 Organ Donor: John Novello Signature B3 Sounds for the OASYS
By Laura B. Whitmore
John Novello’s life has had many twists and turns, but there’s one thing he’s been focused on for a very long time – the organ. Well, the Hammond B3 organ/Leslie speaker combination to be exact. In fact, he’s known as a master of this hellacious pairing that, as he tells it, he was born to play.
Throughout his career, John has performed and worked with a wide range of artists, from Chick Corea, Ritchie Cole, Hubert Laws, Andy Summers of the Police, Henry Mancini, and Ramsey Lewis, to legendary rock bassist Billy Sheehan, Edgar Winter, Mark Isham, Donna Summer, Manhattan Transfer and A Taste of Honey. Today you’ll find him scoring films, recording with his band Niacin, producing, writing a book, or working on a solo project. But you’ll always find that B3 sound by his side.
So when it was time to craft the perfect B3 programs for the top-of-the-line Korg OASYS Open Architecture Synthesis Studio, you can be sure John Novello was at the top of the call list. And you can be sure he delivered with a set of sounds that tap into the “organic” sensibilities that only John possesses.
Here we talk to John about creating his signature OASYS sounds, his band Niacin, and much more. Read on>>
Korg: Korg has recently released new sounds for the OASYS that include some “signature” organ sound from you. How did that come about?
John: Korg contacted me due to my signature organ sound and work and reputation with several of my projects – Niacin with Billy Sheehan and Dennis Chambers and B3 Soul, my latest solo project. We’ve known each other for years, but the folks at Korg thought that this may be a great opportunity for us to work together, and I agreed, and we had a blast!
Korg: Did having the OASYS and your organ in the studio side by side let you really compare and dial in the characteristics?
John: Absolutely! That’s the best way to A/B the sounds. We had Korg product manager Jerry Kovarsky and programmer Jack Hotop and there, who really knows the programming of the OASYS, and so he used my ears and my suggestions regarding the many, many parameters that make up not only a good organ sound, but my particular signature sound.
Korg: You have a “secret sauce” to your sound that’s unique to you. How was that incorporated into these OASYS sounds?
John: Well, as I said above, there are many parameters that go into a good organ sound, and so we worked on them one at a time by playing my real B3 in my personal studio and then having the Korg programmers use the OASYS synthesis architecture power to duplicate my sound as closely as possible with my ears and guidance and experience. We played with all of the following, namely:
- accelerating and decelerating speed of the Leslie speaker’s treble horns and woofer
- fast brake and slow Leslie motor speeds
- percussion sound and envelopes
- distortion and over drive
- key click
- tone EQ
- drawbar harmonics
- vibrato
- reverb
And many more that if I told you I’d have to kill you! 8-)
Korg: You’ve been playing the OASYS for over a year now – what attracts you the most?
John: Its versatility along with the sophisticated KARMA generator, which is built into the OASYS. It’s a total workstation, composer tool and monster performance studio and live synth! Great sounds and lots and lots of control of all parameters – almost too much!
Korg: You recently got to preview the new Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano. What are your first reactions to it?
John: Fantastic, especially the Rhodes, clav and piano sounds; very authentic sound duplication and the velocity sensitivity makes you feel like you’re playing the real deal, which for me is everything. It’s a blast to play – really delivers the goods!
Korg: How did the Niacin project first come together? What makes that band unique from your perspective?
John: Billy Sheehan and I met in 1995, and he knew I was a B3 fanatic and asked me to co-write a tune with him. I was honored and we loved working together, so we wrote 14 more and asked ourselves who we wanted to play drums, and we both said Dennis Chambers at the same time, and the rest is history! As to why it works, I don’t know. It’s just a synergistic band. Its uniqueness is the product of three cats with no limitations on musical style and with no consideration about business. We just write and play and hope someone out there likes it. If they don’t, at least we do!!! So far we’ve been very blessed, and we’re humbled at our success.
Korg: You’re also well known as an educator, what practice/study tips can you offer our readers?
John: Study your rudiments however you can – find a teacher, listen to your favorite artists, go to concerts and last but not least and most important, play, play, play! You’ll know when you’re doing something correct when you become passionate and obsessed with being a good player. Without those ingredients, well, not sure I can help! How do you develop passion and obsession...? By following your musical instinct, your ears, what you like to play. That’s the essence of anything in life. What’s your melody? Then develop that! Emulation is good to a point, but after awhile, you have to leave that crutch behind and have the courage to develop YOUR ears. Are you playing what YOU hear? If you are, then those are the most honest notes you can deliver to the audience.
Korg: What’s on your musical plate now and in the near future?
John: Finishing up the next Niacin CD to be released sometime in 2010 and more touring with my solo project B3Soul starting with the Jakarta Jazz Festival in early March.
Find out more about what’s next with John at www.niacinb3.comand www.keysnovello.com
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