I grew up 20 minutes walk from the Mellotron "factory" in Streetly. I can still see the building in the distance from the top of my mom & dad's road. I think it's now a bathroom retailer.
Q: How do you tell if there's too much Mellotron in your mix? A: Trick question, you can never have too much Mellotron! Yes we are also addicted to Mellotron!
Love the sound of Mellotron. back in the 1980's, I grew up listening to King Crimsons, and 10'cc, and discovered the amazing machine. It has such a beautiful and unique sound, far better than samplers and hybrid synths.
There’s an interview with Ian McDanald where he tells how they recorded the Mellotron for the first KC album. It’s an obvious solution but a very good one. They played the Mellotron through an amp stack, (probably a Hiwatt), and used a single mono microphone across the room to get natural reverb. Recording a Mellotron directly usually doesn’t work well, because it’s too harsh, at least when playing the strings. The flutes sound ok fairly dry.
Thanks for the message, Johnny. I found Mellotrons reliable (mostly). It was the Minimoog that was often unstable and gave the most problems (in the 70s). wLove, R
Hi Robert, When you played Baja Prog, I took you and your guitar player from the hotel to the theater in my car, where you where a sound check, we talked about old synths and the mellotron also, it was a great time. Cheers.
Hello Robert, I've always loved the different sounds a Mellotron can offer and since I can't afford an M4000, I must say I'm very satisfied with the VSTs of many of them sounds in the M-Tron Pro library from G-FORCE which you probably already know!! www.gforcesoftware.com/products/m-tron-pro
Daniel Dan Foisy Hi Daniel. No... I don't know that one. Thank you. I'll give it a listen. Busy now working with The Samurai of Prog on a follow up album to The Imperial Hotel. Sadly, there was only a small amount of Mellotron work on that album... but I'm always keen to include the Mellotron when ever possible! PS Best contact for me is FB site (of England Webb). Cheers!
Altura: ~ I personally bought a download of the "SampleTron" software-instrument made by the "I K Multimedia" company, and I have been fairly happy with it. The sample-libraries for that software typically have extended ranges for the included pre-sets -, not just a keyboard of a mere 3 octaves like an actual Mellotron. Also, the SampleTron has 16 channels per "instance" of the software, which allows "layering" of as many as 16 pre-sets -, or (more usefully) the assigning of different pre-sets or "pre-set layers" to different MIDI channels, which is very helpful for changes during a performance. Additionally, the software offers a good "effects"-section; and various "sound sculpting" capabilities. For instance, this latter feature can be used to create a stereo-pair of "detuned" pre-sets, and thus enabling a "stereo 'doubling' " effect (which was ACTUALLY widely-used by bands such as King Crimson or Genesis on their early studio-recordings). ~ In-all-honesty, I think that only about 1/3 of the included pre-sets are what I would consider to be "actually useful"; and of-course a player WOULD need to have a good "software host"-computer or facsimile, and a MIDI keyboard in-order, in-order to use the software. However, I bought my copy of SampleTron on-sale for only about $40; and even from the I K website itself, it is still available for about $64. That price CERTAINLY beats paying about $2000 for a modern "digital Mellotron", and is a WHOLE LOT less money (and MUCH less bother) than buying and up-keeping a real "analog" Mellotron.
Mellotron actually make a "Melotron mini digital" that sounds pretty spot on, and I presume use the original stock recordings on the melotron tapes. Couple of thousand. Not cheap by everyday standards but vastly cheaper than buying an oriigiinal tape melotron and then the continual expensive maintainance they need (being mechaniical devices with tape that invariably wears out constantly)
G-Force software do perfect Mellotron and Chamberlin VSTs for an affordable price and these include little-used sounds like wineglasses, guitar and clarinet.
It's a challenge if you don't want to faff around with a laptop and midi controller, especially onstage! There's a few Mellotron keyboards these days at least, but they are all £900 upwards, which for a hard-coded sampler is a bit annoying!
Thankfully we live in an age where voice recognition is so advanced and normalized, that any voice language is easely translated with subtitles. Nevermind.
M-400 (minus the "S") was given to Felix Pappalardi in 1973 by Mellotron when they endorsed him. He used it with Mountain during the Avalanche sessions, as well as the recording sessions on his solo albums, etc. It was also the house Mellotron at Windfall music.
