New Oscilloscope Music
Added 2024-12-24 13:01:54 +0000 UTCI’m really happy to be able to show you something new today. It’s been eight years since I last featured oscilloscope music on the channel but a new EP has finally given me an opportunity to revisit it.
You’ll probably have noticed that I’ve released fewer videos in December. If anything I wanted to produce more videos than usual, but I’ve been rotten ill, as has the Mrs - it’s been an unpleasant couple of weeks in the house.
Thankfully we both appear to finally be coming out of the other end, so I can now move on and see what other projects I’m able to complete before the end of the year.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get one more video out before ad-revenue falls off the new year cliff.
Take care and have a good one.
Comments
That Tektronix 760A is my fave of all of your cool audio gear. I'd love to have one in my hifi rig. I know it was designed and sold for a productive and useful function and I don't care. I just want it there on the shelf and look pretty with its dancing VU meters and the audio scope.
Andy Ihnatko
2025-01-03 06:22:59 +0000 UTCI think DC coupling somewhere is needed: but possibly the mode on the 'scope, rather than the audio. I did some checks with my much-too-slow Owon digital 2-channel 'scope. It's able to get maybe 2 FPS tops.... I hooked it up to the headphone out on my MacBook Pro (and a multi-output device added in Audio/MIDI Setup so I could have headphone and speakers at the same time). With AC coupling I can see everything overlaid in the centre of the screen. With DC coupling, the overlaid mess moves all over the screen.
Graham Reed
2024-12-26 22:51:25 +0000 UTCI hope you're having Merry Christmas despite all the illnesses!
JockeTF
2024-12-26 08:47:28 +0000 UTCAckchually… I don’t think that’s an oscilloscope, but rather a “stereo phase” or “goniometer” 🤓🧐
Pascal Altena
2024-12-26 07:44:54 +0000 UTCI was leaving comments on the video but they don't seem to be working. I think you need a DC-coupled audio interface. This page lists a few and includes links to Expert Sleepers and Sweetwater with more information. https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004966139-CV-Tools-Overview-Technical-FAQ
Jim Lemanowicz
2024-12-26 02:17:57 +0000 UTCHappy germ-free Christmas, and hope you (and the missus) are on the mend! I've a couple of floppy discs from Lavender Sweep Records, but no drive. I take it most of the drives I see on eBay are cheap modern-day knock-offs?
Brad Jones
2024-12-26 00:24:13 +0000 UTCAt 6:09: The problem with the line that hangs around the center is, that the frequency of that is so low that the sound output series capacitors just filter that out. Laptops usually have that built in because they don't use symmetrical power rails. It would need a special sound device with DC coupling and symmetrical power to see that correctly.
Holger P Kleinert
2024-12-25 22:14:55 +0000 UTCHappy Christmas! Your videos always bring cheerful joy. Another oscilloscope music video was a great Christmas Gift.
Dt91c
2024-12-25 20:45:05 +0000 UTCAll I'm seeing is AC/DC in the comments and I'm thinking that their advice will grant you dirty deeds, done dirt cheap.
antzpantz
2024-12-25 17:22:38 +0000 UTCthat is exactly what it does when switched to ac coupling. I have tried the old versions years ago with an antique oscilloscope but it gave a near perfect picture. many here have already suspected a not-dc coupling issue and so do I. That easy Tektronix seems to not even have a switch for ac/dc.... Could also be that modern soundcards use decoupling capacitors to the headphones which makes no audible difference but does have an impact on the scope!
Daniel Steinmann
2024-12-25 16:12:54 +0000 UTCI don't remember seeing the original and I've been around awhile. Probably just missed it. This is bloody impressive. I would never have thought such a thing possible. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Arthur Robillard
2024-12-25 05:34:06 +0000 UTCI've found its the older fully analog scopes that work best for this application. The fancy new digital units seem unable to cope with music gracefully.
PileOfStuff
2024-12-25 05:17:59 +0000 UTCNice video; I've always been intrigued by the oscilloscopes. I admit I was more relieved to see you're still alive and kicking upon getting the video notification. 🥹 I was about to start questioning the hospitals. Not really, but almost. Happy Christmas everyone. 🤍
Grace Robbins
2024-12-24 21:01:38 +0000 UTCOkay, time to hit Ebay and buy myself a better oscilloscope!
