Memotron M2K vs Mellotron M4000D. Opinions wanted.

[Losendoskeys]

Hi, I'll chime in as I've recently bought the new Memotron M2K after much research.

 

First, both the Mellotron and Manikin sites are disasters! I had to email both Markus at Mellotron and Thorsten and Manikin to find out info that wasn't available on their sites. Thorsten answered me right away. It was only through scouring forums and Facebook groups I got all the info I needed.

 

I play in a NJ based Genesis tribute band covering the Seconds Out tour, and have been using M-Tron Pro with the Streetly expansions with a Receptor. We did our first show, 600+ sold out!, in April. I'm using a real RMI piano and ARP Pro Soloist, and the rest was plugins. Let's just say depending on vintage gear AND plugins on stage is scary! I was looking for more hardware to ease the load of the Receptor.

 

Our soundman is a Clair Bros. vet of Yes tours, plus he saw all the US Genesis tours of the 70s, and he's VERY critical of digital emulations. We decided I must have more flexibility and variety in regards to my Mellotron sounds.

 

I chose the M2K for its library of the most popular sounds. Having around 10 of the famous "3 Violins" sound is more vital than I would have thought. Now, in rehearsal, I can easily swap between Streetly's M400, Tangerine Dream's M400, King Crimson's MKII, and others to find the best EQ'ed version for each song. There are also quite a few versions of the "8 Choir" tapes.

 

Another draw of the M2K is the onboard effects. I need a big reverb on these Mellotron sounds that I don't need on the RMI, and my ARPs need tape delay.

 

Lastly, the M2K's FRAME options are great in a live setting. Take Genesis' "One For The Vine". All of my MIDI controllers are in use for this song. Now, with the M2K, I have the A/B/C tapes set to play always as a layer instead of crossfading across the dial. I have a 3 Violins in its original place across the keyboard. I can do those suspended chords Tony does at the beginning in the lowest octave. Then, when the big chords come in where Tony is playing two-handed on the record, I have a layer in the upper octave. Then, when the overdubbed "ah's" come in, I have the Fairlight's ARHH as a high velocity layer. I can do this all with my left hand while I play the RH piano part on Ivory with my Nord.

 

That said, there is very little info out there on the "new" M2K. The OS is the same as the M2D, with the FRAME/PLACE settings and the three levels of FX. It also has lost the CD drive and loads instantly. They do not have this on their site, incredibly!

 

EDIT: I should add that the build quality of the M2K is fantastic. It's lightweight to carry, but sits solidly without wiggling. It sits atop my RMI piano nicely without sliding around like my Novation Impulse 61 did previously. Also, the new M2K has 37 keys unlike the previous version. The M4000D non-Mini looks great with its wooden keys and XLR outputs, but with the new M2K at the same price point as the M4000D Mini, the M2K had more options I needed for this project: the many versions of the classic sounds, the effects, and the option to transpose and layer. If I wasn't in this band, I would have saved for a Streetly M4000!

 

Well done on your first sold out gig - we only ever played in front of 800 once.

And an interesting combination of new and old to get the sounds you need.

I've always steered away from carting vintage gear around - our soundman is familiar with The Farm where Tony Banks stored multiple Prosoloists, Mellotrons and Quadras for gigs due to their unreliabilty.

My M4000D is a boutique keyboard really, I wouldn't want to ever get a dent in that lovely wood finish, thats why I am happy to use the excellent Mellotron samples in the Kronos and treat them accordingly.

The Prosoloist Rack+ comes into it's own - it has the delay effect on board as well as Quadra voices, as it was built by a Genesis nut!

 

As for a Mellotron, ALMOST bought an M400 a couple of weeks ago, then decided what I really want is a MK7

 

http://tron-is-king.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Mk-VII-Walnut.jpg

R

Alan

[tonewheeltom]

I ALMOST bought a Novatron M400 six weeks ago that was restored by Streetly from a private seller in Massachusetts, but I talked myself out of it.

 

Mellotron lust - the struggle is real!

