Mellotronists

> From: kenmerb@...
> Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:16:39 EDT
>
> BTW, does anyone know where I could pick up an Echoplex these
> days? ;-)

Okay...

Markus/Dave, StreetlyBros,

Here's some free design consulting: Build your next Mellotron model
with a built in tape echo feature. Here's why it's a good thing:

By itself, adding effects to an instrument is not interesting; any
idiot can slap a box in there, it's not a biggie. But if the effect
is otherwise difficult to implement, and can share some of the
technology of the instrument, and can join into the instrument nicely,
then you've got something.

Tape echo fits the bill; it shares the same tape technology, you've
got the capstan already, you've got the physical space, you've got
tape heads up the wazoo, you're already building tape head preamps,
all that good stuff. All the mechanical issues that freak out most
effects builders, you've already got it covered.

You could even have two tape loops going simulataneously, with
different user settable head positions for a stereo echoplex effect.

There, now go with it. Or ignore it. Or do something better.

-- Don

--
Don Tillman
Palo Alto, California
don@...
http://www.till.com

> From: egrefin@...
> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:53:10 +0200
>
> Interesting idea, Don.
>
> But a single capstan for the mellotron tapes and the echo tape means
> the same speed for the mellotron and the echo...
>
> And if we want to change the echo speed without to change the pitch
> of the mellotron ?

Hi David,

That's fine; the Echoplex also runs at a constant motor speed. One of
the heads (I forget whether it's the record or playback head) is
physically mounted on a sliding track, and you manually move it back
and forth to change the delay time.

You'd probably want to do something similar for a Mellotron tape echo.

It's actually better to have the head on a slider -- you can yank it
and perform much faster speed changes than you could with the
rotational inertia of a motor. And if you move it fast enough you can
even run the echo sound backwards for brief bits. Witness the Tommy
Bolan guitar solo on Billy Cobham's "Spectrum". :-)

-- Don

--
Don Tillman
Palo Alto, California
don@...
http://www.till.com

Don Tillman wrote:

Hi David,

That's fine; the Echoplex also runs at a constant motor speed. One of
the heads (I forget whether it's the record or playback head) is
physically mounted on a sliding track, and you manually move it back
and forth to change the delay time.

You'd probably want to do something similar for a Mellotron tape echo.

It's actually better to have the head on a slider -- you can yank it
and perform much faster speed changes than you could with the
rotational inertia of a motor. And if you move it fast enough you can
even run the echo sound backwards for brief bits. Witness the Tommy
Bolan guitar solo on Billy Cobham's "Spectrum". :-) -- Don

____________________________________________________________

Hi Don and gang, Interesting discussion about on-board tape-echo
for Trons. Will wear my engineer's thinking-cap for a moment.
Hides my "folically-challenged" cranium anyway.

There's barely enough room to shoehorn a two-head (front-to-rear)
assembly adjacent to the headblock assembly.
Support electronics will have to tap into preamp box output and
also add recording circuitry. Since all present Trons
are playback-only, an old engineering cookbook might be the solution.

The actual implementation of a 36th tape driven off the capstan in endless-loop
config. would not be impossible. Too bad capstans aren't two inches longer
on the LH side of M400's.....

Cheers, -- Jerry Korb (no echoes, but repeats of Mexican cuisine)