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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music.synth
Subject: Re: need synth programming advice
Message-ID: <2271@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Dec-85 00:17:41 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.2271
Posted: Thu Dec 19 00:17:41 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 02:18:17 EST
References: <1241@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
Lines: 35
Keywords: analog, mellotron

>         I hope someone can help me.  I am trying to synthesize (on an
>         analog synthesizer... a Matrix 12)  the sound of the old
>         Mellotron String Section.  To me, it sounded nothing like a
>         typical synthesizer string section.  Somehow, there was more
>         "air", or openness; yet at the same time there was a noticeable
>         lack of thinness.  *Really* good description, huh?  Sorry.  I
>         just hope someone who knows the sound I'm talking about might
>         also know a trick to achieve the same effect.  The only examples
>         I can think of off the top of my head are:  the beginning section
>         of "Watcher of the Skies" from the album "Foxtrot", and the
>         instrumental section toward the end of "Seven Stones" from the
>         "Nursery Cryme" album, both by Genesis.
>         I just can't seem to get that air of bigness (?) into my sound...
>         it always has that synthesizer "buzz".  If anyone has any ideas,
>         please let me know soon.  Thanks very much.
>                                         Glenn Little

One tip I got from a KEYBOARD (?) interview with Jimmy Destri (of Blondie).
When recording "Fade Away and Radiate" (on which Robert Fripp played guitar),
he wanted to get that old KingCrimson-esque Mellotron sound, but all he had
was a Polymoog.  He used the Polymoog piped through a cheap tape/analog
echo device (with somewhat poor high-end frequency response) with short
delay and ample feedback (without overkilling it).  This reproduces the
"tapey" sound of the Mellotron pretty well.  I used it with a Roland
Organ/Strings (then, my primary keyboard) with tone control on low (high
end cut off) through an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man analog delay.  Rather
effective on my instrumental dirge which may or may not be called
"Placebo Factory" (which may be on Greg Taylor's "a little net.music"
compilation tape someday...).  Speaking of which, I do hope some of the
people who read THIS newsgroup get to contribute to that.  (More info in
<253@astroatc.UUCP>, or Greg Taylor may be contacted at
seismo!uwvax!astroatc!gtaylor.)
-- 
Life is complex.  It has real and imaginary parts.
					Rich Rosen  ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr