MusicRadar Verdict
Mellotoon sure sounds pretty - and EZkeys itself is ace - but with its limited tonal palette, it could hardly be described as a must-have.
Pros
- +
Tapes sound crusty and evocative.
Cons
- -
Restrictive soundset.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
The latest extension to Toontrack's EZkeys line of songwriting and virtual keyboard software (plugin and standalone; £55 as an expansion for existing owners) is a multisampled Mellotron M400.
"Alongside the main presets are five 'mixed instruments' and four pads"
The Mellotron was a legendary tape-based instrument made famous by the likes of Genesis and The Beatles, and often cited as the forerunner to the sampler.
15 of its tapes have been captured, including Flute, Cello, String Section and Boys Choir, each one opening with its own set of adjustable parameters (reverb, Brilliance and Presence for Cello, for example), and all sounding fabulously crusty and evocative.
Alongside the main presets are five "mixed instruments" and four pads (layered and processed combinations), but even with those, it's a very restrictive soundset, thanks to the inherent limitations of the source instrument.
“I played in 29 punk rock bands, but I loved Prince. 1999 became the soundtrack to my life”: How the Purple One’s classic album was life-changing for a Guns N’ Roses star
“Imagine not knowing Eric Johnson, Vai and Satriani and seeing this for the first time? It literally blows your mind”: Matteo Mancuso – 10 albums that changed my life
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
