A stupid "how'd they do it" thread...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Slackmaster2K
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Isn't a mellotron the thing the Beatles used on strawberry fields? And arent they also monophonic? Unless Jonny got the timing exactly right or used a modern one(which I dont think they would do) it sounds like it has to be polyphonic.

And also dont the origional monophonic ones take 9 seconds from key pressing to note sounding? I think I listened to an interview with the Moody Blues where they are talking about how much Mellotrons were a pain because of the timeing and how glad they were when they bought a Moog.
 
Isn't there anyone here who has seen Meeting People Is Easy so they can shine some light on this?
 
He´s been paralyzed in one side of his face since birth i think.
They recorded Ok computer in Jane Seymours old house. They put up the equipment in one end of the room (her old library i think) and the band on the other side. Almost everything was recorded live and I think some scratch vocals made it to the album. I remember that they said that they wanted to make the vocals sound a bit different on every song. If youre really interested, id suggest you contact nigel godrich. He would prob not mind telling what gear they used and such.
Jonas
 
Where can one contact him?

Thom had some sort of acciedent or eyesight problem that he had to have surgury on it when he was two. He can blink it, in fact he blinks it more often as it appears to me.

Thom also seems to sing in the scratch vocal style(full note value, not too much vibrato) only he sounds GREAT doing it.
 
I've played a mellotron, and taken one apart to fix is using parts froma spare... the response is pretty damn quick, but no instant. And no, they are not monophonic, there's a tape head for each key if I remember correctly. The sound on OK Computer is probably sampled mellotron... they're less likely to have all the little mellotron tape and maintenance problems, but that choir sound is unmistakable.
 
The sound on OK Computer was the "voice" setting on a cheap synth...which is kinda what I thought it sounded like!

(ametth told me via IM earlier today; read an interview with the band to this regard)

Slackmaster 2000
 
"Can't feed filet to sheep"..."Any who says they're overrated is a moron"??????

There's a big difference between criticizing music and putting down the people listening to the music.

I guess I should have seen it coming. Many people who like "art/experimental" rock, and I do, take immense pleasure in feeling elite about it- sometimes I wonder if it's the main attraction for some people. But it's not exactly unique to them. I know people who think anyone who doesn't like what they call "real country"- Hank Sr., Cash, Willie Nelson etc.- stupid/MTV zombies/sheep etc.

Radiohead is easily one of the best popular rock bands to come along in some time. They are truly original, and talented. But, Thom Yorke himself has had to admit they're overrated. I'm sure he was just lying. ;)

About my weak lyrics comment: I must confess it wasn't exactly an original thought of mine. I'd seen it mentioned by several critics of OKC. I never really gave it much thought, but when I read the notes, I had to agree. They don't suck or anything, but it's a long way from genius. Airbag?- shit man, come on. This is actually one of my favorites lyrically, but it's crap at the same time. I admire them for putting it in. Why can't a song be simple like that? I like The Simpsons but it's not Citizen Kane
 
"The voice?" Do you mean on "Fitter happier?" in 8th grade we had TI-99's in class w/ a voice synthesizer that sounded exactly like that. It must be some industry standard thing, maybe, possibly, well, probably not.

I used to program it to insult whoever used the machine in the next class with comments like "People who use TI-99's and not Commodore 64's are morons."
 
ap said:

I used to program it to insult whoever used the machine in the next class with comments like "People who use TI-99's and not Commodore 64's are morons."
Click to expand...
 
ap, you're right. I only like radiohead because it makes me feel smarter than regular non-elite people.

dolemite, you're right, radiohead does suck.

Can we get back to the topic at hand now?

Slackmaster 2000
 
The "voice" in question is not the computer voice in fitter happier and paranoid android...it's the synth voice behind Exit Music. It does sound kind of old school now that you mention it. "Want to play global thermal nuclear war?" :)

Anyhow, I was kind of screwing around with some vocals today...and I tried a lot of different mic techniques, compression, and reverb...yet I never even found the right PATH to the vocal sound on Exit Music. Again I'm not trying to copy it, but I just want to know what is primarily responsible for that huge beefy sound. It's hard to explain, but it sounds very "solid", and I'd have to imagine the mic has a lot to do with it...it feels like he's right up in the mic. When I get right up in my V67 I get some nice lower end every now and then, but it doesn't sound "solid", it sounds...like a sissy.

Slackmaster 2000
 
ap said:
"Can't feed filet to sheep"..."Any who says they're overrated is a moron"??????
Click to expand...

No one said "Any who says they're overrated is a moron". Get your quotes right.

But anyway..the voice on fitter happier and paranoid andriod is a voice synth thing on an old mac.
 
I don't know what I was thinking about the mellotron thing... live when they play that song, the voices have the exact same sound, and all Jonny has is a little keyboard hooked up to a rack (it almost looks like a midi controller)...

Slack, any more questions you care to ask the self-appointed radiohead specialist? :)
 
I think the path to that vocal sound is a really good singer in a really good sounding room singing into a really good mic feeding a really good mic amp into a really good compressor into a really good recorder...just a guess.
 
the voices on exit music are a cheap ass keyboard with a "chior" setting. I have the same thing on a keyboard that I have.
 
People who have nothing better to say than (paraphrase) 'RH is overrated. I think they suck, and what's with that eye?' should stay out of this thread as they make it deviate from the original question. Get your cheap attention somewhere else...

Big thx to Slack for making me pick up Amnesiac again.
 
by the way, what the heck is wrong with the guitar players Chin..... Oh and if anyone has anymore insight to Thoms "Eye trouble" please tell me....

No Problem Meshugah, glad to be of service ;)
 
Silly silly

kida and amnisiac all came about from one recording block.
radiohead just decided to save half for another record to make more money and to make it look as if they are active and not sitting on ass.
the last 2 cds were an inexcusable cop out of a move for a guitar based band. although their fans would buy thom york farting in a mic the truth is those albums are shit and they should be writing stuff like ok and the bends.
if it aint broke dont fix it but they broke it for some reason. oh well.
they are doing better then i am.
 
VotaIdiota said:
I don't know what I was thinking about the mellotron thing... live when they play that song, the voices have the exact same sound, and all Jonny has is a little keyboard hooked up to a rack (it almost looks like a midi controller)...

Slack, any more questions you care to ask the self-appointed radiohead specialist? :)
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the choir on "Exit Music" is a mellotron. For live use, they sampled the mellotron!
Nobody wants to have to carry and maintain a real mellotron on tour anymore ...

There was some info about this on a "radiohead gear" web page that I can't find at the moment.

Thanks for the thread guys... I hadn't listened to OK Computer in a while, I put on "exit music" to hear what y'all were talking about, then I just left it going. It's up to "Let Down" now, god damn I love this song.
 
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