Mellotronists

I can highly recommend the Vintage Keys keyboard version that I have 
had for a few months now.The tron sounds are pretty good and in a 
live situation sound ALMOST as good as the real thing(and also sounds 
near to my E4K with the Pinder CD Rom). They seem to be rare for some 
reason...EMU doesn't seem to be promoting them.(the keyboard that is) 
Of course the rack mount should sound the same. The keyboard has some 
nice assignable knobs and it's great to set up tron split layouts.It 
has the violins,flute,choirs,and brass.


-- In Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com, Ignacio Nieto Carvajal 
<arnasius@y...> wrote:
> Hello all:
> 
> My band is gigging soon and I am thinking of getting a digital 
clone or
> alternative to my mellotron (we have several 'tron based songs and I
> don't want to take my baby out of my house/studio : - ). I have read
> very good reviews (altough a bit outdated) of the E-mu vintage keys 
and
> I wanted to know if any of you has/had this synth or know how does 
it
> sound (I want it mainly for the 'tron sounds). I don't like MIDI, 
and I
> am not thinking in gigging with a personal computer (I have enough 
of
> them at work, thanks : ). Any ideas / suggestions? Do you know of 
any

> other synth I can use?
> 
> Thanks in advance (and excuse my bad english as always : - ).
> 
> Nacho.
> 
> -- 
> Ignacio Nieto Carvajal <arnasius@y...>

I moved to the San Francisco Bay area around the time
that E-Mu was putting out their various MIDI boxes
(Proteus, etc.)  

I hung out with a guy who used to work as a sound
designer for EMu.  I asked him about the vintage keys,
which I believe he worked on, he admitted that it
wasn't that great.

About the Mellotron patch, he told me that they didn't
get it directly from a mellotron, but from a recording
of a Mellotron.

Of course, this was about 9 years ago - so I may have
this mixed up with some other sample (...I doubt it,
I've always been curious as to a good 'tron patch...)

I'd say, pick up a sampler and build a sound out of
your mellotron.  You may even fool your bandmates,
thinking you've got the real deal on stage!

You can probably get a used sampler for a little more
than the vintage keys box, with better sample rate,
bit-depth, etc.

-jh


--- Ignacio Nieto Carvajal <arnasius@...> wrote:

> Hello all:
> 
> My band is gigging soon and I am thinking of getting
> a digital clone or
> alternative to my mellotron (we have several 'tron
> based songs and I
> don't want to take my baby out of my house/studio :
> - ). I have read
> very good reviews (altough a bit outdated) of the
> E-mu vintage keys and
> I wanted to know if any of you has/had this synth or
> know how does it
> sound (I want it mainly for the 'tron sounds). I
> don't like MIDI, and I
> am not thinking in gigging with a personal computer
> (I have enough of
> them at work, thanks : ). Any ideas / suggestions?
> Do you know of any
> other synth I can use?
> 
> Thanks in advance (and excuse my bad english as
> always : - ).
> 
> Nacho.
> 
> -- 
> Ignacio Nieto Carvajal <arnasius@...>
>

Telling you, when I tried the Vintage keys out for over an hour, it
sound like it was a recording from an 8-track cartridge from the 60's. It
was that bad. Maybe,,,Maybe 8 keys were sampled. Having had  a Mellotron and
using the Pinder CD, nothing else is closer than having the real
thing........................
----- Original Message ----- 

From: "John Hofmeyer" <j_hofmeyer@...>
To: <mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] E-mu vintage keys.


>
> I moved to the San Francisco Bay area around the time
> that E-Mu was putting out their various MIDI boxes
> (Proteus, etc.)
>
> I hung out with a guy who used to work as a sound
> designer for EMu.  I asked him about the vintage keys,
> which I believe he worked on, he admitted that it
> wasn't that great.
>
> About the Mellotron patch, he told me that they didn't
> get it directly from a mellotron, but from a recording
> of a Mellotron.
>
> Of course, this was about 9 years ago - so I may have
> this mixed up with some other sample (...I doubt it,
> I've always been curious as to a good 'tron patch...)
>
> I'd say, pick up a sampler and build a sound out of
> your mellotron.  You may even fool your bandmates,
> thinking you've got the real deal on stage!
>
> You can probably get a used sampler for a little more
> than the vintage keys box, with better sample rate,
> bit-depth, etc.
>
> -jh
>
>
> --- Ignacio Nieto Carvajal <arnasius@...> wrote:
> > Hello all:
> >
> > My band is gigging soon and I am thinking of getting
> > a digital clone or
> > alternative to my mellotron (we have several 'tron
> > based songs and I
> > don't want to take my baby out of my house/studio :
> > - ). I have read
> > very good reviews (altough a bit outdated) of the
> > E-mu vintage keys and
> > I wanted to know if any of you has/had this synth or
> > know how does it
> > sound (I want it mainly for the 'tron sounds). I
> > don't like MIDI, and I
> > am not thinking in gigging with a personal computer
> > (I have enough of
> > them at work, thanks : ). Any ideas / suggestions?
> > Do you know of any
> > other synth I can use?
> >
> > Thanks in advance (and excuse my bad english as
> > always : - ).
> >
> > Nacho.
> >
> > -- 
> > Ignacio Nieto Carvajal <arnasius@...>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

