Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments

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Buchla 200e (2004–) used by Deadmau5 (on display at the National Music Center )

Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI) is a manufacturer of synthesizer modules. The origins of the company lie in Buchla & Associates , a manufacturer of synthesizers and fancy MIDI controllers , which was founded in 1963 by synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla from Berkeley , California . In 2012, under the direction of Don Buchla, it was acquired by a group of Australian investors known as Audio Supermarket Pty. Ltd . operated. The company was renamed Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments as part of the acquisition . In 2018, 2 years after Buchla's death, BEMI's assets were acquired by a new company, Buchla USA , so the company now continues under new management.

Company Origin

Buchla's first modular electronic music system was the result of an order from the San Francisco Tape Music Center by composers Ramon Sender and Morton Subotnick in 1963, who later awarded Buchla $ 500 from a Rockefeller Foundation grant . Subotnick envisioned a voltage controlled instrument that would allow musicians and composers to create the sounds that they wanted. Previously, you had to use either discrete audio generators such as function generators, oscillators or musique concrète , i.e. sounds from natural sources.

Prototype of the modular synthesizer

Buchla designed the synthesizer in a modular way, combining separate components, each of which created or modified a musical event. Each box had a specific function, including envelope generators , oscillators , filters , voltage-controlled amplifiers and analog sequencer modules . With the help of the various modules, a composer can influence the pitch, timbre , amplitude and spatial position of the sound. The instrument was controlled and played via a number of touch and pressure sensitive surfaces.

Buchla 100 at New York University

The instrument was named the Buchla 100 series Modular Electronic Music System , installed at the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1965, and moved to Mills College in 1966. Subotnick completed his first major electronic work, Silver Apples Of The Moon , with another unit that Buchla had built and sent to New York. The same device was used on Buffy Sainte Marie's influential 1969 album Illuminations .

Together with the Moog synthesizer of Robert Moog he has the manner as in the electronic music generates sounds revolutionized. Don Buchla himself allegedly rejected the name “synthesizer” because it reminded him of a synthetic imitation of an already existing sound . Instead, he is said to have given his modules extravagant names such as " Source of Uncertainty ". Buchla also had an aversion to keyboards, which he is said to have called "dictatorial" and is quoted as saying:

" When you've got a black and white keyboard, it's hard to play anything but keyboards music ."

(Don Buchla, quoted in The New York Times, Sep 17, 2017)

Products

Analog instruments

Buchla 200

Buchla 100 series (1960s)

The series corresponds to the original modular Buchla synthesizer, which was commissioned by Subotnick and Sender and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation scholarship. The earliest modules did not have a precise name. They either had no company name or were marked "San Francisco Tape Music Center" on the front. Later modules were offered through CBS's musical instrument department . The users were primarily experimental musicians and fans of new electronic music , to which classically oriented composers such as Ernst Krenek also devoted themselves . It had two Buchla synthesizers from 1967, both of which have survived and are therefore among the oldest originals in history. One of them is exhibited in the Krenekin Institute in Krems. Another important performer who used Buchla equipment is Suzanne Ciani.

Buchla 200 series (1970s)

The Buchla 200 series called Electric Music Box replaced the previous model in 1970 and represented a significant technological advance in electronic sound synthesis. Almost every parameter can be controlled via an external control voltage.

Computer controlled instruments

Buchla 300, 500, Touché (mid 1970s)

In the mid-1970s, Don Buchla began experimenting with digital designs and computerized systems. The result was the 300 and 500 series, both of which combined the new technology with existing 200 series modules to create hybrid analog / digital systems. The Touché was the result of this research and arguably his last attempt to market a "mainstream" bookla synth.

Buchla 250e Arbitrary Function Generator

Buchla 400, 700, and MIDAS (1980s)

In the 1980s, the software-controlled instruments of the 400 and 700 series appeared, which were operated with MIDAS , a Forth -like language for musical instruments, and were already equipped with MIDI .

Buchla Music Easel

Buchla's special synthesizer design

Buchla tended not to refer to his instruments as synthesizers as he felt that the name gave the impression of mimicking existing sounds / instruments. His intention, however, was to make instruments that create new sounds. This goal can be seen in the fact that his early instruments did not have a keyboard and instead used a series of touch pads that were not necessarily tied to an equal pitch .

He also used a different naming convention than most in the industry. For example, one of its modules is referred to as a " Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator ". However, these differences go beyond nomenclature: The Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (or MARF) goes far beyond what a typical sequencer can do. It can act as an envelope generator , LFO , CV selector , voltage quantizer or tracking generator. The MARF (Buchla model 248) must not be confused with the modern Dual Arbitrary Function Generator (model 250e), which has a different design.

Buchla's instruments such as the Music Easel use a different method of timbre generation than Moog synthesizers . Moog units use oscillators with basic waveforms of the type of a function generator and strongly to the filtering mi 24dB- resonance - low-pass filtering instructed while Buchlas complex oscillators with frequency modulation , amplitude modulation is aligned and dynamic wave-shaping to produce other forms of sound modulation. Many of Don Buchla's designs, including the low-pass gates (later referred to as dynamic managers ), incorporate Vactrols, a photoresistive optocoupler that is used as a voltage controlled potentiometer and provides a more "natural" (typical Buchla sound). In December 2017 Arturia released a software / plugin emulation of Music Easel called "Buchla Easel V" as another of their emulations of classic analog synthesizers .

Buchla's design of the instruments is often referred to as the so-called West Coast Sound Design, in contrast to the East Coast design by Robert Moog, who came from the east coast.

