Yamaha CK61 Organ analysis

/ @nickfoleyuk Hi folks,
Let's get to grips with the Organ section of this great value keyboard eh? So today it's all about the organ sound, let me know what you think of this new keyboard.
This particular one has been loaned to me from ‪@FairDealMusicVideos‬ (thanks Gazza) and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.
More good stuff to come, see you soon! More from me exclusively at / nickfoleyuk

[@dontrapani7778]

Anyone who complains that the CK61 doesn't sound like a REAL Hammond B-3, or Vox Continental, or Farfisa is missing the point: this is a portable stage keyboard that comes close to these classics for a ridiculously low price. It's for keyboardists that don't have unlimited funds and who like to travel light, and for those, it's a hit.

[@nickfoleyuk]

Excellently put. For the price point it’s phenomenal

[@awaken77]

Great choice for cover band. In live setting, many people don't get the difference between real Hammond or simulation

[@artie218]

I dont know, vb3 for 13 bucks on an iphone sounds tons better.. And yes sure, many people aren't nearly as picky about an organ sound as the keyboard player, they just know there's something is missing in these sounds.. No balls.. too bad.

[@darrylday30]

I rented it for a month. Fantastic for the price but I get a better organ sound from my MOFX. I almost bought a YC61 but settled on a MODX7. I’ve got my old sounds, a better UI and 76 notes in a tight package. Still, for the price, the CK is awesome. I love the portability and speakers.

[@CarlosdeFrance]

​@@darrylday30where did you rented it? Thanks

[@ytpremium7649]

Hammond B3 owners - 1,000 nitpicky complains Non Hammond B3 owners - WOW THIS SOUNDS JUST LIKE A HAMMOND B3!!!

[@jst4curiosity704]

What an excellent organ & leslie emulation!! I loved it!

[@stephengilbert5612]

Great demo and analysis. I,m impressed with the CK61,It,s now on my shopping list.

[@nickfoleyuk]

Brill!

[@DrawbarPete]

Would be Very intresting to hook the ck61 to a vent👌Sounds quite good and i think the amps on the ck61 is great. Thanks for doing this video. Finally a rock organ player that make the ck61 shine👌👊👍

[@timpullen4941]

I've put the CK61 through my MINIVENT and it really cooks.

[@KrishnanR26]

​@@timpullen4941I'd like to hear it mate. Is there any video on YT though?

[@valleywoodstudio7345]

Great insights - thanks Nick. For those criticising the click level, I did notice the treble EQ slider was up, so maybe it's not quite as "clicky" as it sounds here!? Its a very good option for the price and I'm certainly considering one - and the fact that with a master keyboard you can assign another sound separately via midi functions. So a Wurly (which I think is good) from the weighted keys whilst the internal hammond for the built in keys - then blend with the volume sliders. Pretty useful!

[@joshdaniels2680]

Got one of these about a month ago, and the key click is definitely too loud. However, the attack knob can tame acceptably. There's a sweet spot that is easy to find.

[@waynemiller6070]

I'm still using the original motif rack at home. I also use kontact by native instruments. The keyboard I'm using as a controller is starting to fail, in that the pitch bend wheel doesn't always center properly. I was thinking about a new keyboard, and this one might be it. It might also get me taking a keyboard to my predominantly guitar playing gigs.

[@Cajundaddydave]

Hey I heard a little "Lazy" by Deep Purple in there. Well done! Hammond B3 is one of he toughest sounds to emulate mostly because so may players don't really understand how to get there with the available controls. I'd say you got close enough to gig at the local pub. I think the piano sounds are quite good and just enough synth to cover pop. This rig is worth the entry price at 1/5 of the Nord Stage 3.

[@indymac7]

Leslie's sound is great through my stereo earphones. The raspy overdrive sound lacks somewhat, like my Roland XV3080. The organ sounds are awesome to me. The CK seems less complicated to operate...a plus.

