Some Quick Video Messing Around

I wanted to make something on my day off so here are some bits of my video stuff cut together over me messing with some audio stuff. Not very good or exiting yet but I wanted to start building up martial to edit down in to something worthwhile. Its mostly just testing equipment and ideas.

it also features the tyco camera from the earlier post!

A demonstration of VHS generation loss

A demonstration of VHS generation loss via zenpho on youtube he also has a website worth casting an eye and ear over

From the description:
"Video signals decay rapidly when copied repeatedly on domestic VHS video recorders. This video demonstrates the results, showing the degredation of the signal up to 11 generations. William Basinski did this with audio signals in an ambient epic called "The Disintegration Loops", however; the music in this video is written by me (using similar analogue mag-tape techniques to Basinski)."

Toy Cameras

So I now have few new toys, a 1980s Fisher Price Pixelvision PXL-2000 camera that records video on standard audio cassettes! and a Tyco TVC-8000 another small black and white camera from slightly later, both use a CCD, both are small and grey 


now the PXL- has a huge floowing and many online groups and film festivals dedicated to its users so I wont bother including all the links here (they are easy to find) but the Tyco TVC-8000 is less well known and used (which is why  it only cost me £1) here is an excellent website about its capabilities 

Vidicon Tube Sun Burn In

Older TV/video cameras used tubes to convert light in to an electrical signal instead of the now ubiquitous CCD, these tubes were quite limited and had many operational problems but they still have a cult following today due to there unique characteristics. The feedback produced for the original Doctor Who series was done by pointing a camera with a video tube at its own monitor. Similar effects can be produced with other technologies such as CCD but they are not as fluid and have a different esthetic. Another problem with Vidicon camera tubes is that very bright sources can damage their surface resulting in areas where the tube "goes blind"

I think that this is actually kind of cool almost like drawing with light as seen in David Hall's 1973 Vidicon Inscriptions here

here is a video from videolabguy on youtube demonstrating this problem his other videos and website are an amazing collection of useful info on vintage video gear 

Russian Video Synthesizers & Video Art

here is an interesting site with a bit of info on a Russian video synthesizer and other video works thanks to google translator I can mostly understand the gist of it!

Amiga Animation Effected By a CVI

Here is a nice scravbled loop created with an Amiga Fairlight CVI recorded on VHS from strumsart on youtube

ACE Video Enhancer

heres a nice ACE video enhancer from here also check GTH for more info 

Dale Heatherington's DIY TV and Video Projects

here is a very cool website with a list of projects Dale Heatherington cooked up in his youth including a video recorder an image scanner and various TV transmitters

Hilarious Michael Jackson's Black or White vs the Wobulator

here is a super cool piece by marisaolson on youtube using the raster scan distortion device created by Naim June Paik which is now part of the gear at the ETC


from the description
" The audio signals from Michael Jackson's "Black or White" modify the processing of a video of me listening to the song, via Nam June Paik's rasterizer/"wobulator." I made this on a residency at the Experimental Television Center (NY) and it's one of many headphone pieces in which I perform listening. The B/W question is tongue in cheek, but I was really inspired by the song's original music video, in which a series of faces/video portraits morph into each other..."

Early Video Synth by Carl Geiger

Slightly unhinged but incredible looking DIY analogue video mixer by Carl Geiger via the funks on flickr 

Bent Atari 1200xl

Bent Atari 1200xl via cosmicblooper more photos and stuff via the website  

Adachi Video Synthesizer

here is a cute looking video processing unit made by Adachi Tomomi, there are two videos on his website here  

from his site 

"This is video equipment not for sound but it bases on electric musical idea treating video signal as sound signal. It works with video cameras and video monitor / video feedback system. The synthesizer has high frequency filters, signal mixer (not video mixer) and color adjuster. All of following video images is made by this system."

Bent Video Painter

heres a bent video a pinter from asmo on flickr

Circuit Bent Hing Hon EK-001 [Video model]

here are some nice visual created by running video through this circuit bent keyboard from frostedminipete on youtube 

Panasonic Switcher & Camera Contollers

Panasonic Switcher & Camera Contollers Via mediageek on flickr 
ooooh! chrome and 70s looking, with retro potentiometer and slider caps.... sexy (well as sexy as video equipment gets anyway)

(taken from flickr)
"The video mixer is functional, but all analog. You can reproduce many of your favorite effects from the best early 1980s music videos. "

Dirty Video Mixer

Karl Klomp's Dirty Video Mixer certainly gets about. It really is the easiest and most useful diy video project to get started with. here are some projects I found online...

heres one in a tiny blue plastic suitcase from Pan&tone 
Brazilian  and super cute! 

heres one with an photocell and a smart us of a CD case 
by servando on fliker 

and heres another unfinished involved in some text manipulation 
project, from typomotion

another from Joeknow in a classy burgundy

and another in a old printer cartridge

EPSON dirt video mixer FUSION from anatomic visual on Vimeo.

and another from ohnoitshoward on youtube


and another (tired yet) from psysaid32



and finally (although I'm sure there are way more) via pinballw1zard 

Videoscapes

I love the Idea of Videoscapes. After the mid 90s boom in popularity glitch has become a critical part of contemporary popular esthetics.  This does mean having to wade through a lot of mundane retrogressive stuff that doesn't really do anything for me. Audio visual works can be very emotive and immersive but who wants to be immersed in boredom?


