About This File
Of course an organ upload section can't be complete without A Whiter Shade of Pale. The MP3 starts at the lead-in to the chorus where the glissando kicks in with the C3 chorus setting. Yes, I know that the background is kind of cheesy in the MP3, but I usually play with a group, so I wasn't too concerned with sequencing a better backup.
Here are the files this stage setting expects:
- The drum set (JasonSet1) in user area 20. This is optional, and originally I put the lower keyboard manual here instead.
- The phrase OrganPercuss in user area 910. This, too, is optional. It just lends to the Hammond sound by hitting the 2nd harmonic percussion only at the beginning of a legato phrase. Make sure to turn LOOP: On and write it back into slot 910. The load defaults to LOOP: Off, for some reason.
- The WhiterShade.ZPH for the drum track phrase in user area 911.
Other notes:
- The sliders 1-3 control relative volumes of the drum set, organ, and bass, respectively.
- Slider 6 controls reverb.
- Footswitch 1 turns the C3 rotary speaker option on (for the chorus).
- Footswitch 2 turns the drum phrase on.
- Knobs 1-4 control the equalizer.
It's a shame that you can't string DSPs together, because I really like the sound of the organ through the MStack amp simulator. It might be possible to replace the C3 rotary chorus with the native PX-5S chorus and still get a good sound while routing through the Distort/Amp simulator. That's left as an exercise to the user.
I should also mention that I got the information for the organ registrations and other settings from http://www.procolharum.com/awsop_reg-cerdes.htm
What's New in Version 3
Released
- Version 3:
- I changed this so that it uses the arpeggio in this stage setting instead of an external phrase to trigger the percussion. This seems to work better, as it allows for chording of the percussion instead of the first note pressed. You should only need the stage setting file and no others. Optionally, you can still load the drum track phrase (WhiterShade.ZPH into area 911).
- Two changes:
- 1. The organ didn't sound "growly" enough, so I boosted the 2nd drawbar (5 1/3') slightly.
- 2. I finally got a chance to compare the "Hammond" V3/C3 setting with the "Leslie". Yeah, I gotta say I prefer the Leslie effect. So, I changed pedal 2 to switch it on, the fast rate I set to 110, and the rise acceleration to 89. I also upped the "dry level" to 89 to help turn the effect from a full-on vibrato to more of a "shimmer", as I've heard it called.
- You can probably make these changes yourself if you want to avoid the hassle of downloading a new file.
- Watch the volume! I've noticed it appears to bump into clipping for the instrument. It's not an intentional setting.
- Have fun!