David Peaker
2024-12-24 20:08:12 +0000 UTCI was going to say the same. Both scopes have the attribute of attempting to centre the image on the screen. However, because the images are complex, taking time to redraw each frame, there's time for the scopes to drag each "sound" towards the screen centre. You need a much better laboratory-grade scope, with the ability to clamp the trace to a single common centre point allowing excursions up, down, left and right to be drawn accurately without distortion.
Stephen Bell
2024-12-24 20:04:15 +0000 UTCAs others have said, looks like the oscilloscopes are in AC coupling mode and / or the headphone audio amplifiers have capacitors on the outputs. Can the creators advise a suitable setup?
Dave Curran
2024-12-24 19:01:38 +0000 UTCWell, Mat had the rotten sense to post this after I’ve left my home for the holidays and I failed to bring a scope with me (yes, now I’m embarrassed…), so I can’t be trying this myself for a while. As an electrical engineer, the first thing that popped into my head seeing the doubling was to check for an impedance mismatch. If the signal is rattling around in the cable it might look like that. I guess AC/DC coupling would technically be changing the impedance. I’ve also checked the manual and it does indeed say to use DC coupling. AC coupling will put some sort of capacitor in series with the signal. There’s going to be some inherent cutoff associated in that design as well. I.e., DC is not merely 0Hz, but something that also cuts out super low frequency stuff. So, yes, a scope with DC coupling is a must for this. The motivated individual, which may include me this holiday, can make a simple scope that should display this out of an old B&W tv. If one takes the wires for the yoke off the main board they can be hooked to other stuff. I have done that before to the little 4-5 inch portable jobs that are essentially useless these days. The little dot can be steered around the screen by hand. Naturally, be careful where one pokes inside a tv, there are some spicy voltages there.
Benjamin Hart
2024-12-24 18:54:13 +0000 UTCHappy Christmas to you and Mrs T, Mat - wishing you better health in 2025. Thank you for so many excellent, informative and entertaining videos this last year (not to mention the many previous years!) As to this Oscilloscope music, I feel it is not so much niche, as crevice - but each to their own. You made a great video about it - keep up the good work!
Roland Bogush
2024-12-24 18:53:19 +0000 UTCMerry Christmas, Matt. It's good you mentioned Salvador Dali, because I studied something like this when I was a lad in college, way-way back. It was called "Persistence of Memory." I always enjoy your content, and your videos are so well-made. Thanks for all you do, keep mending your health, and you, the Mrs, and Bees-Knees have a blessed and happy 2025.
CrimsonPig808
2024-12-24 18:18:13 +0000 UTCI think both your (audio) scopes are hardwired to AC coupling, ignoring the DC/very low frequency content. You might need a more conventional scope that can be set to DC coupling.
theS
2024-12-24 18:15:09 +0000 UTCAgreed. A DC offset will be inaudible but can actually damage loudspeakers or headphones if large enough so will be filtered out by audio gear.
Duncan
2024-12-24 18:06:49 +0000 UTCThis isn't really an oscilloscope, or it only has a small subset of features that a general purpose oscilloscope has. It can't visualise DC signals. I looked at the manual and it can't be set up to do that.
Keith Cassidy
2024-12-24 17:15:49 +0000 UTCAs other people have said the problem is at the low frequencies. Even sub-woofers can't handle frequencies below 20Hz so most audio gear doesn't pass that through. In fact it would probably be considered to be faulty of it did.
Duncan
2024-12-24 17:12:06 +0000 UTCHope you and the missus can finally enjoy the festive season.
David Boddie
2024-12-24 16:56:45 +0000 UTCI wonder if the scope is trying to be clever and attempting to centralise and scale everything that's going on so it's shown in the centre of the display.
evilution
2024-12-24 16:50:43 +0000 UTCGlad to see the lurgi is improving. Merry Christmas!
Big Car
2024-12-24 16:19:02 +0000 UTCI agree with Alistair B. You need DC coupling all the way, or at the very least equipment which will reproduce extremely low frequencies. Your oscilloscopes are showing the averaged voltages being output and removing the DC or very low frequency components. It has nothing at all to do with lots of kHz or bits of resolution but everything to do with very very few Hz. Flat response down to fractions of a Hz.
Jonas Otter
2024-12-24 16:09:54 +0000 UTCThe idea is nice, but as mentioned: to get the proper images on the oscilloscope, you would need some lab equipment DAC that also outputs the DC offset (and an oscilloscope that has DC mode as well) Merry Christmas!
