Brief
University of Nottingham engineers unveil solid‑state rotary speaker
The prototype uses a circular array of stationary drivers to electronically shift audio around listeners, mimicking classic rotary speaker effects.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Engineers at the University of Nottingham have demonstrated a solid‑state speaker system that produces the acoustic sensation of a moving sound source without any mechanical components, according to scitechdaily.com.
What happened
The research team, based in the university’s Faculty of Engineering, constructed a circular array of speakers. By electronically shifting the audio signal across the array, the device creates a perception that the sound is rotating around the listener. The prototype was described in a paper published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society.
What the reports add
Scitechdaily notes that traditional rotary speakers, such as the 1930s Leslie speaker, rely on motors and belts to rotate horns and baffles, whereas the Nottingham system achieves a similar spatial effect purely through phase modulation of the sound waves reaching the listener. The article emphasizes that the approach sits between mechanical and digital audio effects, offering a new method for spatial sound manipulation.
What was said
Fernando Perez‑Cota, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, explained that the system “recreates aspects of a classic rotary speaker without motors, belts, or other moving components.”
How it came about
The project builds on longstanding interest in recreating the Leslie speaker’s distinctive modulation. While many digital emulations alter the signal before it reaches a single loudspeaker, the Nottingham prototype manipulates the physical sound field itself, aiming to preserve the spatial behavior that made the original effect popular in music.
Key facts
- The University of Nottingham built a solid‑state speaker that creates the illusion of rotating sound. (scitechdaily.com)
- The system uses a circular array of stationary speakers to shift audio electronically. (scitechdaily.com)
- The research was published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. (scitechdaily.com)
- Fernando Perez‑Cota described the design as avoiding motors, belts, or moving parts. (scitechdaily.com)
Sources
- [1] scitechdaily.com — originally reported as “Engineers Create Revolutionary New Sound Effect Technology”
