Arturia Mellotron V User manual

USER MANUAL

Special Thanks
DIRECTION
Frédéric BRUN Kévin MOLCARD
DEVELOPMENT
Pierre-Lin LANEYRIE
Baptiste AUBRY
Geoffrey GORMOND
Arnaud BARBIER
Adrien BARDET
Alexandre ADAM
Benjamin RENARD
Corentin COMTE
Florian MARIN
Germain MARZIN
Kevin ARCAS
Loris DE MARCO
Marie PAULI
Mathieu NOCENTI
Matthieu COUROUBLE
Maxime AUDFRAY
Pierre PFISTER
Raynald DANTIGNY
Samuel LIMIER
Simon CONAN
Timothée BÉHÉTY
Yann BURRER
DESIGN
Baptiste LE GOFF Morgan PERRIER Shaun ELLWOOD Jonas SELLAMI
SOUND DESIGN
Victor MORELLO Boele GERKES Ed Ten EYCK Paul SCHILLING
SPECIAL THANKS
Terry MARDSEN
Andrew CAPON
Fernando Manuel
RODRIGUES
Marco CORREIA
Gustavo BRAVETTI
Matt PIKE
Adrien KANTER
Ben EGGEHORN
Boele GERKES
Chuck CAPSIS
Hans HOLEMA
Greg COLE
Ken Flux PIERCE
Marc GIJSMAN
Jason CHENEVAS-PAULE
Jay JANSSEN
Jeffrey CECIL
Jose Gerardo RENDON
SANTANA
Luca LEFÈVRE
George WARE
Mat JONES
Neil HESTER
Paolo NEGRI
Peter TOMLINSON
Richard COURTEL
JK SWOPES
Dwight DAVIES
Tony Flying SQUIRREL
Ernesto ROMEO
MANUAL
Fernando M RODRIGUES
(Author)
Stephan VANKOV
Vincent LE HEN (editor)
Minoru KOIKE
Charlotte METAIS
Jose RENDON
Holger STEINBRINK
Jack VAN
© ARTURIA SA – 2019 – All rights reserved.
11 Chemin de la Dhuy
38240 Meylan
FRANCE
www.arturia.com

Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Arturia. The software described in this manual is
provided under the terms of a license agreement or non-disclosure agreement. The software
license agreement specifies the terms and conditions for its lawful use. No part of this
manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any purpose other than
purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission of ARTURIA S.A.
All other products, logos or company names quoted in this manual are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Product version: 1.0
Revision date: 25 April 2019

Thank you for purchasing Arturia's Mellotron V!
This manual covers the features and operation of the Mellotron V.
Be sure to register your software as soon as possible! When you purchased Mellotron V you
were sent a serial number and an unlock code by e-mail. These are required during the on-
line registration process.
Special Messages
Specifications Subject to Change:
The information contained in this manual is believed to be correct at the time of printing.
However, Arturia reserves the right to change or modify any of the specifications or features
without notice or obligation.
IMPORTANT:
The software, when used in combination with an amplifier, headphones or speakers, may
be able to produce sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. DO NOT operate
for long periods of time at a high level or at a level that is uncomfortable.
If you encounter any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.

Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of Arturia's Mellotron V
Since the late 1990s, Arturia has received acclaim from players and reviewers alike for
designing state-of-the art software emulations of the venerable analog synthesizers from
the 1960s to the 1980s. From the Modular V, back in 2004, to Origin, a modular system
that was introduced in 2010, to the Matrix 12 V (2015), the Synclavier V (2016), and most
recently the CMI V, the DX7 V and, last but not the least, Pigments, our first original software
synthesizer, Arturia's passion for synthesizers and sonic purity has given demanding
musicians the best software instruments for professional audio production.
With the launching of a new version of the V (Vintage) Collection, Arturia consolidates its
position as a leader in the field of modeled vintage instruments software.
The ARTURIA Mellotron V is one of the three new instrument emulations included in the
current version of our acclaimed bundle, and benefits from fifteen years of experience in
recreating the most iconic tools of the past.
ARTURIA has a passion for excellence and accuracy. This led us to conduct an extensive
analysis of every aspect of one of the most famous and iconic keyboard instruments of
the sixties and seventies, one which definitely marked and helped to define the sound of
progressive rock, and is commonly regarded as the ancestor of the modern samplers,
carefully reproducing the behavior of its electrical circuits and tape modeling. Not only have
we faithfully modeled the sound and behavior of this unique musical instrument, we have
added many features that were unimaginable in the days that unit first launched.
Mellotron V runs as a stand-alone virtual instrument, as well as a plug-in in all major
formats inside your DAW. It has easy MIDI learn functionality for hands-on control of most
parameters, and as a plug-in also allows parameter automation for greater creative control.
DISCLAIMER: All manufacturer and product names mentioned in this manual are
trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with
Arturia. The trademarks of other manufacturers eventually mentioned were used solely
to identify the products of those manufacturers whose features and sound were studied
during Mellotron V development. All names of equipment inventors and manufacturers
have been included for illustrative and educational purposes only and do not suggest any
affiliation or endorsement of Mellotron V by any equipment inventor or manufacturer.
The Arturia team

