Cycle 1 – Analog Video Synthesizer – Ashley Browne

Posted: March 29, 2022 | Author: Ashley Browne | Filed under: Uncategorized |1 Comment »

For the cycle 1 project, I fabricated an analog video synthesizer that would allow the user to mix two separate video inputs into one. I knew that I wanted this chance to experiment with CRTs and live video, so I used a video camera as one input, which was directed towards the audience and the other was from a video sourced online. When mixing the two, I had to be deliberate in the videos chosen so that they would be able to overlap one another on the television screen– it had to have enough negative space for the second video input to show through. 

For the physical material, I wanted the housing to resemble a controller or something small enough to be held with both hands. I enjoyed a lot of the feedback received from my classmates– many of them mentioned it felt nostalgic and that the challenge of using the video synthesizer seemed to fit the aesthetic that was happening. 

Here is the schematic I used, from Karl Klomp:

http://www.karlklomp.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/index.html 

And documentation of the synthesizer and video output: 

For cycle 2, I’d like to build another video synthesizer with different toggle switches so that it’s a bit easier to use. I’d also like to focus more on the content of the work and think closely about which two video inputs are being used and how that may affect audience participation and reception. For the 3rd cycle, I’d imagine it coming together as a two player interaction, where player 1 uses the video synthesizer and player 2 uses another apparatus that also affects what is happening on screen. It would also be interesting to see how I can incorporate projection or consider different kinds of installation setup moving forward.

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