Light organ
A light organ is a lighting device that can be used to electronically transform music into rhythmic light effects. Light organs have been a popular effect device in discos and parties since the 1970s .
In discotheques, light organs are used less today, as manual intervention (e.g. by the light jockey ) and other effects is more important.
The circuit of a light organ splits the fed-in sound signal into frequency bands and controls the brightness of the connected lamps with sophisticated devices according to the volume of the respective band by means of a dimmer circuit. A typical party light organ of the 70s had three reflector bulbs, e.g. B. in red, yellow and blue, which followed the bass mid or treble level. Due to its simple construction, it was a popular do -it-yourself project for electronics hobbyists , although there was usually no brightness control, the lamps were only switched on and off depending on the level of the respective frequency band.
There are also light organs with multiple channels, running lights, flashlights and lasers. At the end of the 1980s, the first more complex light controllers came onto the market, made possible by the introduction of DMX technology in 1986 for digital control of lighting technology.
The frequency analysis can now be performed with a computer . Using Fourier analysis , media players such as Winamp or XMMS provide their plugins with already enhanced signals, which they then use for the visualization plugins. Today's devices have electronic circuits that allow various effects and are equipped with LED technology, so that power consumption is much lower than in the early days.
literature
- Tobias Pehle: Light effects for parties in the house and garden. 1st edition, Falken Verlag, Niedernhausen, 1997, ISBN 3-8068-1798-7
- Michael Ebner: lighting technology for stage and disco; A handbook for practitioners. 1st edition, Elektor-Verlag, Aachen, 2001, ISBN 3-89576-108-7
- Michael Ebner: lighting technology for stage and disco; A handbook for do-it-yourselfers. 6th edition, Elektor-Verlag, Aachen, 1992, ISBN 3-928051-12-1
Web links
- 4-channel light organ with phase control
- Plugin for the XMMS
- Plugin for the XMMS based on XPLSISNJASP
- Plugin for Winamp
- 1. Circuit diagram for the plugins, variant with transformer (in English)
- 2. Circuit diagram for the plugins, variant without transformer (in German)
- 3. Circuit diagram for the plugins, variant with transformer (in German)