Hammond XK3CPro Complete system

HAMMOND XK3C Details ^top

Hammond Suzuki USA is pleased to announce the addition of another outstanding quality product to the Hammond product line, namely, the XK-3c keyboard. The XK-3c has been designed with the professional musician in mind. Built upon the outstanding features and astounding tone-wheel type sound found on the legendary XK-3 keyboard which is no longer being produced, our engineers have added many of the most requested advanced features and effects never before found on a Hammond keyboard of this price range.

"Out of the Box", the XK-3c is set up to be reminiscent of a very fine vintage Hammond B-3 Organ. However, the XK-3c allows you advanced and comprehensive control over all of the different features of a Hammond Organ. This allows you to mold your XK-3c into your "Dream Organ" which will sound and play exactly as you wish. Until now, technicians have commanded high prices to customize a B-3 to individual tastes-Now you have all of this control at your fingertips, in a simple interface. Or you can just play your XK-3c without modification-either way the XK-3c is designed to be "mirror image" of a classic Hammond Organ.

Like the XK-3 keyboard, the new XK-3c can be used strictly as a single keyboard or expanded into a two-manual B-3 like organ when used in conjunction with either our innovative PRO or Traditional XK Systems.

Vase III sound engine
Control multiple keyboards and sound modules from the XK3C improved digital leslie sound quality

New MIDI Control features make it easy to integrate your computer based software and MIDI instruments.

Assignable controllers for MIDI instruments
Advanced digital Leslie and vibrato scanner
Split Upper and Lower Vibrato/Chorus switches
Enhanced dual tube preamp and overdrive

Tone-Wheels
The new XK-3 C contains (96) independent oscillating digital tonewheels for accurate reproduction of the B3 sound. Importantly, this keyboard has full polyphony.

Vacuum Tube preamplifier
The XK-3 C is equipped with a vacuum tube preamplifier for warmth and rich overdrive. The overdrive circuit consists of two bands. Thus even if the sound is overdriven, you can still obtain purer harmonics.

Custom Tonewheel (and transistor) templates

There are a number of Custom Templates pre-loaded into the XK3C as follows:

B-Type

Real B3

This template is the classic B3 model. When purchasing a B3 you would maybe try three or four to find the best one of the bunch (they were all slightrly different from new- some great, some good, and some not so good)...well this is the best of the B3's

80s Clean

The 80s gave us sampling technology, and with it the 'clinically clean' 'Organ sound'. Basically take a Hammond B3, record it digitally, get rid of all of the grunge, noise and imperfections picked up in the sampled sound...hey presto... 1980s Hammond.

Noisy

Take an A100 and stick a couple of micrphones in front of the speakers..all that noise!, motor hum, leakeage..etc..etc. This is the sound most Hammond Clones try and replicate.

Mellow

Full Flats

Tonewheel generators are somewhat random, take out that 'randomness' and give each tonewheel a mathematical formula and this is the result. (Somewhat like a late 70s/early 80 Hammond Console/Spinet. e.g Concorde, Elegante, Aurora Classic.

Husky

Dropped Middle Ranges- accenting the high and low frequencies

Flute Lead

opposite to Husky- Bass and treble dropped.

Brite

Classic X5

Infamous Hammond X5- dull triangle waveforms and flat output levels on every frequency

More choices for independently voicing each of the 96 digital tone-wheels
More authentic key-click and percussion
Independent vibrato/chorus control for each manual
Genuine Tube Preamp/Overdrive with 2 discrete tubes (12ax7/12au7)
Addition of the B-3 Tone Control function

Advanced MIDI Master "real-time" controller functions.

Digital Tone Wheel
The XK-3c's digital tone wheel generator is the latest generation Hammond engine based on the same principles as the vintage mechanical tone-wheel generator. The 96 digital tone-wheels are constantly oscillating and re-create the original Wow and Flutter. In the vintage Hammonds, the close proximity of the mechanical wheels produced an imperfection called "leakage" that came to be part of the original charm of the instrument. This effect has been recaptured and may be introduced incrementally into your personal sound setup. The XK-3c has full polyphony, and the keyboard has been updated to feel and play like a vintage B-3.

