Mellotron Micro

One of my wildest dreams come true! This is real, live Mellotron! Not vst plugin but not a tape monster from legends.
Now, along with Hammond (thanks, Suzuki!) And Minimoog (thanks, Ule Behringer!) we have the very same wild and charming sound of the 60s and 70s, which gives goosebumps!
The fine combination of durability, compactness and authenticity in a small format enables us to place Mellotron over Hammond along with a compact monophonic synthesizer or a workstation.
The sound is beyond all praise!
The only drawback (which can be neglected) is barely noticeable digital clicks when changing the volume of sounds or turning the mix knob.

I will get past the argument that anybody can use a multi-sampled VST version of the Mellotron. Sometimes having a specialized hardware instrument that does one job well has its own merits.

The fact that the Micro Mellotron comes with a range of very usable standard sounds from the earliest Chamberlin up to the last Mellotron M400 is a bonus in itself - as it allows users to mix and blend different sounds from two different machines on the fly - which opens up a whole new palette of sounds. Having said that, you cannot independently adjust the octaves for each layer. Another feature is the option for adjusting the global tape speed to half or quarter playback speed, independent from the pitch control button, for an extra dose of lo-fi.
Unlike the original Mellotrons, these digital Mellotrons have Attack and Release controls accesible through the audio settings menu.

The controls are simple and intuitive - with no deep menu diving. The build quality of the chassis (metal), knobs and the velocity-sensitive FATAR keybed is exceptional - although the 2-octave C-scale keyboard might be limiting for some. Despite having a very useful octave up and down bottom, the sample ranges stay true to the original tapes (37-note F scale). I only wish that the external sustain pedal input included an expression pedal function.

kompakte und gut transportable Version des digitalen Mellotrons. Sehr gut geeignet für Sessions aber auch für Verwendung im Studio. Die 24bit samples bringen die legendären 70er-Jahre Sounds von King Crimson, Yes oder Genesis zurück. Jedoch nicht nur 3 Tape-Sounds wie beim Original, sondern insgesamt 100! Variable Anschlagsdynamik und zusätzliche Release-Funktionen ermöglichen ausserdem die Verwendung des Micros als leistungsfähiges MIDI-Keyboard zum Steuern externer Instrumente. Ein interessantes Schmankerl ist die über Berührung steuerbare LED-Beleuchtung bei der das gesamte Farbspektrum durchgefahren werden kann- das Auge hört schließlich auch mit. Die Bedienung ist wirklich sehr intuitiv und einfach. Man braucht kein IT-Freak zu sein. Alles in Allem ein gelungenes Instrument, sehr solide verarbeitet und zu einem, wie ich finde, fairen Preis.