In a message dated 01/23/11 08:14:35 Pacific Standard Time, lsf5275 writes:
Clay,
How would Markus sample all of those Chamberlin sounds. It is my understanding that swapping tapes in any Chamberlin would be a pain in the ass. Even if you were to sample the sounds from an old Music Master, the tapes would likely be old and worn. Mattias has one now. so maybe he can tell us how his tapes are. But even if they're great, they're not all of the sounds. So if he wants to use the Chamberlin Masters, he would have to play them in a Mark VI or a 400. Doing that alters the dynamics of the intended sound. But then again, Markus makes no claim that I have seen, read or heard as to how the tapes were sampled. Maybe the Chamberlin sounds were all sampled from a Mellotron. Then they wouldn't be authentic, but who's gonna know?
We really need to move from the philosophical/speculative realm to the real world, i.e., sonority (what sounds good). 50 people, 50 opinions, no consensus, no progress. After all, strict music theory would dictate that the dissonance of playing a B and a C together is a major no-no (or parallel fifths), but listening to Wakeman's brass intro to "Siberian Khatru" says it's perfect for that musical phrase, both starting and ending on such an interval. I don't know Markus' sound source, but I can tell you firsthand that, say, the Mellotron Cello and Chamberlin Cello can be played together or solo on an M400D and you can move back and forth between the two by the twist of a knob for an instant A/B comparison. While both are good, objectively, the Chamby Cello is much more authentic sounding. The point being that Markus could not have achieved that other than sampling a source oth er than direct from tape.
My only real disappointment about Markus' machine is the name. I can certainly see its appeal and its purpose. I'm not sure I am aware of his marketing strategy, if any, but there certainly is interest. I am surprised that he isn't more involved with the Mellotron community.
I had intended to ask Markus about this very issue; unfortunately, he was not present at NAMM this year.
Frank 1