Mellotron! - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

electronicskip · 5th Nov 2019, 6:23 pm

I've always been fascinated by this hybrid piece of equipment that looks like an electric piano but is almost totally far removed from it.

Keyboard is basically an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay which uses magnetic tape over a head to produce a distinctive sound and made by Bradmatic in the 60's.

For myself the best known uses of it were the Beatles Strawberry fields and Genesis Peter Gabriels Watcher of the skies .

Does anyone out there own such a beast?

paulsherwin · 5th Nov 2019, 6:36 pm

The Wikipedia article has lots of info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellotron

electronicskip · 5th Nov 2019, 8:13 pm

This Youtube film shows how they work and also the insides too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByD8gH7kYxs

kevinaston1 · 5th Nov 2019, 8:22 pm

Sorry, I do not have one, but Streetly Electronics, the manufacturers are only about 80 miles from you in Staffordshire.

MI companies are always very friendly, and they may well offer tours of their facility.

Kevin

McMurdo · 5th Nov 2019, 10:15 pm

There was a R4 documentary about the mellotron, presented by Chris Searle. I googled it and it came up with a mention on here...posted by me..in 2012

Hartley118 · 5th Nov 2019, 10:50 pm

This has prompted a distant recollection of the Mellotron being used for BBCTV sound effects in their post-production dubbing studios. It would have been in the late 1970s, maybe 1978, when Neve was developing a version of the NECAM motor-driven fader computer automation system, known as NECAM D. The sound effects were recorded on the Mellotron tapes and played ‘on the fly’ from the Mellotron keyboard. The timing wasn’t usually spot on, but they could then be moved accurately into the right point on the soundtrack from the NECAM keyboard.

My fading memory is confirmed by this Mellotron website. http://egrefin.free.fr/eng/mellotron/fxconsoleE.php. Naturally the BBC Mellotron was highly customised - and even painted BBC grey.

I do remember that the first TV show to be dubbed using NECAM D was ‘Blakes 7’- remember that? I particularly admired the patience and stamina of dubbing engineer Malcolm Johnson, who not only had to learn the new system, but cope with various bugs and crashes. NECAM at that time was based on a minicomputer with a pair of 8-inch floppy disc drives storing the real-time data, so the potential for errors was quite exciting!

However, not only did NECAM prove to be the first successful computer-aided multitrack Mixdown system, it was part of the transformation of video recording in its evolution to now surpass film recording technology.

Martin

Sideband · 5th Nov 2019, 11:55 pm

I thought one of the best tunes using the Mellotron was Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues. In fact the Moodys made great use of the Mellotron on all of their albums from 1967 to 1972. I think it's a great sounding instrument.

Haunting in the background to this famous song.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdykXAT19Go

m0cemdave · 6th Nov 2019, 1:08 am

The original sampler...

raditechman · 6th Nov 2019, 12:21 pm

Something with a similar name was the Melotone which was an elecronic organ using rotating discs, developed by the Compton organ company in 1932.
The organ in the Odeon Leicester Square still has a Melotone as well as a conventional pipe theatre organ.

John

dragonser · 6th Nov 2019, 1:07 pm

HI,
I've never been affluent to afford one ! I think Graham Bond was one of the first people to use it on a uk recording ?
a short demo film was made of the mellotron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdkixaxjZCM

Gulliver · 6th Nov 2019, 1:12 pm

A friend of mine who is a semi-pro keyboard player used to have a M400, but the difficulty of keeping the thing in tune while touring led to him selling it and using digital samples of Mellotron sounds instead.

I'd love one, if I had money and space. They're in production again after various bands in the 90s discovered them (Oasis, Radiohead) and engaged Streetley to refurbish them. the ultimate result was a new Mellotron model for the 21st century the M4000, still on sale today.

barrymagrec · 6th Nov 2019, 2:10 pm

Somebody gave me a couple of Mellotron capstans many years ago - about 5 feet long and just over 3/4 inch diameter, one was Brass, the other Nickel Silver.