Ignacio Nieto Carvajal wrote:

> My band is gigging soon and I am thinking of getting a digital clone 
> or alternative to my mellotron (we have several 'tron based songs and 
> I don't want to take my baby out of my house/studio : - ). I have read 
> very good reviews (although a bit outdated) of the E-mu vintage keys 
> and I wanted to know if any of you has/had this synth or know how does 
> it sound (I want it mainly for the 'tron sounds). I don't like MIDI, 
> and I am not thinking in gigging with a personal computer (I have 
> enough of them at work, thanks : ). Any ideas / suggestions? Do you 
> know of any other synth I can use?

I have the Vintage Keys Plus.  I bought it for the reasons you cite: 
wanting Mellotron sounds without having to transport Baby.  It served as 
my main sound source when I was playing live soundtracks for silent 
films.  (Damn, I wish that theater was still in business.)  It's not a 
perfect Mellotron clone, and I felt the flute sound had too much 
vibrato, but it proved useful.

However, you say you don't like MIDI, and you're going to need some kind 
of MIDI controller to send notes to a Vintage Keys.

I should also mention that I bought the Plus thinking that it was an 
additional layer of 512 sounds over the 512 sounds in the original 
module, but I was never able to figure out how to access the sounds of 
the original module.  That could easily be operator error.

John McIntyre
mcintyre@...

John McIntyre
mcintyre@...

In a message dated 4/13/2004 11:11:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time, arnasius@... writes:

> My band is gigging soon and I am thinking of getting a 
> digital clone or alternative to my mellotron (we have 
> several 'tron based songs and I don't want to take my baby 
> out of my house/studio : - ). I have read very good reviews 
> (altough a bit outdated) of the E-mu vintage keys and I 
> wanted to know if any of you has/had this synth or know how 
> does it sound (I want it mainly for the 'tron sounds). I 
> don't like MIDI, and I am not thinking in gigging with a 
> personal computer (I have enough of them at work, 
> thanks : ). Any ideas / suggestions? Do you know of any 
> other synth I can use?

I just recently sold a Vintage Keys module ( I got it mostly for the Hammond sounds).  Got rid of it because both the Hammond and Mellotron sounds were...how can I put this nicely... pure shit.  No comparison with the Pinder CD-ROM (obviously, no comparison with the real thing).  Get a good sampler instead with the Pinder CD-ROM (I have an Akai CD3000i).  You'll still need a keyboard controller whichever route you decide to take.

Frank Samagaio
San Diego CA
MkII #134 / M400 #908
Author, The Mellotron Book

Frank, didn't the VK seem like it was wannbe drumbox. The one I tried 
seemed to have everything but a Bentley Drum Machine.

Gino

> I just recently sold a Vintage Keys module ( I got it mostly for the 
> Hammond sounds).  Got rid of it because both the Hammond and Mellotron 
> sounds were...how can I put this nicely... pure shit.  No comparison 
> with the Pinder CD-ROM (obviously, no comparison with the real thing). 
>  Get a good sampler instead with the Pinder CD-ROM (I have an Akai 
> CD3000i).  You'll still need a keyboard controller whichever route you 
> decide to take.
>
> Frank Samagaio
> San Diego CA
> MkII #134 / M400 #908
> Author, The Mellotron Book
>
>
> --

On Wednesday, April 14, 2004, at 12:27  am, Gino Wong wrote:

> Frank, didn't the VK seem like it was wannbe drumbox.

Eh?? Shome mishtake, shurely?

>  The one I tried
> seemed to have everything but a Bentley Drum Machine.

>
> Gino
>
>> I just recently sold a Vintage Keys module ( I got it mostly for the
>> Hammond sounds).  Got rid of it because both the Hammond and Mellotron
>> sounds were...how can I put this nicely... pure shit.  No comparison
>> with the Pinder CD-ROM (obviously, no comparison with the real thing).
>>  Get a good sampler instead with the Pinder CD-ROM (I have an Akai
>> CD3000i).  You'll still need a keyboard controller whichever route you
>> decide to take.


Actually, I've heard Norm's VK module and it sounds remarkably OK once 
modified, although the Tron sound as supplied was approaching the "pure 
shit" quality described here.

PINDER CD ROM BE BUGGERED!!!!....... Why not buy an old AKAI sampler 
and sample 8 seconds per note from your OWN Mellotron!!?

C


http://www.s-club.co.uk
        Sundae Club*
    [there ain't no party]

In a message dated 4/13/2004 4:37:01 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
adaaxs@... writes:
Frank, didn't the VK seem like it was wannbe drumbox. The one I tried 
seemed to have everything but a Bentley Drum Machine.
Hah!  Yes, that too...the sounds I always skipped over searching for 
something decent (and never finding it).

Frank