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

 

If Mellotrons have limitations, everything has limitations. No one ever mentions the limitations of a guitar or a piano, yet the article mentions Mellotron limitations without saying what they are. What are they?

Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
> Many people don't know this, but Bernie used to know much more about
> Mellotrons than he does now. He fell down the stairs a while back and when he
> awoke, he immediately changed his email address and promptly erased all of the
> knowledge associated with the old one.
>
> Be patient. He's coming along just fine.
>
> Frank
>
>
> In a message dated 11/30/2010 8:29:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> gabru@... writes:
>
>
>
>
>
> Really Bernie?....You don’t know what the limitations are?
> You’re kidding right?
> J
>
>
>
> From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of tron400
> Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:05 AM
> To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Speaking of the M4000, what's with this?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 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_
> (mailto: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/_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/) )
> > 18Sep10
> >
> > (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/_
> (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/_
> (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/_
> (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_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/keyboard-synthesize)
> > rs/) , _Samplers_
> >
> (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/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/_ (http://www.synth
> topia.com/content/2009/09/18/streetly-electronics-introduces-a-new-mellotron/) ) , from _Streetly Electronics_
> > (_http://www.mellotronics.com/_ (http://www.mellotronics.com/) ) , to his
> arsenal. Licka leads a
> > psychedelic/ambient/rock band _Umbra and the Volcan Siege_
> (_http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago_ (http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago) )
> > .
> > Why a new Mellotron?
> > â€Å"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.â€
> 
> > 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.
> > â€Å"It sends me to a place that’s special and sacred,” adds Licka. â
> ہ"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_
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/02/12/mellodrama-mellotronchamberlin-d)
> > ocumentary-trailer/) .
> >
>