YAMAHA CK61/88 Demo & Review PT3 - Organ Deep Dive

Demo and review of the YAMAHA CK61 & CK88 STAGE KEYBOARD. Part three of our video series exploring this interesting new instrument from Yamaha offering some of the capabilities of the YAMAHA CP and YAMAHA YC series keyboards at a more budget price.
In this episode we explore in depth the HAMMOND ORGAN, VOX & FARFISA ORGANS and the LESLIE ROTARY SIMULATION.

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#yamahasynths #ck #synthesizer

[niltomega]

I'll be ordering this soon. I used to gig from about 1994 to to 2005 and I would have loved this. I'm not into recording I just want accessible live gigging sounds and presets and this looks quite adequate.

[kingstumble]

I remember going to see Georgie Fame at a jazz club when I would have been 17 or18. This was the first time I had heard a Leslie and it blew me away---almost literally! I had never heard anything like it before and I have been in love with it ever since.

[tonyadler]

Woody, there's another Rotary under the effects section Trem/Rot. Tap to get to it. Once there, you can use the Rate and Depth knobs to alter the rotation of the Leslie. Not a particularly sophisticated implementation (0-127 rather than other rotary speed parameters) but yes there is Rotary tweaking available. Perhaps do a mini-vid on that. Also using the EQ makes a huge difference to getting a more 'authentic' sound. One can get closer to a real 'H' than it appears at first play.

[luucdentoom]

Very nice demo again, Woody. I checked the manual and you can indeed assign the modulation wheel to any of the 128 CC’s. CC#9 is for rotary speed.

[paulwomack]

I was thinking quite favourably of the CK Hammond sounds ... until I heard the YC. As you said, the CK is probably fine in the mix, but the YC is so very much nicer (AKA closer to a Hammond).

Disclaimer; I am sitting 8 feet from a Hammond C3 and Leslie L122 as I write this.

[Notmehimorthem]

Thank for this, got me running. I do notice a good thing about the CK61, that is that it is largely physically laid out in what seems to be a new trend. That is the Lesley at the left, then organ, levels, piano, settings area, then fx. Very little menu diving. This is the same on my Nord Stage 4, it bears a close resemblance. I bought this for weight considerations and rehearsals but it could do a pub gig. There is a Sound Manager by John Melas (private euros), that is very similar to the Nord Sound Manager this gives you an on screen library manager which is very useful. There is an on screen 'editor' available too - this gives you a schematic "mirror image" (ish) of the physical interface of the CK61. I can't see the point on the latter, but you may like it.

[JP-xxxe]

New CK61 owner here — thanks for some great pointers on Hammond set up!

[craigmmiller]

Thanks a ton Woody for doing this - really glad I found your channel. One challenge I have living in rural Pennsylvania USA is finding dealers who actually carry instruments. Most of the local shops tend to only carry the lower end models under ~$600 threshold because the target market is the teenager who is pestering his/her parents to learn and instrument. That said finding information out about boards like the CK series is hard - but thanks to you I can get a pretty good idea of what is under the hood so to speak.

[stoneyboyd]

Okay I’m glad that the Farfisa Sound was carried over from the reface.

I want to channel early Pink Floyd with the Farfisa setting…

[waynemiller]

My gosh, in the right hands this instrument sounds pretty awesome. My friend recently bought one and brought it over. I was quite impressed and started watching demo videos. There's a lot to like about this keyboard. I'm mostly a guitarist, but I'd like to think I could bring this to the gigs pretty easily and bang on it a little to add some interest.

[mikew]

I also learned on a Yamaha Electone in the 70s - with a 2 octave pedalboard. People thought it was truly the instrument of the future 😄. There were even organ recitals in church halls etc. Yamaha and Lowrey were the main household brands back then.

[VinePest]

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much for the organ deep dive; always cool to see the real thing in action, too. Fantastic video!

[jjacob]

The Organ section is actually from the Reface YC MiniKeys, plus I believe 3 additional church organ, but you can't beat all that the CK has for the price with the great sounds and innovative features and capabilities. I must get one of these, after I get the Roland Go:Keys 5.

[matthewbolduc]

Very good and groovy demonstration, including rotary speaker mind blowing demo.

[MemphisMike]

Just got a CK. Looking forward to diving into Organ. Volume pedal does wonders for dynamics. Great vid sir

[railway]

Great video 👍 How does the organ section of this CK61 compare to the red Reface YC? I have a bit of a feeling that this CK61 is a compilation of the 4 Reface keyboards? Or is it more that that? I was thinking to buy a Reface YC as a handy organ addition to Yamaha PSR, but I wonder if the possibilities of the organ section of this new CK61 are better? I would only use the organ section though.

[danielporter]

Just like the original vr-09, it runs the percussion through the c/v circuit. There is no chorus or vubrato on the percussion of a Hammond

[leftyzappa]

I played this at GC yesterday. I’ve got my heart set on an SK1 but I did enjoy the CK88. I wonder how it would sound through my Marshall…

[keithrichardstaunton]

The best of the best of the best. Ty Maestro. 💗🙏🎶

[itsmaistro]

Would the CK88 be a good replacement for the Yanaha MX88?