During the six weeks you will build The Ultimate Headbutting Machine – 10 step sequencer with drums and cymbals. You will learn principles of electronics starting from simple circuits to more complex ones. Each class (4h per week) will be focused on building different modules of the UHM, exploring CMOS technology in depth. Participants will be encouraged to experiment with circuits, hack toys and use organic materials implemented in the machine in order to modulate the sounds.

The classes will not only be focused on building final musical device but also on learning principles of electronics. After the course hopefully you will be able to read schematics and build devices yourself.

After each class you will be given hand outs with resources.

Price: £300. All the materials are included in the price and you take the final machine with you.

At the beginning of each module the participants will work on breadboards to freely experiment with the circuits and play around with different components in order to familiarize themselves with CMOS technology and feel more comfortable with circuit design experimentation.

Next, after the participants are introduced to the principles of the electronic circuit’s mechanism and they are happy with the design they will solder each module on copper strip boards / or PCBs.

The whole 6 weeks course will be focused on those modules, where participants will start from building simple oscillators to more complex circuits.

For more information contact curators@stagingmhs.local. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Module 1

Date: Wednesday 7th of October (18:00-21:00)

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15 (ContainerVille), 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

Subject: Noisy Oscillators.

TOPICS:

Introduction to electricity: current, voltage, resistance, capacitance, Ohm’s Low.
Basic functions of a circuit.
Introduction to components .
How does the sound look like? introduction to measuring tools.
How does the breadboard work?
Introduction to oscillators.
Combinational logic.

During this module we will work on breadboards, experimenting with different frequencies of oscillators and different resistive materials. We will learn how to build oscillators that modulate each other and use them to control pitch, timbre and speed.

Module 2

Date: Wednesday 14th of October (18:00-21:00)

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15 (ContainerVille), 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

Subject: Melting solder and making noise.

TOPICS:

Introduction to soldering.
Looking at different soldering techniques and different kinds of copper boards.
Troubleshooting principles.

Module 3

Date: Wednesday 21st of October (18:00-21:00)

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15 (ContainerVille), 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

Subject: Sequencing in silicon.

TOPICS:

Introduction to sequential logic.
Building LED driver.
Controlling the sequence with fruit ‘n’ veg.
Audio sequencer vs. Gate/CV sequencer
Driving circuit bendet toys in sequence.
Building a 10 step sequencer.

During this module we will build different kinds of simple experimental sequencers, playing around with various triggers. We will explore decade counters.

Module 4

Date: Wednesday 28th of October (18:00-21:00)

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15 (ContainerVille), 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

Subject: 808 Cowbell demystified.

TOPICS:

What is a harmony mixer?
What is a frequency modulation?
Introduction to XOR gates.
Metallic sounds vs percussive sounds.
Introduction to control voltage.
Transistors and buffers.

We will build the cymbal/cowbell module. We will experiment with different values of components in order to produce various sounds: from metallic ones, to high hats, cowbell and cymbals.

Module 5

Date: Wednesday 4th of November (18:00-21:00) and Saturday 14th of November (12:00-16:00)

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15 (ContainerVille), 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, London E2 9DS

Subject: Filters and Drums.

TOPICS:

Active and passive filters.
Introduction to op amps (Operational Amplifiers).
Why does drum sound like a drum?
Simple distortion effect.

During this module we will learn about importance of an amplification. We will build simple drum module, that will be implemented in the final machine.

Check out the video from the second ‘Gen.AV – Hackathon on Generative Audiovisuals’ event which presented projects at Goldsmiths University of London, which were developed during a 2 day computer-generated audiovisuals hackathon at Music Hackspace on 25-26 July 2015.

During the hackathon, participants developed functioning prototypes of software tools for audiovisual performance exploring issues such as interaction design, reconfigurability, ease of use, audience involvement, and computer-generated sound and visuals.

