Mellotronists

I've just acquired a MicroKorg Vocoder. It looks like a toy but is
*quite* some bit of kit. And it looks much cooler on top of the M400
than a Casio CZ-1000, I can tell you.

Mike Dickson (tron@...) M400 #996
The Official Cynic of Streetly Electronics
Streetly Sample Library http://www.blackcat.demon.co.uk/tron/

On 19 Dec 2004, at 19:39, tron@... wrote:

>
> I've just acquired a MicroKorg Vocoder. It looks like a toy but is
> *quite* some bit of kit. And it looks much cooler on top of the M400
> than a Casio CZ-1000, I can tell you.
>

It's *much* more than a vocoder!!

C

http://www.s-club.co.uk
        Sundae Club*
         PO Box 862
         Cheltenham
           GL52 2XT

--- In Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com, tron@b... wrote:
> I've just acquired a MicroKorg Vocoder. It looks like a toy but is
> *quite* some bit of kit. And it looks much cooler on top of the M400
> than a Casio CZ-1000, I can tell you.

The MicroKorg has the same guts as the MS2000.  It would be nice to 
try processing tron sounds through the filters and vocoder!  Let us 
know how you make use of it.  

Very cool little box!!!

Clay

> The MicroKorg has the same guts as the MS2000.  It would be nice to
> try processing tron sounds through the filters and vocoder!

I tried that nonsense earlier today.

   Q: How do you make a Mellotron stay in tune?
   A: Play it through a Vocoder.

I only tried it on the one frame - Boys Choir, GC3 Brass and Sad
Strings. I messed about with a bunch of settings, but the strings always
sounded thin and horrid, whereas the GC3 brass was very gritty and
thunderous - sort of like the kind of vast and trumpeting wind that you
might blow off after eating gravel and drinking Guinness.

One novel feature is that you can drone into the attached microphone and
preserve the modulated signal so you can play pads (or whatever) without
going purple in the face.

In many ways the Vocoder is one of the least interesting things about
this unit. The synth capabilities are simply -huge-. The down side is
that it's all built on Korg's 'why use six knobs when one and six
modifers will do' principle which makes it quite hard to get 'into' as
far as programming it is concerned. I used to own a Korg M1 and sold it
quickly simply because it was *impossible* to understand.

The only down side I have found so far (and it may seem minor) is that
the range of presets are selected via one large dial which has them
grouped by genre. Titles like 'hip hop', 'trance' and 'd n b' are going
to date this thing in short order.

Mike Dickson (tron@...) M400 #996
The Official Cynic of Streetly Electronics
Streetly Sample Library http://www.blackcat.demon.co.uk/tron/

In a message dated 12/19/2004 7:20:08 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
tron@... writes:

The only  down side I have found so far (and it may seem minor) is that
the range of  presets are selected via one large dial which has them
grouped by genre.  Titles like 'hip hop', 'trance' and 'd n b' are going
to date this thing in  short order.
 
Yeah, but it is a really inexpensive machine that delivers big time. I love  
mine!
 
 
Frank

Dear All,
 
Been using an MS2000 for ages - try 8-voice choir through vocoder.  Brill...
 
I note that several people on the web slag off the MS2000 as being  "limited" 
and "only being 4 voice". Dammit that's three more voices than most of  the 
synths I still use plus I don't remember people complaining that an Obie  
4-voice is underpowered!
 
Mellotrons - only three presets, how did they ever catch on...
 
All the best (and a Merry Christmas / Wassail to you all...)
Norm

Love my MS2000 F%@k the purists!

fd

> I've just acquired a MicroKorg Vocoder. It looks like a toy but is

> *quite* some bit of kit. And it looks much cooler on top of the M400

> than a Casio CZ-1000, I can tell you. 

being a bit of a purist about these things, I (of course) have the older korg 
vc-10 vocoder similarly perched. 

actually I've never been that daft about the 'tron sounds through the 
vocoders (there are vocoders in the boss se50 & se70 effects units too) we have here 
at northern echo; these days I prefer to run the 400 through the great british 
spring, a stereo drainpipe reverb thing, while the little korg does it's 
stuff to a roland rs09 (great non-midi string/organ synth) & is fed back through 
this latter's ensemble.

I fancy submitting some samples of my elka rhapsody to be made into 'tron 
tapes. is this a horrible idea?

d/r.m.i./400nr1098