Have you seen The Lyte? - Updated
Due to reasons that I still can’t quite fathom, things have fallen way behind. As a result and in an attempt to get somewhat back on track, this week’s video is a rather simple one. That’s not to say it’s devoid of entertainment/interest, but it’s also unlikely to be something you’ll be thinking about tomorrow.
Anyway enough of this hard sell…here’s the link: https://youtu.be/OR5yhgupt0g
In other news, you may have heard that Audio Technica is bringing back the Sound Burger record player as a Limited Edition. I’ve put in my pre-order today. I just thought you might want to know in case you felt like doing the same before they all sell out. Of course once it arrives I intend to do a review. Here’s the link for the UK https://www.audio-technica.com/en-gb/at-sb2022#
UPDATE 1: Took off most of the extraneous intro. The video starts a bit suddenly now, but that's fine.
UPDATE 2: Quite a few people asked to see additional tones displayed on the device, so I’ve added in a 45 second section that starts at around 08:04.
Comments (81)
from ipdb.org: The Data East "Laser War" flyer shows a trapezoidal backbox topper with a spinning LED board to create an optical effect during game play. The designer of that game, Joe Kaminkow, said that the light itself came in a square black box, approximately 12 by 12 inches (sold as the Lyte Sound Visualizer manufactured by Clyde Industries America Inc.). Data East added a custom trapezoidal housing around it for mounting on the backbox using screws and connected it to the sound board. Joe said the topper was too expensive and was discontinued during the production run of this game. He guessed about 500 of the earliest machines came with this topper. A video of the device in use on a pinball can be seen at https://youtu.be/hNQK5iU9jjg
A fun device, Mat.. I know some guys from my college days who would have loved it, if you know what I mean. Thanks for sharing.
Watched the update - even better. You may have appeared to be having a *little* to much fun demoing your electronica skillz, but that's OK. :-D
Shit. Sold out. That's what I get
Younger viewers might not appreciate just how big Music+Lights were in the 70s and 80s. I remember going to a Lazerium show at a planetarium (because of the dome screen) in the early 80s. Very cool.
technically, it is a spectrum analyzer with only two bands…
Spectacular!!! By far my favorite of all such devices you’ve recently reviewed.
These days, with three-colour LEDs including blue, one could make something quite spectacular.
This was wonderfully cool, given the retro tech of the times.
I don't think it would have been affordable with 1980's technology but I think the display would have been more interesting if there was a way for it to sync the rotation of the arm to a multiple of the beat of the music, e.g. if the music is 100bpm and 4:4 time, 400 or 800 rpm on the lyte would stabilize the display somewhat. Similar to an oscilliscope syncing on rise or fall makes it easier to see the input waveform.
Interesting device. I do wonder if the noise is partly due to it being a bit unbalanced weight-wise or bearing wear. Ceiling fans always require a bit of tweaking. Oh and completely unrelated to the video but something I spotted today, this Top of the Pops performance has probably the most reel to reel players I've seen (usually its just one) but they have three! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo-UJSbEEI8
Wonderful device - I want one.
Interesting video, I don't normally get interested in visualisation devices, but I really enjoyed learning about this one. Sadly I wasn't quick enough for the Sound Burger, they sold out fast.
U.S. orders of the SB are on 'backorder' but haven't 'sold out' yet - and there's no indication they will be sent out any time soon.
I hope that’s the case. It said backordered but the charge is listed as pending on my credit card.
Sound Burger already out of stock!
Your fellow patrons bought most of them.
Thanks for the update on the Sound Burger. They won’t ship to Hawaii so they’ll be shipping it instead to my daughter on the mainland. Placed the order, estimated shipping date TBD. Thanks again!
Another great video. I would have liked to see inside to find out how they connected to the rotating bar - did they use slip rings?
If you’re interested - here’s a gallery of pictures of the internals https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/1987-data-east-lazer-war-topper?gallery#g
Thank you for the update, I should have expected nothing from the oscilloscope audio but the sweep was interesting.
If nothing else the oscilloscope audio needs two channels for the X/Y plot
Great video! Got me very tempted to design my own version for fun. Someone else already said it (as always) but really reminds me of the old winamp visualization plugins.
Great video, as always. I can’t wait to watch the next one on the IKEA turntable. https://www.ikea.com/be/nl/p/obegraensad-platenspeler-zwart-70526339/
I couldn’t get hold of one when I tried - they’d sold out.
