The Mellotron Group

I look forward to seeing it at NEARfest. I'm glad you're happy.
 
 
 
In a message dated 2/3/2012 9:43:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
hammaren@geoconcepts.com writes:

 
 
 
 
No issues on  my Tron. Thank you Frank! 
 
 
From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com  
[mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of  fdoddy@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 5:47  PM
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re:  [newmellotrongroup] One Of These Days...

 
 
 
 
oh, my 2600  kicks ass now...don't even need to let it warm up.  My tron 
doesn't have  tuning issues, just aesthetic issues  :>)


fritz
 

 

 
-----Original  Message-----
From: Tony <atm655@verizon.net>
To: newmellotrongroup  <newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, Feb 2, 2012 4:39  pm
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] One Of These Days... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interesting,  neither of my ARP 2600s nor my M400 have tuning issues.
 
They’re  all current, stable and wonderful to play and own.
 
Maybe  you guys need a power conditioner?
 
Tony  Ph.D.
 
 
 

 
 
From: _fdoddy@aol.com_ (mailto:fdoddy@aol.com)  
 
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 4:34  PM
 
To: _newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com_ 
(mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com)   
 
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] One Of These  Days...


 


 
 
 
yeah, I've had  those days with my tron.  I usually blame myself, but I was 
raised  catholic. I think it's the humidity and barometric pressure.

Before my  2600 was recently serviced, I would have nightmare days getting 
the bastard to  play nicely.  I have a duophonic keyboard and it does quirky 
things when  you play it as opposed to triggering it via MIDI to CV.  
Normally, I like  those quirky things, but sometimes it just won't do what I ask 
it to, and I've  already rebuilt the keyboard.

fritz
 

 

 
-----Original  Message-----
From: Mike Dickson <_mike.dickson@gmail.com_ 
(mailto:mike.dickson@gmail.com) >
To:  newmellotrongroup <_newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com_ 
(mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com) >
Sent:  Thu, Feb 2, 2012 2:59 pm
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] One Of These  Days... 
 
 
 
 
 
..and this was  most definitely one of those days.  
 

 
I got home  quickly enough because I had the germ of a musical good idea 
going on in my  head and needed to get it down quickly so I wouldn't lose it. 
All it would  need is piano and Mellotron and that's it.  After that I could 
take it  easy.
 

 
However.
 

 
First the  Mellotron was flat on all counts.  Tuning it up made no 
difference.   So tune it way up and then back it down.  Now it's sharp all  round, 
even when it was wound down beneath where the pitch control was  before.  
Then I get it to approximate with the piano...just about.   Then I start.  Then 
I stop.  It's flat again.  Repeat as  above.  Great  Start again.  Now it's 
about a quarter-tone  sharp, despite being where it was on the dial when it 
was flat before.   Then it went flat as I played.  Then it was tuned up.  
Then it went  sharp.  Notice that at no time did the bastard thing ever pass  
through correct tuning; it went from Sharpville to Flatborough without even 
 passing anywhere close to what I was after.  
 

 
Okay..screw  this.  Try the flutes.  Never has there been a worse idea, not 
even  when Archduke Franz Ferdinand said 'to hell with the expense...let's 
go on  holiday to Sarajevo...'. If the strings are bad then the flutes are 
going  to be worse.  I mean way worse.  I mean it didn't even sound like  C#1 
was playing the same note any more than once every five  minutes.
 

 
Walked  away.  Let it run.  Must be a temperature thing.  Yes...that's  it.
 

 
The fuck it  was.  I came back  to find the strings were flat and they were 
staying that way, always  suggesting that they were in tune when in fact 
they were about as out  of tune as those wailing high notes on 'I Will Always 
Love You' just  before the vibrato mercifully kicks in.  Repeat as above.   
Sharp.  Then flat.  Then sharp and flat.  The probably  neither.  Then 
musical limbo.
 

 
I suspect the  M400 was trying to tell me that my germ of a musical good 
idea was  actually garbage.  
 

 
You'll just  never know.  Sat down.  Played Angry Birds.  Forgot.


-- 
Mike  Dickson,  Edinburgh