Mellotronists

Hi All,

I don't know if the link to this article has been posted before, but 
I wonder what folks think of Tony Visconti's comments about 
recording Mellotrons:

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_capturing_keyboards/

This quote struck me as kind of strange from someone with his 
professed experience recording Trons:

"A good Mellotron is a sampled Mellotron. A good Mellotron sample is 
looped. A good Mellotron loop is Autotuned."

Bernie

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005, Bernie Kornowicz wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> I don't know if the link to this article has been posted before, but 
> I wonder what folks think of Tony Visconti's comments about 
> recording Mellotrons:
> 
> http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_capturing_keyboards/
> 
> This quote struck me as kind of strange from someone with his 
> professed experience recording Trons:
> 
> "A good Mellotron is a sampled Mellotron. A good Mellotron sample is 
> looped. A good Mellotron loop is Autotuned."



i have a great deal of respect for mr visconti and his work,
but i must point out:

playing a sampled, looped, autotuned mellotron is no longer
playing a mellotron.



> Bernie


...jeff


listening to:
jacques berrocal "paralleles" - track "rock'n roll station"
["jack's bicycle is music to my ears..."]

I find a disc produced by Visconti, it doesn't matter to me if the
group is otherwise unknown...I've still got to check it out as I
consider his name important. The bit about properly recording a B-3
w/Leslies on the same site was quite a read!  

So many synths these days have their own built in stereo
expander/oscillations/enhancements right through the headphone and
output jacks. Then there's the stereo Optigan--keys in one speaker and
special FX/rhythms in the other.

I'd like to hear a Tony Clarke take on the recording of a Mellotron.
Pinder I'm sure is up on that as well. It's just that Visconti has
been around the block, whereas Clarke rarely departed from the
Threshold camp.

Crap! Plain and simple. It's ALL contextual Tony.  I would have 
expected more from such a congenial chap.

Fritz

-----Original Message-----
From: Bernie Kornowicz <kornowicz@...>
To: Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 03:11:51 -0000
Subject: [Mellotronists] Recording a Mellotron


Hi All,

I don't know if the link to this article has been posted before, but
I wonder what folks think of Tony Visconti's comments about
recording Mellotrons:

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_capturing_keyboards/

This quote struck me as kind of strange from someone with his
professed experience recording Trons:

"A good Mellotron is a sampled Mellotron. A good Mellotron sample is
looped. A good Mellotron loop is Autotuned."

Bernie







Yahoo! Groups Links

In a message dated 25/03/2005 03:13:30 GMT Standard Time, kornowicz@...  
writes:

"A good  Mellotron is a sampled Mellotron. A good Mellotron sample is 
looped. A  good Mellotron loop is Autotuned."



Botox!
 
A good Mellotron is a regularly serviced one, a looped Mellotron sample is  
just wrong, an autotuned Mellotron sample doesn't sound like a Mellotron.
 
'nuff said...
 
Norm

----- Original Message -----

From: NormLeete@...

To: Mellotronists@...m

Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 9:47 PM

Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Recording a Mellotron

In a message dated 25/03/2005 03:13:30 GMT Standard Time, kornowicz@... writes:

"A good Mellotron is a sampled Mellotron. A good Mellotron sample is
looped. A good Mellotron loop is Autotuned."

Botox!

A good Mellotron is a regularly serviced one, a looped Mellotron sample is just wrong, an autotuned Mellotron sample doesn't sound like a Mellotron.

'nuff said...

Norm

> Bernie,
> Interesting story-I always wondered about Bungalow Bill-who played the 
> part?-"and also that flamenco guitar run used at the beginning of 
> "Bungalow Bill" [by pressing one key"-now I see where they got it from 
> but who played it-anyone know?
> Pete
> 
> Bernie Kornowicz wrote:
> 
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I don't know if the link to this article has been posted before, but
>> I wonder what folks think of Tony Visconti's comments about
>> recording Mellotrons:
>>
>> http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_capturing_keyboards/
> 
>

If the guy's not happy with the limitations of or apparent 'flaws' in the 
sound, why does he even bother to use a sampled Mellotron? Why not rather 
opt for one of the recent (and quite decent) digitally sampled libraries of 
strings, flutes, etc.? I don't see the point of trying to emulate a 'Tron if 
you're not up to doing it properly, i.e. using a sampler to trigger the 
originally sampled 8 second wobblies. In my opinion, that's undermining the 
whole point of using a sampled Mellotron. In my opinion, that is. Man, these 
things upset me, like when the 21st Century Schizoid Band choose to tweak 
some kind of cheezy fm synth to make it sound like 3 Violins, rather than 
using real 'Tron samples, or better still, a real 'Tron. Why?????

Dagfinn

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Is it possible that the pro's have taken the Mellotron for granted?  Kind of like the rich burning 100's to light their Cubans?
 
Is it possible that the musicians who don't own Mellotrons write the best Mellotron pieces?  Always trying to achieve that sound but never getting there??
 
Oh well, where's my spectacles and back to my Matrix 6...

Dagfinn H <captain_yossarian@...> wrote:
If the guy's not happy with the limitations of or apparent 'flaws' in the 
sound, why does he even bother to use a sampled Mellotron? Why not rather 
opt for one of the recent (and quite decent) digitally sampled libraries of 
strings, flutes, etc.? I don't see the point of trying to emulate a 'Tron if 
you're not up to doing it properly, i.e. using a sampler to trigger the 
originally sampled 8 second wobblies. In my opinion, that's undermining the 
whole point of using a sampled Mellotron. In my opinion, that is. Man, these 
things upset me, like when the 21st Century Schizoid Band choose to tweak 
some kind of cheezy fm synth to make it sound like 3 Violins, rather than 
using real 'Tron samples, or better still, a real 'Tron. Why?????

Dagfinn

_________________________________________________________________
Last ned MSN Messenger gratis http://www.msn.no/computing/messenger - Den 
raskeste veien mellom deg og dine venner


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----- Original Message ----- 

From: "marabus" <marabus@...>
To: "Mellotronists" <Mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 2:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Recording a Mellotron


>
> > Bernie,
> > Interesting story-I always wondered about Bungalow Bill-who played the
> > part?-"and also that flamenco guitar run used at the beginning of
> > "Bungalow Bill" [by pressing one key"-now I see where they got it from
> > but who played it-anyone know?
> > Pete

I was under the impression Chris Thomas played the 'Tron on that track - I
think that's what the 'Beatles Recording Sessions' book says, anyway. I
believe Lennon played the skronky 'Tron noises on 'Revolution 9'.

Andy T.