Dave Jones Design audio production company was founded in the USA by Dave Jones, an engineer and artist who was fully involved in the field of video art.
Since the beginning of its history Dave Jones Design has been known as Designlab which specialized in creating analog and digital video devices and for years has been producing remarkable and unique products for creating video art. Not so long ago the brand began to produce new products - modular synthesizers. A big success came thanks to modular Dave Jones Design synthesizers in Eurorack format: The MVIP standalone video processing module, O'Tool oscilloscope and, of course, VideoSynth.
The VideoSynth system is a modular video synthesizer that includes several different Eurorack-format modules that can be combined in different variations which allows everyone to create their own system with any combination of modules that they use most often. The system could also be developed and expanded in accordance with the user's requests. VideoSynth is, first of all, an excellent system for analog image processing and generating. Dave Jones Design product is designed to work in PAL or NTSC. He also imbibed the company’s earlier developed technology (in the 1970s). The first designs didn’t allow modules to be connected the same way the new VideoSynth allowed and were based on amplifier output and oscillator synchronization surrounded by voltage controlled and video processing devices. The basis of the new VideoSynth system is presented with the same two main modules. Oscillator sync provides synchronization of video information for all modules, and the amplifier output is the basis for the video synthesis. The separate amplifier output was a key element of the instrument since it allowed a user to maintain the stability of the video.
O'Tool oscilloscope and audio instrument was produced in 2014 as a Eurorack module. O'Tool can be combined with Doepfer products and other modular syntesizers also in Eurorack format. The oscilloscope is a module with a screen for displaying the shapes of waveforms as well as voltage created by other modules of the appropriate format. The module's capabilities allow you to accurately display signals but they are not as self-sufficient as a full-size oscilloscope and a guitar tuner. The O'Tool instrument includes 9 operating modes: Oscilloscope single, Oscilloscope dual (featuring sound layering), Oscilloscope dual (featuring wave split), Levels, VU and Peak Meters, Spectrum Analyzer, XY Display, Frequency Meter and Tuner, Volt Meter.
Later there came the new (O'Tool Plus) oscilloscope in 2016. This was a significantly improved version of the original O'Tool module which could display more clear information about the audio signal and the control voltage. Since O'Tool Plus was a Eurorack module it required a compatible rack with a power supply due to not being a standalone unit. O'Tool Plus is a multi-purpose instrument for musicians and audio artists that can also be used by video artists working with voltage control to manage video modules although O'Tool can’t display video frequency signals directly. The number of modes has been increased. Now the instrument includes: Single channel oscilloscope, Dual channel oscilloscope, 3D oscilloscope, X/Y display, Level meter, VU meter, Peak meter, Voltmeter, Frequency meter, Tuner, Linear spectrum analyzer, Log spectrum analyzer, Spectrogram, BPM meter, Metromome. O'Tool Plus also included user settings with memory function as well as the ability to capture and save 3 parameter modes which allowed users to have a quick parameter change to suitable for home, studio or live performances. The model features a nice connectivity set for integration with optional modules.
MVIP (Mini Video Processor Image) unit is a Eurorack module, intended for integration with Doepfer products and other brands. The module processes a live or recorded video image, has an SD (standard definition) video input and output. MVIP has included such functions for image processing as tone muffling, the ability to change the brightness, the color of the hues, improve the video quality, offer digital effects that result in interesting contrasting shifts, crazy or subtle colors. All MVIP functions are voltage controlled by audio or video synthesizers, for example, you could code colors and play with the video processing style with the help of oscillators or any other kind of voltage control. The module automatically detects the video format and works in PAL or NTSC producing the processed video in the same format in which it was received by the device. Unlike the VideoSynth system MVIP module processes only one video input and can’t combine several video signals. The instrument interface includes 5 inputs for monitoring various voltage controlled parameters. MVIP is not a standalone instrument and requires a Eurorack compatible source featuring its own power supply.
Jones has always been considered the creator of innovative and powerful video “tools” which allow users to work with video signals. His name is mentioned in the American encyclopedia Grollier. Dave Jones Design has become one of the leaders in the electronic production segment. Brand instruments are widely used at popular shows.