I got my SKPro about two months ago and I liked it ok, but knew I wasn't tapping into it as deeply as I'd hoped. Then I took in this video, and...BOOM...the game was changed! Absolutely brilliant job, and a sincere THANK YOU, Jim!
Hi Jim, I watch your tutorial several times and every time I watch it I learn more and more every time. I also watch UK's Bonner music tutorials and learned that you can run the bass through a separate amp . Only problem with that is it also runs the synth section there too but it was worth trying it out.
Great explanation on the extensive nuance of the organ engine on the SKPro! Bravo! Thanks for the in-depth look..The instrument looks amazing...can't wait to get my hands on one!
Sounds amazing, I really want to get one now! I had a Hammond XK-2 that died on me after 10 years, and this sounds like a huge step up in sound from that model.
What really makes me drool for this keyboard is the amount of minute editing of the organ sound. Kind of like on the Roland RD-2000, you can modify each key's tuning and voicing. I like when manufacturer puts a lot of trust in their consumers, and gives them the ability to edit everything!!!
Hello Jim, I had the xk5, it was so nice to set in split, the lower manual ,conceirning the pedal bas, that you could set it to mono in stead of poly. So having an chord on the left, the baspedal sound only on the lowest note of the chord. Is this feature also available in the Sk pro ? Best regards, Ad
good day dear jim . You can help? how to make the F 041 Purple overdrive sound so that you add and subtract the effect not with a button, but with a modulation wheel or a pedal. Thanks
How would the Custom Tone Wheel Edit work on the XK-5 - do they have an editor? The SK Pro makes it difficult to justify investing in the XK-5. Is there anything that the XK-5 is a better option for (other than the aesthetics of the XK-5)!
Hello Jim! Quick question for you sir regarding layering an SK Pro Mono Synth patch with an Organ patch. I have watched all of your SK Pro videos but this is one really stumping me. I have set up 3 part organ patch using the lower manual for left hand Bass, and the upper manual for the main organ part. Like you showed us in one of your videos I'm trying to layer a Mono Synth bass patch with the organ. What I'm noticing is that after I turn both layers on I can't get lower manual bass and the Mono Synth bass to play at the same time- only one or the other. I haven't had my keyboard long so I'm definitely in the learning mode. Many thanks to any tips you can provide and thank you immensely for your amazing videos!
You have to press both the organ and synth allocation buttons at the same time while pressing the lower button to assign them to the lower "manual". That should do it.
Thanks for the videos Jim! Very useful - If I'm considering this as a main instrument and playing LH bass, I would be interested to know if you can split the keyboard sounds and send to a second slave MIDI controller keyboard - so you can have true upper/lower (i.e. Great/Swell) experience, or for that matter piano or organ on the bottom, synth on the controller, etc, etc.
I'll rephrase, sorry about that... how's the general organ keybed action on the board? I'm looking for a second upper tier utility board / small light board for quick pick up gigs. Hammond always has quality products but wanted your take on it. Thanks
@@guillaume8875 yes, in a way. The expression pedal can either add drive but then not change volume, or change volume and drive together. But it isn't the same as having a dedicated drive knob.
Excited to see how competive the pricing will be compared to other boards. It seems to be the trend right now to make these "performer" instruments" where you have primarily the "essential" keyboard sounds without all the bells and whistles sounds wich most of us don't really use in a live situation anyway.. But what is it with all the 73 key keybeds ?? ... I'm also missing those 3 keys on my Kronos .. :( We have always had 88, 76 and 61 keybeds .. Is it all that retro thing about Rhodes had 73 keys ?
mrdali67 I personnaly own a Nord Electro 5D with a 73 notes soft feel kb. I am not considering me as a pianist, so that the more often i’m using organ and e-piano sounds like the Rhodes. I mean a real piano player would prefer a 88 keys and weighted keyboard, and that could be the explanation of your comment. Is it all about marketing ? I guess it is !
Couple of questions. First, does the reverb for the Oregon also route through the rotary output? Secondly, I also play sax on my gig, and sometimes sustain notes while I am playing horn parts. Does the organ sustain indefinitely with the sustain pedal?
Hi Jason, thanks for the kind words. Yes, the organ reverb goes through the rotary output. And yes, you can sustain the organ with a pedal. You can choose which of the four ALLOCATIONS (Organ, Piano, Ensemble, and Synth) are affected by the sustain pedal, the expression pedal, and the other footswitch input.
