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Compressed Mellotron

Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by Mark Pring

I have always found coping with raw ouput of my M400 somewhat challenging, particularly as I know very little about equalising and mixing. The tone control on my tron is broken, fortunately (?) set to high, being very lazy I can't be bothered to try and fix it. The output is fed through a modest Yamaha mixer and onto a very modest set of studio monitors and generally sounds quite good, although I can never quite get the sound I want. It sounds too much like violins!

The string sounds are really the only mellotron sounds that interest me and I have 2 sets of tapes, one has the Mark II 3 violins and the other the M300 violins ( is that 2?). I have gradually been weaning myself of excessive reverb as I like a rather percussive attacking sound. Recent posts about equalisation settings have been very useful.

I haven't ever used the simple compression function on the mixer until last night when I turned it on by accident, used sparingly it seems to make the tron sound a bit more clearly defined.

I might be wrong but I get the impression that compressing the sound is somewhat frowned upon in the group and I wonder why?

I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.

Cheers

Mark

Re: Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by Bernie

I had a Joe Meek compressor on my M400 for a while, but I always felt dirty about it.

Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, Mark Pring <markpringnz@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> I have always found coping with raw ouput of my M400 somewhat challenging, particularly as I know very little about equalising and mixing. The tone control on my tron is broken, fortunately (?) set to high, being very lazy I can't be bothered to try and fix it. The output is fed through a modest Yamaha mixer and onto a very modest set of studio monitors and generally sounds quite good, although I can never quite get the sound I want. It sounds too much like violins!
> 
> The string sounds are really the only mellotron sounds that interest me and I have 2 sets of tapes, one has the Mark II 3 violins and the other the M300 violins ( is that 2?). I have gradually been weaning myself of excessive reverb as I like a rather percussive attacking sound. Recent posts about equalisation settings have been very useful.
> 
> I haven't ever used the simple compression function on the mixer until last night when I turned it on by accident, used sparingly it seems to make the tron sound a bit more clearly defined.
> 
> I might be wrong but I get the impression that compressing the sound is somewhat frowned upon in the group and I wonder why?
> 
> I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Mark
>

Re: [newmellotrongroup] Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by fdoddy@aol.com

Compression is my most often used tool.?? Multiband compression was invented by God I think.? Squeeze the crap out of it!!!


fritz
Show quoted textHide quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Pring <markpringnz@yahoo.com>
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, Aug 13, 2009 12:39 am
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Compressed Mellotron






















    

                  
I have always found coping with raw ouput of my M400 somewhat challenging, particularly as I know very little about equalising and mixing. The tone control on my tron is broken, fortunately (?) set to high, being very lazy I can't be bothered to try and fix it. The output is fed through a modest Yamaha mixer and onto a very modest set of studio monitors and generally sounds quite good, although I can never quite get the sound I want. It sounds too much like violins!



The string sounds are really the only mellotron sounds that interest me and I have 2 sets of tapes, one has the Mark II 3 violins and the other the M300 violins ( is that 2?). I have gradually been weaning myself of excessive reverb as I like a rather percussive attacking sound. Recent posts about equalisation settings have been very useful.



I haven't ever used the simple compression function on the mixer until last night when I turned it on by accident, used sparingly it seems to make the tron sound a bit more clearly defined.



I might be wrong but I get the impression that compressing the sound is somewhat frowned upon in the group and I wonder why?



I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.



Cheers



Mark

Re: [newmellotrongroup] Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by Rick Blechta

On Aug 13, 2009, at 10:48 AM, fdoddy@aol.com wrote:

> Compression is my most often used tool.   Multiband compression was  
> invented by God I think.  Squeeze the crap out of it!!!
>
>
> fritz

Eric Clapton invented multiband compression?! Who would have  
thought... He can do anything.

Rick

Re: [newmellotrongroup] Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by sdavmor

Rick Blechta wrote:
>  
> 
> 
> On Aug 13, 2009, at 10:48 AM, fdoddy@aol.com <mailto:fdoddy@aol.com> wrote:
> 
>> Compression is my most often used tool.   Multiband compression was 
>> invented by God I think.  Squeeze the crap out of it!!!
>>
>>
>> fritz
> 
> Eric Clapton invented multiband compression?! Who would have thought... 
> He can do anything.
> 
> Rick

lol@rick.  That's very good!
-- 
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Re: Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-13 by fourtytwominds

Mr. Fritz, what do you aim for with compression of the Mellotron sound? I've not had opportunity to use any real time compression of the signal and I'm wondering what I might gain by finding a real compressor (not a software effect that is non-real-time) and using it?

