Bristol Communal Modular have designed a percussion synth based around the circuit of the classic discowrecking drum synth, the Synare 3.

The synare was a staple in a lot of post punk, dub and disco production in the 70s through the 80s. You can hear it in loads of tunes by Joy Division, Scientist, The Cure, Depeche Mode, the iconic Jah Shaka sound system scene in the film Babylon(1980) and a tonne of disco tunes too. Once you start noticing the Synare hits you won’t stop finding them. Legend has it you could pick it up in 70s Argos for cheap. And now the original synares are selling for nearly £800.

In this workshop you will be building your own Magnum P.I. to keep. As all Magnum components are through-hole, this workshop is open to complete beginners and we will have people around to give guidance on soldering techniques.

The Magnum P.I. has two oscillators and a noise source going into a 4 stage 24dB resonant low pass filter with CVable cutoff. It has two decay envelopes, one of which is CVable and a vintage style VCA. You can trigger it with a finger or a drum stick, and it also has trigger in. Modulation of filter cutoff can switch between LFO and audio rate for added FM control, giving you bell-like harmonics up to wailing sirens.

The Magnum Percussion Instrument is a Eurorack module, but we have also designed an optional standalone case and power board for those who don’t have a powered euro rack case. We are selling these at the materials cost of £15. Includes power supply.

Run by Guy John and Dave Gibson and Jasmine Butt from Bristol Communal Modular

£60: Magnum P.I. module
£75: Magnum P.I. module inc. standalone case and power supply

This event is part of the West of England Visual Arts Alliance (WEVAA) funded by Arts Council England

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