Novachord
Sign in to saveThe Novachord is the world's first commercial polyphonic synthesizer. Incorporating many circuit and control elements found in modern synthesizers, and using subtractive synthesis to generate tones, it was designed by John M. Hanert, Laurens Hammond and C. N. Williams, and was manufactured by the Hammond company. Only 1,069 Novachords were built over a period from 1939 to 1942. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ.
Key facts
- Synthesizer.image
- Novachord_frontS.jpg
- Synthesizer.image_caption
- Hammond Novachord
- Synthesizer.synth_name
- Novachord
- Synthesizer.synth_manufacturer
- Hammond
- Synthesizer.oscillator
- 12-semitone oscillators + 5-octave dividers
- Synthesizer.synthesis_type
- Subtractive analogue
- Synthesizer.polyphony
- 72 voices
- Synthesizer.synth_hardware
- Vacuum tubes
- Synthesizer.keyboard
- 72 notes
- Synthesizer.filter
- Three bandpass filters, one lowpass filter, one highpass filter (in parallel with fixed frequency)
- Synthesizer.attenuator
- Envelope with seven preset shapes
- Synthesizer.lfo
- 6-channel electromechanical vibrato
- Synthesizer.dates
- 1939–1942
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Novachord frontS.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Hammond Novachord
- inception
- 1939-00-00
- discontinuation date
- 1942-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- History of production
- Technical details
- Appearances in contemporary media
- References
- External links
The Novachord is the world's first commercial polyphonic synthesizer. Incorporating many circuit and control elements found in modern synthesizers, and using subtractive synthesis to generate tones, it was designed by John M. Hanert, Laurens Hammond and C. N. Williams, and was manufactured by the Hammond company. Only 1,069 Novachords were built over a period from 1939 to 1942. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ.
==History of production== While production of the Novachord began in November 1938, it was first heard at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Novachord Orchestra of Ferde Grofé performed daily at the Ford stand with four Novachords and a Hammond Organ. The first instrument was delivered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 30, 1940 as a birthday present.