Mellotronists

I don't know,folks....I have a Classic Keys module and played the 
original VK module and the tron sounds in my keyboard version sound 
way better to my ear...they sound like better samples.The Classic 
Keys trons do sound a bit lame in comparison.I rarely use it in 
sequences and when I do it's mostly for the synth sounds,not the 
trons.The keyboard version I have played live right next to my E4K 
with the Pinder CD sounds and it sounded REEEEEEEAL close.(the 
violins anyway) With efx,filtering and splits to limit range it does 
pretty good,IMO.But hey,yeah...if you have a real tron sample your 
own into a decent sampler (I have my old M400 sampled into the E4K as 
well)                                 regards  Charles

fwiw, chaps, the newer emu "vintage keys" soundset is a big improvement on 
the original vintage/classic keys modules, & is available as a box, a keyboard, 
or as a rom for the proteus box you already have. 
that said, the mellotron sounds are still a bit pony. 
$149 + shipping for the rom gets you about 1,000,000 electric pianos, some 
synths & farfisas, a really bad flute & some not-quite-right strings. don't even 
mention the "brass".

I worked mine up to snuff in a pk6 keyboard (because it's easier to edit on 
than the proteus module family, though they are the same board inside). I used 
a flute sample from the stock emu set, not the "vintage" one. same with the 
brass. & pretty much any string sample takes on a tronny quality if you work on 
it....

but all this is in an earlier e-mail from me on this subject, detailing the 
routing of tiny amounts of pink noise to the amplifier & pitch, heavy use of 
aftertouch to mimic a cmc-10, &&&. 
you'll need to set up an extra, non-pitched layer on the proteus to make the 
whining noise though.... :-)

it's perfectly possible to adopt the same complex mod-routings on any sound 
(& actually, any rompler with good mod capabilities; I did all this with an 
alesis box too) to create a "'tron"-anything. the proteus benefits especially 
from having user-tuning tables & some other random modulation from the keyboard 
(note number) that can be used to great effect on things like filter & 
sample-start point.

don't be tempted to add chorus or layer y'r samples, unless you especially 
want a sound that's not 'tron-like. turn the velocity control right off. disable 
any amplitude enveloping. use the mod wheel to add/remove the 
noise>modulation effects, depending how rough you want y'r pseudo-tron to sound.

all my sampler-imitations of mellotron sounds are either straight off 1098 or 
have gone via 1/4". I am currently engaged in a project to get all of my 9 
tapesets onto flash ram for my proteus modules. so far, the technology has let 
me down. bah. but I will persist, as I want to use samples of MY 'tron, not 
dave kean's or anyone else's. besides, where else can I find the peter baumann 
tapeset or the plucked piano?

duncan/1098 & some emus which I feel like burying in the sand.