Electro harmonic have all theses sounds of old in guitar pedal format. I personally have the stnth9 that has the mini mood built into it and it’s so much fun. They also do the mel9 for mellotron.
An iconic sound and piece of music; in the modern equivalent league of Vaughan Williams. Sheer British brilliance. Of course, a very close second is Watcher of the Skies.
I absolutely, love the mellotron it is not perfect, but that sound, and some of the greatest prog music has mellotron, the best of music is from it! I would so so so love to play one.
Yes, the band is still sort of going. We have many fans worldwide, but it seems nobody in the music business is interested in us anymore. You can get more info on worldwidewebdotgardenshedmusicdotcom but this site will be closed soon. R
I've always wondered about these things. Love the sound but it looks like a maintenance nightmare. I guess the Mellotron mechanic went the way of the blacksmith.
I don't know anything about how to create music, but I'd interesting in this machine because a Maurice Gibb 's descripotion. It`s amazing and very hard to use, I think...! good post.-
MegaJohnhammond I miss my 1970s chord organ : A blower fan, a manifold with keyboard keys, and reeds or some tone generating thingies. I loved it. I miss it.
I wonder how possible it would be to replace the tape with either cassette or reel to reel tape, and play the keys like playing part of a song. I mean that's practically what some of the presets are, I just don't know if they used a special kind of tape or a special playback device.
Thank you! I guess you are part of the band, right? I have only heard about it today, and like what I hear. I'm having trouble to find information about the band.
Great but high maintenance invention for its time for certain but it is so much easier and better with modern gear don't remortage your house to buy one unless you are a serious collector.
le MELLOTRON aété utilisé à l'époque en studio d'enregistrement par un maximum d'artistes j'ai moi mème été a la fabrique pour l'achat d'un 400 et le double clavier mk2 des moody blues !!!
Its hilarious that the English translations aren't even close to what is actually being spoken in English. Oh well, you can glean information 3 different ways. Its a fantastic demonstration, nonetheless.
I always thinking that the tone of this instrument is pure evil XD ^^ it remember me a sound like an old horror movie string from the hammer hahahaha ^^ or the frightening intro of "Genesis - Watcher of the sky" even a Fairlight or Emulator II or Synclavier or my old shit of Roland E-16 and MC 303 sound better ^^ but i understood why it was so popular back then in the 60's, now im using, Reason 7 and im unlimited with the sound, but im very tired of some guy's, who try to make this sound back, just because of " The Beatles " legacy and nostalgia, i mean, come on, we can used any acoustic, digital or analog sound to make something original, even an emulated moog or DX7 can make so much more than cheezy sound.
This is another interresting point of view, but your right, digital is cheezy on it's on way, does'nt mean that it was bad. The Mellotron sound well in Starway to Heaven or Night in White Satin from the Moody blues, but on some tracks it's clearly not good, same thing for the DX7 and FM synth, in the right hand it sound well and other sound bad.
But i loved what you peoples of the 60's 70's make with this shit intrument ^^ i also recommend to listen to some old " Ange " French prog rock who try to emulate this sound with just a modified Viscount organ ^^, they also a lot of crazy Japanese or German Prog band who made something original like Can or Early Susumu Hirasawa from Mandrake and P Model.
2:28 My three favorite Mellotron voices: Strings, Brass, and Flütanosanzhringa
Orange Harrison
Mixed Choir.
god, a Minimoog and a Mellotron would keep me occupied for decades.
@fooloof go have a conversation with someone
@fooloof haha
@fooloof Go fuck yourself
Tell me about it
Impressione di settiembre - pfm (chorus hace both)
I grew up 20 minutes walk from the Mellotron "factory" in Streetly. I can still see the building in the distance from the top of my mom & dad's road. I think it's now a bathroom retailer.
Q: How do you tell if there's too much Mellotron in your mix?
A: Trick question, you can never have too much Mellotron!
Yes we are also addicted to Mellotron!
Love the sound of Mellotron. back in the 1980's, I grew up listening to King Crimsons, and 10'cc, and discovered the amazing machine. It has such a beautiful and unique sound, far better than samplers and hybrid synths.
