The Magical Mellotron

http://www.squidoo.com/mellotron

Whether you recognize it from Strawberry Fields or from a thousand other great songs from the past 40 years or so, nothing beats a real mellotron. Here's an amazing British promo film.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mellotron
• samples
• demo
• british
• vst

[MasterOfPizza99t]

Why are British people so awesome???

[NTComputer86]

how does the rythm tape rewind while its playing? that is amazing how mechanically complex that machine is yet still able to be played quickly like that

[Ponnybit]

@NTComputer86 from what i understand the tape has a sample of a few seconds and when the key is released there is a spring that pulls the tape back to the start, in this case the loop.

[NTComputer86]

@Riskteven yeah, i havent stumbled across one lol. I assume they hold their value quite well

[Riskteven]

@NTComputer86 I am not sure they are common enough to be bought on Craighs list like any average Hammond type instrument. They are rare and I think even a Yamaha Thyros 4 is less expensive.

[NTComputer86]

@Riskteven what like the kind that are all memory based? I think this was the predecessor of todays keyboards. I think the rhythm tape is a loop while the individual key tape ribbons rewind on release. such an amazing machine tho lol I want one

[Riskteven]

@NTComputer86 I really wonder that too! I did n't even know there were any mellotrons with rhythm box/function at all. Thought that was only on Hammond/Yamaha and such instruments.

[mrSpaceman2001]

How many film scores of the day were actually a mellotron? It's a remarkably recognisable sound!..

[lazzer408]

@The2010SnowDay It's kind of amazing how stable the frequency is and how quickly it can be retriggered.

[synsei1]

@The2010SnowDay Thank you, I assumed they were looped and the notes could be played limitlessly.

[The2010SnowDay]

@synsei1 The Mellotron tapes were'nt looped. They lasted 7-8seconds, and were then pulled back by a spring.