FR-8X — Adjusting The Accordion Tone To Get It Just Right

[John M]

As I dig deeper into the capabilities of the 8X, I find that I can fine tune the tone/timbre in the Accordion mode to anything I want. I have found many of the orchestral sounds I like. I have the 8X Hammond B3 drawbar tone settings right where they duplicate the sound of my B3. All my tones/sounds are set up as User Programs for selection from the 14 register switches. I also have the chin switches programmed for quick changes between User Programs. My starting point was the 32 User Program Banks from Richard Noel. Note, there are 14 programs in each Bank for a total of 448 programs. You can start from “ground zero” without the Noel Programs, but expect to spend a lot of time in initial development of programs you like.

I am now fine tuning my Accordion sounds. For example, I like the –M, M, +M musette setting on my Excelsior 960 which I want to duplicate on my 8X. I start with the Reed Config. Mode on the 8X. I turn ON the -8’, 8’, +8’ reeds and set all the other reeds to OFF to duplicate my 960 tone. There is a selection of 33 reeds of different tone from Bandoneon to [D]Balkan 4. For each reed tone there is a Config. for “Musette Detune”. The “Musette Detune” has 15 tone selections from Dry to Scottish. Within each tone selection there is a volume setting from -100 to +100. The volume setting has a very wide adjustment that is equivalent to the “cents” level of how much “Musette” you want.

For me to get this right on, there is much trial and error, playing the same note/chords on my 960 and immediately trying a Reed and Detune setting on the 8X. When I have what I want, I save the User Program to 8X memory. It is sort of like making a cut in a piece of wood—Measure two or three times and cut once. To get the tone on my 8X to what I want, takes much more than two or three tries, but it is worth the effort.

John M.

 

[jwgrosser]

To help you along the set Jazz from Roland were Excelsior samples, and just a little tweeking will be necessary. They are the beginning of my favorite accordion sounds -- especially the double bassoon sounds that can be made and adjusted as Art Van Damme often used.

 

[John M]

Thanks for the tip. I love that Art Van Damme sound.
John M.

 

[John M]

To help you along the set Jazz from Roland were Excelsior samples, and just a little tweeking will be necessary. They are the beginning of my favorite accordion sounds -- especially the double bassoon sounds that can be made and adjusted as Art Van Damme often used.

I went through all the sets and found only one Bassoon set. The reed type was Jazz.
Where is the "double bassoon" set and what is the reed type that is used?

John M.

 

[Skari]

Joan Cochran Sommers, director of the world renowned University of Missouri-Kansas City Accordion Orchestra, once posed the following question to a performer playing a Roland device: "Can you make it sound like an accordion?"

Has this question been resolved?

 

[John M]

I am also on the Hammond organ forum. A similar question always comes up. Does the new Hammond/Suzuki B3 sound like the Tonewheel B3? For me they are close enough. Realize that through the 20 years of production of the B3, they did not all sound exactly the same. If you listened very close there was a characteristic sound of many that you could not tell the difference unless you heard them side by side.

Similarly with an acoustic accordion there are differences within the same model that you can tell on some only when you play them side by side. For me, with the selection of 33 different reeds, I can duplicate the acoustic accordion to my satisfaction. I do this by getting a tone I like on my Excelsior 960 and then change the program on my Roland 8X to duplicate that Excelsior tone.

John M.