M-Audio 640-118 User Manual

TableofContents

M-Tron – a brief history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Sound Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chamberlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Birotron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Roland VP330 Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Sound Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Without Whom Dept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Installing the M-Tron & Tape Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

M-Tron Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Function Knob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Pitch Knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Tone Knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Volume Knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

MIDI Controller List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Tape Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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M-Tron – a brief history

The M-Tron is a virtual emulation of one of the most inspirational and unique instruments ever produced, the Mellotron®. This
instrument was used on countless records in the heady days of the 1960’s and 1970’s from Yes’ ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’ to Led
Zepplin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and The Moody Blues’ ‘Nights in White Satin’.

The principal behind the instrument was that each key triggered a corresponding piece of audio tape which then played for a
maximum of eight seconds before having to be released and rewound. This eight second limit has been retained on the M-Tron
purely because a looped sound is not a true representation of the original instrument. Having to release the keys after eight seconds
caused both the music to breathe and the musicians to adjust their playing technique - all of which added to the majesty of the
instrument.

Further magic was supplied as each tape held recordings of real musicians playing real instruments including strings, flutes, voices,
saxophones etc... There were even entire bands playing full ensembles and motifs. You could also purchase new tapes containing
different sounds, and even have your own sounds recorded on to custom tapes. In theory, there was an infinite amount of sounds
available and the Mellotron® was probably the first official sampler.

The dual manual Mark II was released in 1964 and, despite its home entertainment styling, was soon a compulsory instrument for
the innovative bands of the era. One great example is The Beatles use of the evocative flute sound on ‘Strawberry Fields’. It consisted
of two 35-note keyboards from which rhythms and chords could be triggered via the left keyboard while lead sounds could be
played using the right. We’ve included several of these rhythms and chords as M-Tron Tape Banks and these are mapped to the first
17 notes of our 35-note single keyboard. (Occasionally there are 16 or 18 notes)

Aesthetically, the M-Tron is based loosely on the successor to the Mark II, the M400. The M400 was released in 1970 and continued
in production until 1977. This comprised a single 35-note keyboard (stretching from G to F) plus Volume, Tone and Pitch controls.
It also came with three sounds and cost £795.00 in 1976. It enjoyed a relatively long and prosperous life and was used by almost
every significant band during that period. Rick Wakeman is quoted as saying, “The sounds of the instrument were beautiful and
unlike anything else available but the downside was that the instrument was hideously unreliable. On early models the more notes
you attempted to play, the more strain it put on the motor which would then slow down. On some Yes tracks I could start the song
playing in Bb but towards the end I would be playing in F. It was so awful that I ceremoniously burned mine at the end of one tour.
Of course, I’ve missed those sounds but I haven’t missed its unreliability.”

Indeed, the sounds available for the M400 still have a peerless quality and charm today, especially when compared with contemporary
digital instruments. In the 70’s, its sounds were used by everyone from Genesis to King Crimson and over twenty years later we
still find these sounds in use by artists such as U2, Oasis, Putte, Neil Finn and many others in a bid to inject a timeless quality into
their music.

The list of albums containing ‘tron sounds over the last quarter of a century is immense and the instrument’s character continues
to resonate today thanks to the M-Tron’s careful attention to detail, warmth, character and huge library.

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Sound Sources

The M-Tron sounds come from a variety of different Mellotron® models and also include the following instruments.

Chamberlin

The Chamberlin was actually the US precursor to the UK manufactured Mellotron®. Harry Chamberlin, inspired by a tape-based
drum loop-playing instrument he’d invented in the early 1950’s, came up with a keyboard instrument using the same principle
and the Chamberlin was officially born. However, as radical as it was for the time, there were several engineering and reliability
problems with subsequent models that caused the then-salesman, Bill Fransen, to look elsewhere for solutions. Eventually a deal
was struck with the Bradley brothers in the UK which would lead to the Mellotron
M series in the US.

®

being conceived in the UK and the Chamberlin

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Birotron

Conceived by Dave Biro with the help of keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, the Birotron attempted to overcome the problems of
the eight-second note duration by implementing the use of eight-track cartridges instead of the various tape widths used in both
Chamberlin’s and Mellotron’s. While the concept was undoubtedly sound, the initial batch of Birotron’s coincided with the dawning
of the polysynth era and the whole Birotron operation failed. As a result of this quick demise, Birotron’s are incredibly rare. In fact,
it’s rumored that between only thirteen and thirty-five were ever built.

Roland VP330 Plus

Yes, we know this wasn’t a classic tape-playing instrument, but the VP330 choir is regarded in many circles as a classic. Released in
1979 this Vocoder was more than a one trick pony due to the on-board string sounds and choir timbres. This instrument has found
favor with bands, including Underworld, because of its unique sound and as such it is a worthy inclusion here.

