Laurens Hammond
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Laurens Hammond was an American engineer and inventor. His inventions include the Hammond organ, the Hammond clock, and the world's first polyphonic musical synthesizer, the Novachord.
Laurens Hammond in 1940
Hammond with his invention the Teleview, in 1923
Tonewheel
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A tonewheel or tone wheel is a simple electromechanical apparatus used for generating electric musical notes in electromechanical organ instruments such as the Hammond organ and in telephony to genera
Laurens Hammond
…from the keyboard action. Using the keyboard as a controller, he experimented with different sound-generating methods, finally settling on one, the tonewheel generator. The company's assistant treasurer, W. L. Lahey, was the organist at the nearby St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, and Hammond consulted him…
Goldschmidt tone wheel (1910), used as an early beat frequency oscillator
Rheotome-cylinders and electric-brushes used on Telharmonium (1896)