[@pabloevaristogarciapalacio5044]

They are missing a key feature: to be able to route different sounds to different outputs. Nord can do that, and if you have a Leslie is nice to have your organ sounds through the Leslie and the rest of sounds routed to the other output to your PA or Amp... I wrote Yamaha about this feature, but no response. That would be a winner 🤷

[@jst4curiosity704]

The overdrive has a taste of Deep Purple to it!

[@BrioTang]

Ooh it's time for the Newby to battle the beast

[@frankbailey3048]

I'm a church Hammond organist. The first simulator I ever played was the Xb2 back in the 1990s. I am really impressed with how they've improved on Hammond organ sounds over the years. The Leslie sounds nice, but it does sound a little weak and tinny when compared to the real thing, or more expensive simulators. However, if this was out when I bought my Moxf6, I'd have probably bought this instead because of its other great sounds, its portability (can use batteries and has built in speakers), and the "drawbars" on the top. Plus it looks easier to use than my Mox.

[@oluwanifemiogundeko7132]

How does it sound compared to moxf6’s organ?

[@nicklisac4667]

It would be unfair to be overly critical of this keyboard when you consider the price and features available. The Leslie simulation tries really hard but just doesn't sound right, like many other digital Leslie's. Chorale sounds a bit overdone and tremolo sounds more like a fast vibrato which is fair enough when you consider what you have to pay for a seperate digital Leslie sim or a keyboard with an onboard leslie sim that gets really close to sounding convincing. Really great video 👍

[@awaken77]

Neo Ventilator to rescue

[@pmurph5]

My favorite Effect is being able to dial in a little or a lot of damper on the piano voices. Make it realistic or ethereal.

[@DS-nw4eq]

That was terribl….y good and informative.

[@nickfoleyuk]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@germanshepherdlover2613]

I just bought the Flagship YC-73 absolutely astonishing...but what's even more astonishing is the fact that it doesn't have any pipe organs at all but the cheaper CK series does have pipe organs. Hopefully Yamaha will fix this with an update.....absolutely shocking omission Yamaha...I bought your Flagship model. I hope this will be fixed with an update like the Leslie Sim was!

[@marcusstrymon693]

The ck has like 15 pipe organs but only 1 single useful drawbar organ... Got it yesterday PAIN

[@marcusstrymon693]

And I believe that pipe organs are fucking useless

[@GM8D79]

I noticed that you have both Juno DS and Yamaha CK61. How do you compare both and what is your favorite and why?

[@nickfoleyuk]

The Yamaha is long gone but the Juno is mine to keep so I should do something on that one day

[@rbroderick]

Any videos of you playing that Roland Juno DS? I could t find anything 😢

[@nickfoleyuk]

Not yet but soon mate

[@duque5582]

excelente me gustaría ver un comparativo entre 3l CK61 y el juno DS un versus 🆚 entre esos dos teclados

[@nickfoleyuk]

Good call

[@garaiss]

I see you have also Juno DS, how you describe Juno DS VS Yamaha CK! I also have Juno DS, but piano sounds not that quality, what do you think?

[@nickfoleyuk]

I think the Yamaha edges it in the piano stakes tbf

[@dennissloan9430]

Hi, nick, are the keys the same size as the keys on your hammond?

[@nickfoleyuk]

Yes pretty much. I didn’t notice any difference.

[@user-gx4ky6ct8c]

Can the CK61 give me the Spencer Davis Group Gimme Some Loving sound?

[@dunc1959]

Unless you want to cart around a C3 and a Lesley Cabinet then not bad and a lot lighter.

[@artie218]

how about carry around an iphone and spend 13 bucks on vb3m

[@manushi27]

Organ of the ck61 or roland vr 09? what do you think?

[@nickfoleyuk]

ooh thats a good one... for organ sounds only.... VR...

[@JimmyCaswell]

Slow leslie sounds good.. the fast is poor. Hearing it through a vent and also the 122 and the 3300 would be good?

