Mellotron – M4000D Digital Mellotron at NAMM 2012
Same styling, same keyboard – the M4000 Digital Mellotron is a 24-bit digital, uncompressed audio playback unit with 100 Mellotron and Chamberlin sounds.
The Digital Mellotron is Exactly Like the Vintage Mellotron M400 – Only Better!
In a side by side – or top by bottom as it were – comparison of the digital to tape versions, the sound is amazingly true to the original. But only better. Quieter, cleaner and much more stable with none of the problems inherent to a tape playback system. Yet the M4000D retains the expressiveness of the 400 that players like so much. The M4000D has a position sensitive keyboard, which means each key is in principle a volume control. This is to emulate the effect of the Mellotron and espesially the M-series and Chamberlin where you could control the volume of the notes, depending on how hard you pressed the tape on the tape head. You also can play the sounds in low pitch, which means an octave deeper.
The original Mellotron was prominently used by Genesis, King Crimson, The Beatles and Magik Dayze. The digital Mellotron is now on tour with the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins and Opeth!
Features
- 100 instantly accessible authentic Mellotron & Chamberlin sounds
- Beautiful 24-bit digital, uncompressed audio
- Custom built wooden keyboard with ebony key tops
- Dimensions: 34″ width x 19 3/4″ depth x 5 1/4″ height (86cm x 50cm x 13.4cm)
- Weight: 38 pounds
- Price: $2595
Back Panel
Midi – IN, OUT, THRU
Special Format Expansion Card
There will be an Expansion Card with 200 additional Tape Banks
AUDIO OUTPUTS
XLR Master, Direct A, Direct B
Jack Master, Direct A, Direct B, Phones (Stereo Output)
JACKS
Sustain, Volume Pedal, Expression 1, Expression 2
The M4000D is better than a real Mellotron?!! That’s just laughable.
My friend Char-el, hear his music at http://char-el.com/, got one and he loves it. He had one of those tape drive monsters when we played together in Magik Dayze, magikdayze.com, back in the 70s-80s.
I just fail to see how a non-Mellotron can be better than a Mellotron.