Sign up here: CMusic Thing Modular – ‘Control’ Online Workshop with Tom Whitwell – Thonk – DIY Synthesizer Kits & Components

Date & Time: Saturday 27th March 7pm GMT / 8pm CET / 12 midday PST / 3pm EST

Level: Beginner – Intermediate (basic soldering experience required)

Eurorack modular synthesizers can be expensive and bewildering.

This workshop will help you develop confidence to build DIY modules yourself, unlocking a huge range of satisfying new opportunities.

Before we start building, Tom will talk briefly about the process of module design, touching on ideas, usability, prototyping, electronics and tools, and answer any questions.

Together, we’ll build a brand new module called Control. It has four big knobs, is 18hp, and gives detailed fine-grained control over any parameters in a modular synth.

Tom wrote about the development process for Control here:

https://medium.com/music-thing-modular-notes/make-knob-twiddling-great-again-47065a346c2

Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, a successful student will be able to:

• Confidently solder a through-hole electronic PCB

• Assemble a fairly complex Eurorack synth module, ensuring pots and switches are correctly aligned.

• Have a simple understanding of the process of designing and prototyping music hardware.

Requirements

Required materials:

• This is a through-hole kit. All SMD parts are pre-soldered.

• A fine tip soldering iron – ideally with temperature control.

• Fine rosin core solder (1mm or less in diameter). Leaded solder is generally easier to work with, particularly for beginners.

• Side cutter pliers

Required workspace: 

• From running many workshops in the past, we’ve found that a good workspace is as important as the right equipment:

• Space: You don’t need much, just a clear patch of desk, with a surface that won’t be damaged by the odd drop of solder. A silicone soldering mat is nice but absolutely not essential.

• Light: Enough light to see small components and check their placement. A desk lamp is good.

• Sight: Everyone’s vision is different, but have whatever you need to see small objects clearly – glasses or a magnifier.

• Ventilation: soldering with rosin/flux creates small amounts of smoke and fumes, so work in a room with some ventilation – a window you can open, or just a desk fan to blow the fumes away.

If you have any questions about equipment or workspace, don’t hesitate to email tom@musicthing.co.uk

Required tech: 

• A computer and internet connection

• A web cam and mic

• A Zoom account

About the workshop leader

Tom Whitwell designs Music Thing Modular electronic musical instruments from a shed in Herne Hill, London.  Tom has been designing devices and writing about music for many years, developing hugely popular DIY modules including: Turing Machine, Radio Music and Mikrophonie.

Part of the 2014 UK Tour of Simon Whetham, Seth Cooke and Paul Khimasia Morgan , the event in London is curated by Blanca Regina. Join us in this special evening

LINE UP

SIMON WHETHAM
SETH COOKE
PAUL KHIMASIA MORGAN

MATTHIAS KISPERT & BLANCA REGINA

Activating objects and surfaces with found sounds and actions, Simon Whetham creates a shifting sonic environment that is comfortably disorientating. Seth Cooke is an improviser and sound recordist based in Bristol, UK. His music is frequently location or process oriented and he often works with material happened upon by chance. As a percussionist he plays traps and waste disposal sink. Paul Khimasia Morgan is an improviser, currently working with electronics, zither and the sonification of low voltage. “…a weft of mysterious hums and clicks that creeps organically across the intervening space between the speakers and my ears, never quite identifying itself but always offering tantalizing glimpses…” – Brian Olewnik, Just Outside Matthias Kispert is a sound artist living in London, founder of ‘Material Studies’ group along the mixed media artist, Blanca Regina. The duo with play an improvised set using voice, electronics, objects and visuals.

Where: 132 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8DY

From : 20.00-23:00pm Tickets on the door 5 pounds/ 4 pounds concessions

There will be special food with special prices offered by TROYganic

Links

SIMON WHETHAM www.simonwhetham.co.uk
SETH COOKE www.sethcooke.eu
PAUL KHIMASIA MORGAN  http://slightlyoffkilterlabel.blogspot.co.uk/

MATTHIAS KISPERT  www.matthiaskispert.com

BLANCA REGINA www.whiteemotion.com

Music Hackspace Performances Night

• When:  Thursday 23rd, 20.00- 23.oo h
• Where: TROYGANIC 132 Kingsland Road, Hoxton E2 8DP
• Free Entry

• TIMING:

  8.30 – TIM YATES & SAIF BUNNI
  9.15 – FINGERHUT FEAT. TERRY DAY
  10.15 – ANDREW PAGE & BLANCA REGINA

Curated by Blanca Regina, the evening features:

TIM YATES & SAIF BUNNI
An improvisation by Tim Yates and Saif Bunni. These musicians and sound and artists run ‘Acoustic Hacking‘a workshop driven meetups that happen the last Sunday of each month at the London Hackspace.

ANDREW PAGE & BLANCA REGINA

Enseñanzas solares is a sonic exploration, performance and improvisation that looks at the Sun, the star, the data and the drone. Featuring Blanca Regina in voice, objects and visuals and Andrew Page with tapeloops and reverbs. Some of the the loops are created from NASA recordings of Saturn, Alpha Centauri, the Diamond Star and GD358, as well as the Sun.

FINGERHUT FEAT. TERRY DAY
Martin Klang (electronics, saxophone); David Kaplowitz (saxophones, keys); Paul Lucas (electric guitar) and Ryan Sarver (electric bass) and the legendary Terry Day on drums.

Fingerhut play improvised music with various standard and custom built electric and acoustic instruments and devices. They like to invite other musicians, wizards and deadbeats to join them to create new sounds. Drawing on free jazz and post rock, experimental noise and more, no two performances are quite alike. No rules and no repeats.