Mellotronists

The "Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones" (1931)

also:"The Polytone Organ" (1934) & "The Singing Keyboard" (1936)
The "Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones" (1931)

The "Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones" was created and developed by A. Lesti and F. Sammis 
in the USA during 1931.The Radio Organ used a similar technique as the Celluphone and 
variants - rotating photo-electric disks interrupting a light beam at different frequencies 
produced varied pitches an timbres from a vacuum tube oscillator; the principle was 
improved in the "Polytone".
The Polytone Organ (1934)

A. Lesti and F. Sammis's development of the Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones was 
christened the 'The Polytone Organ', this instrument was a three keyboard manual organ 
using the same sound production system as the 'Radio Organ' - rotating photo-electrical 
tone-wheel sound generation. The instrument was completed in 1934 and was one of the 
first multi-timbral instruments.

The Singing Keyboard (1936)

F. Sammis invented the "singing Keyboard" in 1936, a precursor of modern samplers, the 
instrument played electro-optical recordings of audio waves stored on strips of 35mm film 
which were triggered and pitched when the player pressed a key. More recent instruments 
such as the Mellotron and Chamberlin use a similar technology of triggered and pitched 
magnetic tape recordings.



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