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The Azimuth Co-ordinator was the first
Pink Floyd's Azimuth Co-ordinator on show at V&A Museum
12 May 1967: Pink Floyd Astounds With 'Sound in the Round'V & A Museum Object No. S.294-1980, Sound equipment, Azimuth co-ordinator
{{Pink Floyd Sound production technology Pink Floyd
The Azimuth Co-ordinator was the first panning
Pan or PAN may refer to:
Food
* Pan (cooking), a piece of cooking equipment
* Harina P.A.N., a pre-cooked corn meal
* Pan or Paan, a North Indian term for betel
Prefix
* ''Pan-'', a prefix meaning "all", "of everything", or "involving all ...
control for a quadraphonic
Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic, also called quadrasonic or by the neologism quadio ortmanteau, formed by analogy with "stereo" sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are po ...
sound system Sound system may refer to:
Technology media
* Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience
* High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home
* Public address system, an institution ...
, at that time a new concept. Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
became the first band to use it in their early shows.
The Azimuth Co-ordinator uses four rotary rheostat
A potentiometer is a three-terminal (electronics), terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat.
...
s housed in a large box. The rheostats were converted from their standard 270 degrees rotation to operate over the narrower 90 degree range imposed by the physical constraints of the control lever with the box top aperture. The system was operated using two joysticks, which allowed an audio signal
An audio signal is a representation of sound, typically using either a changing level of electrical voltage for analog signals or a series of binary numbers for Digital signal (signal processing), digital signals. Audio signals have frequencies i ...
to be panned between up to six loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or, more fully, a speaker system) is a combination of one or more speaker drivers, an enclosure, and electrical connections (possibly including a crossover network). The speaker driver is an ...
s placed around the hall.
During Pink Floyd's live shows, the Azimuth Co-ordinator was operated by keyboardist Rick Wright.
As he operated the joystick, the source of the sound moved from speaker to speaker around the auditorium. With the controls in the central position, the sound output would be equal in all speakers.
It was constructed by technical engineer Bernard Speight at EMI Recording Studios.
The original was stolen after the first concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...
in London, England. A second was built for the concert at the Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
in London on 14 April 1969. It had two pan pots and four channels.
Lost for many years, it was found under the aegis of London's Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
, and displayed as part of their Theatre Collections gallery from March 2009. It is also included as part of the V&A's 2017 '' Their Mortal Remains'' exhibition.
References
* ''The New Musical Express Book of Rock'', 1975, Star Books,External links
Pink Floyd's Azimuth Co-ordinator on show at V&A Museum
12 May 1967: Pink Floyd Astounds With 'Sound in the Round'
{{Pink Floyd Sound production technology Pink Floyd