Projects were performed by their creators. Additionally, the projects are open-source, and can be downloaded from https://github.com/avuis

The hackathon was co-organised by Goldsmiths / EAVI group (http://eavi.goldsmithsdigital.com) and the Music Hackspace. It is part of the Enabling AVUIs research project being conducted at Goldsmiths / EAVI group, and supported by the European Union (Marie Curie programme). More information: http://avuis.goldsmithsdigital.com.

More images from the event in this link.

We are very excited to announce that two artists have been selected to participate in an Embedded composer in residency programme at the Music Hackspace, made in partnership with Sound and Music.

We are thrilled to welcome sound artists Leslie Deere and Jack James into our organisation, to develop their projects and engage with the Music Hackspace community for the next 6 months as part of the programme.

Register to meet our composers in residence at our seminar programme for the following dates (Jack James, 28th May and Leslie Deere, 4th June). In the presentations we will introduce the artists and their projects; it will be an excellent opportunity for the community to explore engaging with their practice.

Jack James is an artist interested in events, happenings and the role of media in everyday life and culture. Often featuring domestic technologies (re)positioned to explore their relationship with people, Jack’s work traverses the fields of sound and social practice, through installation and performance. He is part of artists’ collective thickear with whom he created Ministry of Measurement, Pink Sheet Method and initiated the Data and Ethics Working Group at ICT & Art Connect 2013, Brussels. Leading to string of European engagements including Experiment #2 Consent exhibited at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Meet Jack James, Thursday 28th May

Leslie Deere is a London based artist. Originally from Tennessee, Leslie moved to the UK to study Sonic Art, continuing on from a performing arts dance scholarship in New York City. She holds a BA Honours degree in Sonic Art under Hugh Davies at Middlesex University and an MA in Communication Art & Design from the Royal College. Commissions include sound installations for Kew Gardens and the SoundUK 2013 tour. Most recently Leslie completed the inaugural year of the KULES residency in Stoke-on-Trent. Situated in a large warehouse space, Leslie created an 8 Channel installation utilising the natural reverberation present and found cassette tape.

Meet Leslie Deere, Thursday 4th June

An evening of extreme sonic presentations, of extreme sounds made with extreme DIY electronics. Spanish circuit bent orchestra LCDD will be leading a fiesta of handmade live electronics, musical cynicism and playful noise, followed by solos of circuit bending master and free improviser Tasos Stamou and Lithuanian sonic performance star Arma Agharta.

When: May 23d @ 20:00 – 23:00
Where: 132 Kingsland Road, London E2 8DY

BUY TICKETS  http://www.wegottickets.com/event/319341

More details:

LCDD (Los Caballos De Düsseldorf) (ES)

One of the very few exclusively circuit bent toy orchestras globally, LCDD from Spain were formed from the ashes of a previous punk band, while the members replaced their traditional rock music instruments by strange toy looking noise machines. LCDD are based in Madrid and spread their obscure live electronica around the globe through their channel of devoted followers, also by a number of physical releases in vinyls and cassettes. They are visiting London for a two-day residency at Cafe Oto and before that they will first introduce their music performance and their unique instrument designs at the Music Hackspace. LCDD have toured throughout Europe, Japan, USA and Mexico performing at festivals such as Sonic Protest in Paris, Bent Festival at the Silent Barn in NYC, Art Basel in Switzerland, at Le Dernier Cri’s Vendetta Festival in Marseille and venues ranging from Pudel in Hamburg, SuperDeluxe in Tokyo to the Antique Toy Museum (MUJAM) in Mexico City.
Band leader Olaf Ladousse, a talented illustrator, musician and instrument designer, is responsible of making all the band’s obscure and unique electronic instruments and interfaces.
http://lcdd.bandcamp.com/

 

 

TASOS STAMOU (GR)

