List of Artists Who Make & Sell Analog Video Hardware

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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS (hence all the edits)
I think this list is very important to have and update for everybody’s sake, especially for newcomers to analog video art in general, who have no idea where to even look for examples of custom analog video gear.

== ARTISTS WHO CIRCUIT BEND EXISTING GEAR ==
“Existing gear” meaning discontinued mixers and enhancers made in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s by manufacturers like Panasonic, Roland, Sima, Videonics, etc.

  • Big Pauper Modified Circuitry
    est. 2009. based in Portland, OR.
    Big Pauper has been bending analog video hardware for well over a decade and they’ve got some very unique and advanced products. They’re very good at hijacking circuits from tough-to-bend devices such as the famous Roland Edirol V4. Well known bends include the Fluxus & Fluxus Duo, Basic & Premium Cable, and a stunning arsenal of bent video mixers from different manufacturers. Some devices even have CV input and can be used with Eurorack gear. Price range: $200 - $1,000.
    Website: https://glitchart.com/

  • Tachyons+
    est. 2012. based in Florida.
    Tachyons+ is probably one of the more well-known benders to those who are just getting into analog video art. This is because they have been at it for nearly as long as BP has and not only are their devices well-built and have custom paint jobs but they’ve also been used in some relatively high profile music videos. Well known bends include the Vortex Decoder, Psychenizer, and the Dreamweapon. Price range: $400 - $800.
    Website: Tachyons+

  • Coolpics.biz
    est. 2016. based in Boston, MA.
    Coolpics.biz is a glitch art collective in the North East US that specializes in building custom video devices, as well as selling T-shirts, glitch video packs, prints, and other services. Their bends are very solid and are based on units that neither BPMC nor Tachyons+ sell. Price range: $125 - $210.
    Website: https://shop.coolpics.biz/

  • Mezkalin Lightshows
    est. 2018. based in Germany.
    Mezkalin is a light show artist that has been steadily pushing out stunning and unique looking custom gear that is mostly in PAL format and on German-manufactured units, making this creator an ideal choice for analog glitch artists in Europe.
    Website: Glitch Gear - glitch video gear

== ARTISTS WHO MAKE ORIGINAL GEAR ==
“Original gear” meaning circuits that are not based on older existing units. Most of these devices generate their own video signals, meaning they are more like video synthesizers rather than the glitchy effect processors made by the artists in the previous category.

  • LZX Industries
    est. 2008. based in Portland, OR.
    LZX is the hardware video synthesis company producing Eurorack modules that generate and manipulate analog video through CV signals. Perhaps the most famous of their products is the standalone Vidiot which is a powerful generative tool for any analog video artist. Their modules are in very high demand and production wait times can be long. There is an active LZX forum community, which surely has inspired other artists to start producing and selling their own Eurorack compatible video synths and modules. Price range: $200 - $800 per module.
    Website: Products – LZX Industries

  • Sleepy Circuits
    est. 2019.
    Sleepy Circuits is responsible for making Hypno, an “all-in-one” standalone video synthesizer that is Eurorack compatible and has composite RCA, HDMI, and NDI output (demo here). It gets regular firmware updates and also has an active forum dedicated to it. Supports both PAL & NSTC. Price: $620.
    Website: Hypno - Video Synthesizer — Sleepy Circuits

  • @andrei_jay
    shop est. 2020. based in Brooklyn.
    Andrei is a video artist and software/hardware designer currently making some exciting video effect units that involve custom code and can be used with both hardware and software. Price range: $135 - $525.
    Etsy Shop: VIDEOWAAAVES - Etsy

  • Melted Electronics
    shop est. 2018. based in Turin, Italy.
    Responsible for making the Strange Loop, a standalone video feedback effect unit with HDMI and composite RCA output (demo here). Supports both PAL & NSTC.
    Etsy Shop: MeltedElectronics - Etsy

  • LoFi Future
    est. 2011. based in the UK.
    This artist makes some very attractive original glitch video processors and feedback generators that support both PAL and NSTC. Price range: £110 - £500.
    Website: LoFi Future - Circuit Bent By Design

  • Gleix
    est. ??? based in Brooklyn.
    Not to be missed: quite a few interesting standalone video synthesizers, many of which are based on video feedback and/or semi-modular.
    Website: Visual Devices

  • Erogenous Tones
    est. 2015.
    Erogenous Tones is responsible for Structure, an advanced standalone Eurorack video module with very powerful features (demo here). Price: ~$900 USD.
    Website: STRUCTURE | Erogenous Tones

  • MORE ARTISTS: Video synth makers (euro rack / stand alone)

== DIY CIRCUITS & KITS ==
for you to build and solder yourself while learning something! some of these inventors also sell kits with the parts you need.

