Manikin-Electronic Memotron M2D

The first thing that strikes you when you open the box and remove the instrument is the size, bigger than I imagined.
The build quality is probably the best I have seen for a desktop module, this thing is built like a tank!
It looks sturdy, and feels like nothing is going to damage it.
I bought this as I couldn't afford the keyboard version, and I'm not at all disappointed.
So easy to use.
I just plugged mine straight into my Roland D50, and I was off and running!
No need to wait for booting up, this came with the three sounds I wanted from the Memotron already set as the default A,B and C sounds - flute/strings/choir!
The quality of the samples are amazing, first class clarity!
You can control how crisp you want them to sound simply by turning the tone knob.
Easy to use, and work out what is what, even although it only came with a German instruction manual.
I downloaded an English manual of the keyboard ed version, controls are exactly the same.
Well done Manikin-Electronic, this instrument is built to last a lifetime, unlike the original Mellotron which apparently broke down every night and was not designed for touring.
Thanks again, I am so happy with this...

I got this for my studio as I often need Mellotron sounds for the music I'm producing and I don't enjoy the workflow of soft synths/plugins as much as hardware with physical knobs. Also, I won't have to re-install it every time I get a new PC for my studio.

This is a very expensive piece of equipment for sounds that you can get 100% equally good from a plugin so the workflow was the main selling point for me. Unfortunately the user interface is HORRIBLE and completely outdated. Just changing to a different sound requires a lot of menu diving and every time you load a new sound you're thrown back to the top of the menu system. If you want to load a different sound you'll have to dive through all the menus again (although you can have three sounds simultaniously loaded at all times, like on a real Mellotron). Using the onboard effects and tweaking the sounds is a nightmare!

The onboard effects wasn't really that important to me. I've got other, better quality effects in my studio. I also rarely find the need to tweak the envelope of Mellotron sounds so the "extra" features weren't my main reason for buying the M2D. I just wanted an easy to use "hands on" piece of hardware that could give me authentic Mellotron sounds. Unfortunately the hopeless user interface actually makes the workflow less effective than using a plugin. The effects section and the various ways to tweaks the sounds requires so much menu diving in a HORRIBLY outdated menu system that I can't se myself ever bothering to use them.

Luckily you can save a kind of presets in the form of "frames" which can be useful it you often use certain combinations of sounds with specific effects.

Still, the M2D is a very frustrating piece of equipment to use due to the horrible outdated menu system. I would NEVER use it for touring/gigs. It's far too complicated to even change between sounds and I would hate to rely on this on stage. In the studio it's ok but there are no real benefits compared to using a Mellotron plugin if you've got other hardware/plugins for effects.

The included sounds are very nice and there are several great packages of additional sounds that can be purchased at an extra cost. These extra sounds come on a CD though and the only way to load them into the M2D is on an SD card. This means you will need access to computer with both a CD drive and an SD card reader. This is ridiculously outdated. The process of importing the sounds also takes FOREVER.

The build quality seems great, which apart from the excellent sounds is the only positive thing I can say about the M2D. The sounds are in my opinion much better (and more authentic) than the sounds from the hardware modules/keyboards from the "Mellotron" branded competitor but I honestly can't see the M2D surviving much longer with it's outdated user interface and even more outdated means of importing sounds. The digital world has moved forward but the M2D is firmly rooted in a digital past.

I can only recommend this product if you REALLY want a hardware-based solution for playing Mellotron-samples and are willing to live with the complicated menu system and stone age connectability. Also, there seems to be no support from the manufacturer whatsoever.

Would I buy it again? Probably not. I had done some research before buying so I knew the user interface wasn't the best but I had honestly not expected it to be this poor. I would certainly have expected a lot better at this price.

The included manual is in German only but a download in English is at least available from the Manikin website. Having to download the manual is probably the most "modern" feature of this product.

1. Faszination:
was in meiner Jugend unerreichbar schien, ist heute "einfach so" zu kaufen - und trotz des gefühlt hohen Preises in Relation zum Original wirklich günstig.
2. Paradox:
Augen reiben: Nun sind wir dank der technischen Entwicklung endlich in der Lage, die Unzulänglichkeiten und Macken der Originale zu elemenieren und benutzen sie nun dazu, genau diese so präzise als eben digital möglich nachzubilden...
3. Sounds:
fantastisch. wirklich. natürlich Geschmackssache - wer noch "jung" ist und das Original nicht kennt, sollte sicherheitshalber vorher auf der Herstellerseite reinhören, um keine unrealistische Erwartungshaltung zu haben. Mir hat es die Tränen in die Augen getrieben...ein Wiederhören mit alten Zeiten!
Ein kleines Aber: insofern womöglich uniform, als dass nicht selbst aufgenommen werden kann. Soll heißen, dass wir alle, die wir das tolle Modul unser Eigen nennen, unsere Ideen aus den identischen Sounds kochen. Wie weit das trägt, wird man sehen. Aber man kann ja nachladen. Somit hängen wir dann alle am Tropf der nachkaufbaren Sounds. Wenn diese ausschließlich auf der Basis des nach und nach digitalisierten Fundus der Originalbänder beruht, wird der Nachschub endlich sein.
4. Haptik:
Klasse. Ich brauch in jeder Hinsicht was zum Anfassen. Keine Computermaus kann so sexy sein! Der Hammer ist, zwischen 3 geladenen Sounds live überblenden oder mal eben den Chor bei laufender Fahrt auf halbe Geschwindigkeit runterschalten zu können! Freakprodukt weitab vom glattgebügelten Mainstream!
5. Preis-Leistung:
Der werbende Leitspruch für den Oberheim-Matrix-1000-Expander lautete in den 80ern: 1000.-DM für 1000 Sounds = 1 Sound für 1 DM. Jetzt sind wir bei 1000 ? für 100 Sounds. Klingt ähnlich...aber die Zeiten haben sich halt geändert und die Maßstäbe verschoben. Aber Benzin kostet ja auch nicht mehr 1,30 DM je Liter. Also: der Preis ist gefühlt hoch, aber ein ganz ehrliches Danke an die Entwickler, dass sie sich an so einen Exoten herangetraut und mit so viel Hingabe realisiert haben. Ich bin so begeistert, dass ich den Preis schon wieder vergessen habe und den Spass an dem Teil aus vollen Zügen genieße.
6. Zusammenfassung:
Große Freude. Gewaltiger Sound. Volle Punktzahl.
7. Ausblick:
Die HiTec von heute wird der Elektroschrott von Morgen sein. Wohl nie wieder wird ein einzelnes Gerät den Kultstatus eines mackenreichen, pflegeintensiven und wirklich teuren Originals erreichen. Welch Glück. Welche Wehmut.