Do I have GAS or is the MVintigeRotary the best I've ever hear?

Really, I need an objective opinion.  I've got several Leslies but this seems soooo much closer the real thing.  Or is this a GAS attack?

Either/or/both. Almost every answer could be right. Knowing how surprisingly good Melda products are, it's not hard to imagine this could be the best. In fact, you kind of answered your own question. It's the best YOU ever heard and it would be foolish for anyone to tell you differently about what you heard. Even if a little GAS comes into play, that does not diminish your experience. Also, the answer to best will vary based on whether criteria is based on how close one feels it comss to real thing or whether one just likes sound regardless of percieved accuracy. In any case, I doubt your opinion is sole resultnof gas. None of their products are in the glamour/hype category that causes people to by for gratuitous reasons. Interfaces are ugly and unintuitive. They are certainly not one of the big names or branded by celebrities. Their products simply work well beyomd expectations.

I really like MVintageRotary. Is it the best? I do not know. But it works for me. At least for now<G>!

Valves, To-220s, and Integrated Circuits?

Jeff Evans

Actually I have got another question. Would anyone know what the best hardware Leslie simulator is. (Pedal style not an actual rotating speaker system as such) I have a friend who has a B3 and he is going to restore it but he has no Leslie cabinet.  He has a terrific stereo PA though and was wondering what the best thing would be to put between the B3 and the PA might be.  And no I am not going to give him my Leslie either!

I can't say which is best since I've only ever used one, and it wasn't even mine, but I liked what I've heard from this: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RT20?adpos=1o4&creative=55282323841&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CIjxsLKKnsECFTQQ7Aodlw4Abg
 

I've never managed to get a good sound from the Guitar Rig rotator, but then again I've never really persisted with it. Maybe I'll try again tonight.

stevec

Jeff Evans
Actually I have got another question. Would anyone know what the best hardware Leslie simulator is. (Pedal style not an actual rotating speaker system as such) I have a friend who has a B3 and he is going to restore it but he has no Leslie cabinet.  He has a terrific stereo PA though and was wondering what the best thing would be to put between the B3 and the PA might be.  And no I am not going to give him my Leslie either!

I can't say which is best since I've only ever used one, and it wasn't even mine, but I liked what I've heard from this: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RT20?adpos=1o4&creative=55282323841&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CIjxsLKKnsECFTQQ7Aodlw4Abg
 

 
Jeff I went into Guitar Center to spend a $15 gift certificate. I saw that new Boss Feedback pedal and wanted to try it. So I got a guitar and they hooked it up for me. It was in the rack thing that has all the pedals in it. So all you had to do was turn them off and on. The sales rep told me to try this, and he turned on the RT20. I ordered one on the spot because the only one they had was the one on the display.
 
It works very well. It has a knob for the speed up, max speed, slow speed, level and distortion. I don't use the distortion much. Overall I love this pedal. I only have used ot for my guitar, so that's all I can talk about. But for that Guitar-through-Leslie sound, it's a winner!!

MVintageRotary nails the dirty sounds, but isn't as satisfying on clean settings. A few years ago I used it on a Deep Purple cover, a collab with some other forum members (I only did the organ): http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8515950 
 
For the full Leslie palette you'd need to augment MVR with something like the Xils product, which, although I've never actually tried it, seems pretty popular. The main complaint I've heard is that it doesn't do dirty well.
 
EDIT: Sorry, I was wrong about the cover. That was done in 2009, before MVintageRotary was released. So never mind about the example. I got confused because some time later I re-did the part using MVR and had it posted on SoundCloud when Melda's plugin came out. But it's not what you hear on that recording. That's the built-in Leslie sim in the Hammond XK-1.

mike_mccue
I've heard enough real Leslies to think that hoping to emulate the sound on a recording is wishful thinking.
 

Spot on, Mike. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever truly replicated the Leslie effect, neither electronically nor digitally.
 
However, I would also offer two other points about authenticity.
 
First, nobody has ever truly captured the Leslie effect in a recording, either. Even the best, most iconic Leslie effects we've heard on records don't sound the same as they would live. As soon as a microphone (or two, or three) enters the picture, you get something different. Still nice, but different. It is, after all, a purely acoustical effect.
 
Second, I would not hesitate to use a good sim even if I had a real unit in the room, because miking Leslies is a pain. You need some distance to capture the Doppler effect and room interaction, and to avoid having mechanical noises and whooshing air dominate the track. That means putting the Leslie in another room or re-amping, which deprives the performer of interacting with the Leslie, as it is an instrument in itself. And no matter where you place the mikes and how you angle them, you can't change your mind later. Not to mention the need for a bright, reverberant space to record in, a luxury few of us have.
 
So authentic or not, digital emulations are fine with me. I've spent a great many hours listening to Leslies whoosh behind me and I love 'em. I've also spent a fair amount of time hefting them up stairs and into vans. And repairing them. And chasing dancers away from them. And drummers who want to set their beer on them. Like an ex-lover, I miss them and I don't miss them.

This http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Ventilator2
is the best I've heard.  Is it worth $500? No.  Is it cool as hell and awesome sounding?  Yes.

Another vote for the Ventilator. I understand the second version has more parameters. I have the original and it kicks the ass of all the other ones I've tried, including the built in leslie on my Korg (Kronos) CX3, my Nord Stage and my Hammond XB1 (which is a little dated, admittedly).