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.. title: Modular Synth Selbstbau Workshop
.. date: 2016-04-06 22:00 UTC+02:00
.. modified: 2016-04-06 22:00 UTC+02:00
.. tags: c-base, berlin, eurorack, modular, synthesizer, befaco, 000, rebel technology, bastl instruments, 4ms, lithium, battery, apple
.. category: events
.. slug: modular-synth-selbstbau-workshop
.. summary: How I got affiliated with a bunch of modular synthesizer vendors to do awesome workshops at a space station.
.. authors: David Runge
In the beginning there was one
______________________________
| Last year, when I started building |abbr_eurorack|, what eventually took it's peak of craziness in `building my own suitcase </hardware/modular-suitcase/>`_, I got to know the great folks at |befaco|, a Spanish group of friends that started designing and eventually selling their own modules.
| Back then, the |nk| still existed as a venue and it was host to many concerts alongside the DIY workshops of |befaco| (taken care of by |florian_hanisch|).
| When it |nk-closing-statement|, I had already spent some time at |c-base| and found it to be a great place for synthesizer workshops (I mean, what better place for synths is there, but a space station? Well, maybe cats *and* synthesizers at a space station!).
|
But wait, there's more!
_______________________
| Just how it is with the meeting of like-minded people: They tend to find more of a kind!
| |befaco| are long time friends with |victor_mazon|, who just started to design his own modules under the moniker |zero_zero_zero| and spent workshops together with |rebel_tech| at |london_hackspace|.
| All of these people are most excellent, provide open hardware and I am very happy to now have them over at |c-base| for doing their workshops!
| So by the end of 2015, |zero_zero_zero|, |befaco| and |rebel_tech| started as a joint effort under the name |mssw|.
|
The Überworkshop
________________
.. figure:: /images/mssw_workshop.jpg
:alt: The seminar room with an ongoing modular workshop.
The |c-base| seminar room with workshop attendees, vendors |befaco|, |four_ms|, |bastl_instruments| and the usual suspects like Jeremy Bernstein
| Last weekend for the first time the three were in Berlin at |c-base| at the same time (due to |superbooth|), accompanied by the great folks of |bastl_instruments| and |four_ms|.
| Although everyone was pretty much destroyed from three days of listening to noise and talking to synthesizer people, they still managed to squeeze out a workshop day with all vendors combined! Hence, the **"Überworkshop"**.
| I somehow finished the |bastl_instruments_grandpa| and |bastl_instruments_little_nerd| of |bastl_instruments| (really looking forward to spend some time with those the coming weeks!) and a |befaco_power_bus| for the |c-base_soundlab| (gotta start somewhere, right?).
|
The suicidal machine
____________________
| Then this happened:
|
| |mssw_burning_laptop|
|
| Some short notes on the burning laptop:
* Laptops use |lithium| based batteries. If they get too hot, they can burn!
* |lithium_reacts_with_water| (so don't ever spill water on Lithium or a laptop for that matter)
* Extinguishing the burning laptop with water worked here, because most of the |lithium| had reacted already and the water took away the oxigen for the reaction (the burning). This could have gone another way!
* Burning laptops generate **A LOT** of smoke. Leave the room! (Your furniture is most likely ruined by now)
.. figure:: /images/mssw_workshop_macbook_suicide.jpg
:alt: A burnt up MacBook after its Lithium battery got too hot.
On Sunday, 5th April 2016 at approximately 19:27 this MacBook gave its life for a future without Apple products.
Poor Martin of |bastl_instruments| lost his laptop (and I heard his iPhone died just a week later).
* Don't use Apple devices!
* Backup regularly!
The showcases
_____________
| Not even the |ijon_twitter_macbook_suicide| could keep us from having a nice showcase evening together with Dan Snazelle of |snazzyfx| and the |mssw| crew afterwards!
| As special (self-invited) guest, we had |der_warst| aka. |simon_schaefer| (another very interesting acquaintance from 2014's |bended_realities|) with his awesome DIY circuit bending hardware.
|
.. figure:: /images/mssw_workshop_befaco_showcase.jpg
:alt: |befaco| showcasing their equipment.
