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Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Re: OT- NAMM 2011

From: lsf5275@aol.com
Date: 2011-01-22

Charles,
 
Suppose you make a wooden thing with a neck and buttons on it instead of strings. All of the sounds are digitized and you press buttons to get the sounds. Is it a Guitar? It looks like a guitar, but is it a guitar? No. A Mellotron or Chamberlin were TAPE playback machines. Just because you make something that kinda looks like one and plays digital representations of the original tape samples doesn't make them one.
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/22/2011 8:48:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, charel196@yahoo.com writes:
 

I just don't get all this "it's not a Mellotron" talk....the digital unit is a logical progression from tape replay and Ill bet Harry Chamberlin would have moved into this area if he were alive now. The whole point was playing instrument sounds on a keyboard, not the tape technology (which was the only method available)
If all sounds are from original tapes and only last 8 seconds and are the best digital representations that can be done, personally to me it's a new Mellotron.It's the offspring of the tape machine. So what that it doesn't use Chamberlin heads etc. With EQ'ing and processing I imagine you can get near 1000% close.
Heck I have used samples on my albums (from my EMU E4K, EMAX 1, and CLASSIC KEYS) sometimes on the same songs I used my real M400 (when I had it) and I defy anyone to tell me which is which. And the E4K was using the Pinder CD. The M4000D samples are said to be way beyond the Pinder CD in quality. I think it's totally anal to hang on to tape playback technology as the only thing that can be called "Mellotron" or "Chamberlin". The 4000D is just a new and different model in the family tree....made by the people who own the name and masters.