Clavia electro 2 Guida Utente
NORD ELECTRO 2 V3.0x
9. History: The story behind the Electro 2 instruments
Page 53
Laurens Hammond retired at age 65 in 1960 and passed away in 1973. One year after his death, the factory
stopped making tone wheel organs. From then on, the only organs that were produced had electric circuits
-- but that's another story.
stopped making tone wheel organs. From then on, the only organs that were produced had electric circuits
-- but that's another story.
T
HE
L
ESLIE
SPEAKER
The rotating speaker effect in the Nord Electro 2 is a digital em-
ulation of the Leslie 122 speaker cabinet. Leslie cabinets are
stand-alone devices. Their preliminary design was to amplify
and add modulation effects -- i.e., chorus and tremolo -- to the
sound generated by an electric organ such as those made by the
Hammond Organ Company.
ulation of the Leslie 122 speaker cabinet. Leslie cabinets are
stand-alone devices. Their preliminary design was to amplify
and add modulation effects -- i.e., chorus and tremolo -- to the
sound generated by an electric organ such as those made by the
Hammond Organ Company.
What's the story behind this famous accessory to the Hammond
organ? It goes back to 1937, when musician and inventor Don
Leslie bought a Hammond Model A. Don was interested in
finding a musical instrument that could sound like a pipe organ,
and he decided to buy the Hammond because he figured it
sounded close enough. To save money, he chose not to invest in
an accompanying Hammond tone cabinet because he thought
he could make his own speaker system.
organ? It goes back to 1937, when musician and inventor Don
Leslie bought a Hammond Model A. Don was interested in
finding a musical instrument that could sound like a pipe organ,
and he decided to buy the Hammond because he figured it
sounded close enough. To save money, he chose not to invest in
an accompanying Hammond tone cabinet because he thought
he could make his own speaker system.
However, he wasn't satisfied with the organ sound coming from
his first fixed-speaker design because the sound was too static.
He wanted to create some kind of motion in the organ sound,
much like the way the sound of a pipe organ moves around a big
church because the pipes themselves are spread out across many
large ranks - collections of pipes - that cover the frequency range
across an organ console's keyboard manuals and pedal board.
For several years, Don experimented with various combinations
of speaker configurations and rotating components, and in 1940
he completed his first version of the rotating-speaker concept.
his first fixed-speaker design because the sound was too static.
He wanted to create some kind of motion in the organ sound,
much like the way the sound of a pipe organ moves around a big
church because the pipes themselves are spread out across many
large ranks - collections of pipes - that cover the frequency range
across an organ console's keyboard manuals and pedal board.
For several years, Don experimented with various combinations
of speaker configurations and rotating components, and in 1940
he completed his first version of the rotating-speaker concept.
Here is a picture of the inside of the Hammond tone wheel box. It's the basic
design that elevated Hammond to the top of the organ manufacturer moun-
tain. Each note on the Hammond corresponds to a tone wheel. Every tone
wheel has it own pick-up comprising a magnet with a coil. The pitch of the
sine wave generated by a tone wheel is determined by the number of notches
on the edge of the wheel and the wheel's rotation speed. Every time a notch
in the wheel passes the magnetic field, it induces a voltage in the coil. The
more notches and the faster they pass, the higher the pitch.
design that elevated Hammond to the top of the organ manufacturer moun-
tain. Each note on the Hammond corresponds to a tone wheel. Every tone
wheel has it own pick-up comprising a magnet with a coil. The pitch of the
sine wave generated by a tone wheel is determined by the number of notches
on the edge of the wheel and the wheel's rotation speed. Every time a notch
in the wheel passes the magnetic field, it induces a voltage in the coil. The
more notches and the faster they pass, the higher the pitch.
Leslie 122 rotating-speaker cabinet.
A close-up view of the nice woodwork on
a Leslie 122 speaker cabinet.
a Leslie 122 speaker cabinet.