The Simple kit has 80 footprints for knobs, switches and sockets. You can design and build your own unique layout within a couple of hours. And, we're using the Daisy Seed microcontroller, which allows lots of sound design flexibility. It's so immediate, you'll have a sounding instrument in the first workshop day!
This is not just a soldering workshop. Yes, you will do some soldering, but you'll quickly learn that the fun and creative possibilities lay in the design process. We'll take you through the process based on your individual skill level. Have a look at the detailed program below to learn more.
We will start off with designing the synth functionality. Prototyping and listening to the sound, then making decisions on what controls are needed. This is done on VCV Rack, to help us iterate and explore ideas quickly.
In the second part of the day we will focus on the interface. Making decisions on the controls position and size for best playability and performance. Once we've figured out the layout, we will solder the components in place and flash the basic instrument code.
The code we provide has the main components of the instrument. During the week you'll be encouraged to modify it, change the effects and tweak knob ranges. You'll have videos to support your learning and we'll be on Discord for questions.
Learning goals
Activities
Date & time
Saturday August 13th // 11:00 - 16:00
Lunch break
13:00 // Bring a sandwich (or we might order a pizza together)
Now that we have the interface figured out we can start programming it. During the lesson we'll go through the code sections and experiment with various parameters, changing the signal routing and effects.
Learning goals
Activities
Date & time
Saturday August 20 // 11:00 - 16:00
Lunch break
13:00 // Bring a sandwich (or we might order a pizza together)
In the third last lesson we will continue with programming the instrument. Depending on your individual progress and goals you will get a challenge to work on. This can vary from adding additional functionalities, to programming a completely new instrument.
The microcontroller we're using (Daisy Seed) has a vast library of pre-made synth modules and sound effects. You can combine them in various ways to develop your synthesis and programming skills.
learning goals
Activities
Date & time
Saturday August 27 // 11:00 - 16:00
Lunch break
13:00 // Bring a sandwich (or we might order a pizza together)
This course is just the beginning! Now that you know how synths work, and you can actually program your own controls, there's a whole world that's open for you to explore. We'll continue the learning on our Discord server. Meet other synth makers, share your work, ask for feedback and find solutions to technical issues.
Join Discord
We will be using the synth DIY kits below during the workshop. These are not mandatory, but they make your life easier. They also allow you to build more instruments and follow other workshops in the future.
Mac or Windows ideally. You can follow this 4 minute tutorial to install Arduino and the additional libraries and drivers required. Also install VCV Rack. It's free, and awesome! We'll use it to learn synthesis fundamentals, but it is an amazing instrument in its own right.
We'll need a micro USB cable to connect our synth to the computer and program it. Make sure your cable can transfer data (some cables can only charge).
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