I used them for making odd film rollers and suchlike, may even have a bit left somewhere.

cosmocat · 6th Nov 2019, 2:26 pm

I remember going to see a Genesis tribute band "The Musical Box" in Bristol about 10years ago. They had a Mellotron on stage. After the curtain went up there was a 5 minute pause while a technician was called on stage and frantically tweeked the inards of the instrument to get the right sounds out of it.
After some fiddling, the Keyboard player gave the nod and "Watcher of the Skies" started to much applause.

Gulliver · 6th Nov 2019, 3:45 pm

My former 'Tron owning friend sometimes plays in a Genesis tribute band. "Watcher Of The Skies" has become so synonymous with the instrument that Streetly now specifically offer a "Watcher Mix" to recreate the sound...which I believe was strings and brass played together.

Steve Hackett kept a Mellotron for years and eventually sampled it in the 2000s for concerts "before it blew up". I understand Tony Banks still has one in storage. But they are indeed temperamental.

I'm pondering whether to see The Musical Box next year in St Albans but ticket prices are quite steep.

Andrew2 · 6th Nov 2019, 4:19 pm

One of my favourite tracks containing a Mellotron is The Zombies' 'Care of Cell 44'. Mellotron comes in at about 30 secs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrdo2qneoI

There's a good book: Mellotron: The Machine and the Musicians that Revolutionised Rock, by Nick Awde. There's not enough detail about the instrument as I'd like, but it's an interesting read.

dglcomp · 6th Nov 2019, 5:47 pm

OMD also used one, both in the studio and live. Owning both a Mk. 1 M400 and a Novatron for touring.
This was primarily used on the A&M and Dazzle Ships albums after/during which it was replaced with an Emulator and Fairlight CMI Series II, it also was used on the A&M tour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2DLG522Kws

Malcolm G6ANZ · 6th Nov 2019, 6:27 pm

Wikipedia has a list of groups that used the mellotron.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...ron_recordings

m0cemdave · 6th Nov 2019, 6:36 pm

I remember in the mid seventies there was an attempt to develop a similar instrument. Instead of the full width loop frame it had a bank of individually replaceable tape loop cartridges, as used by 8-track playback machines. I don't think it ever went into full production.

stevehertz · 6th Nov 2019, 6:56 pm

My friend Martin co-runs the company, he's based about five miles from me. It's a relatively small facility in his back garden. They make new ones and they also do a lot of work refurbishing, including sometimes - for richer clients - flying out to do the same. They also do a sample thing now, as a lot of people want that rather than a huge instrument. He's been to McCartney's, Weller's lots of places. We call him Martin Mellatron. Oh, we once took one to the open mic at our local pub and got a celebrity player, Richard Bailey to put it through its paces on various numbers.

Gridiron · 6th Nov 2019, 8:01 pm

Early users of the Mellotron included Barclay James Harvest, sometimes known as the "Cut Price Moody Blues", King Crimson who portray a disturbing medieval world "In the Court of the Crimson King" and Buffalo Springfield in "Expecting to Fly", I always thought the Mellotron ending of this gave a very "cold" sound very unlike conventional strings.
I saw Barclay James Harvest in Bristol in the 70's, they had a breakdown on stage, but I don't think the Mellotron was the cause.
Mike.

5th Nov 2019, 6:23 pm	#1
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Mellotron! I've always been fascinated by this hybrid piece of equipment that looks like an electric piano but is almost totally far removed from it. Keyboard is basically an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay which uses magnetic tape over a head to produce a distinctive sound and made by Bradmatic in the 60's. For myself the best known uses of it were the Beatles Strawberry fields and Genesis Peter Gabriels Watcher of the skies . Does anyone out there own such a beast?

