The Mellotron Group

If you make a digital "violin" that plays back violin samples is it a  
violin? The very nature of what makes a Mellotron a Mellotron is that it plays  
tapes. Markus' machine has the name Mellotron on it because he has the right 
to  put that name on anything he so chooses. He could build a guitar and 
put  Mellotron on the head stock and we would know it as a "Mellotron" Guitar. 
In  this case, he has put the name "Mellotron" on a DIGITAL sample playback 
machine  that shares nothing else in common with a real Mellotron except 
wooden keys that  are dimensionally similar and a shape that is reminiscent of 
the top of a M400.  I am not degrading Markus' machine, I would love to 
have one. I am merely  pointing out that it is no more a Mellotron than the 
Memotron is.
 
If Harry Chamberlin were alive today and made a digital sample playback  
machine that played his samples or any other samples and put his name on it we 
 would call it a Chamberlin "..." but it would not be the same thing. 
"Mellotron"  is not just a name owned by David Kean, it is a kind of thing. The 
fact that  Streetly makes such a machine that doesn't use the name but is one 
none the less  supports this position. People look at it and buy it and 
play it and if you ask  them what it is they'll tell you it's a Mellotron
 
If I want to play any other sound than those Markus sells for his digital  
machine I can't unless I hack the software or find some other way of 
sneaking  different sounds into it. The nature of a Mellotron is such that there is 
no  limit to what sounds I can put into it. If they can be put on tape, I 
can play  them.
 
If I make a frame from scratch that substantially duplicates the original,  
duplicate the original keyboard, make a preamp, line amp and controls like  
a Mellotron and get a Mellotron tape frame, then I put the whole mess in a  
white cabinet shaped like an M400, everyone who looks at it and hears it 
will  say, "that's a Mellotron."
 
We could go on and on Charles, and while I respect your opinion, we'll have 
 to disagree. I'm right and you're wrong. Nyah! 
 
 
In a message dated 1/22/2011 12:18:52 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
charel196@yahoo.com writes:

The  M4000D is a DIGITAL MELLOTRON