Under each key of the original Mellotron MkII was over 40 feet of magnetic tape containing 3 Tracks. At the press of a button, a scrolling mechanism would move that tape so that one of six different sections could be played at the press of a note. These sections are referred to as ‘Stations’.
Once a Station had been arrived at, there were three audio tracks that the user could select between via buttons on the front panel, then play. This principle is the same regardless of whether it’s a Rhythm, Accompaniment or Lead sound.
Imagine that three trains on separate tracks arrive simultaneously on at a station allowing you to climb aboard the train of your choice. In the case of the Mellotron MkI Rhythms, Station 1 gives you the choice of three sounds, Bossa Nova, Viennese Waltz or Slow Waltz.
As we stated above, on the original Mellotron MkII each Station would give you access to the choice of three Rhythms and three Accompaniments.
While there was the occasional exception, the Rhythms and Accompaniments in each Station conformed to a specific musical key and tempo and it was impossible to mix and match Rhythms and/or Accompaniments from different Stations.
On the M-Tron MkII, we’ve kept this conformity, but added multiple ways that Rhythms and Accompaniments from different Stations can be mixed and matched, thus hugely increasing the possible permutations and flexibility of the instrument.
With M-Tron MkII in its standard configuration (Host Sync OFF), the tempo and key of the loaded Rhythm is read, and all Accompaniments from Stations that match that key and tempo are made available for loading alongside the loaded Rhythm.
Additionally, M-Tron MkII offers the ability to retune an entire bank while maintaining the host tempo. Using M-Tron MkII with host sync ON, ALL Accompaniments from ALL stations become available against the selected Rhythm regardless of their tempo or key. Obviously, it’s advisable to make sure a loaded Accompaniment falls into the same key as the loaded Rhythm or all manner of cacophony can ensue. However, it is possible to come across the occasional ‘happy accident’ when mismatching an Accompaniment key to that of the selected Rhythm.
M-Tron MkII further extends its ability to mix and match Rhythms and Accompaniments by using Dual Rhythm Mode (R/A). This allows you to switch the right hand manual to load Rhythms and Accompaniments instead of the traditional Leads.
So, for example, in Dual Rhythm Mode with the M-Tron MkII’s Host Sync turned ON, you can load the Chamberlin Station 2 Track B ‘Polka’ in the key of C, in the left manual, then in the right manual the Mellotron MkI Station 3 Track C ‘Quickstep’ in the key of Ab. With Host Sync active you can then transpose this - 8 Semitones via the Pitch knob whereupon both rhythms will play at the Tempo determined by your host sequencer.
Because the Rhythms and Accompaniments adhere to specific key signatures, it’s important to make sure you’re playing the correct notes when triggering a Rhythm and Accompaniment simultaneously.
Using the Chord button on M-Tron MkII will assist you in playing matched Rhythms and Accompaniments.
The order in which the Rhythms and Accompaniments are laid out across the keyboard was initially determined by Harry Chamberlin and subsequently duplicated by the Bradley Brothers on the Mellotron… with one small exception. On the Chamberlin the bottom G (Note 1) was silent while Mellotronics opted to allocate a sound to that note. In the case of the MkI those sounds were Start Rhythms, End Rhythms, or bizarre one-off sounds. In the MkII this bottom G (Note 1) changed to encompass End Rhythms only.