SOUNDWAVES pulsate through the air and with the turning of a dial, hushed ambient sound shifts into jagged, droning noise.<\/p>\n
Three men stand around the console at the source of the sound, and their eyebrows raise with the changing sonic character.<\/p>\n
This is a common scene when members of the Ballarat Synth Enthusiasts get together, though founder Michael Groth said it\u2019s more of a loose network than a traditional group of electronic musicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sort of a place for people to talk about gear, sell their stuff, show off their new toys or music,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of guys with modular equipment and hardware synths, keyboards and different software, so we\u2019ve all got a bit of a collection going on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not much of an experimental scene in Ballarat or venues here for noise music so it\u2019s about making those spaces ourselves at places like galleries and outdoors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since forming in 2016, Ballarat Synth Enhusiasts has over 90 members, many of whom, Groth said, joined during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
A local for about 20 years, Groth established the group after the disillusion of a similar initiative in Melbourne that he was part of.<\/p>\n
Many members are part of other synth groups in the region like SMAM in Daylesford and the Castlemaine Electronic Workshop.<\/p>\n
Phil Coyle is one of the intersecting members, and said an aim of the group is to be part of a wider network between the groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween us, we\u2019re sort of trying to bring all these communities together of regional electronic musicians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about breaking down the barriers of what people think music is. This is abstract music but it\u2019s very varied in what you can do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upcoming events for the Ballarat Synth Enhusiasts include a workshop at Ballarat Art Space on Saturday, 24 September and a November performance at the Hepburn Sound Shell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SOUNDWAVES pulsate through the air and with the turning of a dial, hushed ambient sound shifts into jagged, droning noise. Three men stand around the console at the source of the sound, and their eyebrows raise with the changing sonic character. This is a common scene when members of the Ballarat Synth Enthusiasts get together, […]<\/p>\n