Mellotron M 400 8 Choir

[MyDadsMusic1]

Now I agree with you. I'd love to get my hands on one an get it going again, indeed to make one from scratch would be fun as well, but in the end you can programme a Triton or similar to make the same sound; and it's not easy, I think your average "Hipster" would be stumped on that one!

Now a Vintage Hammond...............

[MyDadsMusic1]

I think it's very over-rated and nostalgia has a lot to do with the attachment to these dinosaurian things, you can do just as wonderful things with a Korg Triton.

[newfuckingwave]

@MyDadsMusic1 whether they can or not i will not attempt to say, as i admittedly have never used either. it's not just a matter of sound, it's the pursuit of that sound. having everything at your fingertips is just boring. there's no challenge. it must be tremendous fun to hunt one of these things down, service it, and then watch it come to life before your eyes - a real, moving machine, not some 'app' some hipster made in a day on his ipad that you can obtain at '5G speeds'! just how i see life

[khyropia]

has anyone ever played a mellotron through a leslie, or a mellotron with distortion?

[hogweed89]

Tony Banks had a Leslie i think, but used it for the Hammond if i remember correctly...

[M400fan]

@hogweed89 He used the Leslie for the intro to Watcher of the Skies (the cool swirling effect).

[titanium9000]

which lamb was that?

[hogweed89]

he's playing "silent sorrow in empty boats" from the Lamb.

I agree with Lunafesto about the mellotron 8 choir solo at the end of entangled. Great

[curramaru]

audio pessimo

[ottoelperro]

Geez... I just got the Abbey Road Keyboards Refill for Reason and it sounds amazing. My band USED to have a Mellotron M400 We left it overnight at the gig and THE PLACE BURNED DOWN with everything in it. I know you're not suposed to move it around much but... we did. Oh, well. The end of an era for us. Still, GREAT sound from the refills. Thanks for the post.

[NCMountainDavis]

What kind of Hammond and Leslie model do we see behind the Mellotron?

[kipp0man]

Thanks for posting.. just brill.. was that inspired by "The Lamb" (Genesis) ??

[mynameisntowens]

Yes, yes, yes. The greatest album ever recorded.

[lunafesto]

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway was a good album, but didn't flow too well.

With more time and thought, it may have well been a master-piece!?

Yes there are a lot of stand-out tracks, that individualy are brilliant, but collectively just don't work too well to form a coherent story. To hear Tony Banks at his best, listen to the Genesis album "A Trick of the Tail" .

The track "Entangled" would have to be one of the most beautiful and haunting pieces of synth and Mellotron playing ever!

[BonzoMcBonzo]

Clearly the most beautiful synth (moog) and mellotron track ever made was that of Tony Banks' The Cinema Show, i swear that conclusion at the end with the duophonic moog practically leaves me in tears whenever i hear it it is absolutely breathtaking

[danmist]

The only version of Cinema Show on which Tony used a Moog- in this case a Polymoog- was on the 1978 world tour. The original and various live versions were done on ARPs- mainly the Pro Soloist and the Quadra which were his lead synth of choice. He dumped the Polymoog once he got his hands on a Prophet 5.

[prosoloist]

ARP Prosoloist, not Moog

"the most beautiful synth (moog) and mellotron track ever made was that of Tony Banks' The Cinema Show,"

[MinuetEnSol]

mmm, it actually was recorded with a ARP Pro Soloist synthesizer which was monophonic. Those parts were overdubbed. The only Moog Tony ever used was the Polymoog, which wasn´t designed by Bob Moog actually but by his former company, Moog Music.

[xeractus]

Here comes the supernatural anesthetist...

He's such a fine dancer... ;-)

[163richardb]

Sounds a bit like Isao Tomita's version of The Great Gate of Kiev by Mussorgsky - well , some of it anyway ! Lovely lovely sound

[konked]

I know the principal of this model it having a maximum tapelength of approx 8 seconds. So could someone please explain the Loop Mellotron on some Tangerine Dream recordings?

[MarkyMarc78]

There was a modified version called Birotron based on an idea by Rick Wakeman. It worked with cartridges that contained "endless" tape loops for every single key. So the tape would not run to its end and then be rewinded but run over and over again. Indeed, it was in use by Tangerine Dream and can also be heard on some late 70s Yes recordings.

[konked]

Thank You! :)

[MarkyMarc78]

You're welcome ;-)

[Paulywog282000]

King Crimson makes this intrument sound awsome...same with led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the moody blues

[FranzZdyb]

Check out some Tim Christensen, an excellent danish artist, he uses the mellotron a lot, and it sounds great.

[maxbackstrom]

Tim does some great music and sure use his mellotrons in a nice way.

[SenorSpode]

The 8-voice sounds real good on Zebra's self-titled album: "One More Chance", "Who's Behind The Door?" and "Don't Walk Away" numbers; Randy Jackson can really make it sound good!

[genesisfan2112]

...beauty

[kstandrule]

m400 amazing. how much would a second hand one cost and where would i start looking.i live in Manchester England and know that a good condition m400 is as rare as hens teeth ,but i must have one.

[aihoschema]

I guess the recent M400 Mark VI should be available second hand by now. I heard Streetly Electronics in London have some rebuilt old M400s in perfect working order. Be prepared to spend a couple thousand Pounds or more. I tried to talk two people to sell their M400s which they don't play for ages. Not a chance... Same like vintage Hammonds, they become very expensive again.

[mellotrongirl]

The mechanics are simple enough it would seem that some crafty geppeto can assemble a decent knock-off-o-tron out in the garage for a few hundred bucks.

[stringquartet]

M400. nice.

[FLAVCO]

These instruments have a very spooky sound.

[aihoschema]

Yes, there is a haunting quality to a Tron sound. Take out the mid-range a bit via EQ and it sounds like heaven. Check this choir sound on the Genesis "A Trick of the Tail" album: gorgeous and not spooky at all. Or check the M400 violins on the Wind and Wuthering album. The same: awsome, perfect, legend!

[FLAVCO]

Yeah I love the sounds of Mellotrons. I am a musician and can't really afford one of these instruments. Is there a way of getting similar sounds via computers etc.

[aihoschema]

Yes. There is for example the M-Tron, a VSTi plugin, and a few others. They all use high quality samples of the original 35 tapes. This is what most Genesis tribute bands are using. Sounds great. Just check the samples/software instruments of some music stores on the web. I'm sure you will find what you look for.

[aihoschema]

Silent Sorrow in empty boats... (almost ;-) )

The beautiful Mellotron 8 choir as used by Tony Banks!

[DrPlank]

How much did this mellotron cost you? Do you have bad tuning problems with it?

[neil73]

You can get a custom made mellotron, starting at $6,800 US dollars, unless you are fortunate to aquire one second hand(which i very much doubt, these days)

[LuisEduardoGalindo]

There is something great in ¨it´¨ it is here..

[Hergen62]

Unique sound! An old GENESIS fan says thanks for posting it!!!

[aihoschema]

Yep, that sounds "Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats"-ish from the Genesis 1974 "Lamb" album. Awesome sound!!! An old Tony Banks fan here :-)