Learn the fundamentals of modular synthesis in this beginner workshop with no prior knowledge necessary. Hands-on instruction puts concepts into practice. Open to all.

Saturday, March 1st, 2025
3 pm - 6 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

Perfect for beginners, this 3-hour session will immerse you in the fundamentals of DJing, with a focus on Electronic Dance Music. In the first half, you'll get an insider's look at professional DJ equipment and learn essential techniques like beatmatching, mixing, and EQing. The second half is all about hands-on practice—step up to the decks and create your first mix under expert guidance. Whether you're aspiring to perform live or just want to explore a new hobby, this workshop will give you the skills and confidence to start your DJ journey.

Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
12 pm - 3 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$20-30 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

The mixer channels are open—bring some gear and share your sounds, or just come to see what happens. This monthly gathering is for electronic musicians of all experience levels to connect, experiment, and share with the community. Our goal is to lower the barrier to entry and bridge the gap between performer and audience. It's perfect for new musicians or experienced musicians looking to simply try out new material and techniques in a low-stakes environment.

Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
3:30 pm - 6 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

Free
(Performance slots are determined on site on a first come, first served basis. RSVP encouraged to receive an email reminder about the event but does not reserve a performance time slot.)

All women and non-binary folks are welcome to join us for a monthly event series that encourages learning together, jam together, and connect with other artists in the area. We want to create a welcoming environment to help grow our community of electronic musicians for all femmes and enbies regardless of skill level or experience.

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
(Recurs every first Wednesday of the month)
5:30 pm - 7 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

Free
(RSVP encouraged but not required)

During this time the library will be open for all to explore our collection of gear and meet our facilitators! It’s also a great chance to learn more about member perks like our lending program, drop-in hours, and studio hours.

Saturday, March 8th, 2025
(Recurs every 4 weeks)
2 pm - 5 pm
(Come at any time, or stay the whole time!)
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

Free
(RSVP encouraged but not required)

A Wonderful group jam! Bring your own instruments and play electronic music with fellow community members.

Sunday, March 9th, 2025
3 pm - 5:30 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

Free
(RSVP required to attend)

Join us as we dive into Elektron 101, with this class focusing specifically on the famous Elektron sequencer. Most elektron boxes have sequencers with many features in common, so we'll be examining the workflow without a specific instrument in mind.

Saturday, March 15th, 2025
1 pm - 2:30 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

This event is a DIY meetup for people interested in hacking cassette tapes. Come make tape loops, hang out with tape friends, and talk tape. We'll provide tools and cassette players, BYO cassettes if you want to make loops, or bring your loops if you want to play them for others.

Sunday, March 16th, 2025
12 pm - 3 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$1-10 Suggested Donation
(RSVP and donation encouraged, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for free entry)

Join us for a deep dive into using counters, clock dividers and accumulators with synthesizers. You’ll learn how binary and its expression in bits can be used musically as well as extended techniques in sequencing with logic with a focus on rhythmic techniques using the Nibbler. We'll also have live demonstrations and a Q&A. At the end you'll have a hands-on opportunity to try out some of the discussed techniques yourself as we'll have multiple Schlappi Engineering Nibbler modules set up to experiment with!

Instructor: Eric Schlappi
Eric Schlappi is the owner/engineer of Schlappi Engineering (https://schlappiengineering.com/ ) and a musician with a focus on abstract, explorational, electronics.

Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
1 pm - 3 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

Welcome all Women, Femmes, and Non-Binary folks! This introductory workshop teaches the fundamentals of modular synthesis. If you are new to synths don't worry! Neither a traditional background in music nor a familiarity with electronic instruments are necessary to attend - in fact, the course is explicitly designed for total beginners.

Sunday, March 23rd, 2025
3 pm - 6 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

Have you wanted to get more involved with the library but didn’t know where to start?
This in-person onboarding seminar will get you up to speed about the many types of work that helps run and grow our organization.
We’ll cover in detail how to facilitate our lending program, host or assist workshops, manage event logistics, and many more behind-the-scenes administrative tasks inherent to non-profits.

Click Here to Sign Up

@ 1256 Lloyd Center
2nd Floor, near Dicepool
RSVP Required

NOTE: We ask those wishing to attend to first attend the library’s new member orientation if they have not already done so.

Learn how to harness convolution in a musical context! We’ll delve into the conceptual underpinnings of convolution as a DSP function, how it can process audio and model real-world spaces and other physical phenomena. Then we’ll show you the practicalities involved to convolve, showing you how to capture the nature of spaces around you as well as your own gear by making your own impulse responses. Finally we’ll work together to build a set of IRs for the Library that you can take home to work with in the future to add personality and character to your music and sound design. 

Instructors: Max Jersak and Arden Butterfield

Saturday, March 29th, 2025
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)

In this hands-on DIY workshop, we'll explain how and why breadboards are used in creative circuit design and get you started building right away.

We'll build an oscillator that can make a speaker buzz. We'll explore how this works, and then expand upon the simple oscillator to create some of the basic parts of a synthesizer on your breadboard. No experience with electronics, synthesizers, or breadboarding is required. Beginners are encouraged to come!

Sunday, April 6th, 2025
12 pm - 3 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$30
(The cost of the workshop includes a breadboard and parts, which you can take home)

Learn to make your own analog video glitch device in our AVE-MOD workshop. In this workshop you will assemble a Syntonie AVE-MOD kit.

The AVE-MOD is a circuit-bent version of Radio Shack's Archer Video Enhancer, a set-top device for enhancing your TV image in an era when picture adjustments weren't common on TVs themselves. The bends allow you to create exciting glitch effects that will be the envy of your friends.

Sunday, May 4th, 2025
12 pm - 3 pm
@ 1256 Lloyd Center (view map)
2nd Floor, near Dicepool

$50
Workshop fee includes: a kit to build AVE-MOD, power supply, and RCA cables to connect it to video source and TV. Kits will be brought to the event the day of so you can simply show up and everything you need to build the video synth will be provided.

Learn the fundamentals of modular synthesis in this beginner workshop with no prior knowledge necessary. We’ll lay all the necessary groundwork to get you started on your modular journey. It’s also a great review of the basics to ensure you have a solid grasp of fundamental modular concepts and terminology. This is a 90 minute abridged version of the class, but we also regularly offer 3 hour version on weekends in our space at lloyd center.

Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
5:30 pm - 7 pm
@ Control Voltage
3742 N Mississippi Ave

$10-20 sliding scale
(tickets required to attend, no one turned away for lack of funds, email info@synthlibraryportland.org for no-cost tickets)