Jim, I have noticed that in the demos of this organ that there has not been any where the Leslie 3300 has been used in addition to the separate amp for the piano. Is there a reason for this? This needs to be addressed as to how to adjust the settings to get the maximum sound out the two speakers. I have ordered one of these organs, cannot wait.
Hello Jim, love your videos and especially your musical skills. Have you deep dived the SK X pro yet? It looks tempting but don't you think things are getting a little complicated? I still have my XK3-XLK3 with a Leslie Proline 815 (and Neo Ventilator for private playing). Now, I still think this sounds pretty good - not as good as a real B3 of course. I am thinking of upgrading to an XK5 but will I notice the difference and is it worth the money? My favourite track of yours is "Pumpkin Pie" at the Firefly - great sounds on the B3!
Jim, the SK Pro manual is far from detailed. I have a new 61, and wondering if the virtual contacts can be adjusted. On my B3, a slow press of a key with drawbars out will distinctly fire each tone. The SK seems to fire them off to close together, almost all at once. Is there a way to adjust this, “pushing out” the distance between the virtual contacts?
It is not possible because of the physical limitations of the hardware. If you want more realistic response, then the next step up in the XK5. That said, the SK Pro does a very good job of emulating that effect in most musical circumstances, like playing very fast runs, rhythmic slaps, or big stretch chords.
Hey Jim! So unlike the SK1, is there no “easy/quick”’way to get to things like Distortion amount by one knob? Same for EQ, and Reverb. Do you have to go diving through those menus and then use buttons to scroll to the part of the EQ you want to change, then use the value dial!? If so, I feel like that’s a bit of a backwards step from the quick on the fly/on stage approach from the SK1, you often need to quickly change these things in the middle of a solo and can’t be scrolling through menus! Or perhaps, is there at least a way to assign something like overdrive amount to the mod wheel, so it can be accessible at all times? :) Thank you!
There is a dedicated reverb knob. The SKx Pro (the dual manual version that just came out) has a dedicated overdrive knob as well. I agree that's a rather glaring oversight. As far as EQ, the new SK Pro software allows you to use the mono synth faders for master EQ settings.
Yes, it's in there. It's the same organ engine as the XK5 and I did a deep-dive video on that awhile ago. The key-click parameters are the same. Lots of control.
one question, Jim. When I am in patch edit and try to save leslie setting as slow instead of stop it doesn't change when I save it. Where do I go to save initial Leslie setting on a patch?
It should just save it with the patch. If not, it might be that the Patch Load settings are set so that saved Leslie parameters are not loaded with the patch. The Patch Load system is described in the manual on page 138. Look for the "ANIMATION" parameter and make sure that is it set to ON. These are global settings and must be saved by pressing the RECORD button once you've made the changes (see page 141).
Thanks for another great video! Just one question about the virtual multi contact system: How can it work if there is only one physical contact as reference? The XK5 have three physical contacts if I remember correct. The other six are simulated in software based on the speed, depth and velocity of the the playing key's travel against the 3 physical contacts. When you depress a playing key very slowly on the Sk Pro, do the drawbars sound one after another as on a vintage tonewheel Hammond, a New B3/C3 or an XK5?
The multicontact system is all done in software without the benefit of multiple physical contacts like in the XK5. It 'kind of' does the slow press thing, but not really. It's using velocity information to delay each drawbar tone but it's always the same based on the velocity. So it isn't as organic as the XK5. But it's much much better than the original SK series and helps to add a layer of realism.
If a keyboard has velocity, it by definition it has two contacts per key. Many modern keyboards use a three-contact system. I don't know how many this has, but I suspect it's three.
@@JimAlfredson Thank you for your reply. So it simulates the key travel based on velocity "after the fact" (high velocity=fast key travel). One could think that would lead to a delayed response, but I guess not since that would be unacceptable for an excellent organist like yourself. Think I understand the "random" option now.
@@jannesoderholm The reason the response is not delayed is because some of the 9 simulated contacts will be triggered right away with the top physical switch. The rest of the simulated contacts are brought in with a short delay. But if the bottom physical switch is reached, any simulated contacts not triggered yet will be triggered at that point. So, if you hit a key with fast velocity, all of the 9 contact will be triggered pretty much instantly. If you hit a key with slow velocity, you will immediately get some contacts and then the rest come in within about 1/4 of a second. But if you only partially depress the key (i.e. don't trigger the bottom switch) and release it before that 1/4 of a second, some of the 9 contacts will not get triggered and you will get an incomplete tone. This somewhat simulates the effect of playing very staccato and sometimes only partially depressing the keys on a real Hammond which results in sometimes not getting the full tone out of every note.
