Mellotronists

In a message dated 11/23/02 6:02:02 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
ken@... writes:


> Subj:Re: [Mellotronists] French Horn / Russian Choir 
> Date:11/23/02 6:02:02 PM Eastern Standard Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:ken@...">ken@...</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:mellotronists@yahoogroups.com">mellotronists@yahoogroups.com</A>
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >My guess is that it might be something that inadvertently happened in your 
> 
> >machine.
> 
> My guess (FWIW) is that the French horn notes got messed up during the 
> recording of Ken's tape set or maybe it's the tape stock, not in the 
> mastering.  Rick and/or Martin would have caught the problems in the 
> masters, I'm sure.  The sound is not unlike the burbles you'd hear in the 
> soundtrack of an old movie---it's not cars or doors or Vicki inventing new 
> four-letter words.
> 

I agree 100% here, KL.  


> Another guess about something else:  The pops are static.  Where/How I do 
> not know.  JB is leaning away from that, and I don't blame him, because to 
> disagree with me usually means you wind up being correct.  Why it happens 
> on only one station is beyond me, and why it builds up so fast and on only 
> certain notes is, again, weird.  Heads going bad?  I have suggested to Ken 
> to examine and clean all the connections in the box as a start.
> 
> 

If the heads are going bad, they're only going bad when it's on station #1 
;-).

Also, to clarify, it doesn't happen only on certain notes.  I think it would 
happen randomly on any notes I played on bank #1, as long as I play more than 
one note at a time.  

OK, here's another clue.  I was playing MKII #247 tonight, and I wanted to be 
100% sure that the pops only occur on station one.  So, I cycled through all 
of the other stations, and no pops on any station but #1.  However, after I 
had just completed giving station #2 a workout, I pushed button #1 on the 
bank selector.  Between the time I pushed the station #1 selector and the 
time the drums rolled, I heard "pop, pop".  This (simultaneous multiple pops) 
has happened before, when the drums started to roll from station 1 to station 
2.  Not sure if this means the problem is related to the station selector 
switch, or the motion of the tapes on the drum as it starts to roll.

I love a good Mellotron mystery (as long as it can be solved).

One other thing I noticed also.  The MKII sounds much better cranked up loud. 
 My neighbor must have been watching his home theater system tonight, because 
it sounded like there was a sustained earthquake next door.  This used to 
piss me off, but now I use it as an opportunity to blast the MKII.  He can't 
very well come next door and tell me to turn it down, right?  Anyway, the 
hair *does* stand on end when the volume is turned up and the sound rings 
through those Wharfedale speakers.  But, I guess we already new that.

Ken M.