For Sale on Muffs: Original vintage Buchla Music Easel / 208

Roman F is selling his original Buchla Music Easel/208 but without the
touch keyboard, the 218.

what is included:

case
psu
2 boats
208
2 patch cards

all is original and works perfect

i'm not interested in selling the 218 atm, but since i don't want to break this unit apart i can trade it to 221.

$30.000, cash
located in LA, i can bring it to any major US city if we share the flight

... that's a york university's easel, later owned by audities, then by couple private persons and i'm the last owner.

Check it out on muffs.

Buchla Quad Spatial Director Model 204

Someone got lucky and bought the 204 that was for sale a couple of weeks ago.  The nice thing is that it didn't vanish in some studio but ended up with Votek_Mendo a fellow wiggler from muff's who has shared some really nice pictures of the 204. Congrats again on the amazing purchase and thanks for sharing all this nice pictures.

From Muff's:

So, this module is from 1971, which means it was in the heart of the "black knob era". It wants +15, -15, +5, +24 and 2 grounds. The control voltage range at that time officially was 0-15 volts. The power connectors were black Cinch-Jones box connectors on individual chassis boxes that sat inside of a wooden cabinet.

A friend of mine have done away with all of that. It now will plug into a 200e or later 200 cabinet with an EDAC 10 pin edge connector and doesn't need a 24 volt line. The joysticks will put out roughly 0-12 volts and the CV inputs respond through their entire range from 0-10. This module will now plug and play in a 200e system. It actually was mostly working. The only issue was that the joysticks are optical. They have a lightbulb on the PCB and 4 photocells facing up around it. The joystick has a hole in the ball that reflects the light back from the bulb to the photocells, depending on where you lean it. It is a very slight difference between moves, physically. If one of the photocells is 1mm to any direction, the range will change. He was able to get the range proper by nudging them here and there. In other words, if one of them doesn't go all the way to 0 volts, it's a simple matter of pushing that one photocell toward the lightbulb more.

 From the Buchla Website:

Voltage controlled quadraphonic distributor for determining the spatial location of sounds with pan pots or externally applied voltages. Monitor switches and voltage controlled attenuators are included.

The 204's features include:

4 electronically isolated 2-dimensional joysticks with output voltages proportional to lateral and vertical displacement. Generally used to control sound location, but may be used to control other parameters.

4 gain controls for signals applied to inputs. Control voltages may alternatively be used to control amplitude.

Control voltage inputs for defining positions of sounds. Increasing voltages move sounds from rear to front and from left to right. Voltages are generally (but not necessarily) derived from adjacent joystick outputs.

Monitor switches for use in conjunction with the Model 226 Quad Monitor Interface.

Rare original 200 modules for sale on ebay!!!

That's not happening everyday. Not one but six original Buchla 200 modules have surfaced today on ebay, including two of the most hard to find modules. The 237 Polyphonic Keyboard Module and the 204 Quad Spatial Director. If you have the funds, go get them as this is a once in your lifetime opportunity.

284 Quad Voltage-Controlled Envelope Generator Model:

Adds voltage control and variable delay and duration times to the capabilities of the Model 280 (Four independent envelope generators with variable attack and decay times (range is .001 to 10 seconds) and a choice of sustained or transient operation. Input pulses initiate envelopes and optionally control duration time; output pulses, activated at end of decay, are particularly useful for advancing sequencers or looping to inputs to generate repetitive functions.).
All times are internally variable from .002 to 10 seconds; control voltages may be used to extend this range and control overall time while preserving envelope shape. 

237 Polyphonic Keyboard Module:

This keyboard provides the musician with the means to achieve direct expressive control of the Electric Music Box's many voltage-controlled parameters.
Model 237 has 37 keys (3 octave) and 3 voice polyphonic outputs; built-in processor allows polyphonic output voltages to be transposed or modulated by applied signals and control voltages.
Model features velocity and pressure outputs. Velocity output voltages are proportional to initial striking force; pressure outputs are actuated by applying pressure at bottom of key travel.
Key voltage outputs are equal interval -- any equal-tempered scale may be readily tuned with the processing and offset controls built into Electric Music Box oscillators.
 

204 Quad Spatial Director:

Voltage controlled quadraphonic distributor for determining the spatial location of sounds with pan pots or externally applied voltages. Monitor switches and voltage controlled attenuators are included.
The 204s features include:
4 electronically isolated 2-dimensional joysticks with output voltages proportional to lateral and vertical displacement. Generally used to control sound location, but may be used to control other parameters. 4 gain controls for signals applied to inputs. Control voltages may alternatively be used to control amplitude.

Control voltage inputs for defining positions of sounds. Increasing voltages move sounds from rear to front and from left to right. Voltages are generally (but not necessarily) derived from adjacent joystick outputs.

Go to ebay to see the rest of the modules.

Buchla 200 - 101 Buchla 200 - 101 keyboard test

Buchla 200-101 system that Rick from "The Electric Music Box" was repairing. Or that is what he said. I think it sounds great nonetheless.

The Music Easel has returned!!!

So now that the dust has settled I post some of the information that has surfaced here that is concerning the new Buchla Music Easel that BEMI will release in about 6 months.