Diego and Manu of |befaco| showcasing their equipment.
| |befaco| did a nice set, of which I unfortunately only recorded beginning and end (the missing chunk is barely noticeably though ;-) ) due to running out of space on my |tascam_dr40|. Next time I'll be better prepared! |showcase_befaco|
|
| In return I don't have a picture of Martin Klang (|rebel_tech|), but hey... a nice recording will do: |showcase_rebeltech|
|
| With |zero_zero_zero| it's unfortunately the same, although they played the longest set: |showcase_000|
.. figure:: /images/mssw_workshop_snazzy_showcase.jpg
:alt: |snazzyfx| showcase
Dan Snazelle of |snazzyfx| showcasing his equipment.
| Dan, much more than the others, went into a danceable direction. Listen for yourself: |showcase_snazzyfx|
.. figure:: /images/mssw_workshop_jan_wilhelm_showcase.jpg
:alt: Jan Wilhelm showcase
Jan Wilhelm (the |superbooth| party machine) showcasing his equipment.
| Jan Wilhelm seems to have been all partied out from |superbooth| (where he apparently did techno sets all day long), as his showcase was rather experimental: |showcase_janwilhelm|
| As mentioned before, |simon_schaefer| (aka. |der_warst|) popped by, when everything was nearly over and introduced his magnificent multi-use telephone: |showcase_derwarst|
| All in all the event prooved to be great fun, but also meant a lot of work and little sleep. Not something one organizes on a weekly basis (I hope).
.. |befaco| raw:: html
<a href="http://befaco.org" target="_blank">Befaco</a>
.. |befaco_power_bus| raw:: html
<a href="http://www.befaco.org/en/fuente-alimentacion/" target="_blank">power bus</a>
.. |c-base| raw:: html
<a href="https://c-base.org" target="_blank">c-base</a>
.. |c-base_soundlab| raw:: html
<a href="https://c-base.org" target="_blank">soundlab</a>
.. |florian_hanisch| raw:: html
<a href="http://www.math.uni-potsdam.de/professuren/geometrie/personen/dr-florian-hanisch/" target="_blank">Florian Hanisch</a>
.. |ijon_twitter_macbook_suicide| raw:: html
<a href="https://twitter.com/aegrereminiscen/status/716702030195195906" target="_blank">suicide of a MacBook</a>
.. |lithium| raw:: html
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium" target="_blank">Lithium</a>
.. |lithium_reacts_with_water| raw:: html
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRKK6pliejs" target="_blank">Lithium reacts with water</a>
.. |mssw_burning_laptop| raw:: html
<video controls>
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/video/20160403_192728-MSSW-Burning_laptop.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>
.. |nk| raw:: html
<a href="http://www.nkprojekt.de/" target="_blank">NK</a>
.. |nk-closing-statement| raw:: html
<a href="http://www.nkprojekt.de/closing-statement/" target="_blank">closed down</a>
.. |victor_mazon| raw:: html
<a href="http://victormazon.com/" target="_blank">Victor Mazón Gardoqui</a>
.. |zero_zero_zero| raw:: html
<a href="http://0x0x0.porn" target="_blank">000</a>
.. |rebel_tech| raw:: html
<a href="http://rebeltech.org" target="_blank">Rebel Technology</a>
.. |london_hackspace| raw:: html
<a href="https://london.hackspace.org.uk/" target="_blank">London Hackspace</a>
.. |mssw| raw:: html
<a href="http://mssw.0x0x0.porn" target="_blank">Modular Synth Selbstbau Workshop</a>
.. |superbooth| raw:: html
<a href="https://www.superbooth.com/" target="_blank">Superbooth</a>
.. |bastl_instruments| raw:: html
<a href="https://www.bastl-instruments.com/" target="_blank">Bastl Instruments</a>
.. |bastl_instruments_grandpa| raw:: html
<a href="https://www.bastl-instruments.com/modular/grandpa/" target="_blank">grandPA</a>
.. |bastl_instruments_little_nerd| raw:: html
<a href="https://www.bastl-instruments.com/modular/little-nerd/" target="_blank">LITTLE NERD</a>
.. |four_ms| raw:: html
<a href="http://www.4mspedals.com/" target="_blank">4MS</a>
.. |snazzyfx| raw:: html
<a href="http://snazzyfx.com/news/" target="_blank">SnazzyFX</a>
.. |der_warst| raw:: html
<a href="http://schaefersimon.de/seiten/warst.html" target="_blank">der Warst</a>
.. |simon_schaefer| raw:: html
<a href="http://schaefersimon.de" target="_blank">Simon Schäfer</a>
.. |tascam_dr40| raw:: html
<a href="http://tascam.com/product/dr-40/" target="_blank">Tascam DR-40</a>
.. |bended_realities| raw:: html
<a href="http://bendedrealities.blogsport.de/" target="_blank">Bended Realities</a>
.. |showcase_befaco| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_Befaco.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |showcase_rebeltech| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_RebelTechnology.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |showcase_000| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_000.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |showcase_snazzyfx| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_SnazzyFX.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |showcase_janwilhelm| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_JanWilhelm.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |showcase_derwarst| raw:: html
<audio controls preload="metadata">
<source src="https://static.sleepmap.de/audio/20160403-MSSW-Showcases_DerWarst.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
.. |abbr_eurorack| raw:: html
<abbr title="A racking system for modular synthesizers, being 3U tall and a multiple of 2HP wide" >Eurorack</abbr>
|