Mellotronists

At 03:04 AM 7/26/2002 -0400, Tony Moffett wrote:
>Several other details came to mind after posting this. The modulation 
>being visible is like the depth of a vinyl record's groove, except 
>expressed horizontally. An easily available bulb provided the light for 
>the device. And last but certainly not least is that David Van Koovering 
>was the head of marketing at Moog Music before he started Vako, began the 
>Orchestrons project and later the Viking line of road cases. I distinctly 
>remember and still have the flyer detailing a custom triple Orchestron 
>built for Patrick Moraz when he was with YES. I was lucky enough to fiddle 
>around with his toy on a few occasions, and many years later discuss that 
>project with Patrick in person, and found him to be a very likable fellow. 
>Does anyone remember when Keith Emerson would lay his upright piano on 
>himself and play it from behind? That instrument was being fitted in a 
>road case once while I was visiting their shop. Also in Dave's office was 
>a fully loaded Moog 55 staring you down, so to speak. I never got to patch 
>that sucker up.



I also have all the old Orchestron flyers.  The triple Orchestron they made
for Patrick was burned up in a warehouse fire in St. Petersburg, sometime
in the 80's.

You're correct on the mechanism for producing the sound, the translucent disk
rotated between the light bulb (an appliance-type bulb, as I recall) and an
opto-electronic sensor, which converted the light modulations to audio.
No lasers were involved that I know of, not even in the mastering of the sound
disks - I think that was just marketing hype.

The Viking road case company turned out to be a more viable enterprise than
Vako Orchestron ever did, I think - it was around for a number of years.

I recall the upright piano Emo used, he used it on the Brain Salad Surgery
tour to play "The Sheriff / Jeremy Bender".  It was either an electric or 
electronic
piano, similar to the Maestro electric piano that was made, with 1 or 2 strings
per note, a shortened keyboard, and interior pickups.  Emo didn't pull the
piano on top of him when I saw him, it was supporting a Clavinet and Minimoog
from the back.  He saved the backwards playing on top of him for the
Hammond L-100.  Have tried to find out who made that piano over the years,
but have never been able to definitively find out.


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Mark S. Glinsky  -  Arlington, TX
Email -  glinskym@...
http://www.markglinsky.com/ManualManor.html
"Be Seeing You...." - No. 6
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