Table Of Contents
1. WELCOME TO THE MELLOTRON......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1. What is the Mellotron?........................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2. Some historical facts........................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.1. Whos' who of Mellotron users .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.3. Does a Mellotron make sense in this day and age?...................................................................................... 5
1.4. Arturia's secret ingredient: TAE®.................................................................................................................................. 7
1.5. Arturia's Mellotron V............................................................................................................................................................. 8
2. ACTIVATION AND FIRST START.......................................................................................................................... 9
2.1. System Requirements........................................................................................................................................................ 9
2.2. Activate the Arturia Mellotron V license................................................................................................................. 9
2.2.1. The Arturia Software Center (ASC)................................................................................................................................................................... 9
2.3. Initial Setup ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.3.1. Audio and MIDI Settings: Windows.............................................................................................................................................................. 10
2.3.2. Audio and MIDI Settings: MacOS ................................................................................................................................................................... 12
2.3.3. Mellotron V as a plug-in........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
3. MELLOTRON V OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................... 13
3.1. What can we do with Mellotron V?......................................................................................................................... 13
3.1.1. The original Mellotron limitations ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.1.2. The Mellotron V main features.......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.2. Getting hands-on with the Mellotron V ................................................................................................................ 15
3.2.1. Basics................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
3.2.2. Using the "tapes" ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
3.2.3. Using your own sounds......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
3.2.4. Using the effects........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
3.2.5. Automating the Mellotron V with MIDI....................................................................................................................................................... 19
4. USER INTERFACE ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.1. Useful Computer Keyboard Shortcuts................................................................................................................. 20
4.2. The virtual keyboards.................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.3. The Upper Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................. 21
4.3.1. Arturia Menu.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
4.3.2. Preset Library Browser and Manager........................................................................................................................................................ 23
4.3.3. Preset Selection Filter............................................................................................................................................................................................ 24
4.3.4. Preset Selection......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
4.3.5. Effects (FX) Button................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
4.3.6. Advanced (Double Arrow) Button.................................................................................................................................................................. 25
4.3.7. MIDI Learn assignment....................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
4.3.8. MIDI controller configuration .......................................................................................................................................................................... 28
4.4. The Lower Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................ 29
4.4.1. MIDI Channel Setting ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
4.4.2. Panic Button................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
4.4.3. CPU meter..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
4.4.4. Maximize........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 29
5. PRESET BROWSER AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS.................................................................................... 30
5.1. Searching Presets ............................................................................................................................................................. 30
5.2. Using tags as filters ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
5.3. Search Results window................................................................................................................................................. 32
5.4. Tag category windows.................................................................................................................................................. 33
5.5. The Preset Info section ................................................................................................................................................. 34
5.5.1. Edit information for multiple presets ........................................................................................................................................................... 35
5.6. Preset selection: other methods .............................................................................................................................. 36
5.7. Playlists .................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
5.7.1. Add a playlist................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37
5.7.2. Add a preset.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 37
5.7.3. Re-order the presets................................................................................................................................................................................................ 37
5.7.4. Remove a preset........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 37
5.7.5. Delete a playlist .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
6. MELLOTRON V CONTROL PANEL..................................................................................................................... 38
6.1. Main Control Panel ............................................................................................................................................................ 38
6.1.1. On/Off Button................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 38
6.1.2. Track Selector .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 39