MIDI controller (late 1980s)

Buchla Thunder, Buchla Lightning, Marimba Lumina

In the late 1980s, Don Buchla had stopped developing instruments and shifted his focus to alternative MIDI controllers. His controller designs included Thunder , Lightning , and Marimba Lumina .

Buchla 200e series (from 2004)

Buchla 200e

In 2004, Buchla finally returned to designing full-fledged modular electronic instruments, introducing the 200e, a hybrid system with digital microprocessors that uses modules of the same size as the 100 and 200 series and compatible signals. The 200e modules convert all control signals on the control panel into analog signals and present themselves to the user like a modular analog system with patch cables. This means that an entire system network can be set up by combining 100, 200 and 200e modules. The 200e modules are connected via a digital communication bus so that the system can save the settings of the buttons and switches.

At the NAMM fair in January 2012, Buchla & Associates presented a new owner, with Don Buchla being retained as Chief Technology Officer and investing in the design, manufacture and marketing of under the new name "Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI)" Buchla products as well as the development of an expanded product line. A year later, BEMI presented the Music Easel again. Since then, BEMI has released a small number of new modules, including the 252e Polyphonic Rhythm Generator. Furthermore, the "200h" series of modules (h = half) were produced so that Buchla system owners can configure their systems in more detail.

present

In 2015, various websites, including FACT, reported that Don Buchla had taken the new owners of BEMI to court citing health issues, some of which were due to unpaid consulting fees, and making a claim on his original intellectual property. The lawsuit related to breach of contract and "malicious conduct" by the BEMI owners and claims for compensation of $ 500,000.

Legal documents filed with the State of California indicate that the court ordered the case to be settled through arbitration in July 2015. In August 2016, the court dismissed the case on the fact that the parties had reached an out-of-court settlement.

Don Buchla died shortly afterwards on September 14, 2016. His obituary was published in the New York Times and elsewhere, noting his significant achievements in the world of electronic music and technology.

BEMI participated in NAMM 2017 and released the Easel AUX Expander. BEMI has also established a new sales model that discontinues direct sales to customers and enables closer integration into a global dealer network.

A current product is the Buchla 208C called Easel Command .

Others

  • Buchla also worked for other companies. In 1995 he developed the OB-Mx for Oberheim and the “Piano Bar” for Moog (2003).
  • Some synthesizers have been translated into VST plugins.

gallery

See also

Individual evidence

Notes

  1. ↑ BEMI bought from Buchla USA. In: sequencer.de. 2018, accessed August 9, 2020 .
  2. ^ Vail, Mark. Vintage Synthesizers , Miller Freeman Books, 1993, p. 97-99
  3. ^ Cait Miller: Unboxing the Buchla Model 100. Theodore Gordon next to the Buchla Model 100, part of the collections of the Music Division, Library of Congress. December 2015. In: In The Muse: Performing Arts Blog. January 14, 2016, accessed on August 6, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Report: Buchla 200e, modular system - History & Basics. In: AMAZONA.de. January 6, 2019, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Theo Bloderer: The Buchla Synthesizer by Ernst Krenek (Part 1). In: GreatSynthesizers. September 15, 2015, accessed August 6, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Suzanne Ciani & Morton Subotnick. RB Music Academy, May 1, 2016, accessed August 8, 2020 .
  7. ^ The Electric Music Box - Buchla Series 200 . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  8. ↑ Buchla Series 300 - digital control for 200 series module . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  9. ↑ Buchla 500 electronic musical instrument (photograph only) . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ Buchla Touche Introduction (front page) . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  11. ↑ Buchla 400 Product Information . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  12. ↑ Buchla 700 (front page) . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  13. ↑ Jondent: JonDent - Exploring Electronic Music: Buchla MArF - Manual interperation. In: JonDent - Exploring Electronic Music. December 9, 2018, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  14. ↑ ModularSynthesis - Buchla 248 MARF. Retrieved August 5, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Buchla 250 product page
  16. ^ Music Easel - Summary Description / December, 1973 . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011.
  17. ^ Julian Parker, Stefan D'Angelo: A Digital Model of the Buchla Lopass Gate. Aalto University, Espoo, Finland, September 5, 2013, accessed August 8, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Simon Gareste: Arturia - West Coast Sound Design. Arturia, December 2017, accessed August 2020 (UK English).
  19. ↑ a b Joker Nies: The Buchla Sound: A special kind of synthesizer. Keyboards, March 14, 2017, accessed on August 5, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Buchla Thunder . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011.
  21. ↑ Buchla Lightning II . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  22. ↑ Marimba Lumina 2.5 . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012.
  23. ↑ Buchla Series 200e (front page) . Buchla and Associates. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009.
  24. ↑ "Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments Debuts At Winter NAMM 2012" , Keyboard Magazine (January 2012)
  25. ^ Don Buchla is taking the owners of his brand to court. In: FACT Magazine. March 25, 2015, Retrieved August 5, 2020 (American English).
  26. ↑ Buchla v. Buchla. Sonicstate, 2015, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  27. ↑ Buchla v. Buchla Electronic Musical Instrument, LLC et al. Accessed August 5, 2020 (English).
  28. ↑ Jon Pareles: Don Buchla, Inventor, Composer and Electronic Music Maverick, Dies at 79 . In: The New York Times . September 17, 2016, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed August 5, 2020]).
  29. ↑ Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments Easel Command. MUSIC STORE, accessed August 5, 2020 .
  30. ↑ Free Buchla System 1 Synthesizer - VST Emulation. Youtube, accessed in 2020 .

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