DIY Electronics – Introduction to digital instrument design

During these workshops you will prototype your own instrument (hardware and software) using an Arduino microcontroller, sensors, and Max or Pure Data.

Registration includes access to all sessions.

You will be introduced to the basics of working with an Arduino microcontroller and interfacing it with a computer software in order to generate, control and manipulate sound. We will use open source hardware and software (Arduino / Max or Pure Data) to prototype an instrument using buttons, switches, potentiometers and sensors. We will start by looking at the basics such as setting up Arduino and running sketches, analog vs digital pins, Arduino programming environment, basic electronic, etc. From there we will get a bit more advanced by looking at the serial communication, connecting sensors to Arduino, reading and values from sensors, and controlling sound parameters with them.

Requirements

Beginner with notions of programming. All participants are required to have a computer with pre-installed Arduino IDE and Max or PureData.

Downloads:

Components (not included, please order):

Workshop sessions 
Session 1: introduction to Arduino: Hello World!
Basic electronic conventions
Arduino = software + hardware
Digital and analog pins
Arduino sketch structure
Running first sketch
Session 2: Hardware: Getting data from sensors
Prototyping on breadboard
Connecting sensor, potentiometer and button
Viewing data in Arduino IDE: Intro to serial monitor
Session 3: Max/ Pure Data & Serial communication
Intro to Max / Pure Data – building a simple synth
Sending serial message: Arduino side
Receiving serial  message: Max / Pure Data side
Session 4: Putting it all together
Adding control to our synth patch in Max /  Pure Data
Experimenting and playing
More advanced Max / Pure Data patches.
Wrapping up: What’s next?
About the workshop leader

Kacper Ziemianin a.k.a. ‘Ctrl Freq’ has background in classical music and a lot of adventures in modern sound and music. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sonic Arts from Middlsex University, London and Master’s degree in Sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Instrument maker, sound designer, circuit bender, vagabond, improviser, producer, audio-hacker, nomad, radio presenter, activist, workshop leader, squatter. His audio installations and sounds have been shown/played in numerous places around, as well as outside Europe.

Currently based in the Hague, NL working as a freelance instrument designer and performer as well as teacher of DIY electronics. His latest endeavor, the ‘LightSeq’ has received funding from Stimuleringsfonds NL and won an award at an international electronic music festival ‘Radical dB’ in Zaragoza, Spain.

Follow Kacper on YouTube

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