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The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects utilizing the Doppler effect. Named after its inventor, Donald Leslie, it is particularly associated with the Hammond organ. Separate Leslie speakers were a "must have" accessory for all Hammond owners, particularly after its characteristic sound was popularised by such acts as Procol Harum on "A Whiter Shade of Pale", Lee Michaels (Do You Know What I Mean), or the Spencer Davis Group on "Gimme Some Lovin'". Another wide user of the Leslie Speaker is the sixties psychedelic band, Steppenwolf. This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...
A source of waves moving to the left. ...
Donald James Leslie, (1911, Danville, Illinois - September 2, 2004, Altadena, California) created and manufactured the Leslie speaker that refined the sound of the Hammond organ and helped popularize electronic music. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Procol Harum are an English progressive rock band, formed in the 1960s. ...
A Whiter Shade of Pale is a song released in 1967 by the band Procol Harum. ...
Lee Michaels (Hammond organ, piano, guitar, saxophone, trombone, accordion, vocals) was born November 24th, 1945 in Los Angeles, California. ...
The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British rock band founded by Spencer Davis (born 1942 in Swansea, Wales). ...
Gimme Some Lovin is a song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood, and originally performed by the Spencer Davis Group. ...
It has been suggested that The Sparrows be merged into this article or section. ...
Although the Leslie speaker and the Hammond organ are spoken of as one organized musical system, Hammond never owned or manufactured any speakers or parts for the Leslie Corporation, much less advertised for it. Hammond refused to package any Leslie speakers with its organ sales using, instead, its own speakers which produced virtually no "Leslie like" special effects. There are reports of the Hammond Organ Company strong-arming piano and organ stores into not selling Leslie products. Threats would go as far as telling the dealerships that the Hammond Organ line would be pulled if they sold Leslie products. Hammond did grudgingly repair Leslie units, only when asked to, in order to cement the bond of loyalty between itself and its customer base. Most techs now will fix both Hammond Organs and Leslie Speakers.
History Don Leslie, at the outset, was refused hire by the Hammond Organ Company, but did work for the local electric company, in a contract with Hammond, to replace the old fifty cycle rotor tone generators with the new sixty cycle units, in customers' homes. The speaker's first name, in 1941, was the "Vibratone". (The name was used later by Fender Guitar Company for a speaker system and effects unit containing a Leslie rotating speaker. Fender also used the name "Leslie" after Leslie sold his company, in 1965, to CBS, which had also acquired Fender.) From 1941, when the first units were produced, the speaker went by several names including "Brittain Speakers", "Hollywood Speakers" and "Crawford Speakers", before returning to the name "Leslie Vibratone" in 1946. Seventeen years after it had rejected him, Leslie offered to sell the company to Hammond. After thirty days he had heard no word from Hammond. Don Leslie said: "After seventeen years, the thirty day period is up. Too late". To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
A tonewheel is a relatively primitive apparatus for generating electronic musical notes. ...
It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ...
CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ...
Leslie never advertised his speakers. After demonstrating a prototype (a rotating baffle in a hole in a small closet with a big speaker in the closet near Leslie's home organ) with Bob Mitchell, an organist with radio station KFI near Los Angeles, a contract was made to install another prototype in the station's studios, where Mitchell would be the only organist authorized to use it. Mitchell was so impressed that he even tried to patent the speaker, but discovered that he couldn't. Soon afterwards, Mitchell became an organist with the Mutual Broadcasting System, and played a Hammond with the Leslie on its shows. The national exposure was swift and sure. Organists, professional and amateur alike, wanted to have "that sound". The Leslie of that time was over sixty inches tall (about the size of a modern refrigerator), and was named the 30A. Don Leslie made a whole series based on the 30A, called "Tall Boys" (31 series). In the 1950s, Leslie introduced the 21H for use in homes, concert hall venues and smaller radio sound stages. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ...
The Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. ...
Today, Leslie parts are available from a number of sources. There are also websites with plans (and photographic examples) for constructing a Leslie speaker, with much improved electronics and speakers. On the web, one can see a 500 W high performance Leslie.