MrHammond
2024-12-24 15:58:27 +0000 UTCThat's what I'm sure of as well, audio devices are not ment to output DC offsets, there's usually a capacitor in the output circuit, has nothing to do with the quality, also high-quality audio devices will have DC filters in them.
MrHammond
2024-12-24 15:54:59 +0000 UTCHappy Christmas! I think the problem with your oscilloscope is that it is in AC mode that always tries to average out the input to the middle, i.e. smooth out any DC offset. Both your Tektronix and tack oscilloscope are designed for audio display so will filter out the DC component of frequencies outside audio range. As you described, a lot of the drawing part of the sound fall into this category so gets warped on screen.
Alistair Boyer
2024-12-24 14:56:06 +0000 UTCHaving no idea about oscilloscopes I will grasp at a straw and ask, is there any ability to "line up" the images during calibration mode? When I was a projectionist and digital arrived to remove me from my job (I'm not bitter. I promise) we'd need to calibrate the digital projectors for any 3D movies being shown. Despite manufacturer's claims of "digital projectors will run themselves and require little to no maintenance" it was far from the case (and still is. But cinema chains really don't care). For 3D a "filter screen" essentially a 4x3 polarised sheet, housed in a frame, on a track (sometime hinges, like clip on sunglasses) was pulled in-front of the projector lens and generated, with the combination of 3D glasses a 3D effect. If a calibration was not done it would cause images to duplicate/overlap or fuzziness. We'd load a test pattern (not dissimilar to an oscilloscope image, but white lines on black) into the projector, play it onscreen and with the filter in place, use the projector control buttons built-in to the side casing, to manipulate the "crosshair" in any direction required to line up with no blur or duplicate image. If you've seen a standard 3D movie lately (IMAX is different and uses better tech) and it seemed "off" it's because no-one calibrates anymore and to make it worse the filters are left in place permanently, meaning any 2D movie in that screen will have 40% less light. It will look dim and washed out and most likely have a slight blur around the edge of the whole image.
Alec
2024-12-24 14:45:41 +0000 UTCGlad you and the Mrs are feeling better Mat. The issue you're seeing may be with the two oscilloscopes, not being capable of high enough frequencies to properly render the images. Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!
Clark Cooper
2024-12-24 14:39:18 +0000 UTCAnd no copyright strike 🤣
Gareth R
2024-12-24 14:20:14 +0000 UTCStill fascinated that they get such complex images and listenable music (guessing lots of complicated maths and Fourier transforms). Thanks for the revisit; and for all your excellent content this year Mat. Glad you’re both feeling better. Merry Christmas.
Gareth R
2024-12-24 14:19:43 +0000 UTCPity you can't run it through a Vectrex!
Mark Paterson
2024-12-24 14:15:51 +0000 UTCHope you're feeling better! Nice to have a techmoan video on Christmas eve!
Josette Reynolds
2024-12-24 13:51:31 +0000 UTCGlad you and the Missus are getting better--I wonder if you picked up your illness during your vacation on the continent? I'll bet (Mend It) Mark has an oscilloscope capable of playing those audio files (do you have to be an audiophile to play audio files?)🤦♂️ Anyway, Happy Happy and Merry Merrie and all that!❤️
Mark Hesse
2024-12-24 13:25:32 +0000 UTCGood to hear you're both getting better, a merry christmas and a happy new year to you, lang may yir lum reek...
gordon will
2024-12-24 13:22:51 +0000 UTCHappy Christmas, Mat and family. Here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2025 for us all!
Mark Persad
2024-12-24 13:22:35 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you're both on the mend. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year!
James Harland
2024-12-24 13:17:12 +0000 UTCLast month, the wife and I had “it”. Cold, fever for about a week. Get better and Merry Christmas!
David Parker
2024-12-24 13:16:41 +0000 UTCAww yeah, I was wondering when there would be a video on this, bought an early floppy when the video came out and got the sub 500 serial number, it's such an impressive piece of work
Plaster
2024-12-24 13:08:56 +0000 UTCThis is really proper creepy since I was literally just looking this up after following a search thread from SMPTE colorbars and vectorgraphs. Mere minutes ago
RomulusNR
2024-12-24 13:05:40 +0000 UTC
