YAMAHA FX-1's Interesting "6 2/5' " Organ drawbar. EX42's drawbar sounds better?

[fred lui]

It's Interesting, that FX1 has a 6 2/5 feet drawbar for its organ sound.
(refer to my photo)

Most big organ drawbars have 9 drawbars setting, Is there any other organs having different setting of harmonics series? more than 10?

And I am curious, this kind of drawbar combination is from Hammond style, right?

if drawbar has the 5th and 7th harmonics drawbars, We can create more sounds, right?


The other question is EX42's Synth system is not the EX1 or say, E-70 generation's "PAS System"

But to my ears, EX42's sounds more punch and powerful or harder.

D80/E30/E50/E70/EX1 PAS system's organ sounds softer.


Comparing to most USA or Euro Organ brands,
Even Kawai's, I love their organ sounds better.

But YAMAHA sold so many organs at that time....(Maybe cause of it's Strategies or education, contests...)

[seamaster]

Wersi organs have often sported two additional drawbars — 4/5ths and 2/3rds. Plus a whole set of percussive drawbars on some of their models.

[andyg]

To be honest, a 6 2/5' drawbar isn't that much use. I can only think of one other organ that had one - the Roland VK9(? a long time ago!) Great if you want to make chimes or some synthy sounds but that's it.

The higher drawbars on the Wersis gave some extra timbres and more high end, but I think those mixture drawbars on the H and X series Hammonds were probably the most distinctive and useful.

[Larrytow]

Fred,

The EX-42 does not actually have a "synth" system. It is all analog organ tone generation technology ( and a lot of it ! ), so I don't think one can classify it as a synthesizer in the normal way one thinks of them.

The PASS organs can be sorta called synths because some of the voices are made from the PASS technology. The flute voices on those are still analog technology like the EX-42, I'm pretty sure. It is the reeds and strings and the custom voices that use the PASS tech. PASS is Pulse Analog Synthesis System. It is microprocessor control of analog sound generation if I am recalling correctly. So you can consider the EX-1 to be a really large multi timbral polyphonic analog synth. Same for the GX-1 of course.

And then the FX-1 is completely digital, using the same FM synthesis that was in the DX-7. Totally different technology and sounds from the earlier models. The flute "drawbar" section on the FX-1 is not really playable on the fly, like actual drawbar organs are. You have to set what you like on the little switches, and memorize that to a memory preset location.
I'm fairly certain that I don't have any combinations set on mine that use the 6&2/5' sound at all, as it does not seem too useful to me. But it may be for others.

I always have thought that the PASS organs were not very pleasant sounding when compared to an EX-42. Even when they were new I thought that. They have some uses as synth sounding instruments I suppose, but as a solo entertainer style organ, I'll take an EX-42 over an EX-1 any day. The FX-1 is great for that use as well, but as you say, there is nothing like the sound of an EX-42 in full cry. The original is still the best to my ears.

I think Hammond did make a few models of organs that had additional drawbars. I think they were intended for church / classical use. I'm not sure what models they were, or what pitches the extra ones were. One of the Hammond gurus here will know.

[fred lui]

Thanks for all you guys' info!

Yea, So I really like the fullness and huge sound of EX42, I had a DK40 now, even I think better than EX1's flute drawbar.

Although EX1 also has huge speakers, but It's really different.

The flute and other drawbars of EX42, just like the pipe organ, could make wonderful combination of sound,

Really hope someone could make a VSTi to simulates that king of home organs, not just flute(sine like)drawbar.

I only know Nash and Rawgan do such thing...

Thanks Andy, I could imagine the monster Kawai T-50

[fred lui]

So the 10, 11 drawbar in X66 each one drawbar is two notes?(2 higher hamonics?)

And I do hear the difference between 10. 11 drawbar's sounds , it made X66 sounds great!

So, Is there any VST emulate these two drawbars?

I found one is Revival, looks like it has 10 drawbar
https://audre.io/revival/

To be honest, a 6 2/5' drawbar isn't that much use. I can only think of one other organ that had one - the Roland VK9(? a long time ago!) Great if you want to make chimes or some synthy sounds but that's it.

The higher drawbars on the Wersis gave some extra timbres and more high end, but I think those mixture drawbars on the H and X series Hammonds were probably the most distinctive and useful.

[andyg]

No, there is no Hammond VST that features those extra harmonics. You can't really do it live, but if you are creating music in a DAW, you can almost re-create the sound by using several instances of the Hammond VSTI. I normally use something like a 2' drawbar on the upper and lower and transpose the recorded tracks up the required interval to get the pitches correct. And of course, in each of those extra X-66 drawbars, the lower harmonic is softer than the higher one. So it's complicated but do-able! Getting the unique X-66 scanner vibrato is impossible, but you can get near it using the original Native B-4 VST and playing around with the rotary sim.

[auronoxe]

Boehm organs deliver up to 12 drawbars. I think this is the most you can get today.

https://www.keyswerk.de/erweiterungen/

[JeffW]

The upper manual of the Yamaha FX-20 has the 6 2/5' drawbar, a kind of Gross Tierce. I haven't used it, but in classical pipe organ registrations it is used to build a 32' based Cornet.

[fred lui]

Thanks Auromoxe!

So I'm wondering, the other 3 extra drawbars marked "MIX" 1~3

They are higher harmonics drawbar, or it's kind of YAMAHA's "Combi" ?

Boehm organs deliver up to 12 drawbars. I think this is the most you can get today.

https://www.keyswerk.de/erweiterungen/

[auronoxe]

I don‘t know the details. Probably Claus Riepe can answer that question. You could send him a private message to user „Claus“.

[fred lui]

So the 10, 11 drawbar in X66 each one drawbar is two notes?(2 higher hamonics?)

And I do hear the difference between 10. 11 drawbar's sounds , it made X66 sounds great!

So, Is there any VST emulate these two drawbars?

I found one is Revival, looks like it has 10 drawbar
https://audre.io/revival/

Thanks ANDY!!! Nice suggestion!! I'll try it!

[geoelectro]

I did a quick run through on my FX-1.

Geo

[Larrytow]

Thank you George !! That is an excellent overview of the awesome FX-1. In a short video one cannot touch on All the features it has of course, but you hit the main ones well.