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

Thanks all who have replied.

It's given me some new ideas, and has sent me to the right combination of tapes for the sleepy-Pinder sound. On that one I was previously wondering about the elegance of using Trumpets/Trombones, MkII Brass, and MkII Violins. He would have to use at least one overdub and then how does he make three sounds come out of a MkII live? Your information is more elegant, Tenor Sax on the left, Violin on the right, no problem live.

I'll try going back to playing my samples through my guitar amp when I'm trying to emulate sounds I'm used to. I've only got a solid state 2x12" 120W combo by Crate. I like the sound for guitar but I'm thinking of contacting my band director friends and borrowing their tube equipment when it's serious Mellotron recording time.

Fritz mentioned doing oddball things. That reminded me, I've got an idea to share. Try taking your 'tron through a guitar-fuzz pedal before it gets to your volume pedal. I've used both my NYC Big Muff and the built in channels on my guitar combo amp, without much appreciable difference. I recommend doing this on the bassoon, Mk II flute, and Mk II Organ #2 (the Lawrence Welk type warbly one) tapes. For the last two it yields a mean acid organ sound, and the flutes especially bring out intermodulation/difference tones. The bassoon sounds absolutely wicked if played in one octave spacing; singular notes and other intervals: not so great.

I'll have to go try using very mild amounts of gain on some of my favorite channels and see if I get that harsh biting sound I've heard from early era Mellotron recordings (like Graham Bond Organisation and such)

Thanks again for the help everyone!

-Sean