Afterlife Laboratories
Afterlife Laboratories develops analog modular video circuits used to generate, process, and control the video signal. Our circuits conform to the standards of video synthesis established by LZX Industries (see below*).
All modules are hand built with robust, quality components. Build quality is important to us for both playability and longevity. These modules are constructed so that they will outlive all of humanity. Our constructions feature sturdy potentiometers with metal shafts mounted to the faceplate, thick .090” aluminum panels with matte finish, and through hole (mostly) components for easy repair.
Our foremost intention is to produce modules that are useful in function and inherently playable. By concentrating on aspects of interface design, such as graphics and symbology, hardware orientation, and overall panel structure, our modules lend themselves to intuitive and efficient user interaction. Care has been taken to consider tactile response of interface controls, as well as certain limitations of the human brain with regard to balancing pattern and repetition as a means of achieving a more fluid user experience. One question I always ask when designing a hardware user interface is, “If I reach for this knob in the dark, how does it distinguish itself from other controls within its proximity and can I find it quickly and intuitively?”
I’ve been an LZX user since 2011 when I traded Lars an AFG, WVX, and z8000 (euro audio modules) for his LZX core modules. The Afterlife modules represent functions and features I always wanted in my LZX system. They take into account my experience of performing live with LZX and hopefully facilitate an elegant workflow in a live context of raster, vector, and scanline manipulation video synthesis.
*About the format:
Our modules are supplements to the LZX video synthesizer format. This means we match LZX form and electrical standards.
Please note that these modules are supplements to a larger system and require a synchronization master and an output encoder to function.
Presently the options to fulfill these requirements within the LZX system are:
LZX Visual Cortex serves as a system timing master and RGB output encoder.
LZX Cadet I sync generator AND LZX Cadet II RGB encoder.
For more format information, see LZX website: https://lzxindustries.net/