Tasos Stamou is a senior Music Hackspace Member, a music technologist and an exploratory music performer. He has been presenting his free improvised electronica in venues such as Cafe Oto, Apiary Studios, NOISE=NOISE in London and abroad (Bent Festival NYC, SOTU Festival Lithuania, etc.).
He also has a number of releases of his  his music and sound projects through various record labels (Absurd, Kukuruku Recordings, ORILA record, Lal Lal Lal, Linear Obsessional Recordings, etc.)
His current setup consists of circuit bent sound toys and hacked domestic equipment, specially modified to incorporate with an analogue modular synthesizer as parts of the system. Vivid and playful, his music music performance consists of a constant sonic conflict between structured forms and chaotic patterns of live manipulated and hardware hacked electronic equipment.
www.tasosstamou.info
www.stamouinstruments.blogspot.com

 

ARMA AGHARTA (LT)

The sound performances of Arma Agharta span a broad territory between unbridled eruptions of chaotic noise and hypnotic psychedelic rituals. Although his live sound, created by analogue instruments and vintage or modified electronic equipment, formally fits into the familiar shelves of lo-fi, drone, ritual noise etc., it contains many more shamanic elements that are hard to describe yet are perceived instinctively and gutturally. Techno-ritualism, absurd humor and extreme costumes characterize the nature of his performances.
Since 2007, under different conceptual solo projects he did over 150 shows in Canada, USA, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, UK, Norway, Austria, Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Serbia, Slovakia, 
Hungary, Czech republic and Baltic states. 
Participated in the festivals: Sonic Circuits (USA), Cocart (Poland), Experi-mental (USA), Sound Around (Russia), Sonic (Denmark), SOTU (Netherlands), Porin Juhlaviikot (Finland), and in all the main Lithuanian festivals: Speigas, Supynes, Menuo Juodaragis, STRcamp, Centras, Dezintegracija, Creature. 
His music has been released exclusively on limited edition cassettes on Russian and Lithuanian labels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M36Gyv9ce2Q

www.arma.lt

Date: Tuesday 28 April, 7pm
Location: Music Hackspace

Augmented trumpets are acoustic trumpets on which transducers have been mounted in order to provide extra sonic control variables. At present only a few augmented trumpets are known to be in active use, yet there is an obvious interest in the subject judging by the regularity of new projects appearing in the literature since the first publication in 1989.

In order to fully explore the musical potential of this technology, it must be adopted by a larger population of performers. The problem is that takes a great deal of technical expertise to create, maintain, modify, and upgrade a sophisticated custom instrument. This is an insurmountable hurdle to those who might otherwise be interested in making music with an augmented trumpet. How can the technical requirements of such projects be reduced to promote widespread experimentation?

Starting with a review of existing projects, this presentation demonstrates that while each augmented trumpet must fit to custom artistic needs, there are commonalities that could be incorporated into a standardized design approach.

The proposed solution is to use an open and modular paradigm, making it easier to build instruments and share design ideas, and to pursue embedded synthesis, allowing for standalone instruments with plug-and-play behaviour.

Audio examples will accompany the presentation, and an open discussion on new musical instrument design will follow.

Joseph Thibodeau is a musician and researcher associated with McGill University’s Music Technology area and Concordia University’s Penhune Laboratory for Motor Learning and Neural Plasticity. His work centres mainly around new digital musical instruments, specifically augmented trumpets, which he uses in live performance and in studio production. His research is published in Computer Music Journal, and in 2014 he was commissioned to compose augmented trumpet music for a Radio-Canada documentary, “Correspondences de Guerre”.

Together with fellow researcher Jason Hockman (Birmingham City University), Joseph produces music under the alias DAAT and runs the Detuned Transmissions record label. In 2014, DAAT’s full-length album HVAC received overwhelming support from a variety of international DJs, airplay on some of the United Kingdom’s largest broadcasting services (e.g., BBC, Rinse FM), and accolades from major popular publications such as Mixmag Magazine.

Date: Thursday 2nd of April, 6.30pm

Location: Unit 15, 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, E2 9DS

“Ether Pad is in the final stages of development. It is an innovative instrument that gives drummers and percussionists a new way to control reverse sample playback in real-time. During this presentation, those attending will have the opportunity to test and play a prototype.

This presentation will be particularly useful for musicians who choose to perform with electronic drums/pads and who would like to enhance their musical expression. It is also aimed at developers/hackers interested in augmented instruments and looking for new ways to control and perform with them.

