Rotary Speakers: Tornado and Vortex
More Than an Alternative
The Leslie is the most famous rotary speaker in the world so much so, the name has become synonymous with rotary speakers.
The Leslie utilizes the Doppler effect caused by the rotation of two parts inside the cabinet (the horn and the rotor) to produce a “vibrant” and extremely pleasing sound. However, the Leslie is quite bulky and heavy, which can become inconvenient when using it live, in addition, there is a risk of damaging the beautiful wood cabinet.
Hence, the idea was born to build a speaker which can offer the same timbre response, power, and reliability but with smaller dimensions and a lighter weight-load to make it easy to carry. In short, a speaker that could blend together completely antithetical qualities! A lost cause? Not at all. With determination, hundreds of hours of hard work, a careful selection of components and materials, thorough sound testing, thousands of euros invested, and many sleepless nights, the Tornado Rotary Speaker was finally born in 2006. Compact, powerful, dynamic, driven by a tube or solid-state amplifier, and able to boost the organ’s timbre quality like any Leslie.
Since the launch of its first version, the Tornado has consistently proven to be an extremely reliable speaker capable of delivering exceptional performance in any situation, thanks to the high quality of its components, its compact design, and its reduced weight. Over the years, it has become the preferred rotary speaker for many musicians, including internationally renowned ones, who have been impressed by its overall performance.
In 2022, from the collaboration between Silvio Della Mattia and Viscount, VORTEX was born: a rotary speaker specifically designed for instruments that simulate the original electromechanical organs, such as those in Viscount’s Legend and Legend Soul series.
Viscount Vortex 315
Designed by Silvio Della Mattia in collaboration with Viscount.