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organ from “killing for company” by swans | ToneDB

killing for company

swans

organ

75% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A harsh, distorted organ sound with a sense of dread and industrial decay. The tone is thick and dissonant, contributing to the song's overall unsettling atmosphere.

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The Story

The organ tone on Swans' "Killing for Company" features a heavily distorted Hammond B3 organ processed through a Leslie speaker cabinet and miked with a Shure SM57. The aggressive character comes from running the organ through a ProCo RAT distortion pedal, creating the harsh, industrial quality that defines this track.

Production Credits

Producer: Michael Gira

Engineer: Toby Reynolds

Recorded at: Studio in Berlin

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a Hammond B3 organ and a Leslie 147 speaker cabinet.
  • Place a Shure SM57 microphone close to one of the Leslie's horns or rotors.
  • Insert a ProCo RAT distortion pedal in the signal chain and dial in a high level of distortion.
  • Experiment with different gain settings on the RAT to find the sweet spot between aggression and clarity.
  • Adjust the microphone placement to fine-tune the balance between direct sound and room ambience.

Original Gear

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Substitutions & Recommendations

Hammond XK-5 Drawbar OrganShop on Reverb$2500-$3000

Alternative to: Hammond B3 organ

Modern Hammond with authentic B3 tone engine and built-in Leslie simulation, captures the core organ sound without vintage maintenance issues

Native Instruments B4 IIPlugin Boutique$100-$150

Alternative to: Hammond B3 organ

Software emulation of Hammond B3 with Leslie cabinet modeling, budget-friendly option for getting authentic Hammond tones in DAW

Neo Instruments Ventilator IIShop on Reverb$400-$500

Alternative to: Leslie 147 speaker cabinet

High-quality Leslie speaker simulation pedal that captures rotary speaker movement and tone coloration

ProCo RAT 2Shop on Reverb$80-$100

Alternative to: ProCo RAT distortion

Current production version of the classic RAT with same aggressive distortion character used on the original recording

Caline CP-50 OD/DistortionShop on Reverb$25-$35

Alternative to: ProCo RAT distortion

Budget RAT clone that delivers similar harsh distortion characteristics for aggressive organ processing

Sources

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