Plaits and Crave just arrived last week, and here is my first patch exploration.

I am new to video creation and would be grateful for any synth video recording tips or tricks from more seasoned wigglers. I have checked out Bo Beats excellent video on the issue, but would appreciate any other suggestions.

Many thanks for listening!

My other YouTube channel:


nice enough...
some possible tips:
use a tripod - wobbly hand held camera in 1st video
frame what you are filming better - there's a lot of dead screen in the first video
edit video to remove silence at end (maybe not all but in the second video there was quite a lot) or use more delay/reverb tails
use modulation sources/vcas/etc etc so you don't film your hands and/or film something else
don't do free advertising for racists/misogynists etc

the first 3 I think are pretty important, the rest are just taste and/or ethics - and obviously don't really count if you are demoing stuff - but then I'd like voice-over too - here I'm adjusting the XYZ knob to do ABC to the sound etc

"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia

Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities


Thanks for those tips, Jim. I appreciate you checking out the tracks and giving your honest feedback. I am just dipping my toes into the video world, and have a new found appreciation for the effort people put into their videos.


No problem - I'm glad you appreciate my thoughts!

as for video - you can check out mine here: https://www.instagram.com/jimhowell1970/

not that they're anything like modular synth demo videos... but they are created (mostly) using a modular!

"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia

Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities


Great visuals, Jim! Enjoyed checking them out. Were the images generated with a module, or a program in the box? As a complete beginner, would you recommend any software or modules to get started with?

All the best


thanks - glad you liked them!!

it's mostly lzx industries analog video synthesizer modules... and others, mostly DIY (syntonie, reverselandfill, fox, visual signals) that use the same paradigm - I also really like using Doepfer wavefolders - and sometimes filters - it's all electricity - but audio modules, using slower ICs (opamps etc) usually add pleasant smears

I also use an application called Lumen (only mac - windows is in the pipeline - but it has been for year) that's a virtual analog video synthesizer - which is also really handy for sending video to the video synthesizer - as it can do full screen on an external monitor - which I then feed to the video synthesizer

I've also recently got a used edirol v4 video mixer - which is really handy... adds some nice effects - and once I can find my rca splitter I can send a copy of the lumen output and mix it back in to the lzx system

for starters Lumen is a really good place to start (if you have a mac) - I started out with Processsing3, though - which is a java scripting environment for visuals - tailored to artists - and then a slightly more complicated version called PraxisLive (which is audio and video - & has some visual programming stuff in it - drag and drop components etc)

I need to fix my 12year old macbook - or get the 5 year old one back from my daughter - so I can use those as a feed into Lumen now that Syphon is no longer supported

another great way to get started is to just point a video camera at a tv (crt preferably or projection onto a screen) and plug the video camera into the same tv - so that you create a feedback loop - which is another technique I've used from time to time... and then move something - like your hand - in between them (or the tv or the camera) - then add a mixer and add in stuff from VCRs/DVDs etc

"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia

Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities


Thanks very much for your detailed reply, Jim. Lumen looks like a very interesting prospect for a beginner like me. Also, love that trick with the feedback loop - will have to try that!

Once again, thanks for the feedback.


have fun...

"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia

Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities