Mellotronists

Has anyone tried recording one of these beasts through a microphone?
   Is there really a difference?


   Ken M

Yes--although with mine I only have a small solid state monitor amp and
a very-crapped-out Warfdale (which Martin tells me is
somewhere in the Peaks District--they grow on trees found only there),
so I've run it through a Marshall stack and have gotten
pretty close to an "Ian McD moment."

Rick (SFX 10030--Tubes? We don't need no stinking tubes!)

PS I've also gotten good results going directly into a good desk,
running the beast through a graphic EQ (rather than the usual
three bands on most mixing desk) and a good plate reverb. That's the way
we did the Devotion demo and I haven't heard much
to equal it...except about 9 or 10 other recordings...

In a message dated 8/4/02 9:16:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
rick@... writes:


> Yes--although with mine I only have a small solid state monitor amp and
> a very-crapped-out Warfdale (which Martin tells me is
> somewhere in the Peaks District--they grow on trees found only there),
> so I've run it through a Marshall stack and have gotten
> pretty close to an "Ian McD moment."


Thanks, Rick.  The sound I'm looking for is best represented in that audio 
clip from Gracious.  It's difficult to describe a particular sound in words.  
I'm not talking about distortion - that's what comes to mind when I hear 
suggestions about running a mellotron through a Marshall stack.  Sounds great 
on guitars, not so great on mellotrons.  The first concert I ever went to was 
the Moodies back in 1972, and Mike Pinder must have been running his MKII 
through a stack of amps, because it was distorting like hell.  I remember 
thinking, man - he's going to blow something.  And when it distorted like 
that, it was really a bad sound.  Now their albums - great mellotron sound ( 
the first seven at least ).

The sound Ian McD got on the song "Court of the Crimson King" was also a 
great mellotron sound, and thanks for your "recipe", straight from the 
horse's mouth.  I've never heard that sound come out of my MKII, even when I 
play the right notes ;-).  I guess recording this stuff is an art in itself - 
I'm just trying to get some pointers.

> 
> Rick (SFX 10030--Tubes? We don't need no stinking tubes!)
> 
> PS I've also gotten good results going directly into a good desk,
> running the beast through a graphic EQ (rather than the usual
> three bands on most mixing desk) and a good plate reverb. That's the way
> we did the Devotion demo and I haven't heard much
> to equal it...except about 9 or 10 other recordings...

This is encouraging.   I'd really like to keep it inside the headphones.

Ken M.

( MKII #247 - let me blast already!)

kenmerb@... wrote: ..... running a mellotron through a Marshall
stack.  Sounds great on guitars, not so great on mellotrons.  The first
concert I ever went to was the Moodies back in 1972, and Mike Pinder
must have been running his MKII through a stack of amps, because it was
distorting like hell.  I remember thinking, man - he's going to blow
something.

> I can verify he Marshall stack / Mike Pinder connection. I have a
> photo of the Moodies circa 68/69 from the Shrine Auditorium Exhibition
> Hall here in LA. The Moodies are on a very small stage. Justin playing
> his Tele through a Marshall stack. John playing his P Bass through a
> Marshall stack. Both stacks are on Graeme's left. To his right is a
> Marshall stack without the head on the top. The head is on top of
> Mike's Mk II. (Ray's tambourine is on top of the head.) He obviously
> used the amp settings as well as the volume pedal for controlling
> effects he created. Listen to Caught Live. The sound is a bit thin
> because the recording pretty much sucks, but the imagination is not
> fooled. He does push the amp to distort in a few places.

If I recall correctly someone on the list said that Mike had told him
that he always doubled the tron/chamby parts in the studio. Am I right?

Vance

I am I the only one who thinks the Mkii on Caught live is the 
crappyist ever? Being so enamoured of the moodies studio albums 
for their time I was really disappointed with that.
Strangely I was also listening to "Heaven" this weekend and picked 
out the chords. Have you heard "Blood red sun" off the other 
Gracious album for fantastic use of in-your-face Brass?
John