here is a really good example of a successful (to me anyway) piece of work using noise/glitch of both an audio and visual nature. via videoscapes



more info: Radio Dada (3:47')(video: Rosa Menkman, music: Extraboy, 2008) The video-images are constructed out of nothing but the image created by feedback (I turned a high-end camera on a screen that was showing, in real time, what I was filming, creating a feedback loop). Then I glitched the video by changing its format and subsequently exporting it into animated gifs. I (minimalistically) edited the video in Quicktime. Then I sent the file to Extraboy, who composed music for the video. The composing process started with a hand held world radio. Extraboy scanned through frequencies and experimented with holding the radio in different parts of the room while touching different objects. Eventually he got the radio to oscillate noise in the tempo that he perceived in the video. The added synthesizer sounds were played live to further build on the non-digital sound and rhythm. This was later contrasted with drums which were digitally synthesized and processed through effects with a very digital sound to them. Just like with the video, the digital and analogue media and aesthetics of sound are mixed into one coherent whole.

Interesting Arduino Video Synth

Slow Noise from jonbro on Vimeo.

Interesting Feedback/Keying Effect

Tense Tents - The Feast via Zonk Out on vimeo

Check out the rest of the videos they're a blast!

FELIX - VIDEO SYNTHESIZER

here's a page about an interesting 70s canadian video synthesizer "Felix" 

"During the period of 1974-76, the 'Felix' videosynthesizer was built from custom printed circuit boards (created by Jim Armstrong) which were comprised of 'adder-multipliers' (analog mixers), 'window comparators and keyers'(separate channel keyers), '16-channel quantizer' module (slicing a signal / ramp according to threshold), a switcher - mixer (re-built by Razutis from a Viscount model) and accessory input/output devices (routing) all housed in a large console (provided by Tom Osborne from surplus equipment at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver)."

Nice Composition Featuring Video Feedback

Shimneys of Electra Chew (Ken Burns Burning EFFECT) via JamesIII 

National Center For Experimental Television

Here's an interesting website for the now defunct (unlike The ETC) National Center For Experimental Television that existed in San Francisco between 1969 to 1975 the website seems a little unfinished but has a great archive of information and images including photos of the Beck Direct system and the Videola by Don Hallock. 

Some Nice Raster Scan Manipulation

Psychic Violence - VHS #2 from totallytv on youtube 

Analog Distortion - Audio to Video

analog distortion - audio to video from Indivisualists on Vimeo.

AKAI PS-V20E

Here's a sexy Akai video processor the PS-V20E with a nice colourizer and a joy stick! via this auction. It also came in black

Vtape Video Art Archive

Check out vtape an amazing archive of video art if this is your thing (it is mine) then this will be like searching through a good second hand bookshop or record store!

LZX Industries Visionary Modular Synthesizer

LZX Industries recently posted a new photo of their modular video system The Visionary video synthesizer an have now included it in thier web site.I also hear the first systems have shipped!

Restate Rebelle

I know it been around for ages but the ultimate mysterious German boutique audio/video effect deserves a post. The website is as purposefully glitchy as the unit itself ! more clear info here 

video via dirtybrownvisuals 

Circuit Bent Web-cam Audio Visualizer

via giulioescalona on youtube

Video Bulb

Video Bulb is a cute little product from japan that plugs in to the composite socket at the back of your TV an displays a continuos loop of pixel based animation. Not to exiting on its own but imagine being able to take a box of these to a gig with different clips on them and literally pick you clips up and handle them! its nice to dream. Video via galloween on youtube

 

Video Circuits Valve Crosshatch & Dot Generator

Couldn't resist taking these shots from a ebay auction (wrong I know) but what a cool bit of kit !

Video Oscilloscopes !

Some very expensive digital oscilloscopes have composite outputs, if like me you can't find one cheap there are a few other products on the market to fit the bill.

The very cool Critter and Guitari Video Scope produces colourful NTSC video for $99

For us Europeans the MFB VD-01 Videoscope synth module gives a more traditional black and white PAL scope image for €159.

Both units give a slightly blocky output unlike a real oscilloscope image but they could both find a home in a hardwarevideo set up. They also eliminate the need for rescanning a normal oscilloscope screen (which has its own charm but demands space and equipment). 

Here is an excellent video from DamagedMeat on youtube illustrating the MFB VD-01's potential

Bend Matrix Control Of Audio Synthesis + Video Effects

Here is an interesting video using a bend matrix from common sound to control audio and video bends in various equipment

Sencore Video Colour Generator

Here is a very pretty colour test pattern generator via Collin Mel on Flickr

Nice looking set up of circuit bent video equipment

Heres a nice looking set of circuit bent video equipment via sharpie777 on flickr also see here for more info 

from Iain Sharp on Vimeo.

Pepposcopio Otolab Polar/scan Image Generator

Self build video polar/scan image generator for otolab performance, circo ipnotico via tonylight on youtube
 

Trippy Video Synth Meditations

Videographic Modulations for Meditation and Visualisation uploaded to youtube by JeffreyPlaide whose excellent channel I Highly recommend. 

El Arte Del Video Video Synthesis

Here is an excellent rundown of video art history in relation to video synth techniques uploaded by JeffreyPlaide on youtube. Thanks!

Interesting Visuals

beautiful synesthetic video feedback from Barry S

Synaesthesia from Barry S on Vimeo.