[synthizen2]

Since I grew up only listening to those sounds (Genesis, Crimson, Moodies, etc.), and not even knowing what a Mellotron was or what one looked like (but LOVED the lo-fi grimy sound!), I just am not into the boutique thing of lusting after the official interface and feel, with its inherent limitations (8-second limitation, etc.).

 

I have spent gobs of time tweaking and layering samples, though, over the last 20 years, in my sample-uploadable ROMplers... and that invested time has paid off. That's what i use still. If I get the sound and am comfortable with the interface (and I like to have all the modern programming and MIDI flexibility to do as I please, which these boutique keyboards don't allow)... then I'm good to go.

[richforman]

Either way it's a lot of money for an instrument that most players will only need when called to cover "Watcher of the Skies" and maybe "Strawberry Fields Forever"!

[Doberfort]

Either way it's a lot of money for an instrument that most players will only need when called to cover "Watcher of the Skies" and maybe "Strawberry Fields Forever"!

 

I don't think these instruments are intended for "most players". They will most likely be happy with the good Mellotron samples in their Nord whatever. As I think of them they are made for people like me who think there is a difference between a short looped sample and 8-9 seconds of recordings of an actual instrument presented in a way that makes the musician get closer to the feel of the real thing without all the unreliability of the original instrument, not to mention the cost of buying the real thing today.

 

Also keep in mind that not everyone are playing in a classic rock cover band. I am playing in a progressive rock band where the Mellotron sound is a major part of the soundscape. I also think of the Mellotron as an inspirational thing. With this in mind I don't think it is too expensive.

 

[synthizen2]

Also keep in mind that not everyone are playing in a classic rock cover band. I am playing in a progressive rock band where the Mellotron sound is a major part of the soundscape. I also think of the Mellotron as an inspirational thing. With this in mind I don't think it is too expensive.

 

I too am in a progressive rock band (tribute, to be specific), and many of our songs indeed call for the Mellotron sound. I guess if someone financed it for me... sure, I'd use it. It would be a nice little novel experience.

 

I have the $$, it's just that it went toward something else my wife and I wanted (like our new swim-spa/hot-tub that gives me comfort and relaxation after a long night of gigging).

 

Different people value different things, I guess. Weird world we seem to live in these days, where somebody thinks nothing of popping $2500-$3000 on a brief psychological novelty experience, while their neighbors are digging in the dumpster for a peach pit.

[Doberfort]

Weird world we seem to live in these days, where somebody thinks nothing of popping $2500-$3000 on a brief psychological novelty experience, while their neighbors are digging in the dumpster for a peach pit.

 

I know I probably would have been a better person if I gave the money to my poor neighbors, but since I likely am the one with least income in my neighborhood I get a little confused about what to do here. At least there is one thing I can assure you and that is that nobody I know about around here are digging in the dumpsters for food.

 

On the other hand, if this was an attempt to make me feel bad about my priorities, you sure succeeded.

[tonewheeltom]

That was a weird position for him to take, wasn't it? I teach music in an inner city public high school and rescue German Shepherds, and I bought my Memotron with my earnings from a gig so I may perform my job even better for the next shows we have coming up. Does that disqualify me from the "novelty" tag? Is a forum where guys list their gear in their signature and have pictures of themselves rocking their rig in their avatar not the appropriate audience to discuss this with?

 

Heck, playing in any tribute band is a novelty!

 

My Genesis band has learned all of the songs played on the 1977 tour, plus the rest of the Wind an Wuthering album they didn't play live. With each song we learned, I had to add more gear. I was running out of options with MIDI controllers, outputs, and expression pedals. For my live needs, the Memotron was easier than adding another computer, audio interface, controller, etc. I was an early adopter of the Nord Stage - preordered it without hesitation when I was a first year teacher. I was devastated when they announced the next generation of Nords which came with Resch's Mellotron samples. So I got a laptop and the GForce instruments.

