he one, the only Mellotron
In the pre-digital world, if you wanted the sound of an orchestra, you had to book a session with a real orchestra. When the Mellotron came on the scene in 1963, musicians unions were up in arms about this keyboard instrument with individual tape playback mechanisms fitted for each key, each one loaded with a loop containing a recording of a single orchestral instrument note. The more prescient took it as a harbinger of things to come; but in the moment, they needn’t have worried about the expensive, heavy, and notoriously unroadworthy white laminate-clad machine taking work from humans: its sonic quirks guaranteed a sound unique unto itself, and unlikely to be mistaken for the real thing. But it was those very quirks that brought the instrument to the attention of progressive rock musicians of the late ’60s.
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Tron Legacy
In the original Mellotron, the shortcomings of 1960s tube electronics and pronounced tape flutter resulted in “alternate-reality” versions of traditional instruments like strings, brass, and woodwinds. This iconic sound stems from the fact that the sounds were recorded on 1/4″ tape, which attenuated frequencies at the extremes of the spectrum, giving the instrument a distinctively muffled sound. Also, the instability of the mechanical parts introduced instability in the playback of the tapes, resulting in subtle pitch variations that are delightful to hear in today’s world of pristine, state-of-the-art sampling. The funky and beloved “Tron” sound has inspired a new generation of artists such as Kasabian, Caro Emerald, and Vampire Weekend.
Amazing presets, plus full modeling control
A vintage Mellotron could only play the three instruments that happened to be loaded into its tape bank. Your Mellotron V includes samples of the best tape banks from the original instruments — and you can mix-and-match them at the click of a mouse! There’s also a killer preset library with designer instrument combos plus effects processing, all categorized and tagged for easy browse and search in Mellotron V, Analog Lab, and plug-in hosts. What’s more, Arturia’s Mellotron V’s cutting-edge modeling technology lets you manipulate every aspect of the original machine — including variable instrument mix combinations; tape flutter, saturation, and hiss — all from the comfort of your computer.
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65 original tape racks, FX, and sample import
From “Strawberry Fields Forever” to “The Court of the Crimson King,” there are many sounds that made the Mellotron famous. With Mellotron V, you have them all — plus onboard effects and full modeling control over every setting. Awesome as that is, from our perspective at Sweetwater, perhaps the coolest thing about the Mellotron V is that it lets you import your own samples. The original Mellotron shaped the music of a generation. Now with Arturia Mellotron V, it can shape yours. Imagine the possibilities.
Arturia Mellotron V Virtual Instrument Plug-in Features:
- 65 original tape racks from MKI/MKII/M300/M400 Mellotrons
- User sample import: treat your own samples to the Tron sound
- 3 tracks to select or blend samples
- Modeling parameters and modulation: flutter, tape saturation, mechanical noise, noise floor, velocity on volume and aftertouch on flutter
- Per-sample amplitude envelope and loop controls
- Time stretching on user samples
- Dedicated effects pedalboard
- 4 slots with a selection of 10 different effects
- 1 amplifier simulator (Fender Twin or Leslie)
- 1 room ambiance
- 61 presets
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