Part of the modern electronic music experience is getting into the nitty gritty of synthesizer circuits, improvised hardware and modifications. This year, in association with Erica Synths and Moritz Klein, we are running one, large workshop that will teach you about the circuit design behind the classic Roland 606 Hi-Hat.
Erica Synths/Moritz Klein Hi-Hat design Workshop
Join Moritz Klein – electrical engineer, educator, and creator of a widely followed YouTube channel on analog circuit design – for an in-person circuit design workshop at the Electronic Sound Magazine HQ in Norwich.
Over the course of the session, we’ll design a 606-style Hi-Hat from the ground up: starting with six square-wave oscillators, shaping them using a resonant bandpass filter, making the result percussive with an envelope generator and Roland’s signature swing-type VCA – gradually assembling the full voice through small, clear iterations.
We’ll walk through the “how and why” behind each building block, test every idea live on a Labor prototyping board, and explore what happens when you tweak or modify the design. You’ll get space to ask questions, try your own variations, and understand the inner workings of classic drum synthesis.
The ticket price includes an mki x es.edu DIY Hi-Hat kit for you to take home and assemble afterwards.
The workshop lasts 4-5 hours, starting at 11am, bring a packed lunch, tea and coffee will be provided. The cost is £20 to cover Synth East costs and then €115 (payable to Moritz Klein) for the whole workshop. We have room for 12 participants.
Head over the Norwich Arts Centre to book your ticket.