6.1.3. Volume.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 39
6.1.4. Tone .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
6.1.5. Pitch.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
6.1.6. The Mellotron Keyboard........................................................................................................................................................................................ 39
6.2. Advanced Control Panel (Open Lid Mode) ...................................................................................................... 40
6.2.1. Amplitude Envelope (Macro)............................................................................................................................................................................. 40
6.2.2. Flutter ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 41
6.2.3. Tape Saturation .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
6.2.4. Mechanics ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
6.2.5. Noise Floor.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42
6.2.6. Vel > Volume................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 42
6.2.7. AT > Flutter ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42
6.2.8. Tape Track Page........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 43
6.2.9. Virtual Keyboard....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 43
7. TAPES AND SAMPLES MANAGEMENT............................................................................................................ 44
7.1. Tracks Page ............................................................................................................................................................................ 44
7.1.1. Mapping Tapes and Samples.............................................................................................................................................................................. 45
7.1.2. Sample Browser......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
7.1.3. Regions............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 46
7.1.4. Edit/Exit button ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47
7.2. Sample Editing Page ....................................................................................................................................................... 47
7.2.1. Track Selector Button ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 47
7.2.2. Load Button .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 48
7.2.3. Remove Button........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
7.2.4. Waveform Window................................................................................................................................................................................................. 49
7.2.5. Pan .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
7.2.6. Gain .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 50
7.2.7. Trans (Transpose).................................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
7.2.8. Tune .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 51
7.2.9. Stretch............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 51
7.2.10. Start (Sample Playback Start Point)........................................................................................................................................................... 51
7.2.11. End (Sample Playback End Point)................................................................................................................................................................. 51
7.2.12. Sample Envelope..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
7.2.13. Loop (Sample Loop).............................................................................................................................................................................................. 53
8. Mellotron V Effects................................................................................................................................................... 55
8.1. FX Page ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
8.1.1. In ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
8.1.2. Out....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
8.1.3. Bypass .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 56
8.1.4. Processing Chain Slots.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
8.1.5. Processor Preset Library....................................................................................................................................................................................... 57
8.2. Pedal Effects......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
8.2.1. Chorus............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
8.2.2. Flanger ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 60
8.2.3. Phaser............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
8.2.4. Compressor.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 62
8.2.5. Delay................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 63
8.2.6. Distortion........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 64
8.2.7. Equalizer.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 67
8.2.8. Reverb.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 68
8.2.9. Stereo Pan..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 69
8.2.10. Analog Delay ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 70
8.2.11. Limiter ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 71
8.2.12. Tape Echo...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 72
8.3. Amps........................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
8.3.1. Twin Amp......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
8.3.2. Rotary Speaker........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 74
8.4. Room Simulator (Convolution Reverb)................................................................................................................ 75
9. Software License Agreement............................................................................................................................ 77

1. WELCOME TO THE MELLOTRON
1.1. What is the Mellotron?
The first instrument that could play orchestral sounds, and the ancestor of the modern
sampler. That's the Mellotron. Many other " trons " followed, but the " Mello " remained one of
the most iconic symbols of its era and forever tied to some of the biggest keyboard players
in the History of Rock.
1.2. Some historical facts
Everything started many years ago, in the early fifties, when a guy named Harry
Chamberlin had the idea of building a keyboard that could play magnetic tapes of real
recordings controlled by the keys. The concept was apparently simple: He would record
sustained notes of real acoustic instruments for soloing, as well as musical phrases and
even complete band accompaniments. The main goal was to provide a keyboard instrument
that would serve as a music-band-in-a-box, allowing families to have fun singing along and
performing the music hits of the time.
The keyboard had a tape for each note, that would play for several seconds. The system
mechanics are similar to how a magnetic tape player works. When a key is pressed, a
mechanism pushes the tape onto the tape head and a roller begins to play the tape, causing
it to output the recorded sound. As soon as the key is released, the roller lifts and another
mechanism rewinds the tape back into its original position.
Of course, all this takes time and the mechanism was prone to mechanical problems.
Nonetheless, the Chamberlin saw some success, due mainly to the quality and type of the
sounds produced (at the time, the only other way to get a string orchestra or a woodwind
band sound was to hire real musicians, which was untenable for most, so Chamberlin's
recordings of real players provided a great alternative). Chamberlin also recorded complete
bands, allowing complete accompaniments to be played back with a simple key.
But since he wasn't very successful in solving the technical problems presented by his
machines, another company took over the manufacturing of redesigned musical
instruments following that same basic idea. That company was created in the UK by the
people who were supplying the tape heads to Chamberlin.
3 Arturia - User Manual Mellotron V - ELCOME TO THE MELLOTRON