That said, anybody who finds this idea interesting is welcome to attend. As the developer of Ether Pad, I look forward to the feedback I receive from members of the audience.

With a passion for innovation, and with a number of ideas waiting to be progressed, I would also like to meet people who are interested in collaborating on the further development of the Ether Pad concept and on similar projects.
Looking forward to seeing you there!”

Edward

Join a LAB with deaf dancer Chisato Minamimura to consider visual representation of sound for Chisato, to experiment with a number of sonic/digital elements and their responses to her new score ‘Time’ which she will develop in the next few months with her dancers. This new work explores time within sound & music from a deaf perspective and cultural differences between Japan & UK including the Japanese concept of MA (negative space).

The work will be developed here and shared in Japan. Chisato is looking for collaboration to work with digital artists, engineers and programmers to visualise her new choreographic score and this is the first phase of the process.

Chisato Minamimura is a Japanese deaf dance artist, choreographer exploring the experience of sound/voice/music from a deaf perspective. Chisato has been on this journey for a while and is developing a new score exploring the notion of time from a diversity of perspectives, in London, Brighton and Tokyo.

Date: Thursday, 19 March 2015 from 18:30 to 21:30

Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15, 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, E2 9DS

More info about the project.
http://chisato.h-and-c.jp/profile_e.html

Fields is an electronic sound piece diffused through the audiences smart phones, laptops or tablets.

Date: Thursday, 16 April 2015 from 18:30 to 21:30
Location: Music Hackspace, Unit 15, 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, E2 9DS

Sébastien Piquemal and Tim Shaw explore mobile technology as a medium for sound diffusion. The Fields system enables musicians and composers to explore the potential of smart phones and tablets for sound diffusion. It is a distributed, open-source, modular instrument that is fully configurable and extensible. In this seminar Tim and Sébastien will share the process of developing Fields, composing sound design for tiny speakers and experiences of performing a work of this nature.

The piece was originally conceived at this years Music Makers Hacklab at CTM 2014 and has since been performed in Berlin, Lisbon, Helsinki, Paris Athens and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Fields is being performed at Cafe OTO on 12th April 2015 https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/tetsuya-umeda/

More information, videos and photos can be found here – http://tim-shaw.net/fields

Musica Dispersa is a London based platform which operates internationally and is dedicated to the dissemination and diffusion of experimental music through a wide range of projects in radio broadcast, cassette releases, live events and exhibitions (more info www.musicadispersa.co.uk).

When: March 26 @ 18:30 – 23:00

Where: Unit 15, 5–10 Corbridge Crescent, E2 9DS

Entrance: £4

Following recent collaborations and a residency in Haggerston, Musica Dispersa are coming to the Music Hackspace bringing a line up of experimental music and sound artists, in an event that will focus on the space, the artists and the sound; from noise music to abstract ambient, the event is open to a variety of sonic proposals within the experimental music fields.

Featured artists include Clara Black, Phil Mill, Rasul, Ewa Justka and elpueblodechina (more info of the artists can be found below).

SET TIMES:
19’00-19’30 Clara Black – electronics
19’45-20’15 Phil Mill – field recordings
20’30-21’00 Rasul – tapes/loops
21’15-22’00 Ewa Justka – experimental/electronics
22’15-23’00 elpueblodechina – noise

Join us at the space for drinks and chat from 18.30. Drinks will be available at the bar.

