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What makes a tron sound like nothing else

2006-06-29 by kinchmusic@aol.com

I've been thinking more about the tuning issues raised by Martin, and fully  
agree that the seriously out of tune notes should be pulled back into line.  
However, the one sound I would not want to have tuned is the mk2 violins as I  
think it's their slightly "out of tuneness" that makes this particular  tron 
sound so distinctive. Put them perfectly in tune and it becomes just like  any 
string sampler.
I therefore advocate fixing the real bad ones but leaving those  slightly 
dodgy notes alone....If you have think about whether a note needs  fixing, then 
it probably doesn't.
Andy K

Re: [Mellotronists] What makes a tron sound like nothing else

2006-06-29 by Andy Thompson

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

From: kinchmusic@...

To: mellotronists@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 6:03 PM

Subject: [Mellotronists] What makes a tron sound like nothing else

I've been thinking more about the tuning issues raised by Martin, and fully agree that the seriously out of tune notes should be pulled back into line. However, the one sound I would not want to have tuned is the mk2 violins as I think it's their slightly "out of tuneness" that makes this particular tron sound so distinctive. Put them perfectly in tune and it becomes just like any string sampler.

I therefore advocate fixing the real bad ones but leaving those slightly dodgy notes alone....If you have think about whether a note needs fixing, then it probably doesn't.

Andy K

Andy's right - has anyone here ever run into chords or intervals on the 3 violins that they can't use due to tuning issues? I'm not sure that tweaking every note would 'un-Mellotron' them, as it's the tuning discrepancies within each note that produce that sound, but it would be tempting, and very easy, to overdo it.

Andy T.

Re: [Mellotronists] What makes a tron sound like nothing else

2006-06-29 by lsf5275@aol.com

In a message dated 6/29/2006 1:23:06 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, kinchmusic@... writes:

Put them perfectly in tune and it becomes just like any string sampler.

I disagree, Andy. I think what makes that sound so great is the difference in tonality from key to key as well as the environment in which it was recorded as much as anything else. I also think that the minor pitch changes needed to bring everything into tune will have only tiny effects on tape duration, if any at all. As I recall, the masters are more than eight seconds long anyway. The limitation in sound duration is more a function of tape frame mechanics and design than anything else.

Frank Stickle

Re: [Mellotronists] What makes a tron sound like nothing else

2006-06-29 by jonesalley

Taking Frank's point a step further, I don't feel that we should think of these as "fixed" sounds, we should think of them as new sounds.

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I disagree, Andy. I think what makes that sound so great is the difference in tonality from key to key as well as the environment in which it was recorded as much as anything else. I also think that the minor pitch changes needed to bring everything into tune will have only tiny effects on tape duration, if any at all. As I recall, the masters are more than eight seconds long anyway. The limitation in sound duration is more a function of tape frame mechanics and design than anything else.

Re: [Mellotronists] What makes a tron sound like nothing else

2006-06-30 by d.etheridge1@ntlworld.com

Hi Andy,
just a thought -way back in the 70s when I played Mellotron on Colin 
Scot's album 'Out of the blue', the producer Robin Cable (who used to 
engineer for Elton John) got me to track the Mellotrons three times 
in order to 'iron out' the discrepancies. Listening to other albums 
of the time, I think that was quite common practice, although not 
exclusively so (viz MikePinder and Rick Wakeman for just two examples.
There are reasonable hardware Mellotron violins and flutes on the Gem 
Promega 3, together with wobbly bits in the notes; rather than the 
emasculated versions on Vintage keys.

Best wishes,
Dave.

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>
>Andy's right - has anyone here ever run into chords or intervals on 
>the 3 violins that they can't use due to tuning issues? I'm not sure 
>that tweaking every note would 'un-Mellotron' them, as it's the 
>tuning discrepancies within each note that produce that sound, but 
>it would be tempting, and very easy, to overdo it.
>
>Andy T.