Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: The Mellotron Group

Interesting article, but I'd like to know exactly what the limitations of a Mellotron are. It is what it is.

Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
> A nice article about the M4000 and then a referral to watch a movie that
> hardly mentions Streetly (if at all)and is mostly about Chamberlins.
>
>
>
> _New Mellotron M4000 Finds Home With Chicago Psych Rocker_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/)
> 18Sep10
>
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/)
> _Send to a Friend_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/) | _Feed for this Entry_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/feed/) | Filed under: _Keyboard Synthesizers_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/keyboard-synthesize
> rs/) , _Samplers_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/samplers/)
>
>
> Mellotrons have a checkered history. They’re known for their unique sound
> and place in electronic music, but they’re also known for their limitations
> and temperamentality.
> But, while the sound of the Mellotron has been captured in samples and
> software, there’s still something about a real tape-based Mellotron that
> appeals to a lot of musicians.
> And, for some keyboardists, it’s hard for them to imagine playing their
> music without a Mellotron.
> Chicago-based psychedelic rocker Jim Licka, right, recently added a new
> _Mellotron M4000_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/09/18/streetly-electronics-introduces-a-new-mellotron/) , from _Streetly Electronics_
> (http://www.mellotronics.com/) , to his arsenal. Licka leads a
> psychedelic/ambient/rock band _Umbra and the Volcan Siege_ (http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago)
> .
> Why a new Mellotron?
> “I think the Mellotron is the most dynamic and influential instrument
> invented,” says Licka.”I love it every time I play it and hear it.”
> The Mellotron M4000 is the newest in a the Mellotron family of
> electro-mechanical, polyphonic sample-playback keyboards. Psychedelic and progressive
> rock bands used the Mellotron extensively in the ’60s and ’70s and the
> instrument features on album like George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music, King
> Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King and Architecture & Morality by
> Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.
> More recently, the Mellotron has seen a resurgence of interest, especially
> with prog and metal groups.
> “It sends me to a place that’s special and sacred,” adds Licka. “It makes
> me feel alive and I feel lucky to own one. I think that keeps me coming
> back for more and more and it’s the most amazing sound ever.”
> Licka, who also plays guitar and Moog synthesizer with Umbra and the Volcan
> Siege, ordered his Mellotron M4000 in 2007, after visiting Streetly’s
> Staffordshire, England, headquarters and testing a prototype. An older model
> Mellotron is featured on the most recent Umbra and the Volcan Siege EP, 2009’
> s The Beginning of the End.
> If you’re interested in learning more about the Mellotron, a great place to
> start is Dianna Dilworth’s excellent _Mellotron documentary Mellodrama_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/02/12/mellodrama-mellotronchamberlin-d
> ocumentary-trailer/) .
>