Every vintage B-3 has its own personality and voice, based on the age and condition of the mechanical tone-wheel generator. The XK-3c allows you to tailor the organ's digital tone-wheel generator to your own specification and further, to recall it in an instant. There are 5 basic tone-wheel sets: B-Type 1, B-Type 2, Mellow, Brite, and Saw., with variations of each. There are also further levels of control for the user who seeks a wider variation and customization of sound. Each of the 96 digital tonewheels can be individually voiced for volume, timbre, motor noise and leakage, and recalled as a complete custom setup. Note that these settings are not compiled effects, but are controls of the sound generators themselves.

Percussion
Hammond's "Touch Response Percussion" is one of the hallmark features that made the B-3 's sound so distinctive and expressive. The sounds, the response and the controls are re-created to the exact degree on the XK-3c. Even the eccentricities and imperfections that grew to be highly desired are created anew. As with all Vintage B-3s, the percussion section's personality varied from organ to organ, and keeping in the spirit of the XK-3c, you are now able to adjust all the parameters to tailor the percussion to your taste.

Key Click
The Vintage Hammond used a mechanical "Buss-Bar" system behind the keys, which triggered each note played. As this involved live electrical circuits being made, as the organ aged, a slight noise was heard every time a key was pressed (or released). Hammond engineers tried to rectify that imperfection, but as with so many of the other eccentricities of the Hammond, the effect grew to be highly desired, with some even adding modifications to enhance the keyclick. The XK-3c uses digital keying, but the key-click effect can still be had, with extensive control as to the volume, envelope and timbre of the click. The control goes further with the dynamic change of the click according to the drawbar's registration. The culmination of this is that the performance feel is much closer to a "buss-bar" keyboard, and the key-click can be set to your taste.

The Tone Generator of the Hammond Organ consisted of 96 tone wheels spinning at a constant speed. Each wheel had a notched surface that determined the pitch of the corresponding note. A magnetic pickup was positioned in front of each Wheel, which would "sense" the notches and produce a perfect sine wave at the exact pitch. In the XK3c, digital oscillators that are constantly playing provide the sine wave without moving parts.

Vibrato & Chorus
The XK-3c features a newly-redesigned "Chorus Vibrato" section which flawlessly duplicates the effect of the original mechanical 'scanner" chorus vibrato of the vintage B-3. Also new are the independent keyboard sends for the Chorus Vibrato, just as on the vintage B-3.

Tube Pre-amplifier
The XK-3c's tube pre-amplifier now has 2 actual vacuum tubes: a "12AU7" and a '12AX7". These tubes may be used by themselves, or in series to "warm" the sound, add a bit of grind, or crank it up to full rock overdrive. The tube/preamp section has a complete compliment of controls, including fine adjustment of the bias voltage in each tube.

Leslie
The Leslie Speaker has always been the only choice for amplifying a Hammond Organ. With a rotating horn for the treble and a woofer firing into a rotating drum for the bass, the Leslie gives the Hammond organ a moving and unforgettable sound. The Leslie engineers have worked closely with Hammond (Both are owned by Suzuki Music) to come up with a new and improved Digital Leslie onboard the XK-3c that rivals the mechanical in sound quality.

All controls for the Leslie are mounted in the same area that you would find them on a B-3, and if desired, the classic "half-moon' switch may be added as an option. Further controls for the Leslie can be had in the form of a footswitch or on the toe-tab of the EXP-100F xpression pedal. All aspects of the Digital Leslie can be modified in the edit menu of the XK-3c, including Amplifier/Speaker type, rotation speeds and virtual microphone positions.

Equalizer
The Original B-3 had a tone control on its internal preamp that gently cut the high-end frequencies above 2khz. On the new XK-3c, that control is replicated in the equalizer section. This allows you to shape your sound from the mild classic Hammond to the full power of the B-3. In addition to this control, there is a three band Equalizer with parametric mid that lets you dial in your perfect tone.

3 sets of Drawbars
The drawbars are the heart of the Hammond organ. They control the various harmonics that make up the Hammond sound. The further you pull the drawbar out, the louder that harmonic sounds. There are no "right" or wrong ways to set the drawbars. Keep moving them until you find a sound you like. There are three sets of drawbars that can serve as 2 independent sets plus manual bass when in single manual mode, or Upper, Lower and Pedal when used as part of the Pro or Traditional XK double manual system.

