Frank's e-mail brings up a number of points worth addressing, so I'll throw
in my 2 cents.
On road cases for frames: Craig Collett of Col Audio (who hosted the
Tronto workshops) has already spoken to his road case supplier and they've
measured frames (standard Streetly as opposed to the slightly longer DK/MR
frames) and came up with several combinations (I believe 1,2,4 & 6).
These can be supplied very quickly. Those of you who attended the workshops
here already know the quality of this manufacturer's construction. The
case he made for my MkII FX Console is the best I've ever seen. Period.
And believe me, I've seen them all. In order to protect the finish, he
lined the foam with velvet, for Christ's sake! They are computer designed
to supply extra support for stress/weight points. I cannot recommend them
highly enough. The price is very competitive, too AND in Canadian dollars!
I'm sure the tape frame cases will be just as outstanding. Contact Craig
at craigcollett@...
for more info. Also: had anyone on the list seen/purchased one of the
tape frame cases Markus told us about recently? Especially for the European
contingent on the list, this could be a way to go.
Baritone Sax: When we recorded Phil Poppa for the new soprano sax, his
bari was sitting over in the corner and we never did anything about it.
I can't believe I was that stupid. However, I'm in the middle of organizing
another round of recording (bass flute and flute choir--both done ala Ian
McDonald) and I'll get Phil into the studio at the same time. Bari will
work very well (as shown by the bass clarinet already done) and I can see
a lot of uses for it. Imagine the standard 'cello on steriods. This will
give you some idea of what the bari will sound like. We also have access
to a bass sax to do the bottom notes. Those of you who have never heard
this beast (it's 5 feet tall and you need a building permit when you put
the reed on) are in for a real treat.
The idea floating around about a cycling 400: GREAT idea, but everyone
must remember one thing: it will cost A LOT of money (and time) to attempt
something like this. I believe that Streetly would be interested in and
capable of making a cycling 'tron, but they would first need your commitment
with FIRM orders (and probably a 50% deposit) before they could even begin
something this involved. How many people would be willing to do this? That's
the key as to whether it could happen or not. It took Martin having to
write what I thought was a pretty despairing posting to get people talking
about the Russian Choir (which is brilliant IMHO). They need your feedback
to know whether what they're doing is valued/valuable. So, if there really
is SOLID interest in a particular improvement (read: financially viable),
I'm sure it will become reality.
Lastly: Talk is cheap. Frank (and Martin) are right about the cost of
things. You can easily blow a grand on a guitar and amp, a new computer;
hell, I blew $1200 on some software recently. $500 for a frame with 3 new
sounds is not a lot to pay when you consider what you're getting. It seems
to me that you cannot have enough mellotron voices. I look at the library
as it now stands and realize that I could use another 6 voices right now--and
I have 36 on my instrument! Even though I'm involved with the project,
I think that the new library is terrific and that it's again growing after
all these years blows me away--'trons are alive and well! Frankly, the
quality of the majority of the original library is pretty substandard and
the new voices show that the mellotron has NEVER really sounded as good
as it should. Besides my efforts, there are several other ongoing recording
projects and it won't be long before there will be a choice between more
than double the string voices, for instance. We all must support these
improvements, though, or they will come to a grinding halt. It's silly
for everyone to go to the trouble to produce new recordings if we all say
how great they are but no one buys them.
Also, it puzzles me mightily that anyone would want the MkII flute when
Ian's is available. Why? Because the Beatles used it on 'Strawberry Fields'?
Do you think Paul would have chosen that particular voice if Ian's had
been an option at the time? Because MkII flute was always part of the "standard
tape set"? Who cares? Personally, I would immediately dump the 3 violins
if a better one came along. I don't worry that people might say, "Gee,
it really doesn't sound anything like I remember." In my Devotion reunion
gig last year, we HAD to do 'The Court of the Crimson King' or our loyal
fans would probably have lynched us, and I admit that I used the 3 violins
but only until the crescendo after the flute solo, at which point I brought
in the string section voice and finally finished with orchestra for the
vamp at the end. At our first rehearsal, the band stopped playing and the
singer pithily commented, "What the fuck have you done to that thing?!
That is TOTALLY awesome!" Why? Because it did sound FUCKING AMAZING. I
showed Ian what I'd done at the Tronto workshop and in his quiet voice
he said, "Gee, I wish we'd had that." I'll leave it to you all to imagine
what the Adrian Belew guitar voice did to the band and audience in 'Schizoid
Man'...
I guess what I'm trying to say is: order some of these new voices. They
really are not that expensive. Don't be stuck in the museum when mellotrons
are once again out there and evolving. If you want a cycling 400, tell
Streetly and DEMAND to place an order. If enough people do that, there
WILL be a cycling 400. They can do it.
And with that, he descended from his soapbox and disappeared into the
night...
Cheers!
Rick (SFX 10030)
MAinPsych@... wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
Hi,
everyone.
It
seems that your ordered copies of the book are now starting to arrive.
I would certainly appreciate any and all constructive feedback (aside from
the few glaring publisher errors already noted). It's obviously unknown
if they'll be a subsequent printing, but in the event that there is, this
feedback would certainly assist in any revision.
Thanks,
and I hope you all enjoy the book!
My
2 cents on the cycling 400: I do love the idea, particularly since my acquiring
a MkII has yet to become a reality (the one I checked out in L.A. earlier
this week, #240, was not in good shape at all - and the guy still wants
at least $14K for it). Martin, if Streetly is going to build a limited
# of T550's (what's the word on that anyway), then why not a limited edition
manually cycling Novatron 400 (a next generation of trons, the 700, or
706 if 6 sounds, 712 if 12 sounds, etc.) or (since we're indulging our
wish lists) a manually cycling dual manual Novatron Mark VII (the new MkII)?
I'll be more than glad to put the prototype through its paces.
I
love the Russian Choir - it made me drag my yushanka out of the closet.
Some time ago I mentioned that Baritone Sax might be a consideration for
a new sound (or would that sound too much like a foghorn?). How about
the solo female voice that almost became a reality a couple of years ago.
Different vocal/vowel sounds? Mike Dickson's gastrointestinal rumblings
(see Baritone Sax) with the air-raid siren on the lower G?
Although
I said I was going to do this during the TRONto workshop last September
(but haven't yet), I'd like to check with a local firm that makes road
cases to get see about getting a price on a vertical ATA-style case (like
the one Streetly had at the last 2 workshops) that would hold, say, 6 racks.
How many of you would be interested in something like this? Martin,
where did you guys get your cases? BTW, Martin does raise a good
point about the price of tapes/racks. Relatively speaking, guitarists
out there, how much do we spend on accessories per year? I bought
both a guitar and bass POD for my studio, which list for $350. apiece,
among many other accessories, and didn't blink too much at that; or the
cost of a year's worth of strings. Of course, I'd like everything
cheaper, but c'est la vie. Hell, I'd like to find a pristine
condition MkII for $500 -- and people in hell want ice water too!!!
Looking
forward to your feedback,
Frank
Samagaio
M400
#908
Hey! You!
Check out my website. rickblechta.com
It\ufffds really great. Trust me\ufffd
