Tape Sampler à la Trentemøller

The Mellotron has enriched countless hits with its sound, from The Beatles, David Bowie and Genesis to Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Trentemøller, AIR, Nils Frahm, Lana Del Rey and Weezer. M-Tron Select brings the distinctive vintage sound of the „tape sampler“to your DAW. And it can do more than just „retro“! With the right effects processing, you can coax the finest sounds out of this plug-in for Ambient, Chillout, Downtempo & the like.

Customize sound

On the left side, you can see which two sounds make up the preset. The position in the stereo panorama, the tuning and the playback direction ( Reverse ) can be adjusted individually.

Mixing ratio

Finally, the Balance control lets you determine the mixing ratio of the two sounds. By doubling the octaves, you can achieve more richness in the sound.

Global settings

Volume controls - of course - the overall volume of the current preset and Attack and Release the settling and decay time. Some of the presets have already been provided with Reverb and Delay.

Cult sounds

Each of the plug-in‘s 50 presets consists of two sounds based on the iconic recordings of vintage acoustic instruments, such as Flutes, Choir, Piano, Violins and Brass.

The Mellotron is more or less the predecessor to the modern Sampler. For each key, a tape was embedded with the recording of the corresponding note, which was then played back at the touch of a key. Since the tapes contained original recordings of acoustic instruments, the whole thing sounded remarkably realistic for the time. The design-related peculiarities, such as the limited frequency response and the wear of the tapes, as well as the fluctuations in pitch and volume ensure a high recognition value.

Since its appearance in the early 1960s, the Mellotron has made music history and its distinctive sounds are still used often in order to give music a nostalgic vintage character.

1

Time machine

When trying out the presets in M-Tron Select, memories of many music classics are immediately evoked [1]. The flute sound from 01 Flutes is familiar, for example, from „Strawberry Fields Forever“by the Beatles, „Cryptorchild“by Marilyn Manson, „Breaking The Girl“by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and most recently „All My Favorite Songs“by Weezer. 1

2

Vibrato

The choral sounds are reminiscent of songs like Coolio‘s“Gangsta‘s Paradise“, and the strings can be heard in Led Zeppelin‘s „Kashmir“, among others. Also, in Techno and Electro productions, such as by Anthony Rother, samples of the Mellotron were used with pleasure. With the modulation wheel, you control the vibrato of all patches. 1

3

Tape simulation

This can be used discreetly to add even more vintage charm. With a tape simulation, you can recreate the frequency response, as well as the typical artifacts and dropouts for an extra dose of retro character. Even though M-Tron Select‘s settings are limited, it‘s a great tool for sound experimentation. 1

4

Reverse

When switching the playback direction with the Reverse switches, artifacts and dropouts sometimes occur, which can also be wonderfully elevated to a stylistic device by automating them rhythmically. It sounds particularly impressive if you then add a lush stereo Delay (for instance with dotted eighths) and Reverb to the Mellotron sounds. 1

5

Textures

For example, the 04 Vibes or 06 MkII Piano presets can be used to create fresh atmospheric textures. Try detuning the two sounds with the Tune controls, for instance, lowering Sound 1 by 12 semitones and raising Sound 2 by 5 semitones. You can also automate the Balance, Volume, and Pan parameters for extra lively sounds. 1

6

Combine sounds

With two instances of M-Tron Select, you can also create your own sound combinations. To do this, set the Balance control to A in one instance and to B in the other. For example, you can combine the flutes and strings from presets 01 and 03. Or how about two instances where the four sounds are tuned to the notes of a chord? 1

7

Modern sounds

The Mellotron sounds also do an outstanding job in modern music. With the right effects processing, the sounds fit perfectly into contemporary productions without losing their vintage character. Load a looper plug-in like Sugar Bytes Looperator, Cableguys ShaperBox 2 or iZotope Stutter Edit 2 as insert effect. 1

8

Loop experiments

These plug-ins allow you to loop sections of the sounds, allowing you to create exciting musical accents, especially in Hip Hop, Trap and Downtempo. The Mellotron sounds such as 01 Flute or 03 MkII Violins are also a wonderful basis for floating, organic Ambient sounds if you add an epic Reverb effect to them. 1

9

Ambient areas

The Valhalla Supermassive freeware plugin is ideally suited for this task. Load the We Are Stardust preset and adjust the Reverb Time with the Delay slider to your liking. Then, increase the Low value to about 200 Hz to make the pad sound nice and airy. For a more atmospheric sound, you can set M-Tron Select to a longer Attack value. ⸬