They are not stone tablets. It's a set of golden plates that were buried near Manchester, New York.
--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, "Charles" <charel196@...> wrote:
>
> On what stone tablets is it written that a Mellotron or Chamberlin HAVE to be tape replay instruments? The whole idea was to be able to playback instruments on a keyboard. Who can dictate with absolute authority that this has to be done exclusively on recording tape?
> A bit like saying a car with a computer can no longer be called a car because old cars didn't have computers.
>
>
>
> --- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@ wrote:
> >
> > If you make a digital "violin" that plays back violin samples is it a
> > violin? The very nature of what makes a Mellotron a Mellotron is that it plays
> > tapes. Markus' machine has the name Mellotron on it because he has the right
> > to put that name on anything he so chooses. He could build a guitar and
> > put Mellotron on the head stock and we would know it as a "Mellotron" Guitar.
> > In this case, he has put the name "Mellotron" on a DIGITAL sample playback
> > machine that shares nothing else in common with a real Mellotron except
> > wooden keys that are dimensionally similar and a shape that is reminiscent of
> > the top of a M400. I am not degrading Markus' machine, I would love to
> > have one. I am merely pointing out that it is no more a Mellotron than the
> > Memotron is.
> >
> > If Harry Chamberlin were alive today and made a digital sample playback
> > machine that played his samples or any other samples and put his name on it we
> > would call it a Chamberlin "..." but it would not be the same thing.
> > "Mellotron" is not just a name owned by David Kean, it is a kind of thing. The
> > fact that Streetly makes such a machine that doesn't use the name but is one
> > none the less supports this position. People look at it and buy it and
> > play it and if you ask them what it is they'll tell you it's a Mellotron
> >
> > If I want to play any other sound than those Markus sells for his digital
> > machine I can't unless I hack the software or find some other way of
> > sneaking different sounds into it. The nature of a Mellotron is such that there is
> > no limit to what sounds I can put into it. If they can be put on tape, I
> > can play them.
> >
> > If I make a frame from scratch that substantially duplicates the original,
> > duplicate the original keyboard, make a preamp, line amp and controls like
> > a Mellotron and get a Mellotron tape frame, then I put the whole mess in a
> > white cabinet shaped like an M400, everyone who looks at it and hears it
> > will say, "that's a Mellotron."
> >
> > We could go on and on Charles, and while I respect your opinion, we'll have
> > to disagree. I'm right and you're wrong. Nyah!
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 1/22/2011 12:18:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> > charel196@ writes:
> >
> > The M4000D is a DIGITAL MELLOTRON
> >
>