EQ for Hammond Organ/Leslie

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ccmacdon
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January 01, 05 10:13 AM (permalink)

EQ for Hammond Organ/Leslie

Looking for some advice from anyone who has recorded a Hammond/Leslie combination. I've finished recording/mixing 12 tracks of my 5 piece band, and as I listen to the mix, despite my best efforts to get my organ sounding good, I find that the organ sounds great in songs where I have the upper drawbars pulled out (bringing out the higher harmonics).. however, when I'm playing with a mellower sound using the lower 3 drawbars (standard Jazz drawbar setting) my sound seems to be muddy/boomy on the lower registers, and at the same time piercing in the upper registers. Rolling off the lower frequencies seems to leave it sounding thin.. Any suggestions how to eq a Hammond/leslie correctly..

The basic tracks sound OK, I recorded the leslie using using 3 tracks, 2 tracks (stereo) on the upper rotor, and one on the bass rotor (this is the recommended method for micing leslies based on my research). However they are a bit muddy, so I am trying to get a little more sparkle and presence. Advice from anyone who has had experience with Hammond/Leslie recording would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks.
Craig

It's too early in the morning on new years day.. I just realized I should have posted this in the techniques forum... sorry.. if anyone knows how to move this post to the appropriate forum let me know thanks.
< Message edited by ccmacdon -- 1/1/2005 10:36:28 AM >
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3 Replies Related Threads

    chrysb93021
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    RE: EQ for Hammond Organ/Leslie January 02, 05 0:54 PM (permalink)
    Greetings, and Happy New Year!

    I have usually used the SONAR plugin FX EQ on Hammond. It sounds like you've recorded it correctly. BTW, what type of mics did you use on the leslie? I dialed in an eq setting that boosted the upper frequencies from low mid to high mid, and slightly reduced the low end. The range is peaked at 10K, with fall off of down to almost zero at 18K and 1K. I experimented a lot to get just the right edge without dominating the mix. You might also try boosting at 1K, 1.5K, and 4K. Not exactly points, but dips in between the peaks. One other thing to try is to simulate leslie tube distortion with amp sim or another distortion plugin. Bleed some in on the main track, or duplicate the track and distort the copy, bringing it in or out as needed. Good luck!
    #2
    Funkybot
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    RE: EQ for Hammond Organ/Leslie January 02, 05 1:53 AM (permalink)
    If you're listening to the solo'd organ is it muddy on its own or just in the context of the mix? One thing I'd try out is not doing a lot of EQ'ing to the organ tracks themselves but see what you can work out around the organ. This will only work if the organ is supposed to be really prominant in the mix (like in Jazz or Blues) and not in the background. What this would entail is finding the frequencies where the organ is being muddied up by other instruments and see if you can provide cuts there. For instance taking a few dbs of 100hz off the bass might clean up the organs bass without being overly detrimental to the whole mix, also look at how you're panning things. And I'm also assuming there's no phasing issues on the organ mics as this could easily muddy up recordings.
    #3
    river
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    RE: EQ for Hammond Organ/Leslie January 02, 05 6:46 PM (permalink)
    Definitely check for phasing on the stereo/upper mics, and also try subtractive EQ in the low mids to clear away the mud (use narrow Q, boost gain & sweep frequencies to find the offender, cut sparingly until it cleans up). Also, don't be afraid to use mono panning in the mix, it will stand out more, especially away from center.
    #4
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