> 
> 
> kenmerb@... wrote: ..... running a mellotron through a Marshall
> stack.  Sounds great on guitars, not so great on mellotrons.  The
> first concert I ever went to was the Moodies back in 1972, and Mike
> Pinder must have been running his MKII through a stack of amps,
> because it was distorting like hell.  I remember thinking, man - he's
> going to blow something.
> 
> > I can verify he Marshall stack / Mike Pinder connection. I have a
> > photo of the Moodies circa 68/69 from the Shrine Auditorium
> > Exhibition Hall here in LA. The Moodies are on a very small stage.
> > Justin playing his Tele through a Marshall stack. John playing his P
> > Bass through a Marshall stack. Both stacks are on Graeme's left. To
> > his right is a Marshall stack without the head on the top. The head
> > is on top of Mike's Mk II. (Ray's tambourine is on top of the head.)
> > He obviously used the amp settings as well as the volume pedal for
> > controlling effects he created. Listen to Caught Live. The sound is
> > a bit thin because the recording pretty much sucks, but the
> > imagination is not fooled. He does push the amp to distort in a few
> > places.
> 
> If I recall correctly someone on the list said that Mike had told him
> that he always doubled the tron/chamby parts in the studio. Am I
> right?
> 
> Vance
>

I second the notion.  I remember first hearing the album and, while they
were opening up with "Gypsy",  could swear the machine was going to burst
into flames before the song completed.  Doesn't sound too bad on "The
Voyage".  Maybe it just needed to warm up, not Rick Wakeman style.

-----Original Message-----
From: J.K.Beresford [mailto:j.k.beresford@...]
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 11:45 AM
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Trying to get "that" sound


I am I the only one who thinks the Mkii on Caught live is the 
crappyist ever? Being so enamoured of the moodies studio albums 
for their time I was really disappointed with that.
Strangely I was also listening to "Heaven" this weekend and picked 
out the chords. Have you heard "Blood red sun" off the other 
Gracious album for fantastic use of in-your-face Brass?
John

> 
> 
> kenmerb@... wrote: ..... running a mellotron through a Marshall
> stack.  Sounds great on guitars, not so great on mellotrons.  The
> first concert I ever went to was the Moodies back in 1972, and Mike
> Pinder must have been running his MKII through a stack of amps,
> because it was distorting like hell.  I remember thinking, man - he's
> going to blow something.
> 
> > I can verify he Marshall stack / Mike Pinder connection. I have a
> > photo of the Moodies circa 68/69 from the Shrine Auditorium
> > Exhibition Hall here in LA. The Moodies are on a very small stage.
> > Justin playing his Tele through a Marshall stack. John playing his P
> > Bass through a Marshall stack. Both stacks are on Graeme's left. To
> > his right is a Marshall stack without the head on the top. The head
> > is on top of Mike's Mk II. (Ray's tambourine is on top of the head.)
> > He obviously used the amp settings as well as the volume pedal for
> > controlling effects he created. Listen to Caught Live. The sound is
> > a bit thin because the recording pretty much sucks, but the
> > imagination is not fooled. He does push the amp to distort in a few
> > places.
> 
> If I recall correctly someone on the list said that Mike had told him
> that he always doubled the tron/chamby parts in the studio. Am I
> right?
> 
> Vance
> 



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In a message dated 08/05/2002 11:46:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
j.k.beresford@... writes:


> I am I the only one who thinks the Mkii on Caught live is the 
> crappyist ever?

No, It's a fact.  Good point too.  Here's the Mellotron / Marhsall stack 
combo in action, but it sounds like crap (for a Moodies record).  It's the 
recording - that's the difference.  Put that setup in the studio with an 
expensive plate reverb, a "controlled" environment, double track everything 
and you start to get a much better sound.  But then, I guess live albums are 
pretty much the way you hear it in concert.


> Being so enamoured of the moodies studio albums 
> for their time I was really disappointed with that.
> Strangely I was also listening to "Heaven" this weekend and picked 
> out the chords. Have you heard "Blood red sun" off the other 
> Gracious album for fantastic use of in-your-face Brass?
> 

I've only heard ther first two albums, and "Heaven" is actually the only song 
I really like, because of the tron.   I'll have to listen to Blood Red Sun.  
I guess he (Martin Kitkat) was using his famous SFX, not a MKII.

Ken M.

-----Original Message-----

From: J.K.Beresford [mailto:j.k.beresford@...]
Sent: 05 August 2002 16:45
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Trying to get "that" sound


John/all


Have you heard "Blood red sun" off the other
Gracious album for fantastic use of in-your-face Brass?


About the only distorted Mellotron recording I've ever heard - listen for
where Kitcat occasionally overlaps notes. Great cover version by Italy's
Standarte from a few years back, too.

Andy T.
M400 #1145

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.thompson/