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Sound Production

As we mentioned before, the sounds come from a variety of sources and although in many cases these tapes required a degree of
digital cleaning-up due to their age and storage conditions, we have deliberately left in many imperfections for fear of ironing out
too much of the inherent character. Accordingly, you may find that in isolation the odd note may sound a bit wobbly and there
may be clicks, hum and even the odd tape drop-out. This is entirely deliberate and when played within the context of a track, this
is exactly what adds to the unique sound, vibe and character of the instrument.

One person who needs to be credited for his sterling sound preservation work is Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, a supreme ‘tron aficionado
whose personal library amassed from his collection of Mellotron’s is probably unsurpassed, as is his attention to detail in terms of
preserving the faithful ‘tron. For example, many of the early MkII’s had no line output, so the only way to record these was via the
on-board speaker and it was this technique that gave many of the classic 60’s recordings that beautiful hollow mood and feel. This
recording technique is evident on many of the M-Tron sounds.

For more information on the original instrument look at:

www.Mellotron.com

www.vemia.co.uk/Mellotron/

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Without Whom Dept

Jason Field, Dave Spiers, Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, all at Ohm Force, Angus Hewlett, Jim Wintermyre, Chris Macleod,
Ian Legge & Putte

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5

Installing the M-Tron & Tape Banks

Because every note of each Mellotron® sound was sampled separately, the average size of an M-Tron Tape Bank is approximately
21MB. There are over 100 Tape Banks featured in this collection resulting in close to 2.5GB of data. The installation takes place via
4 CDs, each one containing a different selection of Tape Banks.

Included on the M-Tron Master CD are multiple versions of the M-Tron. The M-Tron installer allows you to install any or all versions
via a single installer, one for Mac and one for PC.

PC -

Insert the M-Tron Master CD (Disc 1) into your CD-ROM drive. From the setup window, select the “Install” option and follow the
onscreen instructions carefully, entering your unique User Name and Registration codes EXACTLY as you find them printed within
this Getting Started guide. Installation of each of the Tape Banks takes a few minutes, so please be patient.

The PC installer installs the M-Tron and all the additional Tape Banks via four CDs. During installation, you will be asked to insert
each disc in turn until installation is complete.

Mac -

Insert the M-Tron Master CD (Disc 1) into your CD-ROM drive. Double-click on the GForce M-Tron Disc 1 icon to open the
disc. Double click on the MTron-CD1.dmg file and launch the installer. Installation of each of the Tape Banks takes a few minutes,
so please be patient. Follow the onscreen instructions carefully and enter your unique User Name and Registration codes EXACTLY
as you find them printed within the “Quick Start” guide. During installation, be sure to click on the Next button until the installation
routine is complete.

After the installation of Disc 1 you can chose to install Discs 2, 3 and 4 or, if preferred, install these later.

Registration

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Please take the time to register your M-Tron on-line at: www.gforcesoftware.com

Registration is required to receive free technical support.

Mac installer shown

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7

M-Tron Controls

Function Knob.

A. Once the M-Tron is open the control panel appears with the Function Knob set to position A and

the panel lid closed. Playing the M-Tron from its own keyboard (or connected MIDI Keyboard) will
play the default sound.

B. Moving the Function Knob to position B will open the panel lid and reveal

the Attack and Release sliders. Moving the Attack slider to the right will
progressively soften the front of the sound allowing it to fade in. Moving the
Release slider to the right will lengthen the sound after a note-off.

C. Moving the Function Knob to the C position will open the Tape Bank selection

window. Click on the Tape Bank name to open a drop down Tape Bank list. To
select a Tape Bank simply highlight the required sound. There will be a slight
delay while the Tape Bank is loaded into RAM.

Pitch Knob

This allows you to change the pitch by + or - 15% from the center position. Turning the Pitch Knob clockwise
increases the pitch.

Tone Knob

The Tone Knob progressively filters out high frequencies. The knob defaults to an almost hard-right position
and moving it anti-clockwise will filter the high frequencies from the sound.

Volume Knob

The Volume Knob adjusts the output level of the M-Tron.

Note: To Set any slider or Knob to its middle value, simply move the mouse over the knob or slider, then hold
the Alt key (or Apple key) and click.

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MIDI Controller List

The M-Tron’s editing parameters can be controlled in real-time via MIDI with each parameter corresponding to the following
controller numbers.

Parameter MIDI CC Parameter MIDI CC

Volume 7 Amp Envelope Release 72

Tone

Pitch 95 Reset All Controllers 121

Amp Envelope Attack 73

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74 Pan 10