Oscilloscope Music
If you plug an audio signal into an oscilloscope, you can see an exact representation of the same waves that reach your ear as sound waves. That’s pretty much the closest possible correlation between image and sound.
Oscilloscopes are used to measure voltages. Audio signals are voltages before they reach the speakers, where they are converted into sound waves that travel through the air. But apart from the useful capability of measuring these voltages, oscilloscopes also look great. Particularly the old analog ones with cathode ray screens.
The beam of electrons draws a bright green dot. If two audio channels (i.e. a stereo signal) are used as input, it’s possible to use one channel to move this dot up and down, and the other one to move it left and right, like on an Etch A Sketch board, just much faster. The brightness varies, depending on the speed of it’s movement, making the image look smooth and kind of organic. I’m using a Tektronix D11 5103N, which has a particularly large and clear screen.
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