I recorded a cheap melodica and made it into a pretty nice patch

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Ottostrom
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Joined: 13 May 2016

28 Jun 2021

Hi Reason gang!
Over the years I've found a lot of cool patches through this forum, but I haven't had much to share myself.
I'm currently writing a song in which I wanted to include a melody featuring my girlfriends old plastic melodica cause it has a pretty pleasant sound, so I decided to sample it and make it into a playable patch :)

I recorded 11 evenly spread notes and did two takes for each, one softer and one harder. Did a lot of tests and adjustments with the placement of my stereo microphone to make sure it sounded right and the results are very usable!

Here is a google drive link for anyone interested: Download here

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mcatalao
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28 Jun 2021

Interesting. Melodica was my first instrument and I still use it to this day.

The best sounding melodicas imho are the Suzukis and the Hammond Melodion (I think they are also made by Suzuki now). I have the Hammond 44 melodion original, sounds so sweet, has an amazing dinamic range, and the bass notes are amazing. I also have a Yamaha and a Hohner... The hohner sounds ok but i don't like the Yamaha so much.

That being said, if you're interested in hearing some of the stuff I did in reason with melodica:

Hammond 44 Melodion


Hohner:


Oh, i forgot this one (it's a christmas carrol i did a couple of years, also with melodica and flute...).



I'll check out your sample when in the studio.

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StephenHutchinson
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29 Jun 2021

Love this! Thanks for sharing. I especially appreciate the high end being panned stereo right and the low end, stereo left.
I added a Q-FX Re to it and it sounds out of this world.


I made a short Mp3 with random notes here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v9g3d7cyoszj ... DlY_a?dl=0
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Last edited by StephenHutchinson on 29 Jun 2021, edited 2 times in total.
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MrFigg
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29 Jun 2021

I found a vintage Hohner in a second hand shop a few weeks ago but unfortunately it was pretty damaged so I left it.
Funnily enough I’m listening to Augustus Pablo as I read this so as soon as I get the PC started today I’ll download your patch and check It out. Many thanks for posting.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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mcatalao
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29 Jun 2021

MrFigg wrote:
29 Jun 2021
I found a vintage Hohner in a second hand shop a few weeks ago but unfortunately it was pretty damaged so I left it.
Funnily enough I’m listening to Augustus Pablo as I read this so as soon as I get the PC started today I’ll download your patch and check It out. Many thanks for posting.
Vintage melódicas are usually fixable. The newer ones are all glued (apart from the Hammonds and other more pro models). But you can open a vintage melodica, clean the plates, tune them, even change them if they're too rusty.

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MrFigg
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29 Jun 2021

mcatalao wrote:
29 Jun 2021
MrFigg wrote:
29 Jun 2021
I found a vintage Hohner in a second hand shop a few weeks ago but unfortunately it was pretty damaged so I left it.
Funnily enough I’m listening to Augustus Pablo as I read this so as soon as I get the PC started today I’ll download your patch and check It out. Many thanks for posting.


Vintage melódicas are usually fixable. The newer ones are all glued (apart from the Hammonds and other more pro models). But you can open a vintage melodica, clean the plates, tune them, even change them if they're too rusty.
Nah. It wasn’t that. The body was metal but the plastic around the middle of the casing was cracked and broken exposing the insides.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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Ottostrom
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29 Jun 2021

mcatalao wrote:
28 Jun 2021
Interesting. Melodica was my first instrument and I still use it to this day.

The best sounding melodicas imho are the Suzukis and the Hammond Melodion (I think they are also made by Suzuki now). I have the Hammond 44 melodion original, sounds so sweet, has an amazing dinamic range, and the bass notes are amazing. I also have a Yamaha and a Hohner... The hohner sounds ok but i don't like the Yamaha so much.

That being said, if you're interested in hearing some of the stuff I did in reason with melodica:

Hammond 44 Melodion
The Hammond melodica has such a nice sound! The instrument itself is very beautiful too, wouldn't mind owning one of those :)

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Ottostrom
Posts: 845
Joined: 13 May 2016

29 Jun 2021

StephenHutchinson wrote:
29 Jun 2021
Love this! Thanks for sharing. I especially appreciate the high end being panned stereo right and the low end, stereo left.
I added a Q-FX Re to it and it sounds out of this world.


