Editing Mellotron (section)

==Operation==
[[File:Mellotron diagram.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|The internal operations of a Mellotron. Pressing a key (1), causes two screws (2) to connect a pressure pad (3) with the tape head (5), and the pinch wheel (4) with the continuously rotating capstan (6). Tape is pulled at a constant speed, counterbalanced by a tension spring (8–10) and stored temporarily in a storage bin (7) until the key is released.{{sfn|Awde|2008|p=17}}]]
The Mellotron uses the same concept as a [[sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]], but generates its sound using analogue recordings on [[audio tape]]. When a key is pressed, a tape connected to it is pushed against a playback head, as in a [[tape recorder|tape deck]]. While the key remains depressed, the tape is drawn over the head, and a sound is played. When the key is released, a spring pulls the tape back to its original position.{{sfn|Awde|2008|p=17}}

A variety of sounds are available on the instrument. On earlier models, the instrument is split into "lead" and "rhythm" sections. There is a choice of six "stations" of rhythm sounds, each containing three rhythm tracks and three fill tracks. The fill tracks can also be mixed together.<ref name="mkiism">{{cite book
 |url        = http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mellotron_MkII_SM.pdf
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111218174345/http://www.cem3374.com/docs/Manuals/Misc/Mellotron_MkII_SM.pdf
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 18 December 2011
 |title      = Mellotron Mk II Service Manual
 |publisher  = Streetly Electronics
 |access-date = 5 November 2013
}}</ref>{{rp|17–18}} Similarly, there is a choice of six lead stations, each containing three lead instruments which can be mixed. In the centre of the Mellotron, there is a tuning button that allows a variation in pitch (tempo, in the case of the rhythm tracks).<ref name="mkiism" />{{rp|19}} Later models do not have the concept of stations and have a single knob to select a sound, along with the tuning control. However, the frame containing the tapes is designed to be removed, and replaced with one with different sounds.<ref name="reid2007" />

Although the Mellotron was designed to reproduce the sound of the original instrument, replaying a tape creates minor fluctuations in pitch ([[wow (recording)|wow]] and [[Flutter (electronics and communication)|flutter]]) and amplitude, so a note sounds slightly different each time it is played.{{sfn|Awde|2008|p=16}} Pressing a key harder allows the head to come into contact under greater pressure, to the extent that the Mellotron responds to [[Keyboard expression#Pressure sensitivity or aftertouch|aftertouch]].{{sfn|Vail|2000|p=230}}

Another factor in the Mellotron's sound is that the individual notes were recorded in isolation. For a musician accustomed to playing in an orchestral setting, this was unusual, and meant that they had nothing against which to intonate. Noted cellist Reginald Kilbey refused to downtune his [[cello]] to cover the lower range of the Mellotron, and so the bottom notes are actually performed on a [[double bass]] (His refusal was based on the fact that him playing these notes on his cello would be robbing a double bassist of the session fee.  When the double bassist turned up for the next session it was found to be Kilbey with a different instrument, thereby collecting a double fee for both appearances). According to Mellotron author [[Nick Awde]], one note of the string sounds contains the sound of a chair being scraped in the background.{{sfn|Awde|2008|p=17}}

When the Chamberlin was first developed, the initial recorded sound used was that of three violins, thereby committing the instrument range to G2 to F5, being the range of the [[violin]].  Unfortunately, as with the cello, many other instruments did not conform to this range.  The noted solo [[flute]] (which appears on the introduction to [[Strawberry Fields Forever]]) actually comprises recordings from an alto flute and a soprano flute, which accounts for some of the odd tuning that appears when chords are played.  Other sounds such as the [[brass]] opted for a layered effect where instruments were recorded within their correct range.  Others recorded more recently, such as the [[bass clarinet]] opt instead to drop the tuning on the lowest notes by pitching them electronically.  The Mellotron [[choir]] was recorded in two halves: four men in one studio, and four women in another adjacent, thereby allowing for the actual recording of three sounds concurrently.  In this, the male singers from the Ted Taylor Choir were allowed to drop the highest notes back to the previous [[octave]] as they were considerably out of their natural range.

[[{{Not a typo|File:Changing the tape cartidge on the Mellotron.jpg}}<!-- Do not change the spelling of the file! -->|thumb|The Mellotron M400 has a removable tape frame that can be replaced with another containing different sounds]]
The original Mellotrons were intended to be used in the home or in clubs and were not designed for touring bands. Even the later M400, which was designed to be as portable as possible, weighed over {{convert|122|lb|kg}}.{{sfn|Awde|2008|p=23}} Smoke, variations in temperature, and humidity were also detrimental to the instrument's reliability. Moving the instrument between cold storage rooms and brightly lit stages could cause the tapes to stretch and stick on the capstan. Leslie Bradley recalls receiving some Mellotrons in for a repair "looking like a blacksmith had shaped horseshoes on top".{{sfn|Vail|2000|p=233}} Pressing too many keys at once caused the motor to drag, resulting in the notes sounding flat.<ref name="reid"/> [[Robert Fripp]] stated that "[t]uning a Mellotron doesn't".<ref name="fripp">{{cite AV media notes|others=King Crimson|title=The Night Watch|year=1997|publisher=Discipline Global Mobile}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop|first1=Sean|last1=Albiez|first2=David|last2=Pattie|publisher=Continuum|year=2011|page=129|isbn=978-1-4411-9136-6}}</ref> Dave Kean, an expert Mellotron repairer, recommends that older Mellotrons should not be immediately used after a period of inactivity, as the tape heads can become magnetised in storage and destroy the recordings on them if played.{{sfn|Vail|2000|p=233}}