This post has been updated since initial publication.
This has been a long time coming, but I’m finally getting around to writing gear reviews! First up, we have the Mothership Deluxe by Gator Glitch Gear. The Mothership was the first circuit bent piece of analog glitching equipment I was able to obtain. Using the Archer Super Video Processor as a base, Gator creates a device that is able to explore new dimensions within the analog glitchverse.
It took some time to get a handle on what the device is able to do, but I soon found a setting that allowed me to create “The Bend”, as I call it. Examples of The Bend are below:
The bend has been a core component to my glitch art and is featured in a number of my pieces. I’ve also been able to get great moving effects from this device and rainbows for custom logo work.
One of the issues I had with this device was keeping track of different settings I had when achieving an awesome effect. To help with this, I am announcing the release of my patch sheet template along with 4 patch settings for the Mothership! I have them stored in a folder on my Google Drive, which will allow you to view and download the PDFs.
One of the things I’ve found with these analog devices is that the effect has to be created by twisting the knobs in a certain order. Normally I start on the left and move right to change the settings, but sometimes you need to wiggle some of them randomly to get the desired effect.
After speaking with Gator, there are a few other aspects of analog glitching and the Mothership I forgot to mention. First, the source media of the glitch has influence on what the resulting will be. Going full analog(VCR, camcorder, etc) will produce different visuals than going from a digital source then downgrading the signal to composite. Second, the type of TV used will also influence the resulting image. For glitching, I use a generic Target brand TV from the early 2000s. Different models may or may not result in the same glitch effects as what I have achieved. The patch notes I provide are a guide, hopefully you can find amazing effects and different sweet spots!
If you make some interesting patches, please let me know! I’m always finding new things with this device and I’d be very keen to see how others are using it.