A video synthesizer is a hardware device (or software application) designed to generate and manipulate visual signals, similar to how an audio synthesizer produces and manipulates sound.

Synths vs Glitch Boxes

Think of glitch boxes as being able to process an existing video source to make it glitchy, while video synthesizers are able to generate a totally new video source. A video synth’s output could then theoretically be processed by a glitch box.

Forms

Video synthesizers exist as analog hardware, digital hardware, and software. Like glitch boxes, they can feature video mixing and layering, audio or MIDI integration, and modularity. Video synthesizers are often found in modular/Eurorack video setups, either as individual modules or a collection of modules.