Hammond XK-7 Organ

Traditional Hammond organs produced subtle tonal variations and noise when multiple keys were played simultaneously, caused by the flow of current and voltage changes within the instrument. These distinctive sounds, which might be considered errors, are instead regarded as part of the organ's charm.

By modeling these analog circuits and their real-time behavior, even chordal playing faithfully reproduces the vintage sound. Physical phenomena such as volume fluctuations caused by tonewheel eccentricity are also modeled, achieving an exceptional level of realism.

Vintage Hammond organs used a matching transformer to connect the tonewheels and the preamp, along with the tube preamp "AO-28". This not only adjusted the volume but also created saturation and compression effects on the sound.

On the XK-7 and XK-7D, these components are faithfully recreated using modelling technology to deliver the same warm and powerful sound characteristics of their vintage ancesters.

The newly introduced 6L keyboard on the XK-7 and XK-7D features six contacts per key, providing the nuanced multi-contact feel of vintage organs. *On the image from bottom to top: keys of XK-5, XK-7 and vintage B-3

This allows for expressive techniques such as paradiddle-style ghost notes and 'Erroll Garner'–style glissandos performed with a rotating wrist, achieving a response like in vintage Hammond organs. In addition, by matching the key length to that of their vintage ancesters, the distance from the pivot point to the striking point is the same, bringing the same touch and feel as these ancesters.

Organ performance truly comes to life when the instrument is played as a complete set, including the pedal keyboard. The XPK-250W mk3 features 3-contacts and connects to the XK-7 and the XK-7D via a dedicated H-BUS cable.

This allows the pedal keyboard to faithfully reproduce the behavior of vintage organs while providing responsive playability. Instrument and pedals together enable performance at the highest possible standard.

The Leslie speaker creates an immersive sound space with its distinctive rotational effect. The XK-7 and XK-7D are equipped with an 11-pin Leslie connector, allowing direct connection to a Leslie speaker. When a Leslie speaker is not available, the built-in Leslie-effect takes over.

The XK-7 and XK-7D feature an advanced Leslie simulator that faithfully models the sound reflections inside the cabinet, delivering an even more realistic Leslie sound. You can select the microphone-type and adjust the virtual horizontal microphone-position, allowing you to tailor the sound from gentle jazz tones to powerful rock timbres according to your preference.

The color display improves visibility, allowing you to quickly check settings and perform intuitive operations and edits with ease. The top panel is equipped with assignable controls for both the built-in sound engine and external devices, as well as a master equalizer for venue-specific adjustments. With the control knobs, you can instantly adapt to any performance environment.

XK-7 and XK-7D are equipped with a song function that allows performance data to be recorded directly to and/or played back from a USB memory device connected to the unit, using MIDI data.

Operations such as drawbar movements and Leslie slow/fast switching are also recorded, and during playback the display indications and the on/off status of the panel LED's follow and change accordingly.

In addition to everyday practice, this function is convenient for uses such as checking your own sound from the audience area during live rehearsals. If performance data played by a professional musician on the XK-7 or XK-7D is available, you could enjoy that professional performance at home on your own XK-7 or XK-7D. It also enables communication among XK-7 or XK-7D users by sharing performance data with one another.

Playback supports either single-song playback or loop playback of all songs.

Originally designed for tone switching, the preset keys on vintage organs took advantage of having two sets of drawbars for both the upper and lower manuals.

This allowed players to prepare registrations for the next phrase during performance and switch instantly when the time came - a technique that became standard in vintage organ playing.

The XK-7 and XK-7D fully support this playing style. Of course, the percussion switch includes a standard function to cancel the 1' bar sound, preserving the familiar operation for those accustomed to vintage organs.

Two different sets of effects are provided. The first set includes Tremolo, Wah-Wah, Ring Modulator, and Compressor, which can be applied to both the UPPER and LOWER parts, or to either part individually. The second set includes Auto-Pan, Phaser, Flanger, and Chorus. In addition, Delay and Reverb are provided as independent effects, with Reverb placement selectable either before or after the Leslie effect.

Vintage Hammond organ vibrato and chorus not only modulate pitch but also fluctuate the tone and blend with the dry signal, adding a rich variety of color to the drawbar sound. Historic vibrato units are faithfully reproduced, covering everything from simple, rustic vibrato to lush, full-bodied chorus.

Percussion adds a striking accent to the drawbar sound. On the XK-7 and XK-7D, the envelope and trigger points have been redesigned to more accurately reproduce the behavior of vintage organs.

For organists who stored registrations on preset keys in performance order, changing the song sequence used to be a hassle. The XK-7 and XK-7D separate the preset keys from internal patches and feature a 'Favorite'-function, allowing you to assign any patch number to each preset key. This makes it possible to change the relationship between desired sounds and song order at any time.

The expression pedal supports a wide range of models thanks to internal polarity settings and a calibration function. Footswitch functions include everything from the familiar Leslie Fast control to pedal-part triggering that can substitute for the "kick" on a jazz organ, smooth decay with the sustain function, and ProChord for rapid chord-runs providing full support for live performance.