This may be hard to clearly explain, but here goes:
My goal is to take a 4 channel (quad) sound system, and rotate the channels so they "spin" around the room, using a manually controlled knob, similar to a joystick. This device will be placed into the effects loop on a commercial sound system, or between the preamp and power amp.
So, lets give each channel a number 1 thru 4.
Normally, channel 1 - 2 - 3 - and 4 are going to speakers placed in each corner of a room. But when this device is turned 1/4 turn, channel 1 becomes 2, 2 becomes 3, 3 becomes 4, and 4 becomes 1.
A half turn will move the sound one more speaker around the room, and so on.....
If this device is turned rapidly, a full 360 deg. the sound will "spin" around the room.....
Ok, so far, it probably sounds like a simple rotary switch, except for one thing. I want the sound to fade and gain. In other words, the sound will fade as it leaves speaker 1, and gain as it enters speaker 2. At the same time, speaker 4 will fade and gain to speaker 1.
Each channel fades as it leaves the speaker it was using and gains as it enters the next speaker. Thus, the overall sound level (volume) from all speakers combined, will remain constant, while the sound travels from speaker to speaker.
What I'm picturing is having four potentiometers. Each one is acting as a "volume control", but as one is lowering the volume to speaker 1, the next control is raising the level to speaker 2, while at the same time, speaker 1 is increasing in volume from the source which was previously powering speaker 4.
[I said this would be hard to explain]....To sum up the whole thing, the sound will simply flow from speaker to speaker as it fades from the prior speaker to the next one.
I'm starting to catch on how to wire this (sort of), but I have no idea how to make all 4 potentiometer shafts to turn at the same time. I also believe I need potentiometers that do not have stops. (meaning that they can be rotated 360 deg and continue to rotate in the same direction indefinitely.
This is where my question arises: Do they have such a device already made, where there are 4 potentiometers connected by gears to one central shaft, and they are endless (no stop) type pots?
I have never really studied joysticks, but I did look up some web articles about them, and it appears that some of the early ones were simply potentiometers and were referred to as ANALOG joysticks.
But, if they do exist, where do I get more info about them and can they be purchased?