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Let's have a Mellotron thread

S

steve6080

pfm Member
Following on from the Mike Pinder RIP thread there are obviously a few folks on here who have direct experience of the dreaded Mellotron. We've all heard it on King Crimson and Yes tracks but don't know much about it except that Rick Wakeman set fire to his in frustration -- so:
1. How does it actually work? Some sort of tape system?
2. What sounds does it produce other than strings?
3. Is it polyphonic?
4. Its a keyboard but is it played like a piano/organ -- chords/single note runs etc or is there a special technique?
5. Is it still made under another name in the States?
Regards,
Steve
 
We know tonnes about Mellotrons. The internet is your friend. There is mich more detail than this out there but…

1 - yes.
2 - the fabled Beatles flute for one. Replicated beautifully by Sparklehorse. Tape numbers ran into double figures.
3 - yes albeit with massive caveats.
4 - no.
5 - no. There are brilliant software versions available.
 
Mike Hughes said:
We know tonnes about Mellotrons. The internet is your friend. There is mich more detail than this out there but…

1 - yes.
2 - the fabled Beatles flute for one. Replicated beautifully by Sparklehorse. Tape numbers ran into double figures.
3 - yes albeit with massive caveats.
4 - no.
5 - no. There are brilliant software versions available.
Click to expand...

4 - You need to adapt your playing style to get the most from one.
5 - You can also buy the M4000d and the Manikin Electronics Memotron.
 
There's web page somewhere that lists all the tracks with mellotron, in order of quantity...I'll look for it. They do voices as well as strings.
I like the threatening deep bass sounds they give on some early King Crimson tracks like the Sailors Tale.
 
Thanks everyone -- loads to research there -- the planet mellotron site could take several weeks on its own!
Very tempted by the simulator so will probably give it a go.
Regards,
Steve
 
Manfred Mann sampled flute a bit earlier and then The Beatles intro to Strawberry Fields was to blame!
 
Seeker_UK said:
The first use of a 'tron on a rock record was Baby Can it Be True? by the Graham Bond Organization.
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Ta. I was addressing the flute issue raised above really. The Beatles got their Mellotron from the Mann connection, so I believe anyway. Interesting (?) that they should sample the same instrument i.e. flute, which seems a bit plagiaristic to me. They did use it other songs too though...
 
gavreid said:
Interesting (?) that they should sample the same instrument i.e. flute, which seems a bit plagiaristic to me. They did use it other songs too though...
Click to expand...

Although everyone gets a bit moist about many 'tron sounds (violins, GC Brass, choir, flute), many of the others are awful.

The Graham Bond track uses violins, BTW.

To get a bit nerdy, if you listen to the flute at the start of "Semi Detached-Suburban", there's a noticeably more percussive 'spit' to the attack than on "Strawberry Fields". This is done by hitting the keys harder than normal.
 
So when you say sample how does that work -- does someone play a real instrument note by note onto the tapes? Presumably the note can only sustain for as long as the tape runs so what happens then does it rewind and start another note?
regards,
Steve
 
Seeker_UK said:
To get a bit nerdy, if you listen to the flute at the start of "Semi Detached-Suburban", there's a noticeably more percussive 'spit' to the attack than on "Strawberry Fields". This is done by hitting the keys harder than normal.
Click to expand...
Plus the action on a MkII was totally different to an M400. I can’t imagine, say, Brian Jones (We Love You) or Ian McDonald (Mars) getting the same vicious attack on a 400.

But really I’m bluffing. We need a proper recorded, touring Mellotron player to tell us - calling @stephen bennett !!

Seeker_UK said:
Although everyone gets a bit moist about many 'tron sounds (violins, GC Brass, choir, flute), many of the others are awful.
Click to expand...
I like some of the weirder, rarer ones that sound distinctly ill, like guitar (Kinks) and alto sax (Sparks).
 
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