Cordovox Sound?

[Walleye]

On some of Dale Mathis’ YouTube videos, he describes and plays the 4x with what he calls the “Cordovox Sound”. I’ve never heard a Cordovox. Anyone have any ideas as to how and what settings he might use to produce that sound? Thanks!

 

[JerryPH]

Have you tried emailing him and see what he tells you? As to the sound, there are a couple videos on YouTube, but nothing impressive. Basically its a standard old fashioned analog organ sound and the more expensive versions of the Cordavox had the Leslie speaker. The beauty of the Cordavox is that it was a pretty darn decent acoustic accordion!

<YOUTUBE id=_iVwQnyLb2s t=281 url=></YOUTUBE>

Ive not started playing with the editor on my 8X yet, just no time... but I am sure that with a little experimentation you could find something close.

 

[Keymn]

I miss that analog sound on the Cordovox. In those days we did not need to worry about editing.
Cordovox had a fat sound. Even the bass boomed. I played in a jazz and pop trio in the early 70s with Cordovox.
40+ years later we are trying to duplicate the sound?

 

[debra]

On some of Dale Mathis’ YouTube videos, he describes and plays the 4x with what he calls the “Cordovox Sound”. I’ve never heard a Cordovox. Anyone have any ideas as to how and what settings he might use to produce that sound? Thanks!

I believe Cordovox and Elka were all Crucianelli accordions with added electronics. But my memory could of course be failing...

 

[JerryPH]

As I was told by Frank from FRM Enterprises back when he was the local Iorio/Elka dealer, Elkas were Iorio boxes.

Know what? I think that at least the old Cordavox sound is well represented in one of the Richard Noel sets. Of particular note is the ability to turn on and off the Leslie effect using the keyboard velocity function which I found very cool.

I'll see if I can find the time to demo it... but it may have to wait a couple days... it Christmas time and all.

 

[Zevy]

Elkas were Iorio boxes.

Iorios were Elka boxes with Iorio nameplates slapped on top. I was the proud owner of one of those.

 

[JerryPH]

Iorios were Elka boxes with Iorio nameplates slapped on top. I was the proud owner of one of those.

Its the other way around... Iorio was around many decades before Elka even existed. The first ones out were the Iorios. Elkavox was really the people that made the electronics section and later they rebadged Iorio accordions to Ellavox. I still currently own both brands. I cannot tell you the years of pleasure I had from them both.

The Iorio was a box I played so much, I wore out the original left hand strap and the foam chest protector! When the electronics started to fade on my Iorio, I went back to Frank (FRM Enterprises was located in Montreal Quebec in those days) for my second accordion, and walked out with an Elkavox and the original Factory rhythm unit. The Solton Programmer 24 arranger and rhythm unit came soon after that.

 

[Keymn]

Iorios were Elka boxes with Iorio nameplates slapped on top. I was the proud owner of one of those.

Its the other way around... Iorio was around many decades before Elka even existed. The first ones out were the Iorios. Elkavox was really the people that made the electronics section and later they rebadged Iorio accordions to Ellavox. I still currently own both brands. I cannot tell you the years of pleasure I had from them both.

The Iorio was a box I played so much, I wore out the original left hand strap and the foam chest protector! When the electronics started to fade on my Iorio, I went back to Frank (FRM Enterprises was located in Montreal Quebec in those days) for my second accordion, and walked out with an Elkavox and the original Factory rhythm unit. The Solton Programmer 24 arranger and rhythm unit came soon after that.

And we were happy with the sound quality. Just buy it and play.
Now with VAccordion (even my Korg arranger), hours to setup sound sets before doing your first gig. And there is nothing better then a finely tuned reed accordion, which those Cordovox and Iorio had.
But we are in a different era, which I believe MIDI changed it. Our ability to connect other manufacturers rhythm units or arrangers.

 

[Zevy]

Iorios were Elka boxes with Iorio nameplates slapped on top. I was the proud owner of one of those.

Its the other way around... Iorio was around many decades before Elka even existed. The first ones out were the Iorios. Elkavox was really the people that made the electronics section and later they rebadged Iorio accordions to Ellavox. I still currently own both brands. I cannot tell you the years of pleasure I had from them both.

Iorio may have been around as an accordion manufacturer before Elka, but the accordion I bought in the (late) 80s (Syntara) was definitely an Elka machine, and the accordions were made by SEM in Italy. I played it for many years. You can see it here: . In that video (taken 20+ years ago) I played the accordion acoustically, and had a midi out for the bass alone.

 

[JerryPH]

So, now, who do I believe... You, who bought one or the man who travelled to Italy to the Iorio factory, bought his Iorios direct from them by the container and sold them as Iorios?

I've also seen pics of identical accordions with both the Iorio and Elkavox badges on them. Also, I would think that Frank Romano knew where he was buying his accordions from and it would make no sense for him to lie to me, as I could not have cared less what the brand was, just that it sounded great to me at the time.

My first one was bought around 1981-1982. The Elkavox came later. I'd have to pull paperwork for the exact date, which I might do later. I have people coming today. :b

 

[Geronimo]

So, now, who do I believe... You, who bought one or the man who travelled to Italy to the Iorio factory, bought his Iorios direct from them by the container and sold them as Iorios?