An Interesting look at the mechanics behind this Iconic Instrument. Thank you Robert for the brief demo explaining how this works.
This is part of "Paraffinalea" from England's "Garden Shed" album (1977). Best wishes, Robert
Your album Garden Shed is absolutely fantastic!! Greetings from Brazil!
There’s an interview with Ian McDanald where he tells how they recorded the Mellotron for the first KC album. It’s an obvious solution but a very good one. They played the Mellotron through an amp stack, (probably a Hiwatt), and used a single mono microphone across the room to get natural reverb. Recording a Mellotron directly usually doesn’t work well, because it’s too harsh, at least when playing the strings. The flutes sound ok fairly dry.
beautiful, i love the court of the crimson king sound!!
Thanks for showing the Mellotrons "innards", Robert. It helped me make sense of the instrument.
0:22 Epitaph + Moog + Mellotron = ❤️
I could listen to that for hours
They require CONSTANT maintenance
High humidity must really play havoc with these machines.
It's wonderful to hear preserved, working examples of these instruments as they were reputedly nightmares to maintain on the road !!!###
Thanks for the message, Johnny. I found Mellotrons reliable (mostly). It was the Minimoog that was often unstable and gave the most problems (in the 70s). wLove, R
Really it's captured that damaged 1940's horror soundtrack ambience.
hi Robert! great video. these babies are made just up the road from where i used to live ..amazing
Thanks Robert, the Mellotron is such a great instrument!
Hi Robert, When you played Baja Prog, I took you and your guitar player from the hotel to the theater in my car, where you where a sound check, we talked about old synths and the mellotron also, it was a great time.
Cheers.
Thanks for your support, Jorge. I don't suppose we'll play Baja again (sadly). R
I loved your first album, especially Poisoned Youth.
Me too, all "Garden Shed" album is fantastic, but for me "Three Piece Suite" is the band's masterpiece and specifically Webb's Mellotron masterpiece.
That is amazing!!! Someone really worked on that!!!!
another amazing piece of creative technology. astonishing!
should be interesting see you playing the mellotrón, Epitaph and In the wake of poseidon are my favorite songs of King Crimson
court of the crimson king was the best,especially the dance of the puppets
The Mellotron... It just works.
no
Except when it doesn't. They were/are finicky machines.
untill it doesn't.
I don't think anyone got OP's JoJoke...
It feels good to be a music and video game geek right now.
mellotronno
Waiting for something like: "Aaaaah! That mellotrono cost 5000 dollu!" :D
More like "merotorono"
Always loved the Mellotron!
so, not endless loop? fascinating!
Ok G.F.W.R. Yep, and they're still being made! I wish I could afford an M4000. They are truly remarkable... and worth every penny. R
Hello Robert, I've always loved the different sounds a Mellotron can offer and since I can't afford an M4000, I must say I'm very satisfied with the VSTs of many of them sounds in the M-Tron Pro library from G-FORCE which you probably already know!! www.gforcesoftware.com/products/m-tron-pro
Daniel Dan Foisy
Hi Daniel. No... I don't know that one. Thank you. I'll give it a listen. Busy now working with The Samurai of Prog on a follow up album to The Imperial Hotel. Sadly, there was only a small amount of Mellotron work on that album... but I'm always keen to include the Mellotron when ever possible! PS Best contact for me is FB site (of England Webb). Cheers!
Robert Webb I have the 24 minute long song "The Imperial Hotel" by England. but that's must be something else
Nice one Robert and Andy!
Very freakin' cool. Thank you!
If only Mellotrons were cheaper
Altura: ~ I personally bought a download of the "SampleTron" software-instrument made by the "I K Multimedia" company, and I have been fairly happy with it. The sample-libraries for that software typically have extended ranges for the included pre-sets -, not just a keyboard of a mere 3 octaves like an actual Mellotron. Also, the SampleTron has 16 channels per "instance" of the software, which allows "layering" of as many as 16 pre-sets -, or (more usefully) the assigning of different pre-sets or "pre-set layers" to different MIDI channels, which is very helpful for changes during a performance. Additionally, the software offers a good "effects"-section; and various "sound sculpting" capabilities. For instance, this latter feature can be used to create a stereo-pair of "detuned" pre-sets, and thus enabling a "stereo 'doubling' " effect (which was ACTUALLY widely-used by bands such as King Crimson or Genesis on their early studio-recordings). ~ In-all-honesty, I think that only about 1/3 of the included pre-sets are what I would consider to be "actually useful"; and of-course a player WOULD need to have a good "software host"-computer or facsimile, and a MIDI keyboard in-order, in-order to use the software. However, I bought my copy of SampleTron on-sale for only about $40; and even from the I K website itself, it is still available for about $64. That price CERTAINLY beats paying about $2000 for a modern "digital Mellotron", and is a WHOLE LOT less money (and MUCH less bother) than buying and up-keeping a real "analog" Mellotron.