 

Now, I have a home studio. I would have been perfectly fine with M-Tron Pro. Turns out this gig needs a hardware solution. At this point in my life, I'm completely disinterested in the Korg/Roland/Yamaha workstations, so after much deliberation and research, I settled on the updated M2K. It was not a lighthearted whim.

 

[zoooombiex]

Also keep in mind that not everyone are playing in a classic rock cover band. I am playing in a progressive rock band where the Mellotron sound is a major part of the soundscape. I also think of the Mellotron as an inspirational thing. With this in mind I don't think it is too expensive.

 

I too am in a progressive rock band (tribute, to be specific), and many of our songs indeed call for the Mellotron sound. I guess if someone financed it for me... sure, I'd use it. It would be a nice little novel experience.

 

I have the $$, it's just that it went toward something else my wife and I wanted (like our new swim-spa/hot-tub that gives me comfort and relaxation after a long night of gigging).

 

Different people value different things, I guess. Weird world we seem to live in these days, where somebody thinks nothing of popping $2500-$3000 on a brief psychological novelty experience, while their neighbors are digging in the dumpster for a peach pit.

 

There are some pretty astounding and pejorative assumptions embedded in your post. Hope you are at least aware of that.

[Losendoskeys]

That was a weird position for him to take, wasn't it? I teach music in an inner city public high school and rescue German Shepherds, and I bought my Memotron with my earnings from a gig so I may perform my job even better for the next shows we have coming up. Does that disqualify me from the "novelty" tag? Is a forum where guys list their gear in their signature and have pictures of themselves rocking their rig in their avatar not the appropriate audience to discuss this with?

 

Heck, playing in any tribute band is a novelty!

 

My Genesis band has learned all of the songs played on the 1977 tour, plus the rest of the Wind an Wuthering album they didn't play live. With each song we learned, I had to add more gear. I was running out of options with MIDI controllers, outputs, and expression pedals. For my live needs, the Memotron was easier than adding another computer, audio interface, controller, etc. I was an early adopter of the Nord Stage - preordered it without hesitation when I was a first year teacher. I was devastated when they announced the next generation of Nords which came with Resch's Mellotron samples. So I got a laptop and the GForce instruments.

 

Now, I have a home studio. I would have been perfectly fine with M-Tron Pro. Turns out this gig needs a hardware solution. At this point in my life, I'm completely disinterested in the Korg/Roland/Yamaha workstations, so after much deliberation and research, I settled on the updated M2K. It was not a lighthearted whim.

Not sure where our friend got that thought from - totally random and out of context.

 

My Genesis trib has been going for 10 years - I'm not going to go through the whole range of changes I've made in my rig since we started, all hardware.

However I am happy with the Roland JV/XP Keys of the 60's/70's and Korg Kronos samples - in the mix you cannot really here the difference between that and the real thing.

The M4000D as said is going nowhere!

 

[Doberfort]

So I finally made a decision and bought a mint used Mellotron M4000D Mini. I have not received it yet but when it arrives I will let you know if it made me smile or not. From what some of you wrote here I think it might be just what I want, and that to a price much less than a new Memotron M2K or the M4000D

[Losendoskeys]

So I finally made a decision and bought a mint used Mellotron M4000D Mini. I have not received it yet but when it arrives I will let you know if it made me smile or not. From what some of you wrote here I think it might be just what I want, and that to a price much less than a new Memotron M2K or the M4000D

 

Enjoy it! (you will!)

[Mark Schmieder]

I'm torn on this. I had forgotten about it until getting Black Friday sale emails today, and noting that Kraft Music seems to be the only vendor for it but carries the full catalogue (the "special" is just a free t-shirt BTW, and the M2K is out of stock).

 

So I hunted down Gordon Reid's two reviews for SOS. The one in 2009 for the keyboard and the one from last year for the module version, which I was not even aware of until today.

 

At roughly $1000, I do have to consider the new module, as it apparently reacts as one would expect regardless of using a keyboard controller vs. a dedicated keyboard. But I do wish I knew more about the keyboard on the original model from 2009 or so, if it's a special design vs. a Fatar. perhaps the way it reacts to the sounds is all done in firmware/software?

