Abstract

This invention describes a visual sound device for use in the visual interpretation of a received electrical sound signal, which has an electro visual means that responds visually in amplitude to the amplitude variations of the intelligence contained within a band of frequencies contained within the frequency spectrum of a received electrical sound signal. The device consists of at least one channel, which has a filter that passes the intelligence contained within the band pass of the filter and an amplifier which amplifies the intelligence, a rectifier for rectifying the amplified intelligence, and, a power amplifier which amplifies the rectified intelligence to a sufficient power level to drive an electro visual means which is connected at the output thereof. The electro visual means used in this form of the invention is a spotlight, which varies visually in amplitude to the amplitude variations of the intelligence passed by the filter. The device can be used for pleasure, such as when it is used to observe, in visual form, music, voice, or other sound signals present in electrical form at the output of a radio, a stereo, a public address system, a phonograph, a tape player, etc. Or, it can be used as a means of visually identifying the sources of sound contained in the audio range, as well as sources of sound contained in the ranges below and above the audio range. The device can contain any number of different channels. One of the channels contains a filter, which has a manually adjustable center frequency, which gives the device a search feature, which enables an operator to manually search the sound signal for a particular bit of information contained within the frequency range of the received electrical sound signal. The device, also, incorporates automatic gain control to compensate for the changes in the strength of the received electrical sound signal.