[spectre] 808-Kick Drum Module - Workshop, Berlin 23Aug

[wolfgang spahn]

==============================================
Paper-Synthesizer 808KD - Kick Drum Module
Functional Clone of Tr-808 Bass Drum
==============================================

Workshop by Antti Pussinen and Wolfgang Spahn

The sound of 808 bass drum is one of the most recognizable electronic 
instruments. It is The sound of 80´s hip hop and electro and one of the 
most cloned and copied electronic musical circuits of all time. A number 
of Masters and Phd works have been built around the clever functionality 
of this particular circuit and it is a good starting point in learning 
analog percussive sound synthesis.

In the workshop we build a functional clone of the circuit, using 
contemporary replacements for op-amps and transistors. in the module are 
controls for Accent, Decay, Tone and Level, like in the original. it has 
a trigger input and a sound output with a jack connector and possibility 
to use external accent input. All the known modification points are 
marked in the paperboard.

The original circuit expects two different triggers, the actual trigger 
and the accent trigger, to arrive exactly at the same time and to be 1 
ms long.To allow triggering with a button, we have to add in a small 
conditioning circuit. This makes it possible to also trigger the bass 
drum with another sound that has a strong and fast transient, for 
example hi-hat sound. it also can be triggered with any cmos style 
triggers, for example with an arduino.

The circuit consists of trigger input conditioning, bridged-t type 
oscillator with a separate filter circuit for decay control of the 
sound, passive lo-pass filter, and a swing type voltage controlled 
amplifier.

When a short electric pulse is fed in to the circuit, it transfers that 
pulse into a sound. The circuit is full of cool and elegant design 
tricks. For example the voltage of the trigger pulse, called accent in 
the original TR-808, changes all the parameters of the sound to make the 
sound feel like more loud or accented, thus making variable dynamics in 
the drumming possible.

The building system is based on working methods of both of the artists, 
in field of sound and visual art. The Basic building block is the 
stripboard/prototyping board and the circuit is laid on top of that as a 
printed paper sheet. One then assembles all the components per printed 
circuit design. In the era of copy-paste also synthesizer circuits can 
be produced in large numbers with a help of a printer and easily 
developed further.

All the tools and materials will be provided.
The workshop will be held in German and English.

August 23 2014, 11am - 5pm
Werkstatt Berlin
Mülhauserstr. 6. Hofgebäude 1. OG, 10405 Berlin

Costs: 30,00€ plus 20,00€ for the materials.

Registration: post at wolfgang-spahn.de

http://workshop.dernulleffekt.de/doku.php?id=paper-synth-808kd-aug2014:details

-- 

____________wolfgang spahn_______________________

____________kastanienalle 85_________10435 berlin
__Atelier:__gerichtstrasse 12-13_____13347 berlin
__030 39200060______________________ 0179 7935447
__<http://www.wolfgang-spahn.de>__________________