Sound Burger pre-orders have sold out. Whaaaaa!
Did you manage to get one?
I WANT ONE!!! (with the 40 LED's per wing and completely working)
I was hoping we might see the oscilloscope music through this. Though I suppose it may not be much different than regular music.
Since it's been asked a few times I might have to shoot this - to show it will look just like any sounds played on a spinning VU meter.
You know what I was thinking watching this: This is something that people in the psychedelic 70s would have LOVED! They’d have been all over it. The technology wasn’t there, however….Fast forward to the 80s/90s and now, while the technology is there, the hipsters are obsessing over grunge rock and being slackers and carrying all their music around on Walkmans and CD players. I just kept thinking that this was the idea of someone who thought it was still 1978 and 1987. Perhaps they got their digits flipped!!! Love the video!
Mat, perhaps a nice addition to the video is to show what a single tone would look like. Or a frequency sweep perhaps even. Might be fun to watch, and even better show how the electronics handle that
i wonder what pure waveforms (sine,triangle etc) look like?
Everything pure should be a circle - I presume it would light up one LED. UPDATE - Nope - see the updated version above - starting at around 08:04
I've now seen the Lyte - and it's mesmerizing. An enjoyable video! This reminds me of the good ole days of Winamp visualizers; but it's a bit more appealing, because it's a physical item. It's something to show off on top of the stereo system. Incidentally, I posted one of the incarnations of this thing (I think?) on this week's Electronic Potpourri in the Community section. https://www.ebay.com/itm/195439208474 https://www.patreon.com/posts/74004255 Have you gotten your right ear refurbished? 🤞
That's a very odd co-incidence. I haven't had a chance to look through your whole list yet - I had to get this video out first. The ear is quite a bit better than it was - but I think it may have topped out at about 50% hearing. I'm kind of getting used to it now - like the one eye and the lack of smell & taste and the diabetes. I've just realised I'm like the dysfunctional opposite of the Six Million Dollar Man & Bionic Woman combined. One had the bionic eye, the other a bionic ear.
Very cool device! I would have definitely bought one of these back then.
Thanks again for the great video. I also ordered the Sound Burger.
The illustration on the ad was pretty funny: the whole family sitting down to enjoy music with the added thrill of the Lyte (one on each speaker, even!). Why do I suspect that these were mostly bought by single men in their Twenties, and it would have been one of the most expensive things in their shared apartment?
Could have fooled me if you hadn't shown the incredible amount of components on that rotor arm, the overall design looks very modern to me. With the patterns it showed when connected to the Korg, I wonder how it would handle the oscilloscope music tracks.
wow, that's a super slick display! I think the noise of the POV mechanism would drive me nuts, but it may be worth it :)
Well, it looks much nicer than those cheap fans you plug in the USB and you can blind your coworkers with. It reminded me of winamp days.... I liked the video though. Compact but classic! The sound burger is attractive but still not cheap at those fans. It is worth it though...
Hallelujah! I've seen the Lyte! Really enjoyed this video and the light effect was better than I expected. Thanks for the sound burger tip! Just put in my pre-order!
Thanks for the tip on the Sound Burger! I don’t have enough room for a full turntable setup at the moment, so it’s pretty much perfect for me.
1987 old lol. Saw a zx spectrum in a museum this week a computer i grew up with. The lyte was enlightening. Reminds me of an older video you did (hologram fan).
Haven't yet seen video - but thanks for tip on pre-ordering Sound Burger (I did). Seems odd that it costs $199 in the U.S., because if it's £199 we should pay more? - no complaints though.
Years ago people used to talk about the Dollar £. With Apple it is more like the 90 cent £. However. it is worth pointing out that U.K. consumer prices always include sales taxes.
Always love to see a proto music visualizer. This one has strong Laser FX vibes. Love what they have done for the Sound Burger. A few touches to bring it into 2022, but keeping the exact same aesthetic down to typography. 12 hours of battery life vs. the original 2 hour? yes please.
It would be funny if Techmoan hooked up the Laser FX and this at the same time. I wonder if he still has it?
I kind of like this. I was never into "light shows" when I was a kid in the 1970s despite putting together a "colo(u)r organ" in electronics class. This one, though, is pretty neat. I like it! I will dig into the Pinball site to see about how they get the power and audio to the "propeller blade". All the electronics, save for something to attenuate the sound level, would be on that blade, so only audio in and power for the circuits. A modern version would have much less rotational mass given the "chip on board" LEDs and eensy-beensy (tech term) ICs that are available. Might even be able to have one channel on one arm and the other channel on the other. Motor would likely be quieter, too, especially if you can get the blade mass down. You, Mat, may have had visions of Cheese Sandwiches, but this was pretty good!
