Note the serial number is 47. I wonder how many of these were made. via Brian Kehew:"I've always been a huge fan of Mellotrons and related items. This might be the rarest one I've seen. A friend of mine had this unit in a crate in his storage for years, I've been begging to let me get it out and try it... and it's finally possible. It's the only one I've ever seen, and most Mellotron people don't even know these existed.
The BBC seemed to have commissioned these in 1966/67 for quick access and playing of sound effects tapes. Previous to this, sound effects were kept on individual reels/spools and threaded manually onto a tradition reel-to-reel tape deck. The PEG is designed to use custom cartridges, with preloaded springed tape. They cartridges can be used up to 4 at one time, each loading into a Record/Playback "drawer" with some options. Each drawer allows you to record a new sound onto the tape, or simply play back. Playback allows pitch change and preset decay times as the tape plays. It's industrial or space-age sheet metal construction makes it look very "of its time" sort of Dr. Who meets a battleship.
It's designed a kind of a table-top or desktop unit, and there is a heavy external box used to vary pitch, if needed. So far I have only limited success with it, but it does light up and have some function. There is a huge and detailed manual documenting everything about it, so it will only be 'yet another project' and a matter of time to get it all sorted out..."
No comments:
Post a Comment
To reduce spam, comments for posts older than one week are not displayed until approved, usually same day. Do not insult people. For items for sale, do not ask if it is still available. Check the auction link and search for the item. Auctions are from various sellers and expire over time. Posts remain for the pics and historical purposes. This site is meant to be a daily snapshot of some of what was out there in the world of synths.