Mellotronists

>>it's very brash.  It's not distorted, it's just IN YOUR FACE, especially 
the 3 Violins<<

it probably is clipping slightly. un-processed 'tron can get quite hot 
(another 3dB per note), and anything that will absorb some of this without 
actually clipping it is going to have the effect of "warming" the sound. as a 
point of interest, I have almost always run 1098 straight into our desks, 
with no compression, and it's almost always been the one fader we have to 
keep a close eye on. any of the "traditional" 'tron treatments will reduce 
the effect to some degree but a guitar amp on a clean setting, or a 
compressor pedal intended for guitar/bass will usually do the job. 
backing off the tone control may seem counterintuitive given the nature of 
the instrument (i.e. it's supposed to be playing back tapes as honestly as 
possible, for that is what tape machines do), but we've found it to be as 
useful a control as the equivalent on a guitar. essential with the oboe, for 
sure.

now- cast yer minds back: a bbc show in the 70s called "swapshop"; I saw a 
tiny bit of the show that originally went out on or around 14th feb one year 
(theme was valentine's day); may have been 75 or 81 by my reckoning. in the 
back of one shot was a bbc-regulation-grey-painted mk2, an sfx machine 
obviously, being used as little more than set-dressing. does anyone on the 
list know how many machines were at the bbc in total, and how many were 
rescued from this ignominy? and what's this about some 400's being used for 
spot-effects? were they set up differently?

on ian's flute: I have sampled it from my rack, but only so we wouldn't have 
to worry about schlepping same to the US.... as it turned out, we could've 
safely installed the "streetly/salley new classic combo" in one of gene's 
machines (gene, you've gone all quiet) but instead we used an alesis s4+ with 
a custom ram-card. if you haven't heard this flute.... it's the one that you 
can hear on ITCOTKC. it really is almost as if the flute on the album was a 
'tron to start with, and the tapes have been rediscovered.

on mains leads for 400's: those round bulgin connectors are nasty things. 
they are also found on older marshalls and have screw terminals which work 
loose. you then have the possibility of the three wires from your wall socket 
all being loose and exposed inside the brittle plastic cover. I hate the 
things, not least for the belt I got (aged eleven or twelve) from the one out 
the back of my treasured vortexion 4>1 mixer which wasn't firing up. I 
unscrewed the cover and got hold of it to give the cable a tug and see if 
anything was loose... while the other end was still plugged in.... so I had 
hold of all three connectors at once. lucky to be here now. older and wiser. 
my 'tron power lead has one of those old-lady plugs at the wall-end; a UK 13A 
connector with a finger grip moulded on. it looks sufficiently distinctive 
that I've managed never to forget to pack it. I also carry a spare bulgin 
plug in the tool kit, and gave another one to andy so's he could do likewise. 
god knows where you'd get one now- martin? 

duncan/r.m.i./400nr1098