mellotron

The mellotron may be an old instrument, but it’s all over modern music. Just listen to the score for The Mandalorian So let’s talk about this trailblazer of an instrument. I’ll also cover some of the best Mellotron plugins for home studios. But if you want to learn about the Mellotron specifically, keep reading. Around 1950, Henry Chamberlin realized he could sample organ sounds using magnetic tape. With this technology, the Mellotron was officially developed in 1963. But the Mellotron was different. Folks realized you could emulate other instruments too. Like cellos, flutes, or literally anything that could be recorded. Nowadays, Mellotrons still use tape. Which can make the mechanisms somewhat stiff and definitely fragile. But the tape makes the whole thing sound and feel vintage. And it all adds to its classic sound. The opening sound features Mellotron flutes, one of the most common Mellotron sounds. As one of the most recognizable intros in modern music, SFF also opens with Mellotron flutes. Mellotron has a very cool vintage sound. And it was basically a MIDI controller for virtual instruments before MIDI even existed. But there are plugins that emulate a Mellotron. Here are the best ones to check out… This plugin has a wide range of instruments, and you get plenty of settings. You control the ADSR, flutter, noise floor, tone, pitch, and a bunch of other settings. This plugin is cool because you can load multiple samples on the Mellotron at once. So you could have flutes on the top half of the keyboard and cellos on the bottom half. You can access a bunch of factory samples, plus you can load your own samples. It’s a window that shows the noise and tape levels, attack, release, tone knobs, and a few other settings. You can choose one of 75 instrument samples. They sampled the instruments through cassette tapes with lo-fi cassette decks. Giving them a truly retro sound. Redtron SE samples sounds from a 1973 Mellotron M400S with just a bit of audio cleaning. Like removing clicks and pops. Like most Mellotrons, you control the ADSR, and you can layer two sounds together. UVI didn’t clean up the vintage sound of the Mellotron (which you might prefer). They give you 28 sounds and 12 presets. Plus, you have a bunch of basic and advanced settings. The interface seems pretty easy to use. It clearly shows you the knobs and dials on a virtual Mellotron. If you want this unique retro sound, play around with a Mellotron plugin. And you don’t have to use it in a vintage context—this instrument still works great in modern music.