Mellotron actually make a "Melotron mini digital" that sounds pretty spot on, and I presume use the original stock recordings on the melotron tapes. Couple of thousand. Not cheap by everyday standards but vastly cheaper than buying an oriigiinal tape melotron and then the continual expensive maintainance they need (being mechaniical devices with tape that invariably wears out constantly)
A 19th century steam locomotive required less maintenance than a Mellotron... but didnt sound quite as sweet.
G-Force software do perfect Mellotron and Chamberlin VSTs for an affordable price and these include little-used sounds like wineglasses, guitar and clarinet.
It's a challenge if you don't want to faff around with a laptop and midi controller, especially onstage! There's a few Mellotron keyboards these days at least, but they are all £900 upwards, which for a hard-coded sampler is a bit annoying!
Thankfully we live in an age where voice recognition is so advanced and normalized, that any voice language is easely translated with subtitles.
Nevermind.
M-400 (minus the "S") was given to Felix Pappalardi in 1973 by Mellotron when
they endorsed him. He used it with Mountain during the Avalanche sessions, as well as the recording sessions on his solo albums, etc. It was also the house Mellotron at Windfall music.
Electro harmonic have all theses sounds of old in guitar pedal format.
I personally have the stnth9 that has the mini mood built into it and it’s so much fun. They also do the mel9 for mellotron.
An iconic sound and piece of music; in the modern equivalent league of Vaughan Williams. Sheer British brilliance. Of course, a very close second is Watcher of the Skies.
Great. Thank you! Hope you enjoy it. R
He's so cool
What an amazing bit of kit... many thanks for the look inside a truly unique instrument !!! Is this video a clip from a longer documentary?
I absolutely, love the mellotron it is not perfect, but that sound, and some of the greatest prog music has mellotron, the best of music is from it! I would so so so love to play one.
Yes, the band is still sort of going. We have many fans worldwide, but it seems nobody in the music business is interested in us anymore. You can get more info on worldwidewebdotgardenshedmusicdotcom but this site will be closed soon. R
Robert Webb Thanks For The GREAT ORIGINAL MUSIC. I Loved All Of It.
I'm a sucker for mellotron.
I've always wondered about these things. Love the sound but it looks like a maintenance nightmare. I guess the Mellotron mechanic went the way of the blacksmith.
I have a Mellotron emulator on Logic Pro X…☮🔥
I don't know anything about how to create music, but I'd interesting in this machine because a Maurice Gibb 's descripotion. It`s amazing and very hard to use, I think...! good post.-
This is asmr gold!
Ordered the CD :-)
I love mellotron!
The MG OF ORGANS. STILL LOVE IT.
The subtitles on this are so funny.
Thank You :) QC
Electro Harmonix makes Mel 9 pedal. It does a very fine version of nine melotron voices. Price $220. Mike Mathews is a genius.
*So, it's literally a mechanical rompler*
Hot damn gtfo! I had no idea how insane the mechanics are in these.
le Mellotron instrument magnifique !
Stevie Wonder did some interesting work with the Melotron on his early years
初期クリムゾンのメロトロンの使い方って他バンドとは一線を画してたと思ってたけどなるほど！
後追いでファーストを一番最後に買った私が、イアン・マクドナルドが超重要人物だと知ったのはだいぶ後でした（笑）
I thought mellotron’s tapes are looped like start and end are connected.
Played by Brian Jones of the Stones, for the hit single...She 's a rainbow...
FYI..Princess Margaret and Peter Sellers both owned Mellotrons.
this was cutting edge technology back in the 70's, but it seems so half baked by todays standards.
