Looking for a good Leslie Sim Pedal...

[Moose Coghill]

Hey guys... been looking to replace my Virtual Sound H2O (chorus + delay) with a decent delay and a Leslie sim instead of chorus. Fits in with the music I'm doing.

Would love some input on Leslie sim pedals. I am familiar with the two expensive ones that folks rave about (H&K/Neo), but looking for other alternatives.

Currently the two I hope to check out (if I can find them locally) are the Tech 21 Roto Choir and the RotoSIM Leslie. I did have the Boss RT-20 on the list, but have heard so many mixed opinions (and the real estate it takes up) that I took it off... they also seem muddy in the videos - but YouTube is always an iffy reference for audio.

Opinions based on experience? Thanks!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiKMjrm9Ld4]Roto Choir Dirty - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqPBkLHTZ-Y]RotoSIM Leslie Rotary Guitar Pedal Demo/Review - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Maggot Brain]

Deja Vibe

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

I've got the MDV-2, and it gets close enough for me, but it's definitelt not a sim. An analog chorus is much closer, like Voodoo Lab's if you can find it. But both of those sims are way closer. I heard Lex is a good one, and I think Strymon might make one as well. I think they're both a little pricey though.

 

[Moose Coghill]

Yeah, I've been using a chorus combined with a tremolo to simulate the leslie fast/slow effect, but for the sound we're developing the closer to a Leslie tone I can get the better... less swishy.

As it happens I just bought the one at the bottom of my list - the Boss RT-20. Guitar Center had one used for $119 and the Scrooge in me couldn't pass it up. So I'll be spinnin' by next Tuesday. Haven't decided whether to sell or simply retire the H2O yet.

Cheers... and big THANKS to the two out of 45 who viewed this post for your comments and suggestions.

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

My pleasure.

 

[khan]

I recently picked up a Lovepedal Vibe (magic boy vibe?). It's the older version, not the current pickle-vibe. I really like the amount of roto-sim it gives but, one drawback (not huge for me but..) they hide the depth adjustment inside the box so, you have to open it to make any changes in that. The sole knob just does rate.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnavsveTIxA"]vibe[/ame]

Or is this more uni-vibe-y than what you're looking for.

Anyways, they show up on Ebay now and then for $100-$120. Good luck finding the sound you're looking for.

 

[johnfv]

I'm not familiar with most of these pedals but it really helps if you can do it in stereo so you get the effect of it spinning. I have an old Rocktron Replifex and that was one of the significant features - a convincing Leslie emulation. Haven't used it in a while but at the time I was running stereo effects into a power amp driven by the line out of my Mesa Dual Rec. The Leslie sound was fantastic and I had buttons programmed (via midi) to do the speed up/slow down bit as well. My friend Brian runs the RT-20 in stereo and it sounds pretty good, here is a clip of him playing through it (and some other effects I'm sure, not so much a convincing Leslie but some cool swirl going on):
http://johnviehweg.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2204Blues.mp3

 

[jwebb1970]

While not meant as a suggestion, esp since Moose looks to have found a winner, I get a nice Leslie sim out of my Roland GP100 rack unit. It's "Rotary" patch utilizes chorus, flanger & phaser FX (along with the option of adding some dirt, although I generally just use my OD pedal) & allows me to control the rate via an expression pedal. Pretty good fake rotary effect, IMO.

 

[Scrap_Iron]

I gotta loop mine

That RT-20 is a bunch of fun. I like how you can ramp the speed up and down, and brake. The rotation has sweet spots.

I prefer using another OD into it instead of the built-in OD. Direct sound all off, the effect volume at around 10 o'clock will give the cleanest sound, then add OD to taste.

Also a wah into it can be used to good effect.

But to make it usable I had to put it in a true bypass loop, otherwise the rotation sound came through anyway. I use a Radial Big Shot EFX, which has 2 loops, one for the wah and the second for the RT-20.

 

[Moose Coghill]

I used the RT-20 at rehearsals this week. Ran it on my board in front of the amp using the amps natural distortion and the pedal OD off.

Awesome. Exactly what I was looking for. First Boss pedal I've had on my board in years. No prob with it disengaging (?) here. It's at the end of my effects, just before the gate and volume pedal. Love the way it will completely wind down when both pedals are depressed.

 

[Moose Coghill]

Clicked message once... waited - and it posted twice. Go figure.

Edit~Delete XXX

 

[Papus]

Best Leslie by far is the Ventilator.
Period.
There is none better.
There's a YouTube demo of a real tonewheel Hammond B3 A/B'd between a Leslie 122 and the Ventilator - you cannot tell the difference.
Ventilator: buy it. Buy it NOW!

 

[jwebb1970]

Best Leslie by far is the Ventilator.
Period.
There is none better.
There's a YouTube demo of a real tonewheel Hammond B3 A/B'd between a Leslie 122 and the Ventilator - you cannot tell the difference.
Ventilator: buy it. Buy it NOW!

Not doubting the quality of the Ventilator...but the BEST Leslie? That would be a real fucking Leslie!
Hammond Leslie G37 Amplified Rotary Guitar Speaker - BananasMusic.com

Granted, you have to lug this sucker around & it will lighten one's wallet by $1500. But if you want the real thing.....

Back in my music store employee days in the 90s, we used to sell this company's line of rotating speakers. Very nice stuff & generally less $$ than a "real" Leslie. Liked the installed internal mics w/ XLR outs. No more live miking hassles.

http://motion-sound.com/products

Or, get the Ventilator Papus suggests - I heard the YouTube thing he mentioned...and he speaks the truth!

 

[Moose Coghill]

Back in the '70s-'80s my keyboard player had a full size B3 and the big Leslie cab that we had to haul upstairs and such. Nearly got my hand crushed by the B3 on a narrow stairway that led to the 2nd floor of a club one night.

But when organ wasn't needed, I had to option to make use of it. Never forgot that sound. Of course, since everything gets mic'd up - the audience never really gets the full experience of a rotating speaker; nor on recordings. So an emulated Leslie is not so different from a real one from that point of view. Standing next to one is another story. Powerful. Disorienting. Cool.

I'm happy with the RT-20 tho. It fills the bill. And it ain't gonna try to take off my hand.

 

[Papus]

I own a Leslie 122 for my Hammond T-100.
It gets it's fair share of guitar duties as well.
As Frampton says: "The Leslie is nature's own chorus pedal".
Most simulators overdo it - the real effect is quite subtle on the slow speed - that's the real deal-breaker test: how does the sim sound on the slow speed?
The fast speed is easier to simulate, a lot of the shithouse demos focus on the fast speed for Gilmour effects, but the real test is on slow, like Little Wing and Angel

 

[jbailes]

That roto sim sure sounds nice. What would be good to replicate the lead tones from Frampton comes alive?

 

[zachman]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5osnINfj_48]Ventilator Pedal... the best leslie in a box - YouTube[/ame]