I hope this time we can set in Leslie settings the virtual mics to be closer than 30cm from the virtual Leslie. This is the weakest/most ridiculous point of all modern Hammond models, and the main reason that Hammond users are buying external Leslie SIMs.
Why has the user interface a look like it comes from a Commodore C64 from the 70th. Advanced keyboard technology and horrible graphics. That does not fit together. Definitely a reason not to buy one.
It seems functional, your probably not going to be diving into the menus every time you play. Just setup your favorite organ settings once and then create a preset. At least it's in color, the Nord Stage and Yamaha YC-61 are still black and white. The low res graphics are due to the small screen size. It's a trade off - you could have a big screen but then you wouldn't get as many knobs and buttons for real time control. For myself, I would prefer more dedicated real time buttons and knobs, then a big screen and navigating menus. Holding a key to go strait to the menu is a great idea!
I got my SKPro about two months ago and I liked it ok, but knew I wasn't tapping into it as deeply as I'd hoped. Then I took in this video, and...BOOM...the game was changed! Absolutely brilliant job, and a sincere THANK YOU, Jim!
This video helps a lot better than going through the manual. Thank you so much !
Hi Jim, I watch your tutorial several times and every time I watch it I learn more and more every time. I also watch UK's Bonner music tutorials and learned that you can run the bass through a separate amp . Only problem with that is it also runs the synth section there too but it was worth trying it out.
Seems like a good organ for the jazz player. Thanks for the detailed overview.
You are a great Hammond player ... respect and this is a great Keyboard for on The road gigs - well done Hammond engineers .
Very helpful, thank you! I have a 61 in the mail and feel much better prepared to start working with it after watching your videos.
I be revisiting this page often as I set up my SKpro (and XK5)
Great explanation on the extensive nuance of the organ engine on the SKPro! Bravo! Thanks for the in-depth look..The instrument looks amazing...can't wait to get my hands on one!
Thanks, Robby! Hope you're well my friend!
Dynamite video, Learned a whole lot!!!! Just picked up an SKX Pro, sold my SKX. Lot to learn!
Thanks Jim
Thanks Jim. Excellent detailed video. Compelling board!
Sounds amazing, I really want to get one now! I had a Hammond XK-2 that died on me after 10 years, and this sounds like a huge step up in sound from that model.
Brilliant video Jim thank you!
Thank You for the dives!
As always, thanks, Jim. Very helpful.
What really makes me drool for this keyboard is the amount of minute editing of the organ sound. Kind of like on the Roland RD-2000, you can modify each key's tuning and voicing. I like when manufacturer puts a lot of trust in their consumers, and gives them the ability to edit everything!!!
Excellent video. It's persuaded me to trade up
Well, Mr. Alfredson, looks like the two manual version came out sooner than we though. It's called the SKX Pro.
Thanks Jim, very helpful.
Most of this also applies to my XK5 so thank again
Good thorough in depth review. Great job!
Hello Jim,
I had the xk5, it was so nice to set in split, the lower manual ,conceirning the pedal bas, that you could set it to mono in stead of poly.
So having an chord on the left, the baspedal sound only on the lowest note of the chord.
Is this feature also available in the Sk pro ?
Best regards, Ad
good day dear jim . You can help? how to make the F 041 Purple overdrive sound so that you add and subtract the effect not with a button, but with a modulation wheel or a pedal. Thanks
I have a Roland VR730 and a Yamaha YC61. Thinking about trading them both in for this one!
How would the Custom Tone Wheel Edit work on the XK-5 - do they have an editor? The SK Pro makes it difficult to justify investing in the XK-5. Is there anything that the XK-5 is a better option for (other than the aesthetics of the XK-5)!
Hello Jim! Quick question for you sir regarding layering an SK Pro Mono Synth patch with an Organ patch. I have watched all of your SK Pro videos but this is one really stumping me. I have set up 3 part organ patch using the lower manual for left hand Bass, and the upper manual for the main organ part. Like you showed us in one of your videos I'm trying to layer a Mono Synth bass patch with the organ. What I'm noticing is that after I turn both layers on I can't get lower manual bass and the Mono Synth bass to play at the same time- only one or the other. I haven't had my keyboard long so I'm definitely in the learning mode. Many thanks to any tips you can provide and thank you immensely for your amazing videos!
You have to press both the organ and synth allocation buttons at the same time while pressing the lower button to assign them to the lower "manual". That should do it.
@@JimAlfredson Thank you so much Maestro! That did the trick absolutely! Love this instrument. Rock on! 😊
I didn't see a way to adjust the amount of key click, did I miss it? Thanks for the great vids!
