What means 'phaselocked'? (was: Re[3]: Fourier-Analysis and FM-synthesis)

[Michael Zacherl - Bacher Systems EDV GmbH]

As far as I can recall all tonewheels sit on a single axle.
So if you got two different signals which have nothing common except that
both are strictly periodic there's a point where they meet again and again.

You'll here a constant beating (depending on the signals of course).
If the beating would change (in any measureable not only audible way) there
would be no 'locking'.

So my question: Is this phaselocked or not? 

Thanks for your inputs ...

/mz


>      At the risk of being told to take it to the Hammond list, I'd like to 
>      add that even though the tonewheels in a Hammond Organ are driven by 
>      the same source (the sync motor) via gear shafts, the tones are not 
>      really phase-locked in the Fourier sense for a couple reasons:
>      
>      1. Individual keys share harmonics with different keys, and since the
>         generator is equally tempered this means that everything but the
>         octaves will drift a little from each other
>      
>      2. Even the octaves may drift from each other due to mechanical losses
>         in the system (the gears are driven by friction drives)
>      
>      But it definitely falls into the category of early additive synthesis.
>      
>      Hammond organs might be too analog even for the analog mail list - 
>      maybe "organic" would be a better term. Ooooh sorry about the pun....
>      
>      - Gene
>      gstopp at fibermux.com
> 
> 
> ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
> Subject: Re[2]: Fourier-Analysis and FM-synthesis
> Author:  Bob.Schrum at harpercollins.com at ccrelayout
> Date:    5/30/96 9:39 AM
> 
> 
> >> From thierry.rochebois at ief-paris-sud.fr Thu May 30 13:52:34 1996
>      
> >> This is the very principle of the Hammond organ!
> >> This method has been used in electric organs since 1906 (telharmonium). 
> >> A multiple VCO versions was developed in 1966 by James Beauchamp.
>      
> > From mz at bacher.co.at (Michael Zacherl - Bacher Systems EDV GmbH)
>      
> >Have the VCOs been in phase? As far as I can recall the tonewheels in 
> >an early Hammond produced phaselocked harmonics.
>      
> Not only that, but the harmonics were 12-tone equal-tempered!  That's a 
> prime reason why nearly every synth B3 emulation falls short.  Only those 
> with top-octave dividers or the Voce V3's 91 digital oscillators (do they 
> do this with software or an ASIC?) do justice.  
>      
> Ah yes... the good old days when you had to oil your "oscillator bank"  
> every six months!  Is that analog or what?  :-)  They even had voltage 
> control of sorts--just whack wthe AC power switch around for the wildest 
> pitch bend you've ever heard!
> 
>