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

Okay...

 

Domestic MKIIs had a VFO(Voltage frequency ocillator)control and this gave you a great pitch sweep downwards but not upwards.  The motor pulley was matched to the VFO range to maximise this effect.  MKIIs suffered from voltage sensitivity.

 

SFX MKIIs had an early CMC4 style controller to quieten the audio path and give better control, away from voltage sensitivity.  It also put a whine in the audio just like the dreaded CMC10.

 

M300s were built in two different fashions.  One style had pitch control(CMC4), the other didn't.

 

Mike Pinder removed the top end shriek(for which MKIIs are notorious), sent the instrument through an amp which was placed in an isolated room with a mike(s) picking up the ensuing and already mitigated sound.  He removed all attack on the violins through careful footpedal control.  He also overdubbed like buggery using what appears to be two note inversions layer upon layer.  The resulting melange was put through an EMT plate.  It took a while to perfect and you can track the progress through the first four albums as they developed 'that' sound.

 

Mike Dickson is from Scotland.

 

M