Thanks for the videos Jim! Very useful - If I'm considering this as a main instrument and playing LH bass, I would be interested to know if you can split the keyboard sounds and send to a second slave MIDI controller keyboard - so you can have true upper/lower (i.e. Great/Swell) experience, or for that matter piano or organ on the bottom, synth on the controller, etc, etc.
Yes, you can.
I'll rephrase, sorry about that... how's the general organ keybed action on the board? I'm looking for a second upper tier utility board / small light board for quick pick up gigs. Hammond always has quality products but wanted your take on it. Thanks
I am getting one but will REALLY miss the DRIVE knob. Use that all the time.
Yes, I was bummed when I saw that it wasn't included. :(
@@JimAlfredson I think I saw in the user manual that it's possible to control the drive with expression pedal ?
@@guillaume8875 yes, in a way. The expression pedal can either add drive but then not change volume, or change volume and drive together. But it isn't the same as having a dedicated drive knob.
Excited to see how competive the pricing will be compared to other boards.
It seems to be the trend right now to make these "performer" instruments" where you have primarily the "essential" keyboard sounds without all the bells and whistles sounds wich most of us don't really use in a live situation anyway..
But what is it with all the 73 key keybeds ?? ... I'm also missing those 3 keys on my Kronos .. :(
We have always had 88, 76 and 61 keybeds .. Is it all that retro thing about Rhodes had 73 keys ?
That’s exactly why a lot of brands do that....Kong mentioned that’s why they do it.
mrdali67 I personnaly own a Nord Electro 5D with a 73 notes soft feel kb. I am not considering me as a pianist, so that the more often i’m using organ and e-piano sounds like the Rhodes. I mean a real piano player would prefer a 88 keys and weighted keyboard, and that could be the explanation of your comment. Is it all about marketing ? I guess it is !
Couple of questions. First, does the reverb for the Oregon also route through the rotary output? Secondly, I also play sax on my gig, and sometimes sustain notes while I am playing horn parts. Does the organ sustain indefinitely with the sustain pedal?
Great videos by the way!
Hi Jason, thanks for the kind words. Yes, the organ reverb goes through the rotary output. And yes, you can sustain the organ with a pedal. You can choose which of the four ALLOCATIONS (Organ, Piano, Ensemble, and Synth) are affected by the sustain pedal, the expression pedal, and the other footswitch input.
@@JimAlfredson thanks so much for the reply!!! About to pull the trigger on this bad boy!
Jim, I have noticed that in the demos of this organ that there has not been any where the Leslie 3300 has been used in addition to the separate amp for the piano. Is there a reason for this? This needs to be addressed as to how to adjust the settings to get the maximum sound out the two speakers. I have ordered one of these organs, cannot wait.
How do you change keyboard sensitivity?
I've been told Hammond is discontinuing the two-manual SKx. Anyone kmows if this is so?
Hello Jim, love your videos and especially your musical skills. Have you deep dived the SK X pro yet? It looks tempting but don't you think things are getting a little complicated? I still have my XK3-XLK3 with a Leslie Proline 815 (and Neo Ventilator for private playing). Now, I still think this sounds pretty good - not as good as a real B3 of course. I am thinking of upgrading to an XK5 but will I notice the difference and is it worth the money? My favourite track of yours is "Pumpkin Pie" at the Firefly - great sounds on the B3!
Is it possible to set the key click level? As far as I can remember I could do that on the XK-2, but it doesn't seem possible on the SK Pro ...
In the Contact/Sustain menu it's called Damping.
Jim, the SK Pro manual is far from detailed. I have a new 61, and wondering if the virtual contacts can be adjusted. On my B3, a slow press of a key with drawbars out will distinctly fire each tone. The SK seems to fire them off to close together, almost all at once. Is there a way to adjust this, “pushing out” the distance between the virtual contacts?
It is not possible because of the physical limitations of the hardware. If you want more realistic response, then the next step up in the XK5. That said, the SK Pro does a very good job of emulating that effect in most musical circumstances, like playing very fast runs, rhythmic slaps, or big stretch chords.
Hey Jim! So unlike the SK1, is there no “easy/quick”’way to get to things like Distortion amount by one knob? Same for EQ, and Reverb. Do you have to go diving through those menus and then use buttons to scroll to the part of the EQ you want to change, then use the value dial!? If so, I feel like that’s a bit of a backwards step from the quick on the fly/on stage approach from the SK1, you often need to quickly change these things in the middle of a solo and can’t be scrolling through menus! Or perhaps, is there at least a way to assign something like overdrive amount to the mod wheel, so it can be accessible at all times? :) Thank you!
