The new Mellotron M4000.
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Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=68390
Printed Date: December 01 2024 at 02:34
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Topic: The new Mellotron M4000.
Posted By: himtroy
Subject: The new Mellotron M4000.
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 00:02
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Has anyone heard anything about these new Mellotron M4000's. I'm incredibly interested but can't find a price or many good recordings of it. I'm hesitant on buying digital technology, but from what I've heard it does sound damn good. It sounds like unlike the previous Mellotrons it might be somewhat affordable. As I said though, the idea of a digital mellotron scares me a little bit, I'm afraid the orchestra sounds will be way too clean and not eery and distorted like the classic Mellotron.
------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Replies:
Posted By: Falx
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 02:09
They're only eerie and distorted because the tapes wear out and stretch 
------------- "You must go beyond the limit of the limit of your limits!" - Mr. Doctor "It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though the limits of our abilities do not exist." - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin |
Posted By: CyberDiablo
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 10:16
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I still prefer Hammond anyway. ------------- Music is some kind of art. -- Anonymous |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 13:29
Yes, the Hammond Mellotron.  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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CyberDiablo wrote:Posted By: CyberDiablo
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 13:57
------------- Music is some kind of art. -- Anonymous |
Posted By: pierreolivier
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 17:09
The Mellotron M4000 seem to be a good machine but it's not affordable at all. The price of that mellotron is somewhere between 10 000- 15 000 $ US. The price may be high but take consideration that the M4000 had 8 banks of sounds, so it's like having 8 M400 mellotrons in one box, for a total of 24 sounds, so it's
a good deal if you had the money and above all, it's not digital, it's the real thing.
The M4000 had a lot of modern innovations too that enhanced the original 60's-70's mellotrons. It had
the light touch keyboard wich make the M4000 keyboard as light as a Hammond organ keyboard. Those who had play an original M400 keyboard know that the keyboard had a slow action and are hard to play. On the M4000, you can play as fast as you can without problems. It also had a cool feature too called the Filtotron, wich is a kind of internal vaccum that push the smoke away from the mellotron and then protected the tapes from smokes that can be harmful. That innovation is very cool for someone doing performances with the M4000.
If you want buying an M4000, expect to wait at least 6 months because they are made by hands and one by one, so you had to be patient. The alternative band Arcade Fire apparently bought one recently and their
new album which is due this summer apparently feature the M4000.
Here's a good informal article about the M4000:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct07/articles/mellotronm4000.htm - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct07/articles/mellotronm4000.htm
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 18:59
I already got me one of those. It's verrry nice. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: June 15 2010 at 19:16
| so wait, is it still analog then? |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 01:13
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I just bought a set of Mellotron 400 tape samples of off Ebay, they are great! 8-voice choir, flute, violin etc. All of 'em. $35 for the entire set + $5 for shipping. From the listing: VintageKeyboardSounds.com presents all our Mellotron Samples in one package. Mellotron 3 Violins, Choir, Brass, Flute, and Cello Samples. This is SET A and SET B of our AUTHENTIC MELLOTRON SAMPLES from our own personal Mellotron. These samples are compatible with most hardware and software samplers. The samples include every key and note from the following voices: 3 Violins, Choir, Brass, Flute, and Cello. ----- I'll load them onto my MacBook Pro, and run them through GarageBand with an add-on utility. I need to buy the Apple USB keyboard sometime this week. LOTS cheaper than a new Mellotron, and these are digital samples of olde Mellotron analog tapes! The 8-voice choir just sends shivers up the spine...Think "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight". |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 12:27
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http://www.mellotron.com/digital-mellotron.html - http://www.mellotron.com/digital-mellotron.html
Thats the one I'm talking about. Maybe I had the name wrong, but it's supposed to be digital and has been rumored to be less expensive than the last few Mellotron's were. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: pierreolivier
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 16:07
No, you're not wrong, they named it the M4000 too and I think that's wrong because Streetly Electronics (the one I was talking) came up with that name model since 2007. The one you're talking is the new machine by Markus Resch from Sweden and it's totally digital. These two companies, Streetly Electronics and Markus Resch made strong competition to each others and sometimes it get lower the belt, like this example, naming their respective product with the same nomination just to confuse the buyer.
It's sure the digital one wil be less expensive but for me, that's not a mellotron, just a sampler.