The company was called Mellotronics, and the first product, the Mellotron Mark 1, appeared
in 1963. Although it was an improvement over the Chamberlin, it wasn't much more reliable
than its predecessor. In 1964 it was followed by the Mellotron Mark 2, the first one that
proved to be reliable enough to be usable.
This was a truly monster machine, with two keyboards, capable of 70 notes of polyphony,
and with tapes available for many different sounds, including the famous flutes, violins and
choirs, as well as full strings, guitars, brass, organs, pianos, etc.
After a smaller interim Model 300, in 1970 the Mellotron Model 400 (M400) appeared. Even
smaller than the M300, more portable and cheaper, with a better tape mechanism and new
removable tape frames with three sounds each that could be easily replaced, it contributed
decisively to popularize the Mellotron, especially among members of the progressive rock
bands, which relied much on keyboards and orchestral sounds for their music.
1.2.1. Whos' who of Mellotron users
Anyone who remembers The Beatles remembers the famous song Strawberry Fields
Forever . The flutes intro in that song is one of the most famous passages featuring the
Mellotron.
The Beatles adopted enthusiastically the Mellotron, especially Paul McCartney, which was
the one who played it in Strawberry Fields Forever and used it several times after that, even
after The Beatles demise (for example, to play the bagpipes in Mull of Kyntire ).
Allegedly, it was Mike Pinder who introduced the instrument to John Lennon and Paul
McCartney. Mike was working at Mellotronics before joining The Moody Blues.
But there were many others. Actually, naming the notable users of the Mellotron is almost
a who's who of the rock scene of the sixties and seventies. The Beatles come first in our list
(obviously). Their big rivals The Rolling Stones also used the Mellotron as well (played by
Brian Jones).
Mike Pinder (The Moody Blues) also used it since 1967. After joining the band, the Mellotron
was called to play a key role in their music since the very beginning. Anyone who hears the
famous song Nights in White Satin from the first album of the band, Days of Future Passed,
will immediately recognize the Mellotron sounds in it.
Many other progressive rock bands followed, to the point where the Mellotron itself became
a defining feature of the prog-rock sound.
The Mellotron was often featured in the long pieces that defined the style, accompanying
guitar or synthesizer solos, supplying backing beds and even used as a replacement for
orchestral lines.
Tony Banks (Genesis) was another notable user, as was Rick Wakeman (Yes). King Crimson
bought a Mellotron when they started, and although aware of the way The Moody Blues
used it, they decided to go ahead, and also use it to fill the "orchestral" passages of their
music. The Mello was used right away in their great first album In the Court of Crimson
King , as well as its successor In The Wake of Poseidon . John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) also
featured the Mellotron on some albums of the band.
Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme (Barclay James Harvest) was another keyboardist who used
the Mellotron extensively. On stage, he even used multiple Mellotrons at the same time, to
play the orchestral passages the band was known for (in the beginning, the band played
with a real orchestra). The famous swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz (Yes, The Moody Blues)
also used the Mellotron, and its follower Novatron (Novatrons were rebranded Mellotrons).
Arturia - User Manual Mellotron V - ELCOME TO THE MELLOTRON 4

Finally, we should mention Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream). Both with the band as well
as in his solo albums, Froese used the Mellotron extensively. The solo album Epsilon in
Malaysian Pale was almost entirely a Mellotron album, and was sometimes mentioned as
the best Mellotron album ever released. But he wasn't the only one. All band members used
Mellotrons. The earlier TD albums ( Atem , Phaedra , Rubycon and Stratosfear ) are full of
Mellotron sounds.
The Mellotron was also featured in the first two highly successful albums of Jean Michel
Jarre, Oxygene and Equinoxe .
More recently, we can mention Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark, Oasis, Radiohead, Spock's
Beard and Porcupine Tree.
1.3. Does a Mellotron make sense in this day and age?
The Mellotron had a distinctive sound. It still has. It is often spoken of as the first sampler
(which it kinda was), although of course nowadays it can't compete with the modern
samplers, strictly speaking.
However, almost all major samplers have libraries reproducing Mellotron sounds. This
means that those sounds are still useful, and while they may not be the most faithful
modern representations, people still love the character of the Mellotron flutes, violins, choirs,
strings, and brass sounds.
They certainly don't convince anyone that they are the real things (as the best orchestral
sample libraries can do, for example) but they have that "patina", that retro charm that we
can't find nowadays anywhere else. They are "Mello" sounds. They have a personality on
their own. So, it is natural to think that any sound that would be recorded on a tape and
played through that mechanism would acquire that same personality.
We at Arturia set out to capture and provide this authentic, sought-after experience of the
Mellotron, without all the headaches and hassles of maintaining the hardware instrument.
On top of that, we even captured the sonic character of the instrument, allowing you to
expand it with your own tapes.
Arturia's Mellotron V in Open Lid mode with the Advanced
panel opened
5 Arturia - User Manual Mellotron V - ELCOME TO THE MELLOTRON