The Mellotron Group

If Mellotrons have limitations, everything has limitations. No one ever mentions the limitations of a guitar or a piano, yet the article mentions Mellotron limitations without saying what they are. What are they?

Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
> Many people don't know this, but Bernie used to know much more about  
> Mellotrons than he does now. He fell down the stairs a while back and when he  
> awoke, he immediately changed his email address and promptly erased all of the 
>  knowledge associated with the old one.
>  
> Be patient. He's coming along just fine. 
>  
> Frank
>  
>  
> In a message dated 11/30/2010 8:29:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> gabru@... writes:
> 
>  
>  
>  
>  
> Really  Bernie?....You don’t know what the limitations are?   
> You’re  kidding right?  
> J 
>  
>  
>  
> From: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com  
> [mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of  tron400
> Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:05 AM
> To:  newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re:  Speaking of the M4000, what's with this?
> 
>  
>  
>  
> 
> 
> Interesting article, but I'd like to know exactly what the  limitations of 
> a Mellotron are. It is what it is.
> 
> Bernie
> 
> --- In  _newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com_ 
> (mailto:newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com) ,  lsf5275@ wrote:
> >
> > A nice article about the M4000 and then a  referral to watch a movie that 
> > hardly mentions Streetly (if at  all)and is mostly about Chamberlins.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _New  Mellotron M4000 Finds Home With Chicago Psych Rocker_ 
> > (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/) )  
> > 18Sep10
> > 
> > (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/) )  
> > _Send to a Friend_ 
> > (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/email/) )  | 
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> > (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/feed/_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/09/18/mellotron-m4000/feed/) )  | Filed 
> under: _Keyboard Synthesizers_ 
> > 
> (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/keyboard-synthesize_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/keyboard-synthesize) 
> >  rs/) , _Samplers_ 
> > 
> (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/samplers/_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/samplers/) )  
> > 
> > 
> > Mellotrons have a checkered history. They’re  known for their unique 
> sound 
> > and place in electronic music, but  they’re also known for their 
> limitations 
> > and temperamentality.  
> > But, while the sound of the Mellotron has been captured in samples  and 
> > software, there’s still something about a real tape-based  Mellotron 
> that 
> > appeals to a lot of musicians. 
> > And, for some  keyboardists, it’s hard for them to imagine playing 
> their 
> > music  without a Mellotron. 
> > Chicago-based psychedelic rocker Jim Licka,  right, recently added a new 
> > _Mellotron M4000_ 
> > 
> (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/09/18/streetly-electronics-introduces-a-new-mellotron/_ (http://www.synth
> topia.com/content/2009/09/18/streetly-electronics-introduces-a-new-mellotron/) )  , from _Streetly Electronics_ 
> > (_http://www.mellotronics.com/_ (http://www.mellotronics.com/) ) , to his 
>  arsenal. Licka leads a 
> > psychedelic/ambient/rock band _Umbra and the  Volcan Siege_ 
> (_http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago_ (http://www.myspace.com/umbrachicago) )  
> > . 
> > Why a new Mellotron? 
> > â€Å"I think the Mellotron is  the most dynamic and influential instrument 
> > invented,” says  Licka.”I love it every time I play it and hear it.â€
>  
> > The Mellotron  M4000 is the newest in a the Mellotron family of 
> > electro-mechanical,  polyphonic sample-playback keyboards. Psychedelic 
> and progressive 
> >  rock bands used the Mellotron extensively in the ’60s and ’70s and 
> the  
> > instrument features on album like George Harrison’s Wonderwall  Music, 
> King 
> > Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King and  Architecture & 
> Morality by 
> > Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.  
> > More recently, the Mellotron has seen a resurgence of interest,  
> especially 
> > with prog and metal groups. 
> > â€Å"It sends me to a  place that’s special and sacred,” adds Licka. â
> ہ"It makes 
> > me feel  alive and I feel lucky to own one. I think that keeps me coming 
> > back  for more and more and it’s the most amazing sound ever.” 
> > Licka,  who also plays guitar and Moog synthesizer with Umbra and the 
> Volcan 
> >  Siege, ordered his Mellotron M4000 in 2007, after visiting Streetly’s 
>  
> > Staffordshire, England, headquarters and testing a prototype. An  older 
> model 
> > Mellotron is featured on the most recent Umbra and the  Volcan Siege EP, 
> 2009’
> > s The Beginning of the End. 
> > If  you’re interested in learning more about the Mellotron, a great 
> place to  
> > start is Dianna Dilworth’s excellent _Mellotron documentary  
> Mellodrama_ 
> > 
> (_http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/02/12/mellodrama-mellotronchamberlin-d_ 
> (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/02/12/mellodrama-mellotronchamberlin-d) 
> >  ocumentary-trailer/) .
> >
>