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

On Mon, Jun 30, 2014 at 3:52 PM, Mike Dickson mike.dickson@gmail.com [newmellotrongroup] <newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Rich should take on Gallo.  Just saying.

On 30 June 2014 20:48, lsf5275@aol.com [newmellotrongroup] <newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Nice!

 

In a message dated 6/30/2014 12:10:44 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com writes:

 

I would like to address a small part of Rich's post.

"No benefit in the studio either. NONE."

A quick personal history. I own a recording studio that specializes in vintage keyboards. Our inventory includes one of Markus' M4000D's, and an original M400. I've also owned a number of additional M400's, a MkV, and a Chamberlin.

Some observations on the M4000D. Well-made, great sounding, reliable, nice keyboard. Does it sound like our particular M400? No. And this M400 doesn't sound like our other M400's. The M4000D sounds like a combination of a couple of the M400's we've had. But it sounds NOTHING like our current M400, and again....neither did our past Trons. Not better or worse, just different. Radically different. We use the M4000D for "almost" everything, but occasionally it's simply "Not The Right Mellotron". Just like the M400 is often not the right Mellotron. They are different sounding Mellotrons.

Studio benefits: Many of our inventoried instruments are essentially handmade. Therefore, each will have it's own quirks and personality. OUR Rhodes doesn't sound like YOUR Rhodes. OUR Minimoog doesn't sound like YOUR Minimoog. And that, in itself, gives value to having the hardware.

However, the point that I consider most important, and often overlooked, is "how does that PARTICULAR instrument influence the performer's music?". Here's how it plays out, in EVERY session. I'm not kidding.

Player arrives. He/she has been using vsti's and hardware sims for years. Has never even SEEN most of the authentic instruments. They have all their parts carefully written and rehearsed, based on their vsti's, and on the sims in their workstations.

They see the C3 and 122. "Holy shit". Yep. This is serious.

I show them how to turn on the C3. The starter motor grinds up to speed, then the run motor wobbles a bit, and kicks the machine into gear. "Holy shit".

They feel the vibrations from the tonewheel generator. They feel the wind from the Leslie. I coach them through the speed switch, drawbars, percussion, and vibrato. I show them how to control the distortion by using the volume pedal. "Holy shit".

They play the parts that they had planned. Then....they start modifying the parts, based on the influence of the instrument. They disappear into the experience, and we all just shut up for a while, and let them soak it in, and GET IT. We've had people actually crying while playing this stuff. They can't believe the depth of the experience. The realization that the vsti is THAT far from the real instrument, comes as a profound shock.

What they eventually record ends up sounding like the REAL version of what they had originally intended. With far more emotion and power, but it's because of THE WAY THEY PLAY IT, not just the way it sounds.

So I do think that "No benefit in the studio either. NONE." may be an unfair assumption.

Cheers,

Jim Blair
Ape Island Sound
Canada

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Mike Dickson

Edinburgh

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