5th Nov 2019, 6:36 pm	#2
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,940	Re: Mellotron! The Wikipedia article has lots of info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellotron

5th Nov 2019, 8:13 pm	#3
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Re: Mellotron! This Youtube film shows how they work and also the insides too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByD8gH7kYxs

5th Nov 2019, 8:22 pm	#4
kevinaston1 Hexode Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Featherstone, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 386	Re: Mellotron! Sorry, I do not have one, but Streetly Electronics, the manufacturers are only about 80 miles from you in Staffordshire. MI companies are always very friendly, and they may well offer tours of their facility. Kevin

5th Nov 2019, 10:15 pm	#5
McMurdo Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK. Posts: 5,270	Re: Mellotron! There was a R4 documentary about the mellotron, presented by Chris Searle. I googled it and it came up with a mention on here...posted by me..in 2012 __________________ Kevin

5th Nov 2019, 10:50 pm	#6
Hartley118 Nonode Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK. Posts: 2,198	Re: Mellotron! This has prompted a distant recollection of the Mellotron being used for BBCTV sound effects in their post-production dubbing studios. It would have been in the late 1970s, maybe 1978, when Neve was developing a version of the NECAM motor-driven fader computer automation system, known as NECAM D. The sound effects were recorded on the Mellotron tapes and played ‘on the fly’ from the Mellotron keyboard. The timing wasn’t usually spot on, but they could then be moved accurately into the right point on the soundtrack from the NECAM keyboard. My fading memory is confirmed by this Mellotron website. http://egrefin.free.fr/eng/mellotron/fxconsoleE.php. Naturally the BBC Mellotron was highly customised - and even painted BBC grey. I do remember that the first TV show to be dubbed using NECAM D was ‘Blakes 7’- remember that? I particularly admired the patience and stamina of dubbing engineer Malcolm Johnson, who not only had to learn the new system, but cope with various bugs and crashes. NECAM at that time was based on a minicomputer with a pair of 8-inch floppy disc drives storing the real-time data, so the potential for errors was quite exciting! However, not only did NECAM prove to be the first successful computer-aided multitrack Mixdown system, it was part of the transformation of video recording in its evolution to now surpass film recording technology. Martin __________________ BVWS Member

5th Nov 2019, 11:55 pm	#7
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,567	Re: Mellotron! I thought one of the best tunes using the Mellotron was Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues. In fact the Moodys made great use of the Mellotron on all of their albums from 1967 to 1972. I think it's a great sounding instrument. Haunting in the background to this famous song..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdykXAT19Go __________________ There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....

6th Nov 2019, 1:08 am	#8
m0cemdave Octode Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 1,219	Re: Mellotron! The original sampler...

6th Nov 2019, 12:21 pm	#9
raditechman Heptode Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: West London, UK. Posts: 867	Re: Mellotron! Something with a similar name was the Melotone which was an elecronic organ using rotating discs, developed by the Compton organ company in 1932. The organ in the Odeon Leicester Square still has a Melotone as well as a conventional pipe theatre organ. John

6th Nov 2019, 1:07 pm	#10
dragonser Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Carshalton, Surrey, UK. Posts: 734	Re: Mellotron! HI, I've never been affluent to afford one ! I think Graham Bond was one of the first people to use it on a uk recording ? a short demo film was made of the mellotron http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdkixaxjZCM __________________ Regards Peter B

6th Nov 2019, 1:12 pm	#11
Gulliver Hexode Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Posts: 469	Re: Mellotron! A friend of mine who is a semi-pro keyboard player used to have a M400, but the difficulty of keeping the thing in tune while touring led to him selling it and using digital samples of Mellotron sounds instead. I'd love one, if I had money and space. They're in production again after various bands in the 90s discovered them (Oasis, Radiohead) and engaged Streetley to refurbish them. the ultimate result was a new Mellotron model for the 21st century the M4000, still on sale today.

6th Nov 2019, 2:10 pm	#12
barrymagrec Octode Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Morden, Surrey, UK. Posts: 1,557	Re: Mellotron! Somebody gave me a couple of Mellotron capstans many years ago - about 5 feet long and just over 3/4 inch diameter, one was Brass, the other Nickel Silver. I used them for making odd film rollers and suchlike, may even have a bit left somewhere.