You could buy the M-Tron and you will have the same result for a fraction of the price they ask you
for a fake mellotron with a keyboard that mimick the one in a real mellotron.
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 21:01
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I wouldn't pay more than maybe $49.95 for a digital Mellotron, which is what decent samples cost. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: June 17 2010 at 12:42
Yeah, I'm not usually down with samples either. But I've heard a real Mellotron and the digital Mellotron played side by side and there was absolutely no difference. The site says its 850 USD. But every time I email them as to inquire anything about it they won't answer. Pissing me off ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 11:12
Certanly couldn't afford one of the new mellotrons, but I would love to get my hands on one of these more affordable alternatives:
Jordan Rudess: OK, he's not playing it as you'd think a Mellotron should, but you get a good idea of how good it is. But, until I'm able to afford the £1500 they cost, I'll stick with my EMU Vintage Keys module (which actually is pretty good) ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 16:41
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Here's a real beauty for ya!! http://www.mysterycircuits.com/melloman/melloman.html - http://www.mysterycircuits.com/melloman/melloman.html
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Posted By: topographicbroadways
Date Posted: June 18 2010 at 18:13
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are you thinking of the Memotron? that was a digital remake released relatively recently which is very good
sorry just realised thats already been posted i should look down before i post -------------  
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Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: July 11 2010 at 01:17
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Yeah, I finally got word back from them. The 800 USD on the site is wrong, it's 2700$ ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: Rabid
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 15:56
 ------------- "...the thing IS, to put a motor in yourself..." |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 16:30
I think Rick Wakemen said positive things about the Memotron. I suppose after years of carting round one of those bloody sideboards, the Memotron must seem like a God send. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 21:44
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Yeah, you can find a video online of the memotron and mellotron being played next to each other, comparing the same riffs, and even being played at the same time. I've always been an analog/not digital nazi (for example I've yet to hear a digital organ that is nearly satisfying enough to replace a b3), but there was ABSOLUTELY no difference. I closed my eyes and couldn't tell the difference. And the Reason thing doesn't help me, I'm playing with a band, not making techno songs on my computer. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 21:52
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Yikes, $2700? You could get an even better replica with GMedia M-Tron for a couple hundred bucks - it's all digital samples so nothing is different about the hardware version except that hardware is more limited and expensive. You could even start from scratch and get a brand new laptop/MIDI controller AND the software and still save a thousand dollars... Then think of all the other advantages with software - you can map a split with Mellotron on one side and Moog or Hammond on another, or layer with another sample or synth sound, add whatever effects you want...you can even transpose it and have it stretch over more than 3 octaves, get infinite sustain instead of the 8-second limitation, etc... ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 22:40
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I'm not getting into anything like that, I have a dominant synth and won't be straying from it. I just want a mellotron sound, which isn't going to be happening. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 00:22
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You can also get fantastic mellotron sounds very, very cheaply with a used E-MU Vintage Keys module. They can usually be found on Ebay for around $220. If you eventually upgrade your main keyboard to a current Motif/Fantom/Triton, which are the standard gigging keyboards nowadays, they all come with a plethora of great Mellotron sounds... ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 15:08
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The problem is I'm playing an actual Hammond organ, and I can't substitute that out since I've yet to find a satisfying imitation. And my other synth is the only synth I've found that has a good Moog sound, where I can also alter the sound like on a Moog. (It drives me crazy when digital imitations have the Moog sound with a timed filter that you can't sweep and move on your own!!!)
I will look into the E-MU thing you were talking about, though at this point I've absolutely no idea what it is. So is this thing the box that has all the sounds, and you midi hookup a keyboard to it?
