Mellotron V

How it works

One tape recorder for every key

Under each key there is a strip of magnetic tape with a recording of that note played by a real instrument. When the key is pressed, a pad pushes the tape against a playback head and a pinch roller squeezes it against a constantly rotating capstan: the tape runs and the head reads the sound. When the key is released, a spring returns the tape to the start. The tape lasts about 8 seconds: if you hold the key longer, the sound stops.

Three tracks per frame

In the M400 the tapes are mounted on a removable frame and each tape has three side-by-side tracks (A, B, C), that is, three different sounds. Moving the head selects the track, and in intermediate positions you can hear two adjacent tracks blended.

Wow, flutter and character

Motor speed that is not perfectly constant, tape wear, mechanical pressure and the number of keys pressed (which loads the motor) cause pitch oscillations (wow and flutter) and variations in timbre. Tape saturation compresses and rounds off the sound. Since there is no transposition, every note keeps its natural characteristics: vibrato, bow noise, breath.

Mellotron V

Arturia sampled the original tapes (dozens of banks from Mark I, Mark II, M300 and M400) and modeled the transport: flutter, saturation, mechanical and background noises. It adds the ability to load your own samples, which with the Stretch function are played back at constant duration like real tapes, keeping internal rhythms and vibratos in sync across the whole keyboard.

Character and tone

'Vintage' sound, warm and slightly unstable: every note is a real recording of an acoustic instrument (flute, violins, cello, choir, brass…) played back from tape, with wow and flutter that make pitch and amplitude waver. Spectrally it is somewhat 'cut off': little extension below 80 Hz and above 10 kHz, with a soft midrange compressed by tape saturation. Each note lasts at most about 8 seconds and then stops, which forces you to change chord and gives the phrasing a particular pulse. The notes are not transposed but recorded individually, so vibrato and attacks vary from note to note and chords have small intonation imperfections that create their charm. Strengths: immediate emotional character, nostalgia, an 'orchestra' that never sounds cold. Limitations: a range of only 35 keys per sound (G–F), little dynamics on the original (Arturia adds velocity), sounds that are unrealistic compared with modern orchestral libraries. Compared with the Solina it is acoustic and 'organic'; compared with modern orchestral samples it is dirtier, more compact and more recognizable.

Architecture

Original (Mellotron M400)

• 35 keys (G–F, just under three octaves), full polyphony (one tape per key).
• Removable frame with 35 three-track tapes (three sounds); track selector with intermediate A/B and B/C positions.
• Mechanics: continuously rotating capstan, pinch rollers, pads, playback heads, return springs; tape length about 8 s.
• Controls: power switch, track selector, Volume, Tone, Pitch (motor speed correction).
• Output: internal preamp, often to an amp or Leslie.
• Signal path: key → tape on head → preamp → Tone → Volume → output.

What Arturia adds

• Original tapes from several models and the ability to have up to 2 factory tapes or 8 user samples per track (also mapped in zones).
• All track (three tracks together) and continuous A/B and B/C blending, controllable by mod wheel or MIDI.
• Advanced panel (Open Lid): macro ADSR envelope, Flutter, Tape Saturation, Mechanics, Noise Floor with gate, Vel > Volume, AT > Flutter, track page.
• Sample editor: Pan, Gain, Trans, Tune, Stretch, Start/End, per-region envelope (up to 30 s per segment), Loop Forward or Back and Forth with automatic crossfade.
• FX: 4 slots for 12 pedals (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Compressor, Delay, Distortion, Equalizer, Reverb, Stereo Pan, Analog Delay, Limiter, Tape Echo), amplifier (Twin Amp or Rotary Speaker) and convolution Room Simulator; In, Out, Bypass.
• Velocity, aftertouch, loops beyond 8 seconds, MIDI Learn.

The controls, one by one

Main Control Panel

On/Off

Cosmetic only, has no function.

Track Selector

Chooses track A, B or C or a continuous A/B or B/C blend (from 1/99% to 99/1%); the All position plays the three tracks together at full volume. By default it is assigned to the mod wheel (All only with the mouse).

Volume

From -60 dB to +24 dB, default -12 dB.

Tone

Simple low-pass from 0.00 (closed) to 1.00 (open), default 0.500: more effective at darkening than brightening, because it depends on the content of the tape.

Pitch

Continuous global tuning ±2 semitones (independent of pitch bend, which can reach an octave).

Mellotron keyboard

Playback of the 35 original keys (G–F); from MIDI the range depends on the samples loaded.

Advanced (Open Lid) — macro envelope

Attack

From -1.00 to +1.00: shortens or lengthens the attack of all samples relative to the values of the individual region. Positive for strings and choirs that 'fade in'.

Decay

Relative change of the decay.

Sustain

Relative change of the sustain level.

Release

Relative change of the release: positive for soft tails on flutes.

Advanced (Open Lid) — tape modeling

Flutter

Pitch fluctuations due to irregular tape speed; at the extremes it becomes a random LFO on pitch.

Tape Saturation

Tape saturation from 0.00 to 1.00 (default 0): rounds off, compresses and adds harmonics.

Mechanics

Clicks and noises of the mechanisms (keys, pads), from 0.00 to 1.00.

Noise Floor

Background noise recorded from a real Mellotron, with built-in gate; recommended 0–0.3 (about 0.3 for pronounced realism).

Vel > Volume

How much velocity controls volume (0 = like the original, no dynamics).

AT > Flutter

How much aftertouch increases flutter: pressing harder makes the sound more unstable, as when you pressed the keys down on the original.

Tape Track Page

Track slider

Duplicate of the Track Selector, with an All button.

Track On/Off

In All mode it lets you mute individual tracks.

Sound slots

Click a track to load: up to 2 factory tapes, up to 8 user samples, or mixed (2 factory + 6 user). Right-click unloads, double-click replaces.

Edit

Opens the sample and region editing page.

Sample Editing Page

Regions and mapping

Each sound occupies a region of the keyboard: you can layer or split different sounds (e.g. strings on the left, flutes on the right).

Load / Remove

Loads or removes the sample of the selected region.

Waveform window

Shows the sample with the start, end and loop handles.

Pan

Stereo position from 50L to 50R (some effects such as the Rotary force mono).

Gain

Sample gain from -60 to +24 dB.

Trans

Transposition of the root note ±24 semitones (user samples only).

Tune

Fine tuning ±100 cents.

Stretch

User samples only, on by default: transposition without changing duration, so internal rhythms and vibratos stay in sync across the whole keyboard as on a real Mellotron. Turn it off for classic sampler behavior (and to save CPU).

Start / End

Playback start and end points.

Att / Dec / Sus / Rel

Region envelope: Attack 1 ms–30 s (default 1 ms), Decay 1 ms–30 s (default 100 ms), Sustain 0–1 (default 1), Release 10 ms–30 s (default 20 ms).

Loop (Off / Forward / Back and Forth) with Start and End

Off = original behavior (the sound stops at the end of the tape); Forward = forward cycle; Back and Forth = forward and backward. Automatic crossfade to avoid clicks.

FX — chain

In / Out / Bypass

Input and output level of the chain and bypass of effects, amps and room.

Slots 1–4 (pedals)

Four free slots with on/off and their own presets, reorderable by drag and drop: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Compressor, Delay, Distortion, Equalizer, Reverb, Stereo Pan, Analog Delay, Limiter, Tape Echo.

Slot 5 — Twin Amp

On Axis, Bright, Drive, spring Reverb, Bass, Mid, Treble, Tremolo Speed and Tremolo Intensity.

Slot 5 — Rotary Speaker

Cabinet Closed, Open, 122 Closed, 122 Open, 147 Open; Fast, Brake (forces mono), Stereo, Balance, Drive, Dry/Wet; advanced Horn and Drum Slow, Fast, Accel.

Slot 6 — Room Simulator

Convolution with rooms, plates, springs and hardware units: Room (size), Dec. Start (wall absorption), Duration (tail length), Dry/Wet.

Sound design tips

• Respect the 8 seconds: the tape limit is part of the style; change chord within 6–8 seconds or retrigger the notes. Use loops only if you need an endless pad, knowing that you lose the 'real Mellotron' effect.
• Limited range: with the original tapes, play only within the intended register (35 notes); write the parts in that zone instead of forcing extreme transpositions.
• Expressive Track Selector: blending A/B or B/C with the mod wheel (e.g. flutes and violins) creates natural timbral crescendos; record the automation as if it were an expression pedal.
• Flutter and saturation: low Flutter (0.1–0.25) and Tape Saturation 0.2–0.4 give authenticity; beyond that they become a lo-fi effect. With AT > Flutter you can make instability a gesture, pressing harder on long notes.
• Frequencies: the tapes have little below 80 Hz and little above 10 kHz; do not try to 'open up' with EQ (you only raise the noise). High-pass at 100–150 Hz for violins and choirs, possibly gentle presence at 2–3 kHz for flutes.
• Noise Floor: useful in sparse arrangements; in dense mixes keep it at zero and add global noise only if you need lo-fi coherence.
• Velocity: the original was not dynamic; with Vel > Volume between 0.3 and 0.6 you keep the character but gain expressiveness.
• Chords: voicings of three or four notes; summed tapes saturate quickly, and very dense chords become confused because of the small intonation discrepancies.
• Space: a short Room or plate (1.2–2 s) is enough; the Mellotron already has its own recorded 'air'.
• Your own samples: with Stretch on, rhythmic loops stay in time across the whole keyboard; set the Start to trim silences and a Release of at least 30–50 ms to avoid clicks.
• Common mistakes: very long reverb (the close-up charm disappears), excessive flutter on parts in time with other tuned tracks, layering the Mellotron over modern orchestral libraries without differentiating the register.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• 1960s pop and psychedelic rock: Graham Bond is the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron (from 1965); Manfred Mann use it on Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James (1966) and Ha! Ha! Said the Clown; the opening flute of Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles is the most famous Mellotron part ever, and the group also uses it on Magical Mystery Tour and on the White Album; Brian Jones plays it with the Rolling Stones on We Love You, She's a Rainbow, 2000 Light Years from Home and Jigsaw Puzzle; Mike Pinder uses it on every Moody Blues album from Days of Future Passed (1967) to Octave (1978).
• Art pop: Rick Wakeman plays it on Space Oddity by David Bowie (1969).
• Progressive rock: King Crimson buy two Mellotrons at the band's formation (1969), played by Ian McDonald and then by Robert Fripp; Tony Banks of Genesis uses it on Nursery Cryme and in the introduction of Watcher of the Skies (Foxtrot, 1972); Yes and Barclay James Harvest among the users. Strings and choirs as the band's orchestra.
• 1980s: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and XTC continue to use it.
• 1990s Britpop and alternative: the Smashing Pumpkins on Spaceboy, Oasis on (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, with the cello of Wonderwall played by Paul Arthurs; Radiohead on OK Computer; Air on Moon Safari and The Virgin Suicides; Muse among the users.
• Indie, dream pop, psych revival: lo-fi flutes and choirs as a nostalgic signature.
• Sample-based hip hop, lo-fi and chillhop: flutes and strings with wow and saturation.
• Horror and retro soundtracks: eerie choirs and strings.
• Folk and chamber pop, ambient and hauntology: nostalgic tape textures.