Mellotron Micro Module, teased at NAMM 2025, is available and is priced at $499/499€, the cheapest Mellotron hardware so far.
The doors to NAMM 2025 had already closed when images of a new Mellotron desktop unit surfaced. At that time, there was no release information. There’s good news in the quiet summer.
Mellotron Micro Module is available now at retailers, and we have the full specs. And it’s the most affordable Mellotron hardware yet.
Mellotron Micro Module
The official name of the new hardware is the Mellotron Micro Module, and it’s a small, portable desktop unit. According to the developers, the Micro Module is basically a Mellotron Micro but without a keyboard, with some differences.
It features the Sound Card 01 with 100 24-bit uncompressed sounds sourced from original first-generation Mellotron and Chamberlin tape libraries.
It’s a pity that the expansion cards are not compatible with the Micro module, as it relies on a micro SD system, so you are limited to the 100 built-in sounds. Micro SD, however, offers the possibility that this might be opened up for expansion in the future, let’s hope so.
Like in the other Mellotron hardware units, you have two sound layers with an individual or mixed playback option. There are also dedicated knobs for the volume, tone, and pitch.
The developers also say that the “Octave” switch for the keyboard on the Micro is a High/Low switch on the Micro Module.
Connectivity
On the backside of the Mellotron Micro Module, you can find a power supply input (9-15V 5VA), a dedicated ON/OFF switch, and MIDI connectivity. It has a MIDI input and a THRU port on 3.5mm jacks, using the “B” standard.
The engine can handle both MIDI mono and polyphonic aftertouch data, which is great to see.
Further, it has two gold-plated stereo 1/4″ line outputs for the master and headphone, and a sustain pedal input.
First Impression
It’s nice to see that there’s now a Mellotron that’s more affordable and also more portable. The Micro Module is particularly interesting for live musicians who don’t want to take a Mellotron keyboard on tour, but only the sounds.
It’s a shame, however, that the amount of available sound sources is limited, with no way to expand them. I hope they might rethink this.
Mellotron Micro Module is available now for $500/499€.
Available at my partners
Thomann
Article from January 27, 2025
NAMM 2025 belongs to the past, but news is still popping up here and there. For example, a reader of the Matrixsynth website discovered a new Mellotron product on the company’s booth.
More precisely, he discovered it in the Instagram story, which, unfortunately, is only online for 24 hours.
Mellotron M4000D Desktop
In both pictures from the Instagram story, you can clearly see a desktop device that has the same layout as the left side of the Mellotron M4000D or Micro hardware. It has two color displays, four knobs, and two switches.
The back seems to be a bit different. In addition to the classic outputs (main, sustain, phones), it has MIDI on a TRS basis.
I assume the sound content will be identical to the Micro version, which includes 100 24-bit uncompressed sounds from the original first-generation Mellotron and Chamberlin tape libraries.
If you’re wondering if Mellotron is working on a dedicated iOS app, it’s been around for a while and has the same name as the company. You can get it on the Apple AppStore for $1.99. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated since 2020 and doesn’t have AUv3 plugin support. I hope they will give the app more love in the future.
We will see whether the Mellotron M4000D desktop will come onto the market. There was no official announcement at NAMM. However, the photo could be an indirect announcement.
Mellotron M4000D desktop price and available are TBA.
More information will follow here: Mellotron
Mellotrons are available at my partner
The Swedish Mellotron company seems to have confused a lot of people. Both the dictionary definition and the Chamberlin patents that also apply to Mellotrons describe a Mellotron as a TAPE replay keyboard, meaning that if there are no tapes, it’s not a real Mellotron.
I appears that the module is available now.
thanks
I don’t understand the point of a modern digital Mellotron. Part of what makes the Mellotron special is it being tape based… when you just use digital samples is it much different than any other musical sampler? Seems your basically just paying for the branding and custom samples, most of which I believe are available for free in some legal form or another online.
people buy them mostly for the sounds
I think the point of a modern Mellotron is that it doesn’t weigh 500lbs, isn’t affected by overheating and hardware problems like the original. Most people have Mellotron Pro vst and that more than covers everything and is half the price of this micro Tron hardware. Hard pass on this piece of kit.
The odd thing about the Swedish Mellotron brand is that they sampled the original tapes, but not through an actual Mellotron. If that’s the sound you’re after, you want the Manikin Memotron.
The iOS apps are infuriating in their limitations (I keep trying to get midi into them…) – but i guess if they had full support, auv3, etc, then we might be buying their hardware.
I’m not sure what this does that I can’t already do with Arturia’s VST. Portability I guess, but a Mac Mini isn’t much bigger…
Mac Mini is a personal computer vs a standalone hardware instrument if you want to know why musician buy such a unit
No tape, no Mellotron.
Simple.
These Swedish guys make good VST’s.
That’s all it is. A VST in a box. With Mellotron stamped on it.
Just buy a VST that is vastly superior and skip this.
Clearly a product built for nostalgic people with too much money on their hands. Any stage musician, I know, uses a workstation or laptop with its gazillion of sound sources. Never have I ever heard someone say, “This does not sound like a REAL XYZ with a REAL tape”. To each its own I guess.
@Rango, clearly you don’t know any stage musicians, and cannot prove you do? Welcome to the internet, friend 😀 ‘You guess,” is the only bit of truth or reality you offer in this conversation. If you’ve ever had a computer fail you on a gig, then you would know why real musicians, who are obliged to fulfill the obligations of a live performance, might consider this (very cool and fun, IMO) tangible hardware instrument a solid solution to a risk assessment in a professional live performance situation worth several thousand dollars, if not more. If the Mello is an essential part of your gig, then for the cost of, say, Omnisphere, you’ve got a source that won’t fail. I’m not sure there are two sides to this for the working professional, but peace be with you.
What bothers me is that there’s no USB. How do you update the firmware. I mean, even my Zoom effects have a USB port! Why would they leave it off this module?
over traditional MIDI maybe. Old hardware didn’t have USB either.