OT hammond recording question - Bob?

[Burkeville]

Sorry for this OT question.

I have an A100 with an external rca input next to the volume well. I like to run bgs etc through the Leslie.

What level and load is this input wanting to see on the organ?

The level is always WAY too hot out of SAW.

Thanks.

[Cary B. Cornett]

What you need for this trick is called a "re-amp" box. It amounts to an isolation transformer and a volume control. I have two that I built for my studio. You use the volume control to drop the level to what the amp "likes".

I don't have a Hammond, but I did get a Leslie 145/147 for the studio, then modded it specifically for sending both line level audio and control signals through a standard mic cable. I would recommend that you come up with an adapter cable so that the organ is not in the signal chain for re-amping. There used to be a nice accessory called a "combo preamp", sort of a big stomp box with an instrument input. There were different versions for different models of Leslie, so you would need to get the right one.

HTH

[Bill Park]

You can always use a reamp box as Cary suggests, IF it has a level control.

But your problem has nothing to do with SAW or the Leslie. It has to do with levels. That poor Leslie amp is expecting levels at about -10. (An assumption on my part, since the majority of RCA inputs are expecting line level..) So if you are a typical recordist today and your BG levels are pretty much peaking full scale with a minimum dynamic range swing of only a few dB, you are pounding the snot out of the input electronics. Drop your levels, record the output, and everything should be okay.

[Ollie]

Can't you just drop the submaster that the vocals are attached to and then send that out to the leslie until it sounds correct to your ears?

[Cary B. Cornett]

Can't you just drop the submaster that the vocals are attached to and then send that out to the leslie until it sounds correct to your ears?

Yes, you can do that. It is not my first choice, though. Remember that dropping the level in SAW does not drop the noise floor of the D/A converter, so if you need to drop the signal a LOT you may find the result from the Leslie (or other amp) noisier than you expect. There is also the fact that sometimes you need an isolation transformer anyway to prevent ground loop hum problems, particularly when you are feeding an unbalanced input (an RCA jack input is DEFINITELY unbalanced).

Buying or building a re-amp box (Bill is correct about the need for a level control on it) is definitely a worthwhile investment if you are going to use it more than once. When you get used to having one, you DON'T want to be without it.