Ever wanted to build a synthesizer? In this beginner’s workshop led by Dogbotic, participants will learn the process step-by-step, demystifying the horrible world of electrical engineering at every turn. You’ll learn how to build basic oscillators, filters, LFOs, and amplifiers, how to rig up your circuit to be light-sensitive, and oh-so-much more. Each participant will make their own working synth prototype, which we’ll tune together to form a delicious sound bath. You’ll then get to take your prototype home and use it to impress and irritate your friends and loved ones.

All parts are included, no prior circuitry experience or musical ability needed!

You’ll be learning with:

Kirk Pearson (Dogbotic founder, creative director), a composer and multimedia artist based in Berkeley, CA. A graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, Kirk has written music, built installations, and designed experiences for the New Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Museum für Kommunikation Bern, and for hundreds of films, stage productions, and new media projects. In 2017, Kirk was named a recipient of the Thomas Watson Fellowship, through which they spent a year traveling the world composing works for experimental instruments. They cut their sandwiches diagonally.

Sean Russell Hallowell (Dogbotic partner, technical director), a composer and video artist from San Francisco. His time-based art synthesizes experimental techniques developed from hand-built circuitry with a cosmic perspective on the origins of music in number and periodicity. Concert works and audiovisual installations of his have been showcased at festivals and galleries across the US as well as in Mexico, Chile, South Korea, Japan, the UK, Belgium, Croatia, and Iceland.

About Dogbotic:

Dogbotic is a Bay-area based collective that teaches unconventional art classes as a means to promote creativity, discourage mindless consumerism, and engage in conversations about how to use our art to make the world more equitable. Our instructors love teaching artists how to engineer, and convincing folks how straightforward a lot of seemingly “difficult” concepts are. We hope to be a space free of judgement that fosters genuine collaboration and curiosity and an appreciation for the weird and wonderful.

Learn more at dogbotic.com