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Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] I washed my tron last night and now I can't do a thing with it

From: Mark Pring <markpringnz@yahoo.com>
Date: 2009-09-30

Mike, do you still have a CM10 in your tron? I have exactly the same tuning problems with my tron and had thought it was due to the CM10. Being 12,000 miles from help and mechanically challenged I decided to put up with it rather install the new card and then possibly a  new motor.

--- On Thu, 10/1/09, Mike Dickson <mike.dickson@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Mike Dickson <mike.dickson@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] I washed my tron last night and now I can't do a thing with it
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7:50 AM

 

Mine is the same.I distinctly recall that when I was recording 'WaterThrough Fingers' on the fiorst Systems Theory album it was worse thanever. The coda to that track features over a dozen Mellotron sounds,and recording one was not a problem, but the next was in variably outof tune to the tune of (say) a quarter tone flat. If I turned the pitchup by a hint of smattering of a suggestion then it was playing asemitone sharp. Back down the same amount and it was still sharp. A tadfurther down and it was back where it started.

I gave up for the day and did it all again the next day. I recorded alltracks, one after another, with no pitch problems at all.

Mike

Mark Pring wrote:

 

I think the mellotron must be one of most infuriating instrumentson the planet. I played it last night, it sounded terrible, I played ittonight it sounds great.

Is this just because it hasn't been fully restored or do newer restoredtrons do the same thing. Having read Mike's info on his website I knowthat mine isn't the only one to do this. Does the M4000 always playperfectly?

Mark

PS Did you know that Syd Barrett's "Wined and dined" seems to have thesame harmonic structure to "Little Donkey" ?