News NAMM 2010: New Mellotron plus modular madness in pictures By Chris Wickett published 14 January 2010 The new digital Mellotron on top of an analogue Mellotron Mk VI, exhibited at the Big City Music stand at NAMM 2010 New Mellotron Prev Page 1 of 18 Next Prev Page 1 of 18 Next The Mellotron Mk VI is fully analogue and is, of course, powered by... Analogue Mellotron Prev Page 2 of 18 Next Prev Page 2 of 18 Next ...tape loops! How cool does that look?! Under the hood Prev Page 3 of 18 Next Prev Page 3 of 18 Next This one's new for the NAMM show New digital Mellotron Prev Page 4 of 18 Next Prev Page 4 of 18 Next The keys are finished just like those of a piano, with wood grain visible on the black notes Digital Mellotron keyboard Prev Page 5 of 18 Next Prev Page 5 of 18 Next Using the mix control to blend sounds Live tweaking Prev Page 6 of 18 Next Prev Page 6 of 18 Next Connectivity ahoy! The back panel Prev Page 7 of 18 Next Prev Page 7 of 18 Next Elsewhere on the Big CIty Music stand, we find this modular monstrosity Analogue Systems 8500 Prev Page 8 of 18 Next Prev Page 8 of 18 Next An unbelievably cool-looking massive knob Frequency Shifter Prev Page 9 of 18 Next Prev Page 9 of 18 Next Hang on a second, 'Analogue' Systems... is that a MIDI unit?! Polyphonic generator unit Prev Page 10 of 18 Next Prev Page 10 of 18 Next Pretty much the only Ondes Martenot-a-like CV controller on the market French Connection Prev Page 11 of 18 Next Prev Page 11 of 18 Next The Ondes Martenot is famous for its sliding ring controller, which (on the French Connection) outputs a CV Sliding Ring Prev Page 12 of 18 Next Prev Page 12 of 18 Next The French Connection costs around £1000, although a cut-down unit called the Demon will set you back £550 Control Panel Prev Page 13 of 18 Next Prev Page 13 of 18 Next Not only is it cool but it slips right inside a laptop bag too... More modular madness Prev Page 14 of 18 Next Prev Page 14 of 18 Next Started in the '70s, Cwejman is still going strong Cwejam units Prev Page 15 of 18 Next Prev Page 15 of 18 Next Borg Filter? We hope Wiard aren't suggesting that modular synthesists are mostly nerdy-looking Star Trek geeks... ahem. Wiard units Prev Page 16 of 18 Next Prev Page 16 of 18 Next Available in yellow, apparently Metasonix units Prev Page 17 of 18 Next Prev Page 17 of 18 Next Big City has some nice boutique-y modules on show, too Crazy effects Prev Page 18 of 18 Next Prev Page 18 of 18 Next Chris WickettSocial Links Navigation More about tech“He WAS music. He would start composing on a cocktail napkin at a bar, dream a melody, get to the piano at 3 AM, hear a door squeaking and make music out of it. His whole being resonated music”: Remembering ELP's Keith Emerson and his legendary rigHow to combine reverb with other effectsLatest“It’s hard to make ear protection sexy, but Minuendo has gone above and beyond the basics”: Minuendo Live reviewSee more latest ► Most Popular“It actually gave me more Hendrix vibes than Stevie vibes”: Watch what happens when you play a Strat through a cranked Super Reverb in an empty warehouse"Check your attic": Lost Lennon Help! guitar tipped to beat the current $2.4m Beatles six-string record at auction“I’m sitting on the bus aware that someone behind me is singing Do They Know It’s Christmas?”: Nik Kershaw recalls his “insane” encounter with David Bowie at Live AidWalrus Audio’s feature-packed Monumental lets guitarists blend standard and harmonic tremolo in stereo for sonic adventures in “rich, luscious, warm pulsating modulation”Blackstar promises “a new level of sound quality, features, and performance” from updated HT MKIII series tube amps – now with CabRig IR tech as standardFors launches its first plugin with the Tela synth: "Tela orchestrates a vast array of resonant peaks, intertwined to form a critical mass of sound""I did a lot of research on Rick... I don't believe his audience is creative people": Jacob Collier calls Rick Rubin's creative manifesto "absolutely false""Stevie liked a clean sound. He really didn't turn everything up until the last song": Stevie Ray Vaughan's tech Rene Martinez remembers his boss, friend and blues guitar legend“Stevie Wonder told me I needed to do 5 hours a day to get good at piano”: Super-producer Raphael Saadiq on taking advice from a legend, his love of Teles and creating musical history with Beyoncé and D’AngeloKölsch: "I have this obsession with instruments that don’t sound very good. They have more soul than glitzy, modern-sounding VSTs"“I was gobsmacked. Mick Fleetwood called and said, 'We've got rid of Lindsey, would you play with us?'”: Neil Finn on joining Fleetwood Mac... but only after he'd gone through “the only audition I’ve ever done”
The new digital Mellotron on top of an analogue Mellotron Mk VI, exhibited at the Big City Music stand at NAMM 2010 New Mellotron Prev Page 1 of 18 Next Prev Page 1 of 18 Next
The Mellotron Mk VI is fully analogue and is, of course, powered by... Analogue Mellotron Prev Page 2 of 18 Next Prev Page 2 of 18 Next
...tape loops! How cool does that look?! Under the hood Prev Page 3 of 18 Next Prev Page 3 of 18 Next
The keys are finished just like those of a piano, with wood grain visible on the black notes Digital Mellotron keyboard Prev Page 5 of 18 Next Prev Page 5 of 18 Next
Elsewhere on the Big CIty Music stand, we find this modular monstrosity Analogue Systems 8500 Prev Page 8 of 18 Next Prev Page 8 of 18 Next
An unbelievably cool-looking massive knob Frequency Shifter Prev Page 9 of 18 Next Prev Page 9 of 18 Next
Hang on a second, 'Analogue' Systems... is that a MIDI unit?! Polyphonic generator unit Prev Page 10 of 18 Next Prev Page 10 of 18 Next
Pretty much the only Ondes Martenot-a-like CV controller on the market French Connection Prev Page 11 of 18 Next Prev Page 11 of 18 Next
The Ondes Martenot is famous for its sliding ring controller, which (on the French Connection) outputs a CV Sliding Ring Prev Page 12 of 18 Next Prev Page 12 of 18 Next
The French Connection costs around £1000, although a cut-down unit called the Demon will set you back £550 Control Panel Prev Page 13 of 18 Next Prev Page 13 of 18 Next
Not only is it cool but it slips right inside a laptop bag too... More modular madness Prev Page 14 of 18 Next Prev Page 14 of 18 Next
Started in the '70s, Cwejman is still going strong Cwejam units Prev Page 15 of 18 Next Prev Page 15 of 18 Next
Borg Filter? We hope Wiard aren't suggesting that modular synthesists are mostly nerdy-looking Star Trek geeks... ahem. Wiard units Prev Page 16 of 18 Next Prev Page 16 of 18 Next
Big City has some nice boutique-y modules on show, too Crazy effects Prev Page 18 of 18 Next Prev Page 18 of 18 Next