Oh! And radioshackcatalogs.com is VERY cool. I sent the owner a couple bucks when he had to convert from Flash to something not-Flash and he's done a great job.
I see a new show intro coming!
When's your new Synth album being released? :D The Lyte is also quite an interesting device. Could be fun to have one that's not as loud on the wall.
Thanks Mat, for that hint on the new soundburger! Ordered it right away 😁
Lovely to watch this, given my latest chapter in my tale of woe. I'm back in hospital, having been re-infected, and having to have both heart-related operations from last month done again. I've had better years! (They're pretty sure it's the same infection that wasn't given long enough to clear.) It's things like this, that make you wonder about those who email complaining about lack of videos. We Patreons know about your health and family issues, but sadly most people wouldn't give it a second thought, and DEMAND their weekly video unaware of any behind the scenes drama.
Sorry to hear that Brad - it's at times like this when you wonder what it is you've done to deserve this. Take care.
I don’t own any records and probably never will…but I really badly want one of those Sound Burgers! 😐 oh dear!
I keep buying records in charity shops despite only having an original Sound Burger I can easily play them on. Last week I couldn't resist "Soft and Easy" from 1979 with a Boots price label saying £5.25 for £1. I'm hoping for some BGM style goodness.
I found the Lyte very mesmerising!
Thanks for the heads up on the Sound Burger. I am now 230€ lyter. Let's hope it's better than the Crosley copycat.
I think it should be good - Bluetooth and rechargeable are useful additions to an already decent quality device.
Gotta admit... that things pretty cool. I am assuming though that you could get something equal to this on Aliexpress for nothing now. I kind of want something similiar
This video might have been a simple one, but it's still top quality! Never seen the Lyte before, but I want one now. Would have liked to have seen more of DJ Techmoan rocking the Korg!
Holding out for the sound crocodile myself.
Very tempted by the sound burger, but all my records are inaccessible in the loft. Yes, they're called records.
Nice 80's style device, I like it! Technically also pretty easy to make, probably the most expensive component is the bearing that needs at least 3 wire connections getting through: power (+ and GND) and the signal. I guess everything that is processed happens in those ICs on the rotor.
I suspect these ICs are shift registers to keep the number of data lines low. EDIT: Nevermind, according to the pinball forums thread that Mat linked, these are LM3914 ICs. Frequently used for VU meters in the 80s.
I noticed in the first Radio Shack catalogue they give you the size of the display as just under 10 inches in glorious vulgar fractions, and in later years they switch to telling you the case is 12x12 inches. Marketing!
Threw myself on that pre-order. Thanks for the tip!
Got mine, finally! (0252) :-D
I'm in the same boat. I'm always behind LOL!
It’s amazing that you get the videos out at the rate you do. I’m often scared off starting on repair videos because if things do go south (which they often do) there’d be nothing to show that week.
Mat, I'd reconsider the including the first minute of the video intro but that's me. I got the impression you had to bang out a video about anything. Actually I like the Lyte I never saw one before. A take on your reel to reel Techmoan effect. Best wishes.
I understand - I’ll take another look at it.
People complaining about there being no video one week or another need to pipe down. Things take time, and sometimes they need to take longer.
Your videos never disappoint, even when you think it’s just a quick/dirty/easy one :). It seems the sound burger cannot be pre-ordered from my location (the Netherlands). What a shame. Well, more fun to be had with the Techmoan(r)(tm) review once it’s released!
That link from Mat points to the UK Site of AT, try the Dutch and look for „AT SB2022“….
Hey! i hope your dad is doing well im having a similar issue with my grandad which is horrible to see. Will check this video out later. When will the pre order of the sound burger be released? Take care
He’s still keeping on going, thanks. I’m not sure on the Soundburger dates - someone emailed me this morning and sent me the Japan link where preorders open on the 4th November. So I was trying to figure out how to get one from there and then I got hold of the U.K. link…which doesn’t seem to be public yet. I suspect they’ll be sent out sometime in November.
Thanks for the heads-up on the Sound Burger. I just pre-ordered!
Reminds me of one of Jeff Minter's Virtual Light Machines, but w/o the virtual.