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LITTLEBITS BAND SYNTH WORKSHOP



Sunday, Nov 15th, 2015 – 10am to 5pm
Location: littleBits Store, 355 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
A/C/E Canal Street, 1 Canal Street, N/R Prince, 6 Spring
http://littlebits.cc/store


BECOME A SYNTH STAR

Flashing lights. Screaming fans. Prepare to unleash your inner rocker with a workshop led by synth extraordinaire Hans Tammen. You’ll explore waveform synthesis in a small-group setting, make electronic music, and perform onstage with your new bandmates. Just don’t go Yoko on us, ok?

WHY THIS CLASS ROCKS
  • Did you ever want to play with synthesizers but didn’t know how to start?
  • Do you have a big synth at home but are still unsure of how it works under the hood?
  • Are you teaching electronic music but don’t have a studio equipped with synthesizers?
  • Do you already play with the littleBits synth but want to learn cool new tricks?

Say yes, just once, and this course might be for you.

The foundation of the class lies in the theory of waveform synthesis, which helps us understand why the analog synth sounds the way it does. We’ll approach each synth Bit from the point of playability. You’ll learn about the endless combinations in the Synth Kit with oscillators, sequencers, keyboards, filters, envelopes, delays, and (my favorite) the random Bit. The course is also practical because we play together and collaborate as a musical group, and can watch how a millimeter here or there makes a huge musical difference.

There are no other prerequisites. The course is geared toward beginners who want to get into electronic music using synthesizers, those who already own a synth but want to know what happens under the hood, and even experienced educators who are interested in exploring the littleBits Synth Kit for their own teaching.

Recommended ages: 12+

Taught entirely on the littleBits Synth Kit (created in collaboration with KORG, a pioneer of electronic musical equipment), without using additional equipment or Bits.

“There is no faster and more intuitive way to learn about synthesizers than with those tiny but powerful synth modules” (Hans Tammen, a synth enthusiast since the 1970s, and teacher of the littleBits Synth Band course.)


Korg littleBits




DETAILS

Sunday, Nov 15th, 2015 – 10am to 5pm
Location: littleBits Store, 355 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013
A/C/E Canal Street, 1 Canal Street, N/R Prince, 6 Spring
http://littlebits.cc/store

Cost:
$299 includes purchase of a Synth Kit (value $159)
$140 if you already own a Synth Kit

SPECIALS
  • Add a Synth Pro Pack to any option above (includes 2 CVs, 1 MIDI, 1 USB I/O, mounting boards and cables). Add $120 (orig value $139.95) Save $20!
  • Exclusive littleBits Synth Band members get 10% off all Kits storewide the last day of class!

ABOUT THE TEACHER

Ever since he started with a Moog synthesizer in the 1970s, Hans Tammen has been interested in the possibilities of electronic music production. His longest-running projects are the “Endangered Guitar”, a hybrid guitar/software instrument made to interactively control live sound processing; the “Third Eye Orchestra” compositions for large chamber ensembles and live sound processing; and the “Dark Circuits Orchestra”, a large ensemble devoted to contemporary electronic instrument practices such as circuit bending, no-input mixers, laptops, turntablism, analogue circuitry, controllerism and network sniffers.

In recent years, Hans Tammen has conducted several littleBits Synth Workshops at MakeMusicNY, the Dark Circuits Festival, and at New York University. He currently teaches “Creative Programming for Artists” at School of Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC. From 2001 to 2014, he has worked at Harvestworks Digital Media Art Center in NYC, where he was responsible for the Client Services, Education and Artist In Residence program, helping countless digital media artists through completion of their works.