 

The thing is, I'm not yet sure how much I would use a Mellotron of any sort. I've phased that sound out of a few unfinished legacy projects recently, but not as much as I have with "hi-fi" string synthesizers from the era that followed the original Mellotron.

 

There are plenty of bands today that are rediscovering the Mellotron as a major source of musical inspiration rather than as a gimmick or a substitute for real strings, brass, choirs, etc.

 

Whatever the case, having a Hammond XK-1c shows me what a difference it can make to have a dedicated instrument vs. great models or samples hosted in a generic VST or DAW.

 

Due to the date of the last reply to this thread before my revival of it today, I should point out that the module versions is significantly more advanced in features than the keyboard, unless the keyboard has since been given a rev (I haven't looked this up yet).

 

Currently, of course, I use G-Force M-Tron Pro for Mellotron sounds, and own ALL of the add-ons (even the most recent ones). These include sound effect libraries from the BBC as well, and those have come in quite handy on occasion, in spite of being mono and relatively lo-fi on the whole (i.e. limited bandwidth).

[Dave Bryce]

I went with the M4000D rack. I did not need another keyboard. I use an old Alesis Ion that was sitting in storage to control it. Love it to bits.

 

dB

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Oh, didn't notice they have a rack mount of that one. Streetly does a good job, so I'll check it out.

[Mark Schmieder]

I'm confused. Streetly didn't list the rack, but a web search came up with one from a different supplier in Stockholm and LA:

 

http://www.mellotron.com/m4000d-rack.html

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/mellotron_m4000d_rack.htm

 

Having the Chamberlin sounds is certainly an advantage.

[Mark Schmieder]

I just listened to a bunch of demos at YouTube. The MemoTron sounds nothing like a Mellotron to me, and perhaps even resembles the Creamware stuff that I had a number of years ago.

 

The Mellotron 4000, however, is the real deal. This gets reinforced in every single demo, with the only listenable one for the MemoTron being by Jordan Rudess but still exhibiting the digital harshness, artificial effects, and obnoxious upper frequencies that bother me about that model.

 

Having said that, I can't justify whatever the price is (I can't find one for sale on-line) for the full-size keyboard edition of the 4000, which is the only one of the three I'd be interested in vs. just continuing to use software in the studio. I wouldn't use the sounds enough, live or otherwise, to justify more than $1000 max.

 

I can definitely see, however, why there is such a consensus in favour of the Mellotron 4000 over the MemoTron series.

[Doberfort]

Fun to see this somewhat old tread come alive again. It made me realize that I forgot to follow up on my promised feedback regarding how I liked the Mellotron 4000D Mini I bought more than a year ago. So here it comes, I love it! It sounds realistic to my ears, and it sits really well in he mix and cuts through just the way it is supposed to. It is warm and alive and has no digital harshness that I can hear, but I can't tell if it sounds just like the original as I haven't had a chance to compare it with the real thing.

 

It is kind of sad that the extra sound banks are way too expensive, but you will do fine with what's in it if you are looking for the classic Mellotron sounds used by many 70's bands.

 

If it is worth the money? Hardly, but then again, what is? The good thing is that it seems like they are holding their value in the used instrument market pretty well, and they still sell for at least the same as I paid for mine a year agao. So if I should decide to sell and get something else I would be fine.

 

Regarding the "supplier" linked to above, that is the manufacturers web site. http://www.mellotron.com

[mynameisdanno]

I can't compare to the MemoTron, but I've been touring with the full-size M4000D all year, about 60 dates across the US two or three times, in a semi. It's been very reliable. Only hitch we had was with the optional Wurlitzer-style legs; one of the double-ended threaded studs that screw the legs into the leg plates getting stuck in the plate, rather than the leg, when one of the local crew was "helping" load out. Our tech got it backed out of the plate eventually with the help of a vise grip, lubricated the plate-side of the stud to ensure it comes in and out easier than the leg side does, and it's been good since.

