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When Buchla started to expand itself into markets other than Schools and Universities such as performing musicians and sound designers, they came out with the far more advanced 200-series modules (1970-78). They dubbed it, "The Electric Music Box". The 200's ability to interface its voltage controlled analog circuitry with digital computers really opened the door to complex programming and control not yet seen. They also introduced a color-coded patch-cord system to simplify patching and to provide an easy view of what's going where. It first came out as another modular system encased in a large wood cabinet, as pictured above. The flat touch-plate keyboard typically used by Buchla was also found here.
BUCHLA SYSTEM 101
The System 101 (1970-78) was a very compact polyphonic synth using modules from the 200-series. It was the smallest of the 200-series "Electric Music Boxes", designed for on-the-go musicians. The model pictured above has a Model 212 Dodecamodule, Model 258 Dual Oscillator module, and Model 237 32-note standard piano style keyboard in place of the Buchla-preferred touch-plate keys for a more musician-friendly experience.
SILI-CON CELLO
The Sili-Con Cello is a mid-seventies creation made up of modules from the 200 series with an added binary counter module. It is very rare and unique, using acoustic input from a microphone that is used to control it and generate musical sounds. It can be closed up like a brief-case and be carried to its next gig. The name comes from the fact that it was made for a Cello player to use in a piece called "Sili-Con Cello".*
MUSIC EASEL
Released in 1972/73, the Music Easel is a very rare compact Buchla synth that had the Model 208 Stored Program Sound Source module inside of a Model 203-08 briefcase-style metal case. It also used the Model 218 pressure-sensitive touch-plate keyboard (with 32 keys). As small as it was it managed to include a 5-stage sequencer, 22 sliders, and over 25 color-coded patch-points. The Music Easel was housed in an aluminum case that closed up like a brief-case for travel purposes with room for its patch cords and memory cards. It is quite similar to the EMS Synthi AKS, but likely more flexible, programmable and even more rare.
Check out this awesome video: Charles Cohen At The Buchla Music Easel
The Music Easel also featured a relative breakthrough for its time: Patch storage! But it was rudimentary storage - resistors installed to "program" cards were used. You needed one card full of resistors for each patch and they had to be manually plugged in to be used. They stored slider, switch and knob positions as well as patch-point connections. To be used they had to be inserted into a slot, one at a time, on the upper left side of the synth. They can also be seen in the picture above in their own storage compartment directly above the patch cord storage compartment. The Music Easel originally sold with six blank cards and some resistors and instructions. There was even a re-chargeable battery pack for added portability (up to 3 hours).
Modules for the Buchla Series 200 (Module# - Description)
- 202 portable case
- 203-8 portable case, briefcase-style (similar to EMS Synthi A)
- 205 Matrix Mixer two 5 x 4 mixers with cross-routing possible
- 206 Dual Mixer two 3-channel mixers switchable between pre/post fade
- 207 Mixer/Preamplifier six-channel stereo mixer with voltage-controlled panning
- 208 Stored Program Sound Source - This module is basically a complete synthesizer. It includes a VCO with rectangle, triangle and sawtooth waveforms. It allowed voltage control of pitch, timbre, and wave shape. It contained two low-pass VCFs, a five-step by four-output sequencer, an LFO, a voltage controlled ASD envelope generator, a voltage controlled "pulser", and a random voltage generator. It also had a plug-in card patch memory system, headphone jack, external mic input with an envelope follower, reverb, and separate output controls for mix, reverb, monitor, and final level.
- 212 Dodecamodule
- 214A power supply
- 215 power supply
- 215A power supply
- 216 Touch Control Voltage Source capacitive keyboard similar to the earlier 112
- 218 Keyboard 2 1/2-octave, 29-note (C-E) capacitance "keyboard" with preset pitch/voltage shifter, portamento, pressure and pulse outputs (gates).
- 219 Keyboard 4-octave, 48-note (C-B) capacitance "keyboard" splitable eight ways and with 38 outputs. Control-voltage outs could be set for monophonic or duophonic. One 8-note section had individually tunable plates. The 219 also featured two joysticks, three keys with individual pulse and pressure outs, positive or negative control-voltages, and digital outputs for interface with digital processing.
- 221 Kinaesthetic Input Port This controller module features a capacitive keyboard with frets and slightly raised keys and a 32-note control-voltage section using lateral key pressure to control portamento and pitch bend. Other sections control presets, octave shifting, and two joystick outputs. The 221 also featured a buffered digital output.