The classic Leslie is still made and sold to this day, though similar effects can now be obtained via analogue electronic devices and digital emulation. Chorus and phase shifter devices can mimic the sounds produced by a Leslie speaker; in fact, early phase shifters like the Uni-Vibe were specifically marketed as low-cost Leslie substitutes for guitarists, and used a foot-operated fast/slow switch. Many agree that nothing can reproduce the sound of a Leslie speaker heard in person, but some digital emulations of the Leslie doppler effect have become virtually indistiguishable from the sound of a recorded Leslie speaker. Logic Pro's EVB3 tonewheel organ emulator is considered by many to have the industry's best Leslie simulation.[citation needed] Definition of phase shift Phase shifting describes relative phase shift in superposing waves. ...
Logic Pro is a MIDI sequencer and Digital Audio Workstation software application that runs on the Mac OS X platform. ...
Design Although there have been many variations over the years, the classic Leslie speaker consists of two driver units - a treble unit with horns, and a bass unit. The key feature is that the horns of the treble unit (actually only one working horn, but a dummy horn is used to counter-balance it) and a sound baffle for the bass unit are rotated using electric motors to create 'Doppler effect based' vibrato, tremolo and chorus effects. The rotating elements can be switched between two speeds (or stopped completely by means of optional "brakes"), and the transition between the two speeds produces the most characteristic effects. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 594 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (606 × 612 pixel, file size: 81 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Leslie speaker ...
Electric motors of various sizes. ...
A source of waves moving to the left. ...
The resulting sound is instantly identifiable as that of the Hammond organ, frequently heard on psychedelic and rock music of the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike a high fidelity loudspeaker, the Leslie is specifically designed, via reproduction of the Doppler effect, to alter or modify sound; faithful reproduction has never been part of its appeal. Much of the unique tone is owed to the fact that the system is at least partially enclosed, but with linear louvres along the sides and front so that the unit can vent the sound from within the box after the sound has bounced around inside, mellowing it. While many organists prefer the fast "vibrato" setting, the Leslie's slow speed produces a lush "chorus" effect which suggests the sound of a pipe organ in a large hall or church much more effectively than static speakers can. The Leslie might be considered an electro-mechanical sonic effects machine. Many rock and roll organists have turned the box around to expose the horn's rotation for a visual effect, and in the hope of projecting a more powerful sound from both speakers. One can see such a reversed placement in The Band's movie, The Last Waltz, the film Woodstock, and Phish's DVD, It. Psychedelia in music (or also psychedelic music, less formally) is a term that refers to a broad set of popular music styles, genres and scenes, that may include psychedelic rock, psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop, psychedelic soul, psychedelic ambient, psychedelic trance, psychedelic techno, and others. ...
For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ...
The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ...
High Fidelity is also the title of a book by Nick Hornby and a film directed by Stephen Frears, based upon Hornbys book. ...
Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...
For other uses, see Band. ...
The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group, The Band, held on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
This article is about a rock band; for deceptive e-mail practices, see Phishing. ...
DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...
IT was the name of a two-day festival held in Limestone, Maine, and hosted by the jam band, Phish, on August 2nd and 3rd, 2003. ...
Uses While normally used with an organ, because it is a separate unit, any musical source can be used, creating a wide range of surprising and dramatic effects. However, this method requires a preamplifier/power unit accessory, since the Leslie by itself is incompatible with microphones or outside instruments, being interfaced with an organ via a multipin cable connector which also carries AC power. A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. ...
Usually hidden to the unaided eye, the blinking of (non-incandescent) lighting powered by AC mains is revealed in this motion-blurred long exposure of city lights. ...
Some instances of such non-standard use are given here:
Electric guitar While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a rock song by The Beatles from the double album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). ...
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ...
Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ...
Let It Be was an album by The Beatles, released on May 8, 1970. ...
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ...
The 1969 song Badge, penned by Eric Clapton during a collaborative effort with George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was originally an untitled track. ...
Cream were a 1960s British rock band, which consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. ...
Any Colour You Like is the eighth track[1] from British progressive rock band Pink Floyds 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. ...
Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ...
Black Hole Sun is a song by 1990s grunge band Soundgarden. ...
Soundgarden was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. ...
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the eighth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973. ...
Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE [2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a multiple Grammy and Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a song written mainly by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) in 1967, and recorded by The Beatles for their album Sgt. ...
Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE [2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a multiple Grammy and Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...
Dishwalla is a post-grunge alternative rock band from Santa Barbara, California. ...
Piano and other keyboard instruments Pink Floyd used the Leslie speaker on a piano in "Echoes". This article is about the Pink Floyd song. ...
Cat Stevens used a Leslied piano on his song "Sad Lisa". Yusuf Islam [2] (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 in London) performed as Cat Stevens from 1966 to 1978. ...
Tori Amos also makes much use of a Leslie speaker on Boys For Pele, a highly experimental album with piano, harpsichord, harmonium, and clavichord. On such songs as "Horses", the Leslie effect is made obvious as it is switched on and off for different parts of the song, itself a continuous piano piece, allowing for a strong comparison in the piano's sound. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Boys For Pele, the Grammy-nominated third album by singer and songwriter Tori Amos, is perhaps her least well-known and yet best-selling album to date. ...
A short grand piano, with the top up. ...
Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ...
A Harmonium or Reed Organ is a free-standing musical keyboard instrument similar to a pipe organ. ...
Large five-octave unfretted clavichord by Paul Maurici, after J.A. Haas The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. ...
In addition, both Brian Eno and Genesis utilised the rotating speaker effect on piano, with this usage appearing on the Genesis song "The Musical Box" (from the Nursery Cryme record), and throughout Eno's "Becalmed" (from Another Green World). Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...
Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by Genesis and was recorded and released in 1971. ...
Another Green World is an album by experimental musician Brian Eno, released in November 1975 (see 1975 in music). ...
Vocals John Lennon's voice was processed through a Leslie speaker for the highly experimental song "Tomorrow Never Knows" on The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver. The Beatles also used George Harrison's Leslie-processed vocals on the song "Blue Jay Way" on their 1967 album Magical Mystery Tour. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...
Tomorrow Never Knows is the final track of The Beatles 1966 studio album Revolver, but it was the first to be recorded for the album. ...
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ...
Revolver is the Beatles seventh album, released on August 5, 1966. ...
George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943[1][2] – 29 November 2001[3]) was an Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, author and sitarist best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. ...
Blue Jay Way is a song written by George Harrison; it was first released by the Beatles on their Magical Mystery Tour album and EP. The track was recorded on September 6, 1967 with vocals overdubbed September 7. ...
Magical Mystery Tour is the name of the album and double EP by the English rock band the Beatles, first released in late 1967 (see 1967 in music). ...
In the 1970s, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd passed both his vocal mic and his guitar through a Leslie on live versions of "Any Colour You Like" and sung along to the solo as he played it, and Ozzy Osbourne sang through a Leslie speaker on the song "Planet Caravan" on Black Sabbath's 1970 breakthrough album Paranoid. For the Canadian writer and television journalist, see David Gilmour (writer), for the British politician see David Gillmore. ...
Any Colour You Like is the eighth track[1] from British progressive rock band Pink Floyds 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. ...
Ozzy Osbourne (born John Michael Osbourne, December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, England) is the lead vocalist of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, a popular solo artist, and the star of the reality show, The Osbournes. ...
Planet Caravan is a psychedelic song by Black Sabbath. ...
For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ...
Paranoid is the second album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was released in 1970. ...
Jerry Garcia's voice was processed through a Leslie Speaker on the song "Rosemary" from the Grateful Dead album Aoxomoxoa. Jerome John Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band Grateful Dead. ...
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California. ...
Aoxomoxoa is the third studio album by the Grateful Dead. ...
Led Zeppelin used Leslie processing on Robert Plant's vocals in the song "What Is and What Should Never Be" from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Led Zeppelin were an English rock band who formed in 1968. ...
Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter, most famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin, but also for his successful solo career. ...
What Is and What Should Never Be is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin on their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. ...
