General Information

Serial #

PROTOTYPE

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL CASING & PARTS/ SYNTHETIC SWITCHES & PARTS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

52.3 cm

Width

34.4 cm

Height

111.8 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Communications

Category

Music

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

NRC

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Ottawa

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

1968 +

Canada

Prototype Sonde designed by pioneering Canadian electronic music composer and instrument designer Hugh Le Caine of NRC, for use at the NRC Elmus lab. It was later sent to Queen's University, possibly upon Le Caine's retirement in 1974, or earlier for use the electronic music lab which opened in the 1960s.

Function

An electronic music instrument in the form of a matrix generator that could produce 200 sine waves simultaneously using 20 fixed-frequency oscillators and 10 converters to derive 200 combination tones. It was intended to be used in conjunction with other studio instruments.

Technical

The design of the Sonde avoided the need for multiple recordings as the means of obtaining complex sounds, and allowed some real time control over changes in the characteristics of the sound. The method of sound reproduction was called 'additive synthesis' in which a complex timbre was simulated by the simultaneous playing of a large number of sine waves set at different pitch and volume levels.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

PLATES READING 'PROPERTY OF/ GE ISD GE ' & 'MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY'/ INTERNAL COMPONENTS STAMPED 'Cherry Electrical Products/ Corporation/ 1650 Deerfield Rd./ Highland Park, Illinois/ Patent No. 3,205,319' & 'CHERRY/ PART NO. C10-02A/ DATE CODE 3-68', WITH RATING INFO & MFR.'S FULL NAME & ADDRESS.

Missing

POWER SUPPLY From CA of 05/26/1995 by Tony Missio: Undetermined

Finish

GREY CASING/ PLATED & BRUSHED METAL FRONT PANEL/ BLACK SWITCHED WITH RED STRIPES AS INTERVAL MARKERS

Decoration

2 METALLIC PLATES WITH ABSTRACT BLACK DESIGNS/ BLACK EDGING ON METAL PANEL/PLATE ON CASING READING 'HAMMOND/ 1465G/ HAMMOND MFG. CO. LTD., GUELPH CANADA'