How does an electronic organ work?
Keyboard variants
Electronic organs are available with one or two keyboards – or "manuals" – depending on their intended primary function. With single-manual electronic organs, you can choose between 61-key and 73-key variants. For stage keyboards with a focus on organ sounds, you will usually have a full set of 88 keys. Depending on the specific model, these keyboards can have some unique characteristics, first among them the keys' lightness, with no touch-sensitive dynamics: It is difficult or even impossible to play the organ properly on a weighted keyboard like that found on a digital piano. Organs that are designed to authentically reproduce the sound of the legendary Hammond organ are usually equipped with a smooth-running waterfall keyboard. For better playability, the characteristic lip found on keyboards and digital pianos is missing from the playing edge of the key. Finally, compact organ expanders have no keyboard at all: You simply connect them to an existing MIDI keyboard to access their sonic capabilities, which include replicating the controls, effects, and tonal variety of the original tonewheel organs.
Drawbars
The original Hammond organ was fitted with a series of drawbars, which shape the instrument's sound in a variety of ways, just like organ registers. Electronic organs utilise and emulate this principle to guarantee the most authentic playing experience possible. Depending on the manufacturer and model, each manual is equipped with either one or two nine-voice sets of drawbars. Each drawbar in a nine-voice series is designated with a different *footage, corresponding to the actual length in feet (16' – 1') of traditional organ pipes; finally, each individual drawbar has eight different positions corresponding to different volume levels. The variety of combinations this allows is referred to as additive synthesis**, the principle behind the unique sound of the Hammond organ: Ultimately, millions of combinations are possible, which can be imitative of specific instruments or immediately characteristic of certain genres such as Jazz or Reggae.
Fixed stops (negative keys)
The first octave of keys on some electronic organs is reversed in colour: These keys are not directly used for playing, but are used to activate register presets. This is a relic from the era of large Hammond organs, such as the Hammond B3, where the colour-reversed keys were equipped with popular drawbar settings, allowing the sound of the entire manual being actively played to be changed quickly on the fly. Some contemporary electronic organs are equipped with this function, enabling a really authentic playing style. And that's not all: Users can assign the inverse white-and-black keys their own unique drawbar combinations.
Key click
One characteristic feature of the original mechanical Hammond organ is the typical clicking noise the keys make when pressed. This effect, which the inventor Laurens Hammond initially considered detrimental to his instruments' sound, continues to be one of the most important effects in today's electronic organs: The familiar key click can be found in all modern derivatives.
Harmonic percussion
The harmonic percussion effect, when activated, gives the organ's sound a very specific attack, which is particularly useful for solo playing. The sound is characterised by a hard attack and the decay of the two activated drawbars, the Second (4') and Third (2 2⁄3') harmonics. As the actual notes being played naturally sustain until the key is released again, harmonic percussion is largely considered as a decay effect; the decay time can be set at two speeds, "Fast" and "Slow", and there are also two volume levels to give the effect more or less emphasis.
Vibrato/chorus and overdrive
The original Hammond organ's vibrato/chorus effect is an impressive and musically unique type of modulation. Formerly created using a scanner vibrato mechanism, this effect is digitally emulated by any modern electronic organ that aims to reproduce the famous Hammond sound. The same can also be said of the classic overdrive or distortion effect, another typical and authentic mechanical organ sound.
Leslie simulation
The sound of rotating loudspeaker systems (often better known as Leslie speakers) is inextricably linked to the sound of electromechanical organs. The characteristic effect is generated by sound deflectors, or baffles, that rotate in front of the loudspeakers, modulating the static organ signal at one of two rotation speeds: "Fast" for an instantly recognisable vibrato/tremolo, and "Slow", for a floating, choral effect. Both modulations are created by the same sonic principles as the Doppler effect, resulting in very complex sound patterns. For authentic sound, electronic organs also digitally simulate this effect, commonly called the rotary speaker effect. Some electronic organs also offer a 11-pin connection for a real Leslie cabinet.
Advantages of electronic organs
Due to their modern design, electronic organs offer many advantages over traditional electromagnetic organs. They are essentially maintenance-free, their compact dimensions make them suitable for many applications, and with a weight ranging from under 2kg (for an organ expander) to 18kg for a two-manual combo organ, they are also easy to transport.
What types of electronic organs are there?
Broadly speaking, we can distinguish between organ expanders, electronic organs with one or two manuals, and stage keyboards with an emphasis on organ emulation. If you already have a MIDI-capable keyboard, an organ expander such as the Ferrofish B4000+ or the Crumar Mojo Desktop is a very good choice, giving you all you need to create an authentic organ sound in an ultra-compact desktop device. Single-manual organs are also very compact – a lightweight way to add that famous organ sound to your full keyboard setup. Options here are instruments like the Crumar Mojo 61, Roland VR-09 V-Combo B, Yamaha YC61, and Hammond XK-5, which also offer additional sounds in a stage keyboard package. Organ purists will appreciate two-manual models such as the Viscount Legend Black Signature, the Crumar Mojo Suitcase and the Hammond SKX PRO. Finally, the Clavia Nord Electro 6D 73 is a full-range stage keyboard that also features a sampler for creating your own customised sounds.
Accessories for electronic organs
Electronic organs such as the Viscount Legend Soul 261 or the Hammond SK PRO-73 have an 11-pin connector to which you can connect a genuine Hammond Leslie 3300 speaker cabinet. For organs such as the Viscount Legend Black Signature, there is also a matching base unit and an 18-key foot pedal, giving you the complete organist's package.
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