Electro-Harmonix Mel9

Started by Rhcole, April 02, 2016, 01:21:15 PM

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Rhcole

It looks like I'm one of the first kids on the block to get this pedal. The Mel9 has created quite a buzz on this site because, at least in part, it seems DIFFERENT than the other ______9 pedals produced by EHX so far. For all of their cleverness, the previous _____9 pedals were logical extensions of existing products and technologies. The C9 (organ), for example, is a reasonable extension of the tones produced by pitch-shifters, which tend to make guitars sound somewhat like organs anyway. The Key9 (electric piano) likewise accomplishes much of its emulation through compression, eq, and FX with a metallic tine sound layered on top to fool your ear into thinking you are hearing an electric piano. Turn off the tine, and the Key9 sounds like a very midrangey guitar with a phaser on...

Well, those other pedals are tame stuff compared to what the Mel9 attempts to do. String orchestras, saxophones, choirs, etc. are NOT logical extensions of the sound of a guitar. You can take every effect out there and daisy chain them all day long and you will not get a believable choir or even an orchestra. Shimmer FX are about the closest guitar players have been able to get to strings, and while they fill the psychological space of a string synth, nobody really hears an orchestra playing when listening to shimmers, unless it's in a bar after a pitcher or two.

Let me get to the point here. The Mel9 does it. It is flat-out AMAZING and it is a BREAKTHROUGH. If EHX can do this, watch out, because they have created the Rosetta Stone of guitar-based emulations. Here comes Bass9s and Synth9s and Acoustic Guitar9s and whatever else they feel like. They have cracked the code.

NOW, let's review the pedal. First, I will get my complaints out of the way. The vibrato is the same speed on all the sounds, it is pretty deep, and you can't turn it off. Also, it changes speed on high versus low pitched sounds, the same way a sample does. This might hint at how they do it, by the way.  Second, pitch-shifting is getting better with every generation, but play a cluster or complex chord and the pedal chokes out. Sooner or later, they will get this solved and it won't be a factor anymore, but not today.

My third and final quibble is the sustain sound. It starts to turn a bit sour/metallic when you turn it up high, which does remind me of the Shimmer on the C9.

You still with me? Those are my complaints. Here we go about what is great.
The orchestra is fat and punchy. Bold would be a good word. Run it through an outboard shimmer or echo and your audience will hear strings and they will believe it. The Cello is very musical, again with the disclaimer that the vibrato is everywhere in this pedal. The Strings are good, although I like the orchestra a bit better even for string sounds.

And the flute is terrific! Much better than on the C9, which sounded more like a home organ flute to me than a real flute. You can USE this flute.

The Clarinet surprised me. I expected to play "Pop Goes the Weasel" and never use it again, but it has a great woody sound. I will definitely use it as a voice for a lead or a blend.

The Saxophone... Huh, Bill Ruppert in his video said it sounds like a British Beatles sort of sax, and it really does. I can't explain it, it just very much has that kind of thing going.

Brass! Wow, cool sound for synthesists. The filter sweep is great. The second control knob controls the phrasing of the brass, which is good for purists but I wouldn't have minded dedicating this knob to something else for this setting.

OK, the Choirs. I am not sure the lower setting is necessary or appropriate, because on a guitar you get into Buddhist Monk throat-singing ranges on the lower notes. The high choir features more female singers and is more natural sounding to me.

Now not many users may really care, but a fair question is "Does it emulate a Mellotron closely"? Well actually, it does. I used to play Mellotron samples and this is scary close to several of the samples. To be honest though, EHX didn't properly model the Mellotron's talents for going out of tune, eating tapes, playing for 8 seconds and then rewinding, and the pedal also doesn't weigh 350 pounds. Maybe next time.

EHX is going to sell this pedal by the boatload. You thought you were tired of Mellotrons by the end of the Seventies...?