There is a dedicated reverb knob. The SKx Pro (the dual manual version that just came out) has a dedicated overdrive knob as well. I agree that's a rather glaring oversight. As far as EQ, the new SK Pro software allows you to use the mono synth faders for master EQ settings.
Hey Jim great job… I didn't see anything about the click control??… Volume click?… Or amount of click??
Yes, it's in there. It's the same organ engine as the XK5 and I did a deep-dive video on that awhile ago. The key-click parameters are the same. Lots of control.
Hi Jim, Does it have any Foldback editing? I have the Pro73 on order and want that Deep Left hand Bass.Thanks..
Yes, it does! You can get that deep bass and just save as a preset.
Thanks,Jim. Could you connect a set of Hammond pedals, and operate them from the controls?
Yes. There are buttons to change what the set of drawbars control: upper manual, lower manual, or pedals.
one question, Jim. When I am in patch edit and try to save leslie setting as slow instead of stop it doesn't change when I save it. Where do I go to save initial Leslie setting on a patch?
It should just save it with the patch. If not, it might be that the Patch Load settings are set so that saved Leslie parameters are not loaded with the patch. The Patch Load system is described in the manual on page 138. Look for the "ANIMATION" parameter and make sure that is it set to ON. These are global settings and must be saved by pressing the RECORD button once you've made the changes (see page 141).
Thanks for another great video! Just one question about the virtual multi contact system: How can it work if there is only one physical contact as reference? The XK5 have three physical contacts if I remember correct. The other six are simulated in software based on the speed, depth and velocity of the the playing key's travel against the 3 physical contacts. When you depress a playing key very slowly on the Sk Pro, do the drawbars sound one after another as on a vintage tonewheel Hammond, a New B3/C3 or an XK5?
The multicontact system is all done in software without the benefit of multiple physical contacts like in the XK5. It 'kind of' does the slow press thing, but not really. It's using velocity information to delay each drawbar tone but it's always the same based on the velocity. So it isn't as organic as the XK5. But it's much much better than the original SK series and helps to add a layer of realism.
If a keyboard has velocity, it by definition it has two contacts per key. Many modern keyboards use a three-contact system. I don't know how many this has, but I suspect it's three.
@@user-mz6qu3hz6m the Fatar used in the previous generation SK line has two contacts. I think the SK Pro is the same.
@@JimAlfredson Thank you for your reply. So it simulates the key travel based on velocity "after the fact" (high velocity=fast key travel). One could think that would lead to a delayed response, but I guess not since that would be unacceptable for an excellent organist like yourself. Think I understand the "random" option now.
@@jannesoderholm The reason the response is not delayed is because some of the 9 simulated contacts will be triggered right away with the top physical switch. The rest of the simulated contacts are brought in with a short delay. But if the bottom physical switch is reached, any simulated contacts not triggered yet will be triggered at that point. So, if you hit a key with fast velocity, all of the 9 contact will be triggered pretty much instantly. If you hit a key with slow velocity, you will immediately get some contacts and then the rest come in within about 1/4 of a second. But if you only partially depress the key (i.e. don't trigger the bottom switch) and release it before that 1/4 of a second, some of the 9 contacts will not get triggered and you will get an incomplete tone. This somewhat simulates the effect of playing very staccato and sometimes only partially depressing the keys on a real Hammond which results in sometimes not getting the full tone out of every note.
I hope this time we can set in Leslie settings the virtual mics to be closer than 30cm from the virtual Leslie. This is the weakest/most ridiculous point of all modern Hammond models, and the main reason that Hammond users are buying external Leslie SIMs.
How's the hammer action?
The SK Pro does not have a weighted action keybed.
Tetris.
Why has the user interface a look like it comes from a Commodore C64 from the 70th. Advanced keyboard technology and horrible graphics. That does not fit together. Definitely a reason not to buy one.
Hey, I still enjoy my C64!
@@JimAlfredson plain text is reassuring!
It seems functional, your probably not going to be diving into the menus every time you play. Just setup your favorite organ settings once and then create a preset. At least it's in color, the Nord Stage and Yamaha YC-61 are still black and white. The low res graphics are due to the small screen size. It's a trade off - you could have a big screen but then you wouldn't get as many knobs and buttons for real time control. For myself, I would prefer more dedicated real time buttons and knobs, then a big screen and navigating menus. Holding a key to go strait to the menu is a great idea!