Ive also seen pics of identical accordions with both the Iorio and Elkavox badges on them.

Well, it isnt much of a stretch to assume that the electronics and the acoustic accordions originated from separate independent producers looking for a good match and ultimately becoming inseparable. Your respective sources might have been glossing over the angles not of primary interest to them.

Which factory produced Morino accordions? Hohners? Excelsiors? Piginis? The answer is which Morino? and depending on who you ask, thats not even an exhaustive list, never mind the official storyline. If you ask a buyer who got his info at the Hohner factories, of course the Morinos are being produced there.

Castelfidardo and Ancona are cesspools of music companies and their ownerships. So many OEMS, so many fusions, so many brands and fronts.

I doubt it makes sense calling people who have heard different stories right from the horses mouths liars. Because those horses are practiced in telling stories with more of continuity in them than reality had.

 

[debra]

...
Which factory produced Morino accordions? Hohners? Excelsiors? Piginis? The answer is which Morino? and depending on who you ask, thats not even an exhaustive list, never mind the official storyline. If you ask a buyer who got his info at the Hohner factories, of course the Morinos are being produced there.
...

It is difficult to find the true origin of many instruments because it is in the interest of the seller (perhaps also manufacturer) to publish what they want you to see rather than what is the truth. The Morino story is just one of many among companies that actually produce accordions (but not all their accordions). Then there are the brands that only sell but do not produce accordions. Think of Kratt, Rossino to name just two... And perhaps the most famous of all who designed accordions but had others produce them was Giulietti...

 

[Mr turtle]

Dale Mathis is under contract to crown music in sun city Arizona only to supply his sound sets to people who purchase a Roland accordion from their shop.

Unfortunately they are only allowed by Roland to sell to customers in the USA so any of us people I. Europe etc are not able to access his sound sets.

One of the main characteristics of a chordovox accordion was the ability to add sustain to the organ sounds.

The fr-4x is able to add sustain to the orchestral, and organ voices, and when played along with the regular accordion voices gives a pretty good simulation of the old chordovox accordions.

Unfortunately I play an fr-3x which does not have the ability to add sustain to the organ voices.

I have however found a nice workaround, in an app for iOS called Galileo which simulates a Hammond b3 as well as various transistor organs, and will also allow me full control over sustain overdrive Leslie speaker etc.

I am using a Kong plugkey midi interface which goes into the lighting socket on my iPad mini and sends and the midi socket on my Fr-3x and outputs the resaultent sound via 2 quater inch jacks to my amplifier. When mixed together with normal reed sounds from the accordion this setup gives a realistic chordovox sound.

The app also comes with a handful of nice pipe organ sounds as well.

 

[JerryPH]

In the Richard Noel sets, on my 8X, there is a set that sounds really close to that original Cordovox/Lesie sound, and on top of that, the Leslie effect can be changed via pressure sensitivity of the keys... makes for a really interesting effect.

 

[Keymn]

Those Cordovox sounds were cool back in the days when us accordionists were playing those top 40, 60s songs with that Farfisa sound. I’ll never forget the Cordovox sound I used to duplicate the banjo sound on that song “Washington Square”. By the Village Stompers. I think on the CG4? Also, there was a tremolo echo sound which I used on the fast rumba song “Green Eyes”. I commend those artists creating sound sets to sell the Roland accordion. They are amazing! But for me, it takes away my own style technique, good or bad, I still own it.
<YOUTUBE id=tUAwqhnqSAc url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[Geronimo]

I’ll never forget the Cordovox sound I used to duplicate the banjo sound on that song “Washington Square”. By the Village Stompers.

Ah, pity. I hoped to hear a rendition with Cordovox on this video. But man, what a channel separation. They must have multi-tracked that one. Sounds a bit weird on headphones.

 

[Keymn]

I’ll never forget the Cordovox sound I used to duplicate the banjo sound on that song “Washington Square”. By the Village Stompers.

Ah, pity. I hoped to hear a rendition with Cordovox on this video. But man, what a channel separation. They must have multi-tracked that one. Sounds a bit weird on headphones.

Only if I only had my CG4? But I remember that sound and the song that was popular then...40 plus years ago, I am getting old!
The old Cordovox sound was nice in its’ day. But I think today the public is more interested in accordion sound, sight and ability to play it well.

 

[Geronimo]

Hey, its not a Cordovox but something from the same century at least. Had to use the Excelsior for the Midi since my Roland has only 72 basses. This should be interesting to Paul...
<YOUTUBE id=6A0R0kCXljY url=>[media]</YOUTUBE>
The most suspicious sound is a fast downward run: you definitely hear that this is working from the same sample since the formants go down with the pitch, giving sort of a tape-drive-slowdown sound.

Other than that, however, the result is annoyingly useful.

 

[Geronimo]

Aaaand here I am actually using the arranger, and because we are talking Cordovox, I am mixing in the original sound as well. Aaaand there is a Leslie clone also in the final mix, playing the monitoring mix.
<YOUTUBE id=CdNnJOvpv78 url=>[media]</YOUTUBE>
Nostalgia pure!