MegaJohnhammond
I miss my 1970s chord organ : A blower fan, a manifold with keyboard keys, and reeds or some tone generating thingies.
I loved it. I miss it.
the Beatles used it for strawberry fields - the intro
I just don’t like taking stuff apart in case I can’t get it back together
I wonder how possible it would be to replace the tape with either cassette or reel to reel tape, and play the keys like playing part of a song. I mean that's practically what some of the presets are, I just don't know if they used a special kind of tape or a special playback device.
EMI tape @ 1"
Thank you!
I guess you are part of the band, right? I have only heard about it today, and like what I hear. I'm having trouble to find information about the band.
日本のクリムゾンファンはほとんどこの動画をみてないのだろうか。。
いや普通にリアルタイムｔｓ録画してるだろ
Great but high maintenance invention for its time for certain but it is so much easier and better with modern gear don't remortage your house to buy one unless you are a serious collector.
le MELLOTRON aété utilisé à l'époque en studio d'enregistrement par un maximum d'artistes j'ai moi mème été a la fabrique pour l'achat d'un 400 et le double clavier mk2 des moody blues !!!
Moddy blues used it on In search of the lost chord, very intering though
Good!
¿¿Song at 0:57??
Sampling, circa 1973.
What's the name of the music track on 0:57?
England - Paraffinalia
It's an ingenious idea even if it's finicky.
Where's the "FLANGER" to get a FLANGER EFFECT!!! Or tape echo?? IMHO
woht
Tf did you mean dude?
I think you're looking for the wrong kind of "tape" video.
Ahhh, damnit, I was thinking King Diamond when I clicked on this.
King crimson is better
I rather have the Moog keyboard
what's the name of song on 0:58
The album is Garden Shed, by England, the song im not to really sure
@@jancarryperez1164 thanks
The possessor of truly British teeth
Yes, and I like to get my teeth into interesting things! Always have!
Qué clase de anime es este?
Song at 0:24?
King Crimson Epitaph
NANI?!
Its hilarious that the English translations aren't even close to what is actually being spoken in English. Oh well, you can glean information 3 different ways. Its a fantastic demonstration, nonetheless.
kurimuson kin!
Roberto-kun
LE FALTA UN DIENTE
alguem mande em portugues. por favor
言ってることの半分しか理解してません。でもメロトロンを使っていた数々の曲は好きなのです🧡
George Harrison fut le premier a l'utilisé dans un groupe !
Somehow ive found myself here from JoJo
:-)
Конструкция усложнена. Я бы сделал ленту бесконечной, в кольцо и никаких тогда лимитов по продолжительности звучания и никаких вазвратных пружинок.
Great!!!! Don't play strawnberry fields forever
Meroturon
I always thinking that the tone of this instrument is pure evil XD ^^ it remember me a sound like an old horror movie string from the hammer hahahaha ^^ or the frightening intro of "Genesis - Watcher of the sky" even a Fairlight or Emulator II or Synclavier or my old shit of Roland E-16 and MC 303 sound better ^^ but i understood why it was so popular back then in the 60's, now im using, Reason 7 and im unlimited with the sound, but im very tired of some guy's, who try to make this sound back, just because of " The Beatles " legacy and nostalgia, i mean, come on, we can used any acoustic, digital or analog sound to make something original, even an emulated moog or DX7 can make so much more than cheezy sound.
+Meteotrance Depends on your definition of cheesy. I think a lot of new digital instruments are cheesy. I do see the point in your argument, though.
This is another interresting point of view, but your right, digital is cheezy on it's on way, does'nt mean that it was bad. The Mellotron sound well in Starway to Heaven or Night in White Satin from the Moody blues, but on some tracks it's clearly not good, same thing for the DX7 and FM synth, in the right hand it sound well and other sound bad.
*Giorno Giovanna has joined the chat*
A foreign commentary doesn't help
But i loved what you peoples of the 60's 70's make with this shit intrument ^^ i also recommend to listen to some old " Ange " French prog rock who try to emulate this sound with just a modified Viscount organ ^^, they also a lot of crazy Japanese or German Prog band who made something original like Can or Early Susumu Hirasawa from Mandrake and P Model.
[KINGU CRIMSON]
A porra do japonês estragou
Kinga Corimoson