ELPUEBLODECHINA (NOISE,LIVE)
Alejandra Perez (Chile) is a noise artist, media designer and current phd student at the University of Westminster in London. Her research is focused in the detection of rhythms and frequencies that are imperceptible in space. Further research develops into the study of semiotic energies. Her areas of work include writing, live noise performances, education, designing new interfaces, free tool sound art and the development of instruments to detect high and low frequencies (Pure Data, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, electronica DIY-DIWO, Gnu Linux). Recent work includes recording low frequency sounds in Antartica with vlf (very low frequency) hydrophones, and previously measuring UV radiation in Punta Arenas in the desert of Atacama. Her performances are noisist by definition, leaving open doors to improvisation and interaction.

http://elpueblodechina.org/

EWA JUSTKA (EXPERIMENTAL/ELECTRONICS,LIVE)
Ewa Justka is a Polish electronic noise artist and instruments builder based in London. Justka’s main field of research is based on exploration of materiality of objects, vibrant, ontological systems (human bodies, plants’ bodies, electronic circuits: varied range of micro and macro environments and relations between them) and an investigation of modes of quasi-direct perception through noise performance actions, interactive installation, DIY electronics, hardware hacking, plant-molesting, breaking, deconstructing and collaborating. In her artistic work Ewa attempts to explore the concept of materiality of the hidden.

http://ewajustka.tumblr.com/

PHIL MILL (FIELD RECORDINGS,LIVE)
Phil Mill began experimenting with sound and musical composition exploring the use of environmental sound within a musical context, practising improvised music and electronic music.More recently he has began to look at the aesthetics of listening at first within an improvised context and then within field recordings and acoustic ecology.

https://philmill91.wordpress.com/

RASUL (TAPES/LOOPS,LIVE)
Rasul is an experimental musician based in London that practices loop-based improvisations. Relying heavily on found objects, Rasul captures sound through different techniques, favouring methods that allow the compositions to become autonomous and unintentional. Inspired by Eastern spiritual traditions, Rasul’s performances evoke a mystical atmosphere that provides the listener with a contemplative space to wander and dwell within; a space where the role of an artist is not too different from the role of the listener.

https://soundcloud.com/peopleoflu

CLARA BLACK (ELECTRONICS,LIVE)
Starting to produce her own music from a young age, and always with an interest in experimentation, as well a being a resident DJ, Clara is currently creating music for experimental films and short movies.

Nuno Correia will present his artistic work and research on audiovisual performance. The first part of the presentation will focus on his artistic work with Video Jack (www.videojackstudios.com), which was the subject of his PhD thesis and book: “Interactive Audiovisual Objects”. The second part will focus on work with tools for audiovisual performance: the vector graphics oriented AudioVisual Vector eXchange – AVVX (www.avvx.org) and the recent project on generative audiovisuals – Gen.AV (www.gen-av.org). The latter is part of his current research at Goldsmiths, University of London.

When: March 5, 18:30 – 21:30
Where: Music Hackspace, Unit 15, 5–10 Corbridge Crescent London, United Kingdom

 

Nuno N. Correia (www.nunocorreia.com) is a researcher, media artist and musician. He is interested in enabling interactive multi-sensorial experiences. Since 2000, he has been teaching and conducting research in media art and design, in universities in Portugal, Finland and the UK. Nuno holds a Doctor of Arts degree in new media from Aalto University (Media Lab Helsinki), with the thesis “Interactive Audiovisual Objects“, and an M.Sc in innovation management from the Technical University of Lisbon. Currently, he is a researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London (EAVI Group), working on the project “Enabling Audiovisual User Interfaces” (http://avuis.goldsmithsdigital.com), for which he obtained a Marie Curie EU fellowship.

Nuno’s work has been presented in more than 20 countries, in such festivals and venues as ACM Multimedia – Interactive Arts exhibition (Scottsdale), Electro-Mechanica (St. Petersburg), FILE (São Paulo), ISEA (Istanbul), Le Cube (Paris), Mapping (Geneva), NAME (Lille), Optronica / British Film Institute (London), PixelAche / Kiasma (Helsinki) and SXSW (Austin). His articles have been published at conferences such as ACE (Advances in Computer Entertainment), NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression), SMC (Sound and Music Computing) and TEI (Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction); as well as at the Journal of Visual Art Practice, Leonardo Electronic Almanac and Intermedial Arts (book chapter). Nuno’s projects have been featured in CreativeApplications.Net, Create Digital Motion, The Creators Project, Leonardo Reviews and Digicult, among other specialised media.