Sample Shmample
Okay, well now the Mellotron is here, and it's the cutest looking thing and coolest sounding keyboard I have ever heard. For anyone out there who thinks that Mellotron samples "pretty much" capture the nuances of the instrument, I gotta say, nope. Forget it. The actual instrument is so dynamic and peculiar, you just can't sample it. Every time you record a pass, the instrument reacts to the tapes differently, so the sound is always changing. Wow wow wow. You can hear the strings and flute on Mitch Sumner's Tattoo of Souls II: Return of the Tattoos [mp3], which we recorded last night in 4 hours. And here is a final unmastered mix of Brad Brook's The Race Between the Spinner and the Spun [mp3]. That's Debra Luck, Lauren Carter, and Tahoe Jackson singing the word "spun" ala T. Rex or Sweet, plus a bit more at the end. This weekend brings Fisk, and then an eight-day session with San Francisco's Beaten By Them.