------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 22:14
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Buying a Mellotron? lolno Samples and plugins. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 01:55
Have you even read this topic? Because I'm not really sure what you're even implying here...... ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 03:22
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Actually Stonebeard is saying something along the lines of what I'm saying, but himtroy, it sounds like you are definitely an old=fashioned keyboardist. I don'twant to open up a can of worms by suggesting modules and software that might eventually drive you nuts, but that is definitely the way to go if you want to have a powerful and portable keyboard rig that can get you all the sounds you want - and yes, that includes outstanding Hammonds, Mellotrons, Moogs - all of the parameters of which can be assigned to knobs and sliders as you wish... If you are willing to invest about $90 on a soundcard for your computer, and about the same for a MIDI keyboard, I could send you to a few sites to get you started - once you get into what can be done on a computer using a MIDI keyboard and software, you will probably find such a wealth of possibilities that you won't leave your house for a year! But that only works if you have the interest and inclination to go that route. Everything on the latest Shadow Circus album is entirely with plugins - including all pianos, strings, Mellotrons, Moogs, and even the guitar amps and effects - you can listen to the whole album at: http://www.shadowcircusmusic.com/audio - http://www.shadowcircusmusic.com/audio . ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 21:52
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I assume I'm missing something here, but then how can I get away from my computer with all these sounds? Because while I occasionally record, my favorite thing to do is jamming with others. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 22:09
There not much of anything in the world more vexing than getting into MIDI, which is what you should start looking into. I can't help you much with specific, but you need a MIDI keyboard so you can load up plugins of synthetic sounds and samples of real life acoustic instruments, such as a mellotron. These sounds are mapped to the MIDI keyboard and it's like you can load the sounds of a Hammond organ or a mellotro--or anything really when you consider samples--right to the keys on the MIDI keyboard. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 26 2010 at 00:12
Ultimately, you would get a cheap laptop. But even a PC will be more portable than your Hammond!  You can get a laptop for about $500, and a MIDI/Audio interface for it for about $125. Get a MIDI keyboard for $100 (more if you want 88 weighted keys) and you have yourself a spectacular setup that you can easily carry around not only for jamming, but you could produce an album with it. I can recommend a program called Reaper which is nearly as powerful as ProTools, and costs only $60. Once you get a setup like this, there's no stopping you! You'll need some patience and time, but it's very rewarding... ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 30 2010 at 20:27
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Yeah, I don't have nearly these kinds of finances, so maybe I'll revisit the idea in five years. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 14:07
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Oh, nevermind - i was misled, I thought you were interested in even getting something like the Memtron and that I was helping you save thousands of dollars! You can get into this with hardly spending anything, himtroy. If you have a computer that can surf the internet, then all you need is any cheap MIDI keyboard (get a Casio for $50 off of Craiglist ) and a soundcard (M-audio Audiophile can be bought used for $50)...Grab a few cables from Radio Shack and you're good to go - That'll keep you busy playing and recording, then you can always upgrade to a laptop when you can eventually get one... Or, you could sell your Hammond and have enough cash to build a totally modern set-up! ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 15:23
I'll never sell my Hammond! I've acquired both Hammonds and my Rhodes Piano for absolutely no cost. And I wasn't attacking you when saying I couldn't afford it. That 500$ figure is what scared me. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 15:24
I'll never sell my Hammond! I've acquired both Hammonds and my Rhodes Piano for absolutely no cost. And I wasn't attacking you when saying I couldn't afford it. That 500$ figure is what scared me. I have a midi keyboard somewhere, I just need to get the midi hook up. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 15:56
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Oh, the $500 is just for a laptop. But that can wait - if you already have a MIDI keyboard lying around, just get an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (new=$100, used $50, and you'll have a blast! I only push this idea because I think once you discover what you can do with it, you'll be in nirvana! ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 16:39
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Yes sir, and thank you for it. I haven't gotten anywhere yet since I haven't left the room, but I plan on getting it soon. Especially as I've been getting into ambient music recently, all those settings would be a godsend.
I'll still never fold on Hammond tones though, I've played pretty top of the line imitators and, while their good, they do not replicate a Hammond enough to abandon mine. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 31 2010 at 16:44
Cool! Please be sure to post here if you get into it! Oh,m I hear you about the Hammond emulations. Native Instruments B4 is pretty incredible, though. If you can discern which tracks on this page use the software version, and which use a real Hammond, I'll buy you a setup myself! http://www.shadowcircusmusic.com/audio - http://www.shadowcircusmusic.com/audio ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: September 01 2010 at 16:29
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Ha, I'm not somewhere where I can have any audio going on right now (class), but I will check it out. I listened to some of that album the other day, great stuff.
Another thing I'll never fold on is real drummers. Drum machines are unbearable in my mind. I've heard them used in cool ways (like in some Can albums), but in my mind they'll NEVER be able to replace a drummer. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: September 01 2010 at 23:34
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Agreed, I don't like fake drums. But I use them to demo songs so that I can do the arrangement and the band can then learn them before going into the studio, but of course I would never release a prog album with anything but real drums - unless I was doing a parody of trance music or something for fun and it was obvious...but never to replace the real thing...
------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |