Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Mellotronists

On a seperate note,  8 track was never the best of mediums and we are currently restoring a ∗∗∗∗∗∗∗ Birotron which was built around this technology.  Sonically it is an absolute nightmare as the cartridges are running continuously, wearing out rapidly and clattering like a Singer sewing machine on acid.  When you look at the compexity of the Birotron and the simplicity of the Mellotron mechanism you wonder why Mr Wakeman and Mr Biro bothered.  It is a well engineered machine but flawed from the very outset in our opinion.  And relacing the cartridges.

Dear All,
Been away for a few days, but was lucky enough to see this machine when up visiting Streetly recently during a day off work.

Shame that the Birotron was spoilt by the fundamental error of choosing 8 tracks as the tape media. The idea of getting away from the 8 second limit was obviously a priority here.

Quality of manufacture was good (especially as such a small number were produced) and some of the components used such as the motor plus tacho were of high quality resulting in a stable motor control from near standstill up to at least double speed. Shame that some of more important components were made from mild steel (that can become magnetised!)

However the noise created by driving 19 tape cartridges while they are mounted vertically is frightening. As 8 tracks were designed to run horizontally I am sure that this had something to do with both the noise and the estimated limited life of the tapes. Not helped by the fact that they are always running, even when the instrument is "silent".

Anyway it sounded better after restoration than it probably had sounded for years...

All the best,
Norm