An Expansion Pack for M-Tron Pro

This manual is copyright GForce Software Ltd 2012. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced without permission. All trademarks are acknowledged.
 Firstly, in order to use this expansion pack you must own a copy of M-Tron Pro.
To use this in the M-Tron Pro simply place the file named OrchesTron.cpt2 into the folder on your computer named M-Tron Pro Library
Once this is done, when you next open the M-Tron Pro and click on the Layer A and B windows you will have
access to the samples from this OrchesTron Expansion Pack. LIkewise, when you click in the M-Tron Pros Patch
Selection Window you will be able to access the patches created using the Orchestron sounds.

OrchesTron History
Initially developed by Opsonar, the same company behind the Optigan, the
Orchestron was adopted by ex-Moog super salesman David Van Koevering under
the company name VaKo and offered to professional musicians in the mid 1970s as
a potential alternative to the Mellotron. The main advantage was looped sounds,
increased portability due to its smaller size and a quick way of changing sounds.
Instead of the sounds being stored on bulky and finite length tapes, as per the
Mellotron, Orchestron sounds were stored on celluloid discs in a manner almost
identical to that of the Optigan. However, unlike Optigan discs, Orchestron discs
contained no chords, effects or rhythmic motifs, only individual notes spread
across a 37 note keyboard.
Each disc contained a single sound and the initial library consisted of Cello,
Choir, Flute, French Horn, Hammond B3, Pipe Organ, Saxophone & Violin.
These sounds could best be described as lo-fi - perhaps slightly higher in
quality than the Optigan but not in any hugely discernible way. Its rumored
that some of the Orchestron sounds actually came from original Optigan master
recordings. Additionally, some were created by Paul Beaver - one half of
pioneering synth duo Beaver and Krause.
Model B and although ours is a single manual, there were dual and single
Despite their Lo-fi glory, the Orchestron sounds have a genuine charm and
manual Model C and Model Ds made in very small quantities. In fact, the total
cin-like quality that really hits home when used in conjunction with more
amount of Orchestron models manufactured is estimated as being between 50
high fidelity sounds. Even a mere whisper of a Orchestron Choir or Strings on
and 100.
a contemporary track will evoke the grainy quality of days gone by and its for
this reason that we fell in love with the instrument years ago. Today, the number of surviving Orchestrons is thought to be somewhere around
40 and as such prices have risen sharply. The last Model B we saw on eBay
There were several models produced before the company folded only a few
sold for well over $6000 and in the UK we recently heard of a private sale of a
years after the Orchestron debuted and it was used by a wealth of diverse artists
Model C for 6000 (approximately $9000) with only four discs.
from Yes to Kraftwerk. The latter used an Orchestron Model A on Radioactivity
and Trans Europe Express and its successor, the Model B, was used by Finding original discs to purchase, without actually purchasing an instrument,
Patrick Moraz on his album, Story Of I. Later, Vako made him a custom three is a near impossible task these days but thankfully there is help at hand.
manual monster which he toured with Yes but sadly this model seems to have Optigan.com owner, Pea Hicks occasionally makes limited runs of Optigan and
completely vanished over the ensuing years. Orchestron discs and in this expansion pack were been privileged enough to
include several of these.
Our Orchestron is a Model C which is essentially a more space age looking

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This Expansion Pack gives you access to both old and new Orchestron
sounds in all their grainy, scratchy and lo-fi quality. As such we give you
the same advice as we did with the Optigan sounds. If youre looking for
cleanliness and audio perfection, these sounds arent for you. However,
if youre looking for something grainy and lo-fi that you can use to inject
vintage and evocative character into your music this expansion pack might
just be the ticket.

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The OrchesTron Expansion Pack Sounds

;; Cello. ;; Marimba
From the original Orchestron Library. One of the newer Orchestron discs, a
A cello bank in all its lo-fi, crackling repeating marimba.
glory.

;; Choir. ;; Piano
A superbly grainy choir sound fro the One of our favourite new Orchestron
original Orchestron Library. As used by sounds. Just play and hold for
Kraftwerk on Europe Endless. beautiful old vibe piano rhythms.

;; Flute ;; Pipe Organ

If you love the Mellotron Flute then From the original Orchestron discs.
this original Orchestron flute is
guaranteed to inspire.

;; French Horn
;; Saxophone
Another gloriously lo-fi original
Scratchy and grainy and not the
Orchestron disc recording.
most elegant of Saxophone sounds
but, again, an original Orchestron
sound.

;; Hammond B3 ;; String Ensemble

From the original Orchestron library, From the newer Orchestron discs,
the classic organ sound. an elegantly grainy and lo-fi string
ensemble.

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 ;; Tremolo Guitar
Another one of our favourite new
Orchestron recordings. A magnificent
Electric Tremolo Guitar.

;; Violins
A classic original Orchestron sound.

Patches
As with other M-Tron Pro Expansion Packs, The OrchesTron Expansion Pack
contains loads of Patches. These are broken down into several sections for each
sound.
Patch names containing Basic are Patches using a single layer and have no
effects or velocity sensitivity assigned to the sound.
Patch names containing Basic Wide are Patches that use both Layers A and
B with each layer panned L and R respectively. These Basic Patches are great
starting points for your own experimentation.
Patch names containing Dyn are Patches offering a degree of dynamic control
via velocity, this may be routed to either Amplitude or Filter Cutoff or both.
Patch names containing Slow are Patches that have a slower amplitude attack
than the Basic Patches and will more often than not offer velocity sensitivity
and contain effects.
Finally, the more interesting and ambitious sounds will be found in the Artist
Presets. Were very particular about who we use to create presets and each of the
artists here will have used the M-Tron Pro in their normal work for a considerable
time before being invited to submit Patches for an Expansion Pack. That way you
can be assured that these are carefully constructed and considered Patches and as
such we thoroughly recommend that you dive in here to find the real gems.

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Acknowledgements & Thanks
Pea Hicks and Ian Legge.
www. optigan.com
Mellotron is a registered trademark of David Kean, www.mellotron.com
Patch Design
Roger Lyons
Dave Spiers
Yorkie - MOONGOOSE. www.moongoosetheband.com

Legal Notice
All product names used in this product are trademarks of their respective owners
and are in no way associated or affiliated with GForce Software Ltd. These
trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of
those manufacturers whose tones and sounds were studied and or recorded during
development of this product.
The data contained within this product is licensed to you for use in your own
musical compositions both for commercial and personal projects. Redistribution
of the data in any other form is strictly forbidden.
Put simply, we went to a great deal of expense and effort to provide M-Tron Pro
users with something very cool and unique and we do not want to see any of this
work miraculously appear in other products or provided in other formats. It also
goes without saying that we do not want to see this work passed around on the
internet and will pursue anyone who thinks its a good idea.

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