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ok sweet a few in common there. I feel we need a list that gives a brief synopsis of what each artist does. like an idea of what to expect before u click on the link to an artist’s shop

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anyone can edit that post. if you want to add the other creators. and i also think descriptions would be helpful

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alright I fleshed out this list quite a bit more with brief description of each artist as well as added some more. I would love some feedback or suggestions, especially if I missed anything. There are one or two things I still need to add.

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Hi @YOVOZOL I’m an analog video circuit maker/seller but I wouldn’t consider myself an artist (because I’m nowhere near as amazing as, or as well known as the others above). @bobbypharaoh posted a link to the existing wiki page of makers at Video synth makers (euro rack / stand alone) above - are you wanting this page to be a specific subset of that one, covering only those who make art with their own gear as well as sell it to the public? I note that this page has much, much more useful information though, which is lacking on the other one. But I do wonder if we could get by with a single page which brings both of them together somehow.

Also: I checked out your youtube and really enjoyed your glitch art and behind-the-scenes vids!

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Hey @VisibleSignals ! I consider anybody making hardware in this realm to be an artist! About the other wiki, I feel like it is more specific to video synthesizers given the title of it. So I just continued to work on this one here as a more general, all-encompassing list with the three categories that seem to work for now: circuit bent gear, original gear, and DIY kits. I think somebody more knowledgeable about video synthesis and who is willing to write about the specifics of the modules made by those who are linked in that wiki can and should flesh out some descriptions there. I for sure might not be the best, considering I don’t have any true video synth gear and come at this from more of a glitch art angle haha.

Thanks for checking out my YT and stuff! I think, if we get to a point where this list seems comprehensive enough, it would be cool to do a video overviewing the variety of gear out there. There is no video on YouTube that aggregates this kind of knowledge as far as I know.

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Yes! Even just looking purely at things from a hardware perspective it’s clear there are a few axes to consider when assessing and categorising video synthesis tools:

  • new/old equipment
  • stock/bent circuitry
  • glitched signal/within spec
  • complete unit/DIY kit/DIY board-only

Not to mention the crossovers, like the use of new circuits (LFOs, counter chips etc) being included to enhance bent device functionality.

And looking at it from the technique perspective it’s even more varied. I’d love to see a complete taxonomy/vocab guide online covering all the video synthesis (and beyond) techniques one day, with examples and explanations. I think that would be especially helpful for people who are new to video synthesis.

My apologies if I’m starting to diverge the original intent of this wiki - maybe my messages should be moved to a separate thread…

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EDIT:
deleted links as I’ve consolidated all of that info plus more into one place

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This is great and thank you for putting all these topics in one place! I think it is useful for everybody to have them all linked together. One thing I didn’t really get into which I kind of lumped into “original circuits” are Raspberry Pi based gear which are also kind of DIY since it seems anyone can download the code from GitHub and build one themselves.

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Thanks for posting all the links in your post, I think it adds to this thread, which is great :star_struck:
I’d suggest adding #ReverseLandfill to the complete units & the DIY list. #Syntonie also makes a lot more than one unit.

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all my links are wikis anybody can add to them! thanks for the love.

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bumping this resource, in case anyone wants to help keeping it updated

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I found these analog video-toys:
Website: http://analogreason.wz.sk
composite RCA output, PAL, no-software, no-computer

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I’ve started selling the circuit bent devices that I modify, so might be worth adding me to the list:

allmyfriendsaresynths - Glasgow, Scotland. http://shop.allmyfriendsaresynths.com

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Always the bridesmaid never the bride :joy:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CatFullOfGhosts?ref=dashboard-header

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