Mellotron app "The Manetron" I produced was sampled from this vintage Mellotron. - iPhone/iPad apps.apple.com... - Android OS play.google.co... #M400S #SuperManetron #Manetron #mellotron
The pinnacle of technology in 1968 !!!! Thanks for showing off the inner workings. 35 notes via 35 individual quarter-inch tape players! Oh, as for the "Unstable Pitch" being "Appealing" - it actually makes my brain hurt - but only a little bit... : )
Mellotron M400 didn't exist in 1968. The first one were made in 1970.One of the problem you had is that you had a CMC-10 motor card. It's the green card at the left-end of the keyboard assembly. That's the piece that regulate the motor speed of the capstan and CMC-10 had a bad reputation at doing the job correctly. You can upgrade to SMS-2 or SMS-4 with supposed are better for the job. Mine had the CMC-10 but it's apparently one of the rarest who is stable, according to an expert. And like the fellow below me, you had to do a job at the pinch-rollers, For degreasing a pinch roller, use sewer machine oil and put a little in the axe of the wheel and turn the pinch roller until it's free of rolling. And after that, adjusting the pinch rollers and keyboard pressure pad 35 times!
I was twice offered a Mellotron back in the '70's; each time for the measly sum of $400 USD. Heavy ? Yes. Temperamental ? Stupid was I to pass on each of them ? Yes.
Saw King Crimson in Chicagoland three times from '17-'21(?). Twice in Chicago proper and once at Ravinia. "Starless" played by Robert and the Boys was fantastic! Still have my album.
When King Crimson sent one of their Mellotrons to Streetly Electronics in the mid '70's for refurbishment they took a 1/4 inch tape recording of each note before they did the work to show the improvement in it's sound after the work was finished. I got hold of a copy of this tape many years ago, and I am now using it to record my triple concept album in my home studio. It's going to be on Bandcamp once I have finished the first side, and then I will add tracks as I finish them. It will be under the name 'The Moss Collector'. I have the 35 notes for the string sound - I think that it may be the 16 violins, but I'm not sure, and the mixed brass. The notes fluctuate quite a bit in pitch, which sounds amazing on chords, but there are one of two where they become so far out that it becomes a bit too much for unison lines with other instruments. It's certainly a LOT more characterful than any of the other simulations which I have heard.
Not necessarily being a hater, it's more so for the long-term care of the unit. One comment is adressing the pinch rollers being too tight, and this is a valid concern. Overtime the tape can stretch enough that it might break. I don't mind the sound of it being out of tune, and there's much more flutter which is quite nice to my ears, but it's all happening for the wrong reasons. It just needs a tune-up is all. The excess flutter can be added back in with an intentionally bad belt and the tuning issues can be simulated by messing with resistance on the motor. Any good instrument should be able to sound as good as it can "bad"
Thanks for the fascinating demonstration and playing one of our favorite Mellotron songs! As longtime lovers of the sound of the Mellotron (Craig's 1st musical instrument was his M400, serial no. 489, acquired in 1976) our philosophy is... "There is no such thing as too much Mellotron". We have the M400 (W/4 tape frames) an M4000D (the big one), and two Mellotron Micro's. We have also used several Mellotron Apps, including your amazing Manetron App on our albums. Long live the Mellotron!
When I bought Mellotron s/n 279 in 1979 I certainly went about giving it the much-needed TLC. Also, I had Sound Sales upgrade its electronics. No Prog-rock Tron player *wanted* his instrument sounding like this recording if they could help it.
Aint that the truth. In the studio the great Pinder never recorded a "dry" Melly he used many "tools" with multi-tracking being chief amongst them to give it a bigger lush orchestral realism on the Moody's records. But that being said there are a lot of excellent recordings where an un-doctored Mellotron fits better; that stark and somewhat sinister thinness of the Melly strings becomes the core of the music.
Not having ever serviced one I wouldn't know whether the motor is being loaded with more fingers depressing, or some of those tapes are stretched... in any event relying on the fly wheel speed as it's running here might not be the most satisfying! I'd use a tuner... and probably ride the pitch all day!
amazing, this retro sound! i have tihis and other two apps (solina and hammond). It just would be great if there was a chance to select a midi channel.
That keyboard is way out of whack. The tape that doesn't return isn't because of the spring being weak. Just look at the pinch roller adjustment screw for that note. It's cranked almost all the way down, grinding the tape into the capstan. The rest of them are also cranked too far down. No wonder there's so much pitch instability. The pinch rollers are dragging the capstan speed down. I'll bet the keys are hard to press down. A properly adjusted keyboard should feel light and fast. With an M400, you should be able to play as fast as you can on a Hammond. Plus, if those are the original pinch rollers, they really need to be replaced. They are probably all dried out and making poor contact with the tape.
Nice cover. Maintenance parts are readily available. It is not being a hater to want to see such a special instrument maintained and sounding its best. They are all at this point museum pieces, and should be kept up all the parts and new tapes are available from Canada and The UK This admonishing advice brought to you by… The National Mellotronic Trust and Hammond Oil Purity Board Rhodes Tine Authority, And Organic Clav Hammer Tips LLC
I still have the Manetron app on an old Apple Ipad. Nice to see the real thing. Are those return springs something you could get at a hardware store, or are they a special type of spring?
Dunno but its not going to alter the tone by fixing the springs, it should be done cuz he is not getting a full 8 sec. of playback from the those tapes. To my ears the "wow" is not bad at all. There are a lot of much worse things that can happen to an old Melly.
I have to say that despite its use of taped 'samples', the Mellotron as an instrument is pretty hopeless at sounding like woodwind, strings or voices. It is, however, excellent at sounding like a Mellotron. Yay!!!
No, unstable pitch is not appealing. It’s painful to listen to. Nothing wrong with your playing, but please get this machine to the tron hospital asap.
I find the unstable pitch of a Mellotron very appealing. One of my frustrations with my digital Mellotron is that the pitch is always perfect and the same each time.
I also read that Julian Cope toured with his Mellotron as to whichSir Rick replied “Very stupid” I love Rick but maybe Julian should’ve done something smart like burn it??🙄
