From jackoverfull@gmail.com Mon Jun 30 10:14:33 2014
Subject:Re: For those who feel that clones are better than the real thing...

Well said. Yes, agreed that there are pretty decent —pretty
convincing!— clonewheels around but everytime I play a real Hammond
+Leslie I notice how far those are to really sound that good.

Sent from iPhone

Il giorno 30/giu/2014, alle ore 18.17, "Hammonddave hammonddave2004@yahoo.com
[CloneWheel]" ha scritto:

> I am reposting this from my Mellotron group.
>
> "I would like to address a small part of Rich's post.
>
> "No benefit in the studio either. NONE."
>
> A quick personal history. I own a recording studio that specializes
> in vintage keyboards. Our inventory includes one of Markus'
> M4000D's, and an original M400. I've also owned a number of
> additional M400's, a MkV, and a Chamberlin.
>
> Some observations on the M4000D. Well-made, great sounding,
> reliable, nice keyboard. Does it sound like our particular M400? No.
> And this M400 doesn't sound like our other M400's. The M4000D sounds
> like a combination of a couple of the M400's we've had. But it
> sounds NOTHING like our current M400, and again....neither did our
> past Trons. Not better or worse, just different. Radically
> different. We use the M4000D for "almost" everything, but
> occasionally it's simply "Not The Right Mellotron". Just like the
> M400 is often not the right Mellotron. They are different sounding
> Mellotrons.
>
> Studio benefits: Many of our inventoried instruments are essentially
> handmade. Therefore, each will have it's own quirks and personality.
> OUR Rhodes doesn't sound like YOUR Rhodes. OUR Minimoog doesn't
> sound like YOUR Minimoog. And that, in itself, gives value to having
> the hardware.
>
> However, the point that I consider most important, and often
> overlooked, is "how does that PARTICULAR instrument influence the
> performer's music?". Here's how it plays out, in EVERY session. I'm
> not kidding.
>
> Player arrives. He/she has been using vsti's and hardware sims for
> years. Has never even SEEN most of the authentic instruments. They
> have all their parts carefully written and rehearsed, based on their
> vsti's, and on the sims in their workstations.
>
> They see the C3 and 122. "Holy shit". Yep. This is serious.
>
> I show them how to turn on the C3. The starter motor grinds up to
> speed, then the run motor wobbles a bit, and kicks the machine into
> gear. "Holy shit".
>
> They feel the vibrations from the tonewheel generator. They feel the
> wind from the Leslie. I coach them through the speed switch,
> drawbars, percussion, and vibrato. I show them how to control the
> distortion by using the volume pedal. "Holy shit".
>
> They play the parts that they had planned. Then....they start
> modifying the parts, based on the influence of the instrument. They
> disappear into the experience, and we all just shut up for a while,
> and let them soak it in, and GET IT. We've had people actually
> crying while playing this stuff. They can't believe the depth of the
> experience. The realization that the vsti is THAT far from the real
> instrument, comes as a profound shock.
>
> What they eventually record ends up sounding like the REAL version
> of what they had originally intended. With far more emotion and
> power, but it's because of THE WAY THEY PLAY IT, not just the way it
> sounds.
>
> So I do think that "No benefit in the studio either. NONE." may be
> an unfair assumption.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jim Blair
> Ape Island Sound
> Canada"
>
>