Glitch Clip makes music-video art on the iPad

By

Glitch Clip
Glitch Clip glitches clips
Photo: Jerôme Gangneux

Glitch Clip is an iPad app for VJs. That is, Glitch Clip lets you combine video clips with in-app effects and visuals, and sync them to music. Thus, you can create live video performances, or you can just make killer music videos for when you put your own songs up on YouTube.

Previously this kind of power was found in apps like Isadora for the Mac, which costs over $500. And while Glitch Clip is no Isadora, it’s only 1/100th the price.

Glitch Clip

Glitch Clip combines video clips, effects, and generative art. The clips can be imported from your own files, just by dragging hecto the Glitch Clip folder in the Files app. You can run two clips at once, overlaying them and fading between them (the videos here have no sound, so don’t go crazy trying to make it play).

GIFs are not supported, but if you convert them to video, or send them via Giphy, then you’re good.

You can them apply video effects, live, to your clips. These run in real-time, and switch fast. This is partly down to the tight limits on clips — maximum ten seconds, and only 640×480 or smaller. That’s 1990s-era video, but this isn’t about watching movies in HD. It’s about mangling videos to make something new.

The other part of the app is generative art. This can be seen in the sample videos, and consists of psychedelic imagery that can be intercut with your video clips.

VJing

Finally, there’s an expert mode for another $10 (via in-app purchase). This lets you hook Glitch Clip up to a MIDI controller, or MIDI-capable music app, and control it from there. This could mean using knobs and dials to manipulate the effects, glitch art, and their parameters, kind of like DJing with video.

Or it can be used to control the visuals with an app like Ableton Live. This is pretty interesting, because you could tie certain clips and fx to music clips on a song or performance. Then, whenever you trigger the audio, the video plays too, no matter how much you remix is on the fly.

 

If you have even a passing interest in video art, or video performance, then this is probably a must-buy app. I’m planning to feed it with clips from the awesome Hyperspektiv, and drive everyone who sees it insane.

Glitch Clip

Price: $4.99 with $9.99 in-app purchase

Download: Glitch Clip from the App Store (iOS)

 

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.