THIS EVENT IS BEING COMBINED WITH THE DECEMBER 8 WORKSHOP. PLEASE REGISTER FOR THAT ONE INSTEAD.

Sunday December 1 * 1pm-5pm * $75 * PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

DIY MIDI Controller Workshop - Part I - Introduction

This workshop will introduce you to the wide world of 'micro-controllers' - simplified miniature computers that can be programmed to do just about anything! We'll be programming them to act as custom MIDI devices for controlling both hardware and software based synths. MIDI can be used to play notes but also to change patches, set pitch bend & modulation parameters, as well as filter cut-off and resonance - just to name a few!

The majority of this workshop will go over the practical details you need to know to quickly get up and running with microcontroller programming - no previous coding experience required! - We'll be programming our microcontrollers using Microsoft "MakeCode' - a simple graphical interface where you can create your custom MIDI controller using large colorful blocks arranged with an intuitive graphical user interface.

Attendees will need to bring a laptop (Apple/OSX or PC/Windows) as well as one object you'd like to turn into a motion-based MIDI controller. Think about how you'd like to move the object around and how you'd like the sound to be modified by that movement (change in volume, pitch, etc.). This workshop aims to give you a solid foundation in the tools you need to create your own MIDI controller but since time is limited we may not have time to make custom hardware modifications (cutting, drilling, etc) to your particular midi-controller object.

Not a kid-friendly workshop, sorry.

About the Instructors:
Peter Serano: Peter is an electrical engineer and multi-instrumentalist musician who owns and operates the Rock'n Repair Shop - Washington DC's premier musical electronics repair shop! They have a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and over 10 years of experience designing and prototyping circuits of all kinds!

Trent Robertson: Trent is an electrical engineer with a focus on software engineering and micro-controller programming in-particular. He has over 10 years of experience creating interactive lighting & visualization projects including a massive Tetris themed art installation at Burning Man!

Workshop Fee ($75): The workshop admission fee includes a BBC 'Micro:bit' micro-controller starter kit which includes the micro-controller, usb cable, & battery pack as well as 4 hours of interactive instruction from two experienced electrical engineers!