On Tue, 23 Jan 2007, jonesalley wrote:
> Here are some questions any and all who are using or have used Mellotrons for live or recorded music are invited to answer:
>
>
> When you play/record your Mellotrons (or probably Chamberlins) do you
> have a general starting point for how you EQ them? Are your live vs.
> recorded EQ settings similar or different? Do you prefer your
> instrument dry or effected? How? What do you monitor with live or to
> record?
no single simple answers for me.
it all depends on context, both musically and environmentally.
i usually put some high quality reverb on the m400, or the
pinder samples in my asr-10, but the exact type/setting
depends on how i want the sound to "sit" ultimately in the mix.
i don't gig my m4oo, but sometimes am asked to help with
session at our studio when a client wants to use the m400
that lives at our studio. they typically just want "that
flute sound" or "that string sound" and i try to provide
what i THINK they are looking for - some reverb usually
makes their eyes light up in instant recognition.
i do prefer leaving the "tone" setting on the m400 itself
opened up and use external eq to tweek the tone. i do this
because i feel i have better eq externally than the somewhat
primitive and antique tone control on the m400. at least
my own ears [granted, not in the best of shape] tell me.
and the studio has an ssl 9000, which is a wonderful EQ
on an m400 in my experience. might be "a british thing".
monitoring?
i have 3 pairs of near fields in my home studio which i
switch between, as they have different strength and
weaknesses. our main studio has both nearfields that
sit on the meter bridge [yeah - yamahas] and a pair
of questeds that cost thousands of dollars along with
a quested subwoofer. but no matter the setting, you need
to keep the context in which you want the mellotron
to fit in mind.
but nearly ALWAYS some reverb is applied, using the
highest quality you can get your hands on [lexicons
seem to treat the mellotron very well - that's what
i use both at home and at our studio, but i don't
have a 480 at home... yet].
your milage may vary.
jeff
[jack of no trades, master of the obvious]