[@nickfoleyuk]

I agree. Let’s do that

[@Jenairaslebol27merde]

it's a little bit funny.... but for the first time, i found the slow speed to be even worse than fast speed... it just swells up and down so ridiculously... but yeah at all, a real leslie on this keyboard woud be interesting. it made old CX3 sound great and also my XB2 back in the days. even when recorded with a shitty potato. ;) ... it's just something completely different. but honestly, the organ section sounds very disappointing to me. the layout indicates the dedication to drawbar organs, but is sounds just flat and artificial ... there were some way better sounding clones even 20..25 years ago.

[@Soryt]

Amazing that you haven’t tested the YC 61 with the new update, much better than the CK organs

[@nickfoleyuk]

Not yet I haven't. I will come back to another Yamaha another time but I do intent to take a look at it. I'm not a shop I'm a guy with a small recording studio so I have to work within my limitation. That said the guys @fairdealmusic and @bonnersmusic are really generous and I'm sure I could get hold of one to review

[@robmillisTW2]

The dirty Leslie is nowhere near as good sounding in terms of ramp up/down and fast as the clean one - I suspect that it is the original YC series one which was found lacking it was very gurgly, but left in as an option even after the corrective update - whereas the clean one (which sounds like the nice newer one called 'Studio' in the YC61/73/88) nails it well.

[@stoneyboyd]

5:42 reminding me A LOT of Jon Lord

[@nickfoleyuk]

Thanks

[@teknokont]

The main problem of these budget hammond emulations is the noise, key click and key off noise/clicks have a fixed level. Also every key have the same noise and click. This is annoying. The cross talk noise is not a simple noise on hammonds, it adds little amount of harmonics for every drawbar. That's why emulations can sound artificial and weak.

[@timpullen4941]

Don't you think it's a good plan to read the manual before filming about the leslie effect? The difference between the A and B is the rotor type.

[@noeljay14]

The reveiwer reminds me of my teacher in primary school..lol So children what do you think the V stands for ? Anyone ? Yes its Vox !

[@nickfoleyuk]

Lol. You got to have fun 🙂

[@nicklisac4667]

Oh.....🤔 I thought it was for Viagra. That must be another channel 🤣

[@robmillisTW2]

Seeing as the more expensive YC61 let's down a pretty decent Hammond emulation (and since 1.2 update, best onboard Leslie that's near Neo Ventilator league) with a woefully low triggering yet waterfall keyboard, IMO go for the bargain price CK61 which at least doesn't pretend to have an a organ action.

[@nickfoleyuk]

I agree that this is remarkable value for money isn't it?

[@robmillisTW2]

Can you plug a weighted midi board in to play the EP sounds simultaneously?

[@nickfoleyuk]

I would assume to @@robmillisTW2 but not sure

[@teetie192]

When I make live music, I also want to be able to play with enough space for my hands. 61 keys on such a light weight keyboard are not ideal. I can already see the bowl shaking on all sides. And I have to frantically play small. Too bad the sound is very good but the keyboard is too small. I'll go for the 88 if it also has a light touch, otherwise I'll continue looking.

[@louiscornale5667]

Great but how about wooly bully watch it now 😮

[@algarvemike]

Simply stick to Rotary B, and in your video you have the Master EQ treble slider cranked, which will give an unrealistic effect. Keep master EQ flat.

[@marcusstrymon693]

Which is so crazy bc this hammond emnis allready way too bright. If you take out a bit of treble and apply some high cut then its managable

[@algarvemike]

@@marcusstrymon693 yes but the video has the master eq on the keyboard boosting treble/high end massively. This gives a false impression

[@marcusstrymon693]

@@algarvemike Yep. Completely. I always remove a bit of treble on the ck and then its good. Only thing where its really lacking hard for me is distorted organ sadly

[@ageshero]

Didn’t hear any percussion at all