The Mellotron Group

On Jan 30, 2009, at 8:53 AM, jwright10401 wrote:

> Just wondering. Why did the M400, and others, end up with a 35 note
> keyboard? Was it a carryover from the Chamberlins? Apart from a
> Tron, I don't think I've ever seen another 35 note keybord/midi
> controller.

The quick and easy answer is that most instruments don't have a range  
that's much bigger than that, and some (the human voice, for instance)  
are quite a bit smaller.

I personally feel awfully sorry for the poor sod who recorded the  
trumpet voice all those years ago. I've approached a few people in  
Toronto to re-record it and the response has been, "You want me to  
play a G above high C (due to the transposing nature of the trumpet)  
for HOW long???"

Rick