Hammond XE2 Rhthym programming - Help needed

[Pete F]

Hi, guys. I've just become the owner of the above instrument, complete with owner's manual.

There's a big but, though. It is probably my stupidity, but the instructions on how to create / modify rhythms seem un-intelligible.

Could anyone please point me in the right direction to find out, in simple, easy-to-understand terms, how to do this, please?

Best regards, Pete.

ps a speedy answer would be appreciated, as I haven't got much hair left after this has me tearing it out!

[andyg]

Three skill sets needed.

1) knowing what buttons to push, in the right order, to make the organ store and reproduce the rhythm style, and knowing how that style engine works - where guitar and bass lines 'wrap around', for example.
2) the musical ability to create a musical rhythm, being a drummer for the percussion parts, a bassist for the bass line, guitarist for the guitar parts, string arranger for any strings parts etc etc. And knowing about the style that you're trying to write in, whether that be latin, ballroom, country, big band or whatever. Manufacturers will often get a country expert in just for the country styles, and so on.
3) the musical ability to take what's in your head and write it down accurately for each of the parts so you can input it into the instrument

Skill set 1 is not that much use without sets 2 and 3. Sure, people can create a rhythm with set 1, but it's likely to be very basic and unmusical.

Sets 2 and 3 take time to learn, practise and get right. I've been doing this ever since it became possible to do so and I guess you could say that I have all three skill sets by now, but I still defer to those who I consider to be experts. I might take an existing style and modify the bass line, perhaps, but I can't remember the last time I created a style from scratch.

The owners manuals obviously only give you instructions - usually unfathomable - about what buttons to push etc. All makes are the same in this respect, as far as I can tell. There's plenty of advice out there for the likes of Yamaha and Korg as the user base is huge and the instruments current. Alas for an almost 20 year old organ, there's probably little or nothing. But you've asked in one good place. I'd also suggest two Facebook groups. Vintage Organ Group and The Hammond Organ Group. (exact names). The later is a bit quiet, but it's run by one of the people who wrote the styles and the owners manuals, and one of his colleagues from Hammond is also a regular. Both guys are also regulars on the Vintage Organ Group. If you join, be sure to answer any questions that are set!

[Pete F]

Hi, AndyG. Thanks for your response. I've contacted Vintage Organ Group, and, sadly, they haven't got the answers. I cannot find "Hammond Organ Group" anywhere on the net, and no search engine brings it up. Could you possibly offer more details, please?
Best regards, Pete.

[auronoxe]

I always wondered why manufacturers invested so much money in programming the software for the organs and keyboards to create styles. I‘m quite sure less than 1% of users really used that kind of feature. In reality styles are created on the computer with much more comfortable SW.
Probably it is just a marketing feature: Manufacturer A started to offer that and B and C had to follow.

[Pete F]

Thank you for your response, auronoxe. Have you any idea where to get a copy of the original software, then?
Best regards, Pete

[auronoxe]

No, unfortunately not. Basically I guess this can be done with any composer software resp. sequencer SW and the organ company wrote a software that converts that into the style file format used by the organ / keyboard. Maybe for more current instruments these things are available online for anybody. But I‘m not into this... Maybe you could still find style disks to buy? For my 1995 Technics organ there are still many available (e.g. Ebay, PremierOrgans).

[andyg]

Manufacturers never release their programming software! It lets them do things that others cannot do and gives them an edge!

There is style programming and conversion software out there - EMC Style Works and Style Factory are usually regarded as the best but I don't think they cover Hammond.

There were style disks but I have no idea if they're still available.