6th Nov 2019, 2:26 pm	#13
cosmocat Triode Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 35	Re: Mellotron! I remember going to see a Genesis tribute band "The Musical Box" in Bristol about 10years ago. They had a Mellotron on stage. After the curtain went up there was a 5 minute pause while a technician was called on stage and frantically tweeked the inards of the instrument to get the right sounds out of it. After some fiddling, the Keyboard player gave the nod and "Watcher of the Skies" started to much applause.

6th Nov 2019, 3:45 pm	#14
Gulliver Hexode Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Posts: 469	Re: Mellotron! My former 'Tron owning friend sometimes plays in a Genesis tribute band. "Watcher Of The Skies" has become so synonymous with the instrument that Streetly now specifically offer a "Watcher Mix" to recreate the sound...which I believe was strings and brass played together. Steve Hackett kept a Mellotron for years and eventually sampled it in the 2000s for concerts "before it blew up". I understand Tony Banks still has one in storage. But they are indeed temperamental. I'm pondering whether to see The Musical Box next year in St Albans but ticket prices are quite steep.

6th Nov 2019, 4:19 pm	#15
Andrew2 Nonode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 2,037	Re: Mellotron! One of my favourite tracks containing a Mellotron is The Zombies' 'Care of Cell 44'. Mellotron comes in at about 30 secs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrdo2qneoI There's a good book: Mellotron: The Machine and the Musicians that Revolutionised Rock, by Nick Awde. There's not enough detail about the instrument as I'd like, but it's an interesting read. __________________ Andy G1HBE. Last edited by Andrew2; 6th Nov 2019 at 4:25 pm.

6th Nov 2019, 5:47 pm	#16
dglcomp Heptode Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Portland, Dorset, UK. Posts: 874	Re: Mellotron! OMD also used one, both in the studio and live. Owning both a Mk. 1 M400 and a Novatron for touring. This was primarily used on the A&M and Dazzle Ships albums after/during which it was replaced with an Emulator and Fairlight CMI Series II, it also was used on the A&M tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2DLG522Kws

6th Nov 2019, 6:27 pm	#17
Malcolm G6ANZ Octode Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 1,042	Re: Mellotron! Wikipedia has a list of groups that used the mellotron. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...ron_recordings

6th Nov 2019, 6:36 pm	#18
m0cemdave Octode Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 1,219	Re: Mellotron! I remember in the mid seventies there was an attempt to develop a similar instrument. Instead of the full width loop frame it had a bank of individually replaceable tape loop cartridges, as used by 8-track playback machines. I don't think it ever went into full production.

6th Nov 2019, 6:56 pm	#19
stevehertz Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK. Posts: 8,830	Re: Mellotron! My friend Martin co-runs the company, he's based about five miles from me. It's a relatively small facility in his back garden. They make new ones and they also do a lot of work refurbishing, including sometimes - for richer clients - flying out to do the same. They also do a sample thing now, as a lot of people want that rather than a huge instrument. He's been to McCartney's, Weller's lots of places. We call him Martin Mellatron. Oh, we once took one to the open mic at our local pub and got a celebrity player, Richard Bailey to put it through its paces on various numbers. __________________ A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever..

6th Nov 2019, 8:01 pm	#20
Gridiron Heptode Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: West Midlands, UK. Posts: 662	Re: Mellotron! Early users of the Mellotron included Barclay James Harvest, sometimes known as the "Cut Price Moody Blues", King Crimson who portray a disturbing medieval world "In the Court of the Crimson King" and Buffalo Springfield in "Expecting to Fly", I always thought the Mellotron ending of this gave a very "cold" sound very unlike conventional strings. I saw Barclay James Harvest in Bristol in the 70's, they had a breakdown on stage, but I don't think the Mellotron was the cause. Mike.