibrato on or off for the Pedal Drawbar tones.

11
DrawbarEffects-Vibrato
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE UP Touch Button once. The word underneath the word “PEDAL”
should now be blinking:
Vibrato/Chorus Depth
This Advanced Feature allows you to set the depth of each of the six Vibrato/Chorus amounts.
Thescreenshownabovedisplays the depthsettingsfor the VibratoChorus. Tosee thedepth settingfor Vibrato,touch
the PAGE LEFT Button three times. The Information Center Displayshould now look like this:
Youcannowadjustthedepthof“V1,”“V2,”“V3,”“C1,”“C2,”and“C3"byusingthePAGELEFTandPAGERIGHT
TouchButtonstonavigatehorizontallyamongthetwoscreensforVibratoandChorus. Onceyouhavenavigatedtothe
screen you want, youcanthen use the PAGELEFTand PAGEright buttons to selectwhichsetting you want to adjust.
The selected setting will blink.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to increase the Vibrato or Chorus depth.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to decrease the Vibrato or Chorus depth.

12
DrawbarEffects -Leslie
ËLESLIE®
YourHammondSKX hasabuilt-indigitalLeslieeffectthatreplicatesthesoundofatwin-rotorLeslieSpeakercabinet.
Inaddition,theSKX canalso beused withavarietyof differentLeslie Speaker cabinets. Thereisa fullexplanationof
how to use the SKX with a Leslie Speaker cabinet starting onpage 20.
What Is A “Leslie Speaker?”
Whenthe HammondOrganwasfirstintroducedinthemid30's,itwasnot “self-contained”-inotherwords,thesound-
producing apparatus was not contained within the console. In order to hear the sounds produced bythe organ’s tone
generators,aseparate“tonecabinet”containinganamplifierandspeakersystemhadtobeconnectedtotheorganconsole
viaaspecialcable. TheHammondOrganCompanyformanyyearsmanufacturedmanydifferentmodelsoftonecabinets
specificallyforusewithHammondOrgans. ThebestknownoftheseisprobablythePR-40model,whichuseda40-watt
tube amplifier to drive a set of speakers.
Hammond PR-40 Tone Cabinet A typical Leslie Speaker cabinet.
The Hammond engineers had verydefinite ideas about what a Hammond Organshould sound like and the Hammond
speakers were designedto deliver that sound. In the late 30's, however, an independent engineer and organ enthusiast
namedDonaldJ.LesliewantedasoundfromaHammondOrganmorenearlyapproximatingthesoundofatheatreorgan,
particularly a realistic theatre organ tremulant. He found that rotating a baffle in front of a stationaryspeaker created
the effect of a tremulant (the well-known “Doppler effect”) andcalled the subsequent speaker the “Vibratone.” (The
“Vibratone” designation was eventually dropped and subsequent models would be known simply as Leslie Speakers.)
Over a hundred models of Leslie Speakers have been made over the years; probably the best known being the models
122,142,145and147,allofwhichhave40-wattvacuum-tubeamplifiers. The122and147areboth 41"tall (seeabove
photo), while the 142 and 145 are 33" tall. The 122 and 142 have the same electronics, as do the 145 and 147.
Although the 122and 147, as well as the 142 and 145, shareidentical cabinet designs, theyare electrically dissimilar -
the 122/142 is designed specifically for use with a Hammond Organ whose preamplifier has “GG” terminals (a
“balanced” signal output), whereas the 147/145 has an “unbalanced” input more suitable for use with self-contained
organs-otherbrandsaswellasHammond. Additionally,the122and147havedifferenthigh-frequencyresponses-the
122 rolls off the treble at 6K to reduce key click, while the 147 does so at 8K, resulting in a slightly brighter overall
sound.

