BillFitzmaurice.info

Was re-listening/watching videos for some old favorite tunes and never noticed this about the Beastie Boys "Gratitude" video until re-watching just now.

In the video about 2:08, when the keys kick in, there are some shots showing a speaker with a revolving driver on both the top and bottom. Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdJ5e70Q8mw

Cheers,

Chris

That is a Leslie speaker used, commonly, with electronic organs.
This video is a touch long at 9:38, but, it explains quite well how it works and sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5fI3X9BdrQ

The drivers don't rotate. There's a drum shaped baffle in front of the woofer that rotates, horns that the HF driver fires into that rotate.

I guess the iconic Leslie is all but forgotten except for us dinosaurs.....

Nothing sweeter than the growl of a B3 through a Leslie.....

Recording with a Leslie is fairly common in music. For a good song which shows off the Leslie sound (and a beautiful song outright) is Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. He plays guitar through one on that track. Check it out!

One of the first, and one of the best, examples of a B-3 into a Leslie cranked to the max is Stevie Winwood doing 'Gimme Some Lovin' with the Spencer Davis Group, 1966.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6Q-v-94Lo

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:16 am One of the first, and one of the best, examples of a B-3 into a Leslie cranked to the max is Stevie Winwood doing 'Gimme Some Lovin' with the Spencer Davis Group, 1966.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv6Q-v-94Lo

And he was still a teenager! What a great voice and career. I think his voice is even better now than back in his heyday.

If you haven't checked it out - watch the Clapton/Winwood concert from Madison Square Garden in 2008. It's out on DVD, but I think you can watch it on Youtube also. Great versions of great songs from both guys....

These days it’s rare to tour with a real one, but the Leslie sound is well sampled and synthesized by various keyboards. Hammond (now part of Suzuki) still sells digital organs that have controls very similar to the B3 but do all,of the synthesis digitally and are virtually indistinguishable sonically. Look at the SK and XK series for,that. Nord and Roland also have very convincing patches.

Blues and jam bands use/tour with Leslies all the time. Both for keyboard and guitar. The best example I can think of off the top of my head is this: https://youtu.be/zTZ1Spe5d_A?t=90 At 1:50 you can really hear it "warble". They just turn the speed of the rotation down then off.

Had the pleasure of a band bringing one on stage a few years back.



Here is is in action on a BFM system:

https://youtu.be/NO11YVs_hU0?t=142

BrentEvans wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:53 am Hammond (now part of Suzuki) still sells digital organs that have controls very similar to the B3 but do all,of the synthesis digitally and are virtually indistinguishable sonically.

IDK, maybe out front though the PA or on a recording. When you stand next to a leslie the sound gets sprayed around the room, highs and lows in different directions all spinning around and bouncing off the walls and different surfaces. The doppler effect could easily be reproduces but no way you could reproduce that entire effect electrically as it's a physically acoustic effect using room reflections spinning around.

Thank you everyone!

CoronaOperator wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:24 pm
IDK, maybe out front though the PA or on a recording. When you stand next to a leslie the sound gets sprayed around the room, highs and lows in different directions all spinning around and bouncing off the walls and different surfaces. The doppler effect could easily be reproduces but no way you could reproduce that entire effect electrically as it's a physically acoustic effect using room reflections spinning around.

For sure, on stage or in a recording. It’s nearly impossible to duplicate the acoustic effect live. Most of the synthesized versions don’t have the mechanical motor noise though, which is always a byproduct of the way the thing works that’s just hard to eliminate. For that reason, the good synths often sound BETTER on stage. They still often have the Leslie connector on them though; in case the acoustic effect is needed, you can still connect to a real Leslie which you can still buy brand new also.

BrentEvans wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2019 11:45 am

CoronaOperator wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:24 pm
IDK, maybe out front though the PA or on a recording. When you stand next to a leslie the sound gets sprayed around the room, highs and lows in different directions all spinning around and bouncing off the walls and different surfaces. The doppler effect could easily be reproduces but no way you could reproduce that entire effect electrically as it's a physically acoustic effect using room reflections spinning around.

For sure, on stage or in a recording. It’s nearly impossible to duplicate the acoustic effect live. Most of the synthesized versions don’t have the mechanical motor noise though, which is always a byproduct of the way the thing works that’s just hard to eliminate. For that reason, the good synths often sound BETTER on stage. They still often have the Leslie connector on them though; in case the acoustic effect is needed, you can still connect to a real Leslie which you can still buy brand new also.

I remember one of the first B3 emulators - I think it was a Korg. It was really good (at least I remember thinking so back in the early 80s). Even had a knob to add in the Key Click sound that B3s developed as they got old and the you could hear the clicking of the keys.

Indeed. The newer ones do all the famous Hammonds... a100,b3,c3, etc, along with emulation of every type of Leslie cab ever made. Hammond even has one with 88keys and a pretty good ser of piano patches. Id live to have one but they're relatively pricey.