A place to enjoy synths

Presentation

The Playroom is the creative space of the smem. Built in 2018 after a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, the Playroom allows the amateur, the professional and the curious to learn, play and record on some of the rare and legendary instruments of our collection. The Playroom is open every Saturday for the Playroom Sessions (booking required), on Sundays from 14:00 for free access before the 15:00 guided tour, and on request for special events, artistic residencies and more. Finally, the Playroom is also the place where we host most of our conferences and workshops.

Playroom Sessions 

A Playroom Session offers everyone the opportunity to discover the world of synthesizers and other electronic music instruments. The sessions last four hours and include an optional tour of the collection of about an hour. For each session, a qualified member of our team will be there for supervision and to provide suggestions, advice and help if needed. Soundcards and headphones are at your disposal but we encourage you to bring your own recording and listening gear if you wish to record your productions.

Practical informations

An entry for a Playroom Session (tour included) costs CHF 50.00 or CHF 25.00 for the reduced price (student, AVS, AI). The Playroom is open on Saturdays and the Sessions start at 13:00 and end at 17:00. On Sundays, the Playroom is also open from 14:00 with no booking required, ahead of the 15:00 guided tour. This access is included in the price of the tour (CHF 10.00 / 5.00 reduced). It is not a four-hour Playroom Session. To find the Playroom, check the access map in the slideshow above. The Playroom can be spotted on site thanks to its big red garage door. The address is: smem, Passage du Cardinal 1, 1700 Fribourg.

Below, you can find a list of the instruments available at the moment in the Playroom. The selection is regularly updated throughout the year. Please note that we cannot provide other instruments during regular Playroom Sessions. As each of the elements on the list has to go through tests – and eventually repairs – before entering the Playroom, the only way to cover those extra costs and ensure quality is to ask for a special request by filling the form below.

When to visit

• Saturday 13:00–17:00: Playroom Session (4h, tour included) · CHF 50.00 / 25.00 · booking required
• Saturday 15:00: Guided tour (1h) · CHF 10.00 / 5.00 · no booking needed
• Sunday 14:00–16:00: Playroom from 14:00 + guided tour at 15:00 · CHF 10.00 / 5.00 · no booking needed

Residencies, rentals and special requests

As mentioned, the Playroom also hosts artistic residencies and its instruments can be rented for private or professional sessions. The price are as follows:

• 1/2 day (4h) : CHF 300.00
• 1 day (8h) : CHF 500.00
• 2 days : CHF 900.00
• 3 days : CHF 1100.00
• 4 days : CHF 1350.00
• 5 days : CHF 1600.00
• 6 days : CHF 1800.00
• 7 days : CHF 2000.00
• 8 days : CHF 2200.00
• 9 days : CHF 2400.00
• 10 days : CHF 2600.00

For each additional day above ten days, add CHF 100.00. For example, a 14-days rental costs CHF 3000.00 (2600+4*100).

It is also possible to ask for a sound technician to be present during your stay or a part of it. The prices are as follows:

• For an introduction to synthesis, to a requested instrument, etc. : CHF 150.00
• For a full presence during your stay : CHF 400.00 per day.

It is also possible to request a specific instrument from our collection that is not available in the Playroom at the moment. The instrument will be fully checked and prepared for you, which implies service costs even for very « cheap » instruments. Please note that, in some cases, the instrument might need some service or repair, which would imply additional costs to complete the request. In that case, you will be informed and asked if you agree with the additional costs before we proceed to the reparation. Of course, we will do our possible to keep those extra costs as low as possible.

The instruments of our collection are divided into three categories of value. Some examples of instrument belonging to each categories are given here to give you an idea of how to situate the instrument you might be interested in. The prices are as follows :

• Category A : CHF 800.00
  • Note : any instrument from this category requires the mandatory presence of one of our sound technicians (CHF 400.00 per day)
  • Examples : Yamaha CS-80, Mellotron M400s, Fairlight CMI IIx, Roland Jupiter-8, Oberheim Matrix-12, Roland TR-808, etc.
• Category B : CHF 300.00
  • Examples : Roland Juno-60, Roland Space Echo RE-201, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Yamaha DX-7, etc.
• Category C : CHF 100.00
  • Examples : Boss Pedals, Roland Alpha Juno-1, Casio VL-1, Korg Poly-800, etc.

If you are interested, please fill the form right below.