Led Zeppelin II, also known by the unofficial nickname The Brown Bomber, is a rock and roll album, the second released by English band Led Zeppelin in 1969. ...
Bass guitar Pete "Overend" Watts of the band Mott the Hoople linked his bass through a Leslie on the track "Alice" from the album "The Hoople". Pete Overend Watts (born Peter Watts, on 13 May 1947 (some sources have 1949) in Birmingham, England) was a bass guitar player and founding member of 70s rock band Mott The Hoople. ...
Mott the Hoople was a 1970s British rock and roll and glam rock band with strong R&B roots. ...
The Hoople is a 1974 album by British band Mott the Hoople. ...
Drums Ron Bushy, drummer for the 60's acid rock group Iron Butterfly, utilized a Leslie Speaker during the drum solo of the 17-minute epic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, giving the solo a distinct phasing effect. Ron Bushy was a co-founder of the rock band Iron Butterfly. ...
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic music and was the first form of it to achieve popular acclaim. ...
For other uses, see Iron Butterfly (disambiguation). ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, released in 1968, is a 17-minute rock song by Iron Butterfly, released on their album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, occupying the entire second side of the album. ...
Notable models
Model 122 The Model 122 is the classic two speed 40 Watt tone cabinet most commonly used with Hammond console organs, such as the B3, C3 and A100 models. Some organists connect two or more of these to their organ for a louder and more widely-spaced "surround" effect. A modern reproduction is the model 122A. This is the Leslie of choice for recording studios or other sonically demanding applications due to the quiet operation of the Model 122's differential signal input design. Leslie Model 142 is identical to Model 122, except that it is housed in a 33" tall cabinet, and thus slightly easier to transport than the 41" tall Model 122. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hammond organ. ...
Model 147 The Model 147 has the same cabinet, speaker and mechanical components as the Model 122; however, the amplifier input and motor speed control circuits are different. This is primarily because this series was designed to be "universal", which means it could be connected to other brand organs other than Hammond. The signal input is "single-ended", allowing a more simple connection to organs that have a built-in speaker system, as the Hammond A100 or a Wurlitzer. The Model 122 input is a differential, "double-ended" or "balanced line" design that is provides for cancellation of any spurious noise that may be present. Also, the motor speed switching uses a separate 120 vac signal, rather than the dc voltage control of the Model 122. In operation, the noticeable differences between the Model 122 and the Model 147 are the Model 122's lower suceptibility to induced noise, and a delay between operation of the speed control and the actual change in speed. Just like with the 122 and 142, the Leslie Model 145 is identical to Model 147, except that it is housed in a 33" tall cabinet, and thus slightly easier to transport than the 41" tall Model 147.
Model 125 The first model to have two speeds, the model 125 was introduced in 1963. Leslie produced two editions of each model, one for Hammonds (H) and one for Wurlitzer (W). Many organists still use combinations of these editions. Leslie also made an edition for Conn, the 50C, the first Leslie to have two discrete channels.
Model 16 The smallest Leslie is the Leslie Model 16, made in 1970. It has a Fender-like speaker body and a rotating foam dispersion block. It was built for rough club touring, was portable, and had "Leslie" written on the front. It was also released later as Fender/CBS's "Vibratone". Stevie Ray Vaughan used this model on the song "Cold Shot" from the album Couldn't Stand The Weather. It can also be heard on Cream's "Badge" and Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing". With supplies decreasing, its availability is becoming limited. It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ...
Stephen (Stevie) Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ...
Couldnt Stand the Weather is the second studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released in 1984. ...
Cream were a 1960s British rock band, which consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. ...
The 1969 song Badge, penned by Eric Clapton during a collaborative effort with George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was originally an untitled track. ...
This article contains a trivia section. ...
Little Wing is a song written and performed by Jimi Hendrix, from the 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love. ...
Model 760 One of the favourite models for gigging Hammond X5 owners, the Model 760 with 90 watts of power is still a popular choice for organs with 9-pin connectors, despite being a "solid-state" model.
See also To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
The Fender Vibratone is a Leslie speaker-style cabinet made for electric guitars by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. ...
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