Workshop Notes: May 2026
Free gifts, polyphonic program cards, silver Computers, silky bass, Superbooth and the cure to G.A.S
I’m writing on the train from Glasgow after a fun evening at Signal Sounds, a shop full of vintage synths and new inventions and interesting people. So much to talk about this month…
The Thonk Mayday Sale is on now:
Workshop System kits with 10 free patch cables and 3 extra blank program cards
Workshop Computer kits with 10 program cards, including 7 blanks
Music Thing Modular Eurorack kits 10% off including Mini Drive, Startup, Twin Drive, Turing Machine.
Very proud to see this beautiful video of a monome grid playing a Workshop System - monome grids can now connect directly to the WS over USB.
I also enjoyed this video from Bay Mud about getting into modular synths when you don’t want to get sucked into spending too much money.
Workshop Computer Eurorack modules (now available in aluminium!) started arriving this month, so the Discord has been busy with new and improved and AMAZING program cards:
Flux is an exceedingly deep synth and multi-effects system from Vincent Maurer. It’s simply 🤯 to me that the Computer can do all this. Download Flux
Zodiac is a very cool generative sequencer with an ace browser visualiser. Download Zodiac
VSS is a polyphonic sampler, still beta but so many people have been talking to me about this one. Follow VSS progress [discord]
Gruv, inspired by Moritz Klein’s brilliant work with logic gates, turns the WS into a little chaotic groovebox. Follow Gruv progress [discord]
Patch the Random is a book of random patches for the Workshop System, one of my favourite community projects yet. Oliver has now released the code which can generate a new book, along with free PDFs of the two editions. I’d highly recommend the printed edition, 200+ pages, only £13.
Host a workshop: In the last month I’ve enjoyed Workshop Workshops in Rotterdam, Croydon and Stockholm, both building (8-12 people learning to solder Workshop Systems) and playing (12-24 people in a room musicking, experimenting and collaborating). If you’d like to host a build or play workshop near you, or have another idea you want to try, please get in touch.
Upcoming events:
Berlin: 7-9th May: I’ll be at Superbooth with the Thonk gang, with a TINY FREE GIFT for Workshop System and Computer owners. Just bring a photo of your system - a selfie, ideally - to the MTM stand W251 in the headphone zone, in the gym.
Cornwall: 22-24 May: Jake from RYK is hosting a Dyski Weekend Modular residential workshop (I’m told first one with Loula Yorke was fantastic), with Workshop Systems on hand to play. Bookings.
Yorkshire: 3–5 July: Mylar Melodies is hosting the first Dyski Weekend Modular workshop in Yorkshire. Bookings.
Music being made with Workshop Systems this month:
Here are all the albums made at the first three Dyski Sound Maps residencies (the event the Workshop System was designed for).
t36s writes: “I am so in love with my Workshop System it is hard to put into words. Such a nifty little instrument that is capable of so many wonderful things. This is a generative patch which I recorded and did some very light editing of and also added a few plugins on my mainframe computer.” (Lovely ambient piece, I’ve been listening for 20 minutes while writing the newsletter). `
I spend so much time thinking about program cards and weird experiments I can forget that the Workshop System can actually sound pretty ace just by itself: This video from carvery_gifthorse reminded me: “I had a go with Chris J ‘s sawtooth-esque trick to try and create a fairly traditional subtractive synth bass. Those humpack filters definitely have vibe, and sound quite lovely.”
A lovely piece from Jim50hertz: “Work in progress derived from the Sorley Maclean (Somhairle MacGill-Eain) poem ‘The Choice’ (An Roghainn). As ever the workshop system is the hub”
See you next month,
Tom
As usual an interesting read and recap for what is happening in the WS community. Thanks Tom and keep the good work! Hope to be able to host a workshop day in the South of France in 2027!
Fantastic night at Signal Sounds, thank you for visiting sunny Glasgow and sharing your experiences and thoughts !!!