Audion continues my experiments with neon oscillators. In this case, I wanted to create an 'open' system where the interaction between the oscillating units is acoustic rather than electrical. Each oscillating unit hangs from the ceiling, having also a speaker suspended below. The installation consists of a number of these units places within a space, and each is tuned to match the others' frequencies. The sound produced by each unit fills the space and is fed back to each oscillator through microphones. This feedback network is sensitive to changes in the acoustic environment, and will produce variations in activity when disturbed by movement or other noises.

The heart of each oscillating unit is a neon discharge tube called a strobotron. It was most often employed in strobe circuits, preceding the advent of xenon tubes. Audio input from a microphone is amplified by a 12AX7 dual triode and is fed to a 5963 configured as an astable multivibrator . The incoming audio acts as a synchronizing signal, changing both the frequency and phase of the oscillator. The oscillator's output is then used to trigger the discharge tube producing a flash of light and an audible pulse through the coupled speaker.

The installation currently consists of four oscillating units. The preferred space is one that is large and reverberant.

Listen:

Audion_edit.mp3 (1Mb, 128kbps)