hello! I am pretty new on the video synth scene and am looking to try to design and build a simple circuit. The idea is the image attached. any advice on how I should do this? idea is that input signal is received, divided into r / g / b components, and if button is on, signal proceeds to secondary color editing for that specific value. so you could make the R orange, for example. it would then recombine to the output.
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Hello!
what kind of input format would you use?
Depending on the type of video format you choose the solution might vary.
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I was thinking VHS, my friend who introduced me to this thrifts movies and just lets em play at shows.
VGA signals are really easy to break up into red, green and blue.
VGA has cables that look like this.
Each pin does a different thing and some pins are your colors red, green and blue:
That makes them easy to circuit bend… If you don’t want to get too involved, there are cables that split the signal for you
Splitting each individual signal into three other pieces, like you have in your diagram is beyond me.
You said you wanted to edit VHS. There are not a lot of VGA VCRs, but you could get a Composite video (red, white and yellow cables) to VGA adapter and then split your VGA signal. I like something like this because it also separates your audio and video signals
Hope this helps!
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It does yea! One small clarification- once the rgb is split, I’m not looking to split it again, but see if I can impose a color mask that could be then edited by the r g b pots.
Do you think I could take the “shape” of the respective color layers and then just create a new shape with th rgb config? I can understand the machine not liking me editing the color layer directly.
Alternatively, to make it more simple to start out, maybe I could just play with turning each color layer off/on. So then I would just get the flow from each from the source vga pin you showed and then block it when it’s off.
P.S Do you have any recommendations for textbooks, videos, whatever to help me educate myself on the subject?
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Once you have your input signal separated into R, G, and B channels, what you’ve described is what a matrix mixer does. Some inputs and some outputs, and you control how much of each input you want going to each output. It’s a fairly easy circuit. I know of some simple eurorack examples with available schematics (AI Synthesis makes an audio one, @reverselandfill makes a video one), but if you’re just making a stand-alone device for this, then even those are kind of overkill, but might be a good reference or starting point.
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Yeah you could definitely add some switches in between the signal. That’s a really great idea by the way!
As far as recommendations for education:
A Karl Klomp’s dirty mixer is always a great start, this is one of my favorite how to videos, you can learn a little about switches here
Lofi Future has a really great VGA Feedback loop instructions, this might help with your project
And if you want to get a little deeper into VGA circuit bending, I really recommend Jonas Bers CHA/V Video Synth
Big thank you to Karl Klomp, Lofi Future and Jonas Bers for sharing this knowledge.
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