Mellotron sounds

[Christian LeBlanc]

I was in Fredericton on Saturday, and just for fun, wandered into Tony's Music Box to play this juicy red synth. It turned out to be a Nord Electro 3. It was a little tricky for me to figure too much out on, so I was about to leave, when my wife points out the "Mellotron" sticker on it.

!!!

A little more digging, and I found some Mellotron strings samples.

Suffice to say, I've been bit hard by the gear bug now. Which is lame, because I still need to buy a good microphone, possibly a new mixer, etc.

I even contacted Mellotron themselves, as they're coming out with a digital Mellotron keyboard (preliminary pricing: somewhere around $1800). Cheaper than a Nord Electro 3, but at the same time, doesn't do as much as the Nord, either.

EDIT: http://mellotron.com/digital-mellotron.html (for anyone curious about the digital Mellotron)

My question to you guys: does anyone know of any realy good Mellotron hardware emulations out there?

I've recently learned of the E-mu Vintage Keys module, and the E-mu Classic Keys module. Can anyone here tell me anything about either of those? (ebay is willing to sell me some for $275 for the former, $185 for the latter). Even if they're slightly less good than the Nord, I'm willing to sacrifice a little bit of tone authenticity/warmth for 2 grand :) (and as much as I'd love either of those expensive boards, I don't need either of those expensive boards right now, no matter how much they may be worth the price.)

[macrae11]

Very cool. I know next to nothing about Mellotron's, but the Nord is a killer instrument. Great rhodes sounds on it too.

[Jef]

You can still buy an original Melotron for under $7000

[Christian LeBlanc]

You can still buy an original Melotron for under $7000

This is true. But for $5000 less, you get midi compatibility and, most importantly, a back-lit panel.

Back. Lit. Panel. (just look at my avatar to see my opinions on those )

[zmd]

best (read cheapest) way to emulate a mellotron on a synth is the alesis ion or micron. they have the most analog sound of all the va's, and, you can tell it how long the sustain segment of your envelope should be. this is vital since mellotrons/chamberlins only played for 9 seconds before the tape snapped back!

in closing, get the new one!!!!!

[Christian LeBlanc]

in closing, get the new one!!!!!

I like the way you think!