I once bought four of these in their flight cases, working, for $50 apiece. They were sold off after Disney On Ice had used them for their touring "orchestra"/band. The pipe organ disc rules, it's just amazing. It's sort of mid-fi - as it sounds good, but it has no real high or low-end, sort of like an AM radio with a small speaker.
I met David van Koevering at a Nam Show in LA around 1973 or 74 and bought 2 of these model Cs and their flight cases from him. I even repped and sold a couple for him... one I sold to Johnnie Ray the singer from the 50s. I sold another to the pocked-face actor who played mafia roles (he was in the Analyst with Billy Crystal and DeNiro.) The instrument really required reverb to make it sing. Dry was ugly, wet was beautiful. The o rings would wear out and cause wow and flutter, so it needed a lot of maintenance, I loved the sound, especially the violins and choir. I used it mostly for violins. It sounded so real when played with a volume pedal. Parts became scarce and I eventually sold them for very little. I had the entire collection of mylar discs.
I got to play one of these at the local hotel where my dad drank. It was installed in the main dining room and piped through the hotel. I really enjoyed it.
We used Les Fradkin's Orchestron in 1980 or 81 on Allow Me To Destroy You, at Songshop Studios in NYC.- the choir sound. It sounded pretty hi-fi to me (back then, lol!) SO it's really nice to have the G-Force MTron Pro and the Orchestron (and Optigon) Expansion Packs! thanks guys.
Thankfully, Quilter Labs is working on an instrument inspired by this called the "Panoptigon". Imagine a MIDI-controlled Orchestron without the keyboard.
Now on a mini-quest to try and find out if the Orchestron was used in 1976 by Neil Diamond synthesist Alan Lindgren for generating strings and choirs during the Beautiful Noise tour.
Considering that the same principle was used and is used on movie reels you'd think that the quality of the sound would be more up to it. Perhaps they should also have laminated the plastic record between plexiglass to avoid direct contact.
if this little weird rare gem is considered lowfi and the likes of KRAFTWERK did stuff with it and the sounds we here at the end of the video were made using such an instrument then what how does hifi sound please?! ;-) seriously though, as an electric / electronic instruments freak, i'd really love to be able to afford the costs and space to collect these toys you know! great video btw! GForce Software guys are great and you know what you're doing perfectly well!
Affordable price, protected solid discs, better sounds, more knobs to adjust and mute sounds and Orcestron would be hit and outsell Mellotron every way. Sometimes business guys are so dumb.
Anche questo suona tipo un Mellotron e funziona grazie a un sistema di dischi dove su ogni disco vi è registrato uno strumento Quindi es disco dove c'è il flauto il violino il violoncello la tromba il pianoforte e così via Questa tastiera l'hanno usata i Kraftwerk su Trans Europe Express i Rainbow su Stargazer e anche gli Yes su Relayer Però a mio parere personale preferisco di più il Mellotron ha una sonorità che mi affascina di più
I once bought four of these in their flight cases, working, for $50 apiece. They were sold off after Disney On Ice had used them for their touring "orchestra"/band. The pipe organ disc rules, it's just amazing. It's sort of mid-fi - as it sounds good, but it has no real high or low-end, sort of like an AM radio with a small speaker.
Now we have to find films or recordings of Disney On Ice to hear how they used these...
Thank you for existing
Tony Carey used one during his tenure with Rainbow. The choir on "Stargazer" is his Orchestron.
Keyboardist Patrick Moraz loved the ORCHESTRON.
Great video! Love the version of Europe Endless at the end, sounds spot on.
I met David van Koevering at a Nam Show in LA around 1973 or 74 and bought 2 of these model Cs and their flight cases from him. I even repped and sold a couple for him... one I sold to Johnnie Ray the singer from the 50s. I sold another to the pocked-face actor who played mafia roles (he was in the Analyst with Billy Crystal and DeNiro.) The instrument really required reverb to make it sing. Dry was ugly, wet was beautiful. The o rings would wear out and cause wow and flutter, so it needed a lot of maintenance, I loved the sound, especially the violins and choir. I used it mostly for violins. It sounded so real when played with a volume pedal. Parts became scarce and I eventually sold them for very little. I had the entire collection of mylar discs.
I got to play one of these at the local hotel where my dad drank. It was installed in the main dining room and piped through the hotel. I really enjoyed it.
We used Les Fradkin's Orchestron in 1980 or 81 on Allow Me To Destroy You, at Songshop Studios in NYC.- the choir sound. It sounded pretty hi-fi to me (back then, lol!)
SO it's really nice to have the G-Force MTron Pro and the Orchestron (and Optigon) Expansion Packs! thanks guys.
Orchestron Endless ;-)
Love the piano sound at 1:57
You (and your instruments) rock!!!!
that progression at the start sounds remarkably like the end of the 'airwolf' theme.
It's from _Trans Europa Express._
Thankfully, Quilter Labs is working on an instrument inspired by this called the "Panoptigon". Imagine a MIDI-controlled Orchestron without the keyboard.
Now on a mini-quest to try and find out if the Orchestron was used in 1976 by Neil Diamond synthesist Alan Lindgren for generating strings and choirs during the Beautiful Noise tour.
I am flabbergasted. Greetings from Norway.
The "O" ring belts broke and it was extremely hard to find a proper size replacement. I had one for a short time in the late 70s.
Considering that the same principle was used and is used on movie reels you'd think that the quality of the sound would be more up to it. Perhaps they should also have laminated the plastic record between plexiglass to avoid direct contact.
if this little weird rare gem is considered lowfi and the likes of KRAFTWERK did stuff with it and the sounds we here at the end of the video were made using such an instrument then what how does hifi sound please?! ;-)
seriously though, as an electric / electronic instruments freak, i'd really love to be able to afford the costs and space to collect these toys you know!
great video btw! GForce Software guys are great and you know what you're doing perfectly well!
The piano sample @1:55 is Keith Emerson's sountrack to Dario Argento's Inferno!!!!
It is a priceless machine, the musea ought to be fighting over it.
wow KRAFTWERK!!!!
Affordable price, protected solid discs, better sounds, more knobs to adjust and mute sounds and Orcestron would be hit and outsell Mellotron every way. Sometimes business guys are so dumb.
Stand still speed setting was one notch above off,the exact opposite of 11!
It would be great if you could do a video about the world's first digital organ, produced by Allen Organ company.
Anche questo suona tipo un Mellotron e funziona grazie a un sistema di dischi dove su ogni disco vi è registrato uno strumento Quindi es disco dove c'è il flauto il violino il violoncello la tromba il pianoforte e così via Questa tastiera l'hanno usata i Kraftwerk su Trans Europe Express i Rainbow su Stargazer e anche gli Yes su Relayer Però a mio parere personale preferisco di più il Mellotron ha una sonorità che mi affascina di più
Why the Orchestron was so expensive? The machine was pretty primitive and easy to build.
true, but not everyone could make such toys, so ...
2:31 WOW those prices..
Is that you doing the voiceover Dave?
The problem I had with my Orchestron was was finding a suitable "O" ring belt for the disk drive.
Will any of these Optigon, Orchestron and Chamberlain packs be made available for the Retron Rack Extension on Reason?
Trans Europe Express, Trans Europe Express,
Praticamente è un mellotron che usa dischi preregistrati usato da KRAFTWERK da i RAINBOW in STARGAZER ,come sonorità mi piace di meno del mellotron .