External MIDI control
You can control external MIDI sources in real-time with the 5 assignable knobs and switches at the right hand side of the control panel. The XK-3c may be used as a master MIDI keyboard along with its natural organ sounds. You can set 3 zones for the Upper, 2 zones for the lower and 1 zone for the Pedal. Program, Bank, and continuous controller messages for all zones can be saved in a preset, and the real-time performance controls are always live. The XK-3c keyboard is velocity-sensitive. The onboard organ voices may be shut off, if desired, but they are always available to mix with whatever MIDI instrument is played by the XK-3c; to make new and exciting hybrid sounds.

Preset-key
In the same manner as the vintage B-3, one octave of keys with a reversed color scheme is used as presets. Unlike the vintage, these do not "latch" but have corresponding indicator iights. Also unlike the vintage there are 12 banks available. This makes for a total of 132 settings (12 banks x 11 preset keys) . Two of the banks are exact copies of the original B-3 factory settings (Church and popular). New to the XK-3c is the lock combination-preset system, so you can avoid overwriting a preset that you did not intend to change.

Waterfall keyboard
The XK-3c has a new design waterfall keyboard which has the same "feel" as a B3. The B-3's distinctive shallow contact point is also recaptured with the XK-3c. Giissandos and "squabbling" are now easier than ever. Those who normally playa vintage B-3 will feel right at home on the XK-3c.

Split & Manual Bass
You can split the 51-note keyboard into "upper" and "lower" ranges, or have the lowest part of the keyboard serve as "manual bass". Yet another variation of the "manual bass" feature plays the "pedal" part on the lowest note played. With the keyboard spiit, this can mimic the characteristics of a two-manual and pedal performance.

HAMMOND XK3C Specs ^top

Keyboard: 73 (61 + 12 preset keyys) Waterfall keys with velocity

Drawbars: 2 sets of 9 and 1 set of 2 drawbars

Sound Generator: VASE ill sound generator creates 96 digital tone-wheels. Tone-wheel leakage noise and motor-noise are adjustable wheel by wheel

Presets: Original B-3 reverse color keys presets 11 Presets X 12 Banks + Cancel

Polyphony: Full polyphony (unlimited)

Leslie: Advanced digital Leslie and scanner vibrato

Pre-amp & Overdrive: New dual tube amp (using Tube type 12AX7,12AU7) for pre amplification and overdrive

Reverb: 10 Modes, Leslie on Reverb

Tone Controls: Bass, mid range, treble, B-3 tone control

Sustain: On Pedal Drawbars

Wheel: Pitch bend, Modulation

Panel Controls: LESLIE" Slow/fast, on/off, breaklthru, effect
Vibrato/Chorus Upper On, Lower on, V1, V2, V3, C1, C2, C3 with 6 position rotary knob,
Emphasis and Depth are adjustable for each position

Panel Controls:
Percussion Second, third, decay fast, soft
Control Manual bass, split
Assignable MIDI controllers Upper 1, 2, 3, Lower 1, 2, Pedal, on/off, Value knobs
Effect Tube amp, reverb on
User Assignable function
Display switch Page up/down, parameter, value ±, rotary encoder,
Menu/exit, play, rec/jump, bank
Volume Control Master volume, tone control, tube overdrive

Display: 20-Characters, 2-Line backlight LCD

Terminal: AC input, Line out UR, send/return, LESLIE" 11-Pin, MIDlln1/ln2/ Out, Headphone, input for expression Pedal EXP-100F, expression Pedal V-20R and input for foot-switch FS·9H & Leslie half moon switch CU-1 Adding Lower keyboard and Pedal possible via MIDI

Card Slot: CompactFlash

Power Supply: 100V(JPN), 120V(CUL), 230V (CE), 240V(BS & SAA)

Dimensions:119cm(W) X40cm(D) X 12cm(H) (46Yo"X 15WX4W)

Weight/Finish18.5 kg (40.8 Ibs), Walnut Finish

HAMMOND XK3C Video ^top