I'm grasping at straws here, but can correct use of compression create that ... nasty, abrasive, whiny, yet entirely memorable early Mellotron sound of say Graham Bond Organisation, Giles Giles & Fripp, etc.? Or was that sound rather the result of recording the built in speakers on a MkII unit instead of taking the signal DI?

Thanks,

-Sean

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, fdoddy@... wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> 
>  Compression is my most often used tool.?? Multiband compression was invented by God I think.? Squeeze the crap out of it!!!
> 
> 
> fritz
> 

>Original message: 
>                   
> I have always found coping with raw ouput of my M400 somewhat challenging, particularly as I know very little about equalising and mixing. The tone control on my tron is broken, fortunately (?) set to high, being very lazy I can't be bothered to try and fix it. The output is fed through a modest Yamaha mixer and onto a very modest set of studio monitors and generally sounds quite good, although I can never quite get the sound I want. It sounds too much like violins!
> 
> 
> 
> The string sounds are really the only mellotron sounds that interest me and I have 2 sets of tapes, one has the Mark II 3 violins and the other the M300 violins ( is that 2?). I have gradually been weaning myself of excessive reverb as I like a rather percussive attacking sound. Recent posts about equalisation settings have been very useful.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't ever used the simple compression function on the mixer until last night when I turned it on by accident, used sparingly it seems to make the tron sound a bit more clearly defined.
> 
> 
> 
> I might be wrong but I get the impression that compressing the sound is somewhat frowned upon in the group and I wonder why?
> 
> 
> 
> I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> 
> 
> Mark
>

Re: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Compressed Mellotron

2009-08-14 by fdoddy@aol.com

I don't know how those sounds were originally created so I can't comment on that.? I use compression? to accentuate the attack of the sounds,? 3 violins has a natural amplitude envelope that gives it personality but sometimes i want to flatten that envelope out to make it more immediate.


fritz


 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: fourtytwominds <fourtytwominds@yahoo.com>
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, Aug 13, 2009 6:12 pm
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Compressed Mellotron






















    

                  
Mr. Fritz, what do you aim for with compression of the Mellotron sound? I've not had opportunity to use any real time compression of the signal and I'm wondering what I might gain by finding a real compressor (not a software effect that is non-real-time) and using it?



I'm grasping at straws here, but can correct use of compression create that ... nasty, abrasive, whiny, yet entirely memorable early Mellotron sound of say Graham Bond Organisation, Giles Giles & Fripp, etc.? Or was that sound rather the result of recording the built in speakers on a MkII unit instead of taking the signal DI?



Thanks,



-Sean



--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, fdoddy@... wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>

> 

>  Compression is my most often used tool.?? Multiband compression was invented by God I think.? Squeeze the crap out of it!!!

> 

> 

> fritz

> 



>Original message: 

>                   

> I have always found coping with raw ouput of my M400 somewhat challenging, particularly as I know very little about equalising and mixing. The tone control on my tron is broken, fortunately (?) set to high, being very lazy I can't be bothered to try and fix it. The output is fed through a modest Yamaha mixer and onto a very modest set of studio monitors and generally sounds quite good, although I can never quite get the sound I want. It sounds too much like violins!

> 

> 

> 

> The string sounds are really the only mellotron sounds that interest me and I have 2 sets of tapes, one has the Mark II 3 violins and the other the M300 violins ( is that 2?). I have gradually been weaning myself of excessive reverb as I like a rather percussive attacking sound. Recent posts about equalisation settings have been very useful.

> 

> 

> 

> I haven't ever used the simple compression function on the mixer until last night when I turned it on by accident, used sparingly it seems to make the tron sound a bit more clearly defined.

> 

> 

> 

> I might be wrong but I get the impression that compressing the sound is somewhat frowned upon in the group and I wonder why?

> 

> 

> 

> I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.

> 

> 

> 

> Cheers

> 

> 

> 

> Mark

>

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