The Mellotron Group

Charles,
 
Suppose you make a wooden thing with a neck and buttons on it instead of  
strings. All of the sounds are digitized and you press buttons to get the  
sounds. Is it a Guitar? It looks like a guitar, but is it a guitar? No. A  
Mellotron or Chamberlin were TAPE playback machines. Just because you make  
something that kinda looks like one and plays digital representations of the  
original tape samples doesn't make them one.
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/22/2011 8:48:18 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
charel196@yahoo.com writes:

 
 
 
I just don't get all this "it's not a Mellotron" talk....the digital unit  
is a logical progression from tape replay and Ill bet Harry Chamberlin would 
 have moved into this area if he were alive now. The whole point was 
playing  instrument sounds on a keyboard, not the tape technology (which was the 
only  method available) 
If all sounds are from original tapes and only last 8  seconds and are the 
best digital representations that can be done, personally  to me it's a new 
Mellotron.It's the offspring of the tape machine. So what  that it doesn't 
use Chamberlin heads etc. With EQ'ing and processing I imagine  you can get 
near 1000% close.
Heck I have used samples on my albums (from  my EMU E4K, EMAX 1, and 
CLASSIC KEYS) sometimes on the same songs I used my  real M400 (when I had it) and 
I defy anyone to tell me which is which. And the  E4K was using the Pinder 
CD. The M4000D samples are said to be way beyond the  Pinder CD in quality. 
I think it's totally anal to hang on to tape playback  technology as the 
only thing that can be called "Mellotron" or "Chamberlin".  The 4000D is just a 
new and different model in the family tree....made by the  people who own 
the name and masters.