I made a short Mp3 with random notes here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v9g3d7cyoszj ... DlY_a?dl=0
Thanks for checking out the patch and making a small preview! The effects you put on it are very fitting :thumbs_up:

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MrFigg
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29 Jun 2021

Well, I was just in a charity shop and there was a clarinet in a case and the GAS got a hold of me
and because I don’t know anything about clarinets I asked and they said it was complete and so I bought it but when I checked clarinets on Google I saw there were two bits missing and so I went back with it and they didn’t want to give me a refund but in the end they did and the whole point of this story is that even though all this happened I know that before too long the GAS Is going to get a hold of me again and the process will be repeated for some other musical item and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Long sentence. Big breath!!! :)


I bought a flute a few years ago. Can I play it? Nope.
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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Ottostrom
Posts: 845
Joined: 13 May 2016

29 Jun 2021

MrFigg wrote:
29 Jun 2021
Well, I was just in a charity shop and there was a clarinet in a case and the GAS got a hold of me
and because I don’t know anything about clarinets I asked and they said it was complete and so I bought it but when I checked clarinets on Google I saw there were two bits missing and so I went back with it and they didn’t want to give me a refund but in the end they did and the whole point of this story is that even though all this happened I know that before too long the GAS Is going to get a hold of me again and the process will be repeated for some other musical item and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Long sentence. Big breath!!! :)


I bought a flute a few years ago. Can I play it? Nope.
I have on multiple occasions been very close to buying a clarinet from a thrift store :lol:
Love the mellow sound but I know I'm better off using samples instead, especially since I live in an apartment

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mcatalao
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29 Jun 2021

Ottostrom wrote:
29 Jun 2021

The Hammond melodica has such a nice sound! The instrument itself is very beautiful too, wouldn't mind owning one of those :)
It's a great instrument. My only issue with it is the piezzo mic is too low, but the sound is so nice... When you play it soft it sounds lie a soft bandoneon, and if you pull it, it stands blows and keeps tuning so well that you can push as much as you wish!!!
I got lucky, bought it second hand from a friend, almost mint condition, for half the price.

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Auryn
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Location: La Mancha

29 Jun 2021

hey thanks for this, I don't think I had a melodica patch yet! will come in handy in future dub tracks...
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mcatalao
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29 Jun 2021

Ottostrom wrote:
29 Jun 2021

I have on multiple occasions been very close to buying a clarinet from a thrift store :lol:
Love the mellow sound but I know I'm better off using samples instead, especially since I live in an apartment
I'm a wind player. I play flutes, bagpipes, and i'd like to try out sax and Clarinet, but I went through the faster and easier route... I bought an EWI USB and I bought a VST that is quite natural at sax (Swam Woodwinds).

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Ottostrom
Posts: 845
Joined: 13 May 2016

29 Jun 2021

mcatalao wrote:
29 Jun 2021
Ottostrom wrote:
29 Jun 2021

I have on multiple occasions been very close to buying a clarinet from a thrift store :lol:
Love the mellow sound but I know I'm better off using samples instead, especially since I live in an apartment
I'm a wind player. I play flutes, bagpipes, and i'd like to try out sax and Clarinet, but I went through the faster and easier route... I bought an EWI USB and I bought a VST that is quite natural at sax (Swam Woodwinds).
Oh damn I didn't even know there were such complex midi controllers for wind based stuff!
I've seen a producer use one of those which only sends the breath data but this is next level

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mcatalao
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30 Jun 2021

Ottostrom wrote:
29 Jun 2021
mcatalao wrote:
29 Jun 2021


I'm a wind player. I play flutes, bagpipes, and i'd like to try out sax and Clarinet, but I went through the faster and easier route... I bought an EWI USB and I bought a VST that is quite natural at sax (Swam Woodwinds).
Oh damn I didn't even know there were such complex midi controllers for wind based stuff!
I've seen a producer use one of those which only sends the breath data but this is next level
Well if you'll allow me to brag a little more... :)

This is a cover I did with Reason, Swam Sax's and EWI USB:



And here some tests with Friktion and EWI USB:



The EWI exist's and still seems like something high tech from an alien race. Reminds the bajorian flute from Star Trek DS9.
Such an agile, so dinamic and easy to grasp controller for any wind player!

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Ottostrom
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Joined: 13 May 2016

01 Jul 2021

mcatalao wrote:
30 Jun 2021
And here some tests with Friktion and EWI USB:



The EWI exist's and still seems like something high tech from an alien race. Reminds the bajorian flute from Star Trek DS9.
Such an agile, so dinamic and easy to grasp controller for any wind player!
It looks super fun to play friktion through the EWI and the sound is very lively and dynamic :)
If I ever have any extra cash I might consider getting one of those for some experimentation!

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