[sdiy] Video-synth DIY ?

[Metrophage]

Does/ has anybody here tinkered with making video synths or processors?

I have been interested in video art for most of my life, but it has
always been an elusive thing. The hardware was never widely produced.
The classic works of the medium are not readily distributed for people
to see. Years ago I got to see some analog video work from Nam June
Paik, Ed Emshwiller, Dan Sandin, and others - these made a lasting
impact on the ways I think about video.

I am aware that video signals run faster, with the various components
synchronized together. What I have read on the topic at
AudioVisualizers and other sites is not terribly specific about
implementation. A lot of the older systems (circa 1968-1974) appeared
to be analog modular (audio) synths which had interfaces hacked into
video scan modulators, ramp generators, etc. Lots of emphasis on
oscillators being "phase locked", which I'd guess is like hard sync?

Thinking ahead, since I will have a few panels together this year, I am
wondering how I can interface these to video gear. My computers are not
fast enough for most video stuff I have tried, and I am less inspired
by the After Effects and Arkaos ways of doing things. NATO or Jitter
would be fun, but are too expensive for me now, and I'd need a faster
computer. So I am determined to learn more about video synth DIY. I
currently have way too much stuff on my plate to fix, mod, and build -
so I will start messing around with this stuff next year.

I'd be more than psyched to hear of anybody's experiences with such
things!
CJ

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