 

As zoooombiex mentioned, there's a lot of great options in the sound menu - adjustments for "tape head" wear, rewind time, degree of tape "wow", etc.

 

I went for the full-size model almost entirely because I hate two-tier stands, and the nice flat top on the M4000D makes a perfect perch for the DSI OB-6 (a Prophet 6 would fit perfectly as well). I was also kind of interested in the fact that the M4000D is capable of sending polyphonic aftertouch, though I haven't done anything with it yet. I did play around with the "Highest" keyboard sensitivity setting, which makes the volume of each note controllable in realtime by the depth the key. Not of much use in our show so I turned it off, but could be very cool for evolving pad things.

 

I run it through a Ernie Ball volume pedal and a Eventide H9.

 

I also sprung for the SoundCard 02. Lots of fun stuff on there, and a couple things that get used in the show. I use the heck out of the Wine Glasses and the Wilco Feedback Guitars.

 

The whole package was definitely a splurge, but I'm very glad I did it.

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Really useful real-world feedback. Thanks everyone.

 

I might still consider the rack at some point, but not the mini, simply because it doesn't have Mellotron keys and I don't need the convenience for gigging purposes as it would mostly be used in the studio. But the full-size model has a very specific keybed, just like an organ does, and I feel that would benefit my playing and phrasing etc.

[hurricane hugo]

[font:Comic Sans MS]well, there's always this:[/font]

 

[video:youtube]

[Mark Schmieder]

FWIW, the M-Tron pro from G-Force is on half-sale this week, along with The Streetly Tapes at 35% off (all five volumes). The latter MIGHT load into SOME of the hardware emulations out there (see details in other people's posts).

 

https://www.gforcesoftware.com/gshop/products

 

I find the Special Effects from the BBC to be especially useful. A lot of hard-to-find sounds in there, and though they're mono and "lo-fi" for radio use, that can often be just the ticket!

[Losendoskeys]

I'm confused. Streetly didn't list the rack, but a web search came up with one from a different supplier in Stockholm and LA:

 

http://www.mellotron.com/m4000d-rack.html

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/mellotron_m4000d_rack.htm

 

Having the Chamberlin sounds is certainly an advantage.

 

Just re-read this as I've been looking at the Micro- M4000D.

You should know that Markus resch bought the Mellotron name, not Streetly, thats why it's not on their website.

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Aha. Funny show that stuff works.

[Bosendorphen]

I'm confused. Streetly didn't list the rack, but a web search came up with one from a different supplier in Stockholm and LA:

 

http://www.mellotron.com/m4000d-rack.html

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/mellotron_m4000d_rack.htm

 

Having the Chamberlin sounds is certainly an advantage.

 

Just re-read this as I've been looking at the Micro- M4000D.

You should know that Markus resch bought the Mellotron name, not Streetly, thats why it's not on their website.

My wife bought me a Micro some weeks ago. I love it! Using it in my band as well as on recordings (although I also have the UVI Mello as well).

 

[sgasiecki]

Ya I agree that was a completely weird and IMO inappropriate self-righteous point of view. With that mentality, I would expect the author to sell whatever gear he has, his car, his house and cash in his savings to give to the poor. Maybe that IS the right thing to do? But that is not what this string is about. It is a comparison between between two products. Why put on your judgemental hat?

 

Silly.

[UnderGroundGr]

My teacher had bought 2 Mellotrons M4000D Mini. Both had problems with lcd screens. They was send them back and bought memotron m2d. Great piece of hardware!

I want to buy a m2d but i have not the money yet so i downloaded Mellotronics Streetlytron Pro to my Ipod touch and i was assign the knobs of my Yamaha reface CP and use it!

It's great! So i have a mellotron to play live until i have the money for m2d...

[mate stubb]

I bought the Mellotron Micro during the time this thread was dormant. It sounds seriously great, and raises goosebumps on my arms when I play it, which the Memotron did not. It has a tiny form factor, and I can midi it to something else if I need the full keyboard range.

 

My only wish would be that the 2 simultaneous sounds were multitimbral so you could play on separate midi channels.