13
DrawbarEffects-Leslie
What Are “Horn” and “Bass?”
The basic Leslie Speaker design, as represented by the 122 and 147 families of cabinets, divides the sound between
“treble” (above 800Hz) and “bass” (below 800Hz). The treble frequencies are routed to a treble speaker or “driver,”
while thebasstonessoundthrougha bassspeaker(typically15"). Intheclassicdesign,thespeakersthemselvesdonot
move-abaffleisrotatedinfrontofeachspeakertoproduceanimation. Theshapeofthebaffleforthehighfrequencies
is similar to the bell of a horn, hence the popular designation “horn.” The figure below illustrates this.
The Leslie cabinet type shown above connects to the organ console by means of a special connector kit which allows
proper routing of both the audio signal and the electrical voltage necessaryto operate the rotors.
The first Leslie speakers used two motors to rotate the baffles at a speed suitable for recreating theatre-organ-type
tremulant which were controlled by a toggle switch on the side of the speaker cabinet. In the mid-60's an additional
motor was added to both Horn and Bass which spun the rotors much more slowly to suggest the sound of a “celeste,”
oracompoundorganstopwithtwoormoreranksslightlydetuned. Alsoaddedwereswitcheswhichcouldbemounted
tothefrontofanorganconsoletoallowtheorganist tocontroltherotorspeeds, andthereforethesound,whileplaying-
“Chorale” described theeffect produced by the Slowmotors, while“Tremolo” was thedesignationused whentheFast
motors were engaged. The picture below shows a typical Leslie switch of this kind.
In more recent years there have beentwo important additions to the classic Leslie design:
1. The introduction of an 11-pin interface to allow a Leslie Speaker to handle more than one audio
channel, as well as to isolate line voltage fromthe audio signal path.
2. ThereplacementofseparateFastandSlowmotorswithvariablespeedmotorsforbothHornandBass.
The newer motor design reduces the total number of motors from four to two, and also allows for
“Brake” mode, or the abilityto shut the rotors completelyoff (previouslya special “brake kit” had to
be added to the cabinet to permit this feature).

14
DrawbarEffects -Leslie
New digital technology has now made it possible to recreate the Doppler effect without using moving parts. This
technology has been incorporated into the SKXs. The followingpages explain how the internal digital Leslie of your
Hammond SKX works.
LESLIE Touch Tabs
ThesethreeTouchTabsallowyoutocontroleithertheinternaldigitalLeslieortherotorsofaconnectedLeslieSpeaker
cabinet.
LESLIE BYPASS
When this Touch Tab is "OFF" (LED not lit), the Drawbars will sound through the internal Leslie channel. Touching
the BYPASS Touch Tab "ON"(LEDlit) willchange the soundsproduced bythe Drawbars fromthe Leslie channel to
thestationarychannel. ThespeedoftherotorsofeithertheinternaldigitalLeslieoraconnectedLeslieSpeakerdepends
upon the position ofthe LESLIE FAST Touch Tab.
LESLIE STOP
WhenthisTouchTabis"OFF"(LEDnotlit),theLeslieeffectisthatofanacousticLeslieSpeakercabinetwiththerotors
turning either slowly (Chorale)or Fast (Tremolo). Touching the LESLIESTOP Touch Tab "ON" (LED lit) will cause
the Leslie rotors to stop turning.
LESLIE FAST
WhenthisTouchTabis"OFF"(LEDnotlit),theLeslieeffectisthatofanacousticLeslieSpeakercabinetwiththerotors
turningslowly(Chorale). TouchingtheLESLIEFASTTouchTab"ON"(LEDlit)will causetheLeslieeffecttospeed
upand rotate fast (Tremolo) to produce a rich, full sound.

15
DrawbarEffects-Leslie
ËLESLIE Edit Menu
These Advanced Feature Menu Pages allow you to make various changes to the characteristics of the inbuilt digital
Leslie.
Accessing the LESLIE Edit Menu Using the MENU/EXIT Touch Button:
1. From any of the PLAY Screens, touch the MENU/EXIT Touch Button to see the first screen of the
MENU Mode.
You will see “A" displayed in the extreme upper left corner of the Information Center Display. This
indicates that the MENU Mode has 4 Pages and that Page 1 is displaying.
2. Touch the PAGE UP Touch Button once. The “B” screen of the MENU Mode will now display.
You will now see “CUST.TW" in the upper left corner of the Information Center Display, and it
will be blinking.
3. Touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button three times. The word, “LESLIE” will now blink.
4. Touch the ENTER Touch Button.

16
DrawbarEffects -Leslie
Accessing the LESLIE Edit Menu Using the Shortcut:
Touch and holdanyof the three LESLIE Touch Tabs. After approximately1 second, you will see the screen
shown below.
You are nowin theLESLIE Edit Menu. You may nowuse the PAGE NAVIGATION Touch Buttons in conjunction
with the VALUE Rotary Control to make various changes to the parameters of the digital Leslie. These changes are
explained starting on the next page.
If you followed the instructions on the previous page, you should now see Page 1 of the LESLIE Edit Menu.
Leslie Parameters
Your Hammond SKX has a special group of Leslie Parameters. Using these special Leslie features, you can define
different characteristics of how the built-in digital Leslie effect will perform. The Leslie Parameters are:
1. SlowSpeed for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
2. Fast Speed for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
3. Rise Time for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
4. Fall Time for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
5. Brake Time for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
6. Level or Volume for both Horn and Bass Rotor.
7. Microphone Settings (Angle and Distance)

17
DrawbarEffects-Leslie
What Is A “Leslie Cabinet?”
The following pagesexplain how toset various characteristics of thedigital Leslie, including speedsettings andlevels
for the Horn and Bass Rotors, settings for emulating various ways Leslies are “miked” either for recording or live
performance, etc. All of these parameters can be saved as a Leslie Cabinet.
The SKX have 16 different Leslie Cabinets. Eight (8) of these are User Cabinets (indicated by a“U”) while the other
eight(8)arePresetCabinets(indicatedbya“P”). ThePresetCabinetsarepermanentlywritteninmemory,buttheUser
Cabinets can be overwrittenwith your own settings. You can even re-name themif you wish.
The first twopages of theLeslie EditMenuallow you to select theLeslie Cabinet you wish to use or modify, as well as
name a customLeslie Cabinet you have created. The remaining pages allow you to modify the sonic characteristics of
the selected Leslie Cabinet. After you have made all of your changes, you can save themas a User Cabinet.
Please consult page 26 and the pages which follow for more information about creating, saving and naming your own
Leslie Cabinets.
LESLIE Edit Menu - Page 1 - Leslie Cabinet Type
ThisAdvanced Feature allows you either toselect the Leslie Cabinet Type that you prefer,
or to select a User Cabinet to modify.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to scroll forward through the choices.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to scroll backward through the choices.

18
DrawbarEffects -Leslie
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE UP Touch Button once. The Information Center Display should now
look similar to this:
LESLIE Edit Menu - Page 2 - Leslie Cabinet Name
ThisAdvanced Feature allows you to name a Leslie User Cabinet.
NOTE: This would normally be the final step after you have made the rest of your parameter settings and are
satisfied with the results. You should have also saved your settings.
NOTE: Naming a Leslie User Cabinet is covered in more detail starting on page 23.
Use the PAGE LEFT and PAGE RIGHT Select Touch Buttons to select the character to be edited.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the right to scroll forward through the characters.
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to the left to scroll backward through the characters.
The available characters include:PunctuationMarks (space - . ‘ &), Numeric Characters (0 ~ 9), Upper-case
Letters (“A ~ Z”), and Lower-case Letters (“a ~ z”).
The following pages describe how to change the various Leslie Parameters.
NOTE: For a complete listing of all parameters that can be saved as a Leslie Cabinet, consult the Leslie
Parameters page of the APPENDIX section of this Guide.

19
DrawbarEffects-Leslie
SPECIAL NOTE: These Advanced Features DO NOT affect a connected external Leslie Speaker.
LESLIE Edit Menu - Page 3
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE UP Touch Button once. You should now see Page 3 of the LESLIE Edit
Menu.
The legend underneath the word “AMP” should now be blinking.
Leslie Amplifier Type
ThisAdvancedFeatureallows youtoselecttheAmplifiercharacteristics. The datachartbelowshows the optionsyou
mayselect.
LESLIE AMPLIFIER TYPES
Description Function
Solid A “solid-state” or transistorized amplifier with a flat frequency response.
Tube Frequency curves and peaks more typical of a vacuum-tube amplifier
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to make your selection.

20
DrawbarEffects -Leslie
From the previous screen, touch the PAGE RIGHT Touch Button once.
The legend underneath the word “SPEAKER” should now be blinking.
Leslie Speaker Type
ThisAdvancedFeatureallowsyoutoselecttheoverallsoniccharacteristicsoftheselectedCabinetType. Thedatachart
below shows the options you may select.
LESLIE SPEAKER TYPES
Description Function
RotSmall A small (33" tall) cabinet such as a model 142 or 145.
RotLarge A standard-size (41" tall) speaker such as a 122 or 147.
Station A “stationary” cabinet with no rotors such as a traditional Hammond speaker (PR-40, PR-20,
HR-40, etc.).
Turn the VALUERotaryControl to make your selection.
NOTE: For more information about Leslie Speaker types as well as Hammond speakers, please consult page 7.