Bill Ruppert

Rhcole,
Thank you for taking the time to write your great review!
Bill

alexmcginness

Quote from: Rhcole on April 02, 2016, 01:21:15 PM
It looks like I'm one of the first kids on the block to get this pedal.

   Ill bet ya Bill had one first. ;-)

  Great review. These new pedals will be collectors items in the future. Ive got some old Electro Harmonix stuff and folk are lusting after those ones, my Big Muff in particular. You youngsters out there may want to grab some of these and put them away for a while. You never know.
VG-88V2, GR-50, GR-55, 4 X VG-99s,2 X FC-300,  2 X GP-10 AXON AX 100 MKII, FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY,MIDX-10, MIDX-20, AVID 11 RACK, BEHRINGER FCB 1010, LIVID GUITAR WING, ROLAND US-20, 3 X GUYATONE TO-2. MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER, SERBIAN ELIMINATOR AMP. GR-33.

Kevin M

Great review. EHX have made some awesome pedals over the years, but seem to be kicking things up another notch with the Mel9. Wonder if they're on the verge of delivering a new synth pedal.

frummox

Is it possible to go quickly from the orchestra to the flute sounds (those I like best) or do you have to cycle through the sounds in between with the foot pedal?

Rhcole

No, you can't select sounds with the foot switch, nor does it offer MIDI to do so. You bend over and click to the setting you want.

chrish

Thank you for the review. If i might ask. How does the pedal respond and how does it sound when the guitar player applies vibrato technique to the guitar string? From what i gather from your review, it would be nice to turn that pedal effect off, if that is even possible. My first impression from your review is that it appears like that built in pedal vibrato is part of the code, that speeds up and slows down the  way code increases and decreases pitch in a sample (if i understand that process correctly).

Rhcole

The pedal responds to your vibrato technique naturally, including string bends. However, the vibrato in the pedal also plays; there is no way to turn the pedal's vibrato down or off.




Rhcole

This is important.

Here's a tip I just learned from using the Mel9. Whatever the technology behind it is, it acts somewhat like a sample player that tracks and gets triggered by your input. What this means is, for example, if you put a octave pedal in front of it, it will reflect the octaves as you dial them in. BUT, if you put other pedals in front, ie: wha, distortion, mods, etc. it will try to ignore them and play its sounds without tracking your other FX. So, the Brass for example will play EXACTLY THE SAME or it will start malfunctioning.

Simply put, use the Mel9 in the front end of your signal chain unless you are running an octave, compressor, or similar box. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME with other pedals and they may cause it to mistrigger.

Now this has a cool advantage; I put the C9 in front of the Mel9, and as long as I don't crank the C9 way up, the Mel9 ignores it, which is almost like having individual channels to mix the FX.

It's clear that the Mel9 is not a true sample player, but it shares some of the qualities of one.

Elantric

#9
QuoteSimply put, use the Mel9 in the front end of your signal chain unless you are running an octave, compressor, or similar box. YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME with other pedals and they may cause it to mistrigger.

IMHO this is true for all the EHX "9" pedals

Last fall I saw Pat Travers and he had just got the EHX B9 pedal


and during sound check was having issues with it.
I told him to try it as the first FX in the signal chain  - (like an Octave pedal), and thats when it all began working best for him

Bill Ruppert

YES up front with a boost or compressor in front if you need it.Other wise straight in
Some times a little compression after the machines help when driving a limited rage guitar amp.
Think of what a Fender combo would sound like with a B3 in to it. It would fart like crazy.

aliensporebomb

LOL Bill, it sure would. 

I really do want to get a hold of one of these pedals though.  I really want to use it wrong in addition to the way it's supposed to be used.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

ricstudioc

Got one of these a few weeks back, and will confirm it's awesome factor - but it's nice to see someone else comment on the fixed, and deep, vibrato.  Had to give it some thought, but decided I could work with it.  Definitely an amazing box - high hopes for future iterations....