Again Bruce gives an excellent lesson in programming.
Bruce, where did you learn that the mellotron used just intonation
(shudder)? Was it some sort of cruel joke or mistake or what? I never had
the money (back in the day) to own one, but I've heard plenty of them live
and they did have a weird out-of-tuneness that was unique. But ---- at that
time there were no other "samplers", and therefore nothing to compare the
sound to but a real instrument, and for my ears (stoned as they were) the
emulations were excellent. Did you know that Mellotron is still in
business? They even have a web site. Some electronic instruments are
classics due to unique quirks, and others are just passing technology; the
Mellotron is a true "musical instrument".
Someone asked recently the group what the "definative" sound of the AN1x is,
and I've been giving this a lot of thought. So far, I have no answer. This
is because the AN emulates existing stuff so well. "Earth Lead" is one of
my favorites, but it sure sounds like Rick Wakeman's ARP from the '70s.
Finally (since this seems to be long anyway), I ask again: Has anyone found
a way to do pitch bend from a pedal? This is annoying, and I'm hoping
there's a simple solution.
Ed Edwards
> The sound on the intro to "Strawberry Fields" is a Mellotron Mark II,
using
> the flute recording that was part of the standard tape set. What makes
> this simulation difficult is the fact that the Mellotron is a sort of
> sampling synthesizer, so you are trying to simulate a synth with another
> synth. Also, the Mellotron had its own dominant timbre which permeated
> every sound, from violins to choirs to flutes. And finally, the Mellotron
> was not a chromatically-tuned instrument; the recordings were
> just-intonated, mostly in the key of A major. In any other key, they tend
> to sound a little off key on one or more of the notes. The following is
> the way I would approach the sound on ANY synth, AN1x or otherwise --