- 226 Quadraphonic Monitor/Interface For monitoring, interfacing, and final program formatting in four-channel systems. Built-in provisions for quad mixing, duplications, and overdubbing simplify the manipulation of quadraphonic material.
- 227 System Interface EQ, pan, reverb, and two 4-channel mixers. One mixer has four inputs with EQ (bass and treble), FX send, pan and routing. The other is a simple 4-channel line mixer. The 227 also has four VU meters, four monitor outputs, as well as the main signal output.
- 230 Triple Envelope Follower Three envelope followers with a variable decay time setting of 0.1 seconds to 5 seconds.
- 232 Frequency Detector
- 237 37-key Polyphonic Keyboard
- 238 61-key Polyphonic Keyboard
- 242 Programmable Pulser This is a miniature 12-position X 4 sequencer that uses a pin matrix. It has little LEDs to show position within the sequence.
- 248 Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator - This is an elaborate 16-step X 2-output envelope or sequence controller, with 16 steps variable from 1ms to 120 seconds, all independent and accessible to voltage control.
- 248-1606 Multiple Arbitrary Function generator This is an elaborate 16-step X 6-output envelope or sequence controller, with 16 steps variable from 1ms to 120 seconds, all independent and accessible to voltage control.
- 248-3206 Multiple Arbitrary Function generator This is an elaborate 32-step X 6-output envelope or sequence controller, with 32 steps variable from 1ms to 120 seconds, all independent and accessible to voltage control.
- 248-3210 Multiple Arbitrary Function generator This is an elaborate 32-step X 10-output envelope or sequence controller, with 32 steps variable from 1ms to 120 seconds, all independent and accessible to voltage control.
- 256 Dual Control Voltage Adder Model Allows several control voltages to simultaneously affect a single parameter. Up to four applied voltages can be scaled and added (or subtracted) to (or from) an internally generated offset voltage.
- 257 Dual Voltage Control Processor This module is for adding, subtracting, scaling, inverting, or multiplying voltages.
- 258 Dual Oscillator Both have frequency settings from 5Hz to 20kHz. VCO1 features a continuously variable waveform from sine to sawtooth. VCO2 features a continuously variable waveform from sine to square wave
- 259 Programmable Complex Waveform Generator This is a dual oscillator featuring computer control and a tuning interface. VCO1 has a frequency range of 27Hz to 7Khz. It features sync, and voltage control of "harmonic intensity", "order", and "symmetry". VCO2 has a frequency range of .25Hz to 7Khz, thus making it a good choice for an LFO.
- 264 Quad Sample-And-Hold/Polyphonic Adaptor
- 265 Source of Uncertainty - This module contains two continuously varying random voltages, two sample-and-hold voltages, and three types of noise.
- 266 Source of Uncertainty This module contains two continuously varying random voltages, four sample-and-hold voltages, and three types of noise.
- 270 Quad Preamplifier four mic/instrument inputs
- 280 Quad Envelope Generator This modules contains four simple envelope generators. Attack and decay times are variable between 1ms and 10 seconds.
- 281 Quad Envelope Generator This modules is a reworked version of the 280. It also contains four simple envelope generators. Attack and decay times are variable between 1ms and 10 seconds.
- 284 Quad VEnvelope Generator Adds voltage control and variable delay and duration times to the capabilities of the Model 280.
- 285 Frequency Shifter / Balanced Modulator This module contains a frequency shifter with external or internal control-voltage, and a balanced modulator which is variable up to full ring modulation.
- 291 Dual VCF Two voltage-controlled bandpass filters with a frequency range of 30Hz to 15kHz. Band width is variable between 1 semitone and one octave. It features voltage control of the center frequency as well as the bandwidth. The filters have resonance and external modulation controls.
- 292 Quad VC Lo-pass Gate This module contains four VCFs with voltage controlled panning.
- 294 Four Channel Filter This module contains four 20dB/octave filters positioned at crossovers of 250Hz, 1kHz, and 4kHz.
- 295 Ten Channel Filter This is a comb filter featuring gain controls on each of its ten frequency bands.
- 296 Programmable Spectral Processor This is a 16-band 6-pole voltage-controlled filter with a computer interface. It could be configured as two 8-band filters. This is a important module used in making a vocoder.
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