Ever since I have first read about the Music Easel it was a dream of mine (and probably every Buchla enthusiast) to play one, just for a few minutes at least. But with only 20 or so produced the chances of this ever happening where very little. As I am located in Europe it is even harder to get your hands on one. But even though Don is the guy that never looks back, B&A has been bought and the new owners follow a different philosophy and have announced that they will release a functionally identical Music Easel in the next months. Everything will be the same as the original one. They even left the Programming Card the way it was. So you just take some resistors and solder your own presets for it.
The slot for the Programming Card can also be used for an additional card that lets you hook up the Music Easel to your I Pad or other devices and also lets you save presets.

I have not ordered on yet, but I will when the unit is ready and available in Europe. Can't wait for it. At first I was considering selling my 200e modules but I have since decided against this as I could not live without the 259e or the 267e and all the other wonderful modules.

BEMI's statment on muffs:

Pricing Structure
The Music Easel is BEMI’s first foray into selling Buchla gear through dealers, and while we are keeping the number of dealers purposely small, we are following a traditional dealer pricing model. This means that while BEMI will sell the unit at the MSRP of $3999.99, dealers can advertise it for $3,699.99. No matter whether you choose to purchase directly from BEMI or go through a BEMI dealer, orders will be shipped in the order in which BEMI receives them.
   
Orders / Email Address Confusion
Due to a combination of circumstances, some Easel inquiries sent to our sales@buchla.com address were not received. Our sincere apologies to those of you who were frustrated by our lack of response. We have recovered the mails, and we are contacting everyone who was not previously contacted and/or who did not subsequently place their order through either purchasing@buchla.com or  info@buchla.com.

Features
We’re listening! In addition to the many thoughtful comments we received at NAMM from the Buchla community, we’re closely following the “vintage accuracy versus modern functionality” debate in this forum, and doing our best to find the optimum blend of the two. We’ll continue to refine and implement changes in accordance with your input. Our goal is to put the best possible instrument in your hands.

The preset card is a good example. We think it’s really important to remain true to the original Easel’s preset card architecture (apparently some of you can’t get enough solder fumes). But we also understand the modern workflow and the need for immediate access to multiple presets---hence the design of our optional preset manager/ iPad interface card. Speaking of which, the interface’s spec calls for saving/loading presets, remote programming of the Easel via iPad, and wireless operation. MSRP 
TBA.

We’ll post the full feature list and specs on our new Web site as soon as it’s launched. (We’re busy translating the Latin pages now….)

Aesthetics
The debate over original vs. new aesthetics is raging nearly as fiercely as the one over features. Again, we’re doing our best to find the sweet spot. A couple of things you can be sure of: The case lid will be removable and we’re taking a long hard look at all of the graphic elements, from fonts and colors to knobs….

Don Buchla’s Involvement
If you were BEMI, would you reissue the Music Easel without Don’s involvement? Get real!

The Manual
It’s our intention to include an appropriately updated version of the original Allen Strange manual along with new documentation to help users unfamiliar with the Easel unlock its sonic potential.

European Service / Distribution
Yes to both! We’ll be announcing dealers, distributors, and service centers on our Web site as they come on line.

 

 

New Stuff arrived!!!

So a some new stuff arrived in the last couple of weeks.Some panels, some knobs, the simple yet amazing flop sequenzer Djangosfire build. So I took a picture with all the new Buchla stuff.Have to build some modules and need to finally get a bigger case as it is quite sad that I can't use my 267 at the moment.

 

259e and 267e are taking a trip to outer space

Just posted two small demo pieces I just recorded on my soundcloud channel. Both feature just the 259e, the 267e and my beloved El Capistan pedal from Strymon.

I am still amazed about the different sounds one can come up with, using just two Buchla modules be it the 281e in combination with the 259e or now with the 267e. I must say I also had a lot of fun with the 258v.

The 267e has arrived!!!

Just got my 267e right before Christmas. Wonderful module. Very very well build and one of the deepest Buchla modules I have seen. Took me a while to put it into my 2 panel powerd Box until everything worked fine. Only spend a couple of hours with it so far but I will post some audio soon.

Rogan Knobs

I took part in a group buy on muff's a while ago for a  lot of Rogan knobs that are used on some of the Buchla 200 modules and also some later Buchla instruments. My intention is to try out some Buchla DIY projects that seem to go on everywhere at the moment. They look so nice and I just wanted to repost some of the pictures xpander, the men behind the group buy, took and posted on muff's.
The Buchla community will be forever thankfull.

Klee Sequencer

I just found this panel on muff's. Very nice idea and I hope someone will build it one day. There are a lot of Buchla DIY projects going on on muffs. Go too muff's DIY subforum and see for yourselfs and get inspired too build your own.

IRCAM's old Buchla 300

I always like this pictures of the old Buchla 300 from IRCAM and the text, especially this part:

"Even in its current place of rest, under quite a bit of dust, it seems to hearken back youthfully to a earlier time before this age of DSP, when men were men and resistors, resistors."

Check out the rest of the pictures here.

Jason R. Butcher's wonderful Buchla

ether^ra who is the men behind the wonderful blog ether^ra : visual arts, sound manoeuvring & arcana pointed me the way to an other interesting blog by Jason R.Butcher who has a very nice Buchla 200 that he put together over the years. He posted a new picture on his flickr page that shows a Easel like Haliburton case with only six Modules. He is not only useing Buchla 200 modules but also Buchla's 250e Arbitrary Function Generator which is, acording too the Buchla homepage a 16 stage function generator, featuring direct and immediate access to each stages' control and timing voltages. I think it is amazing that one can still, so many decades after the first Buchla was build, use the old modules with the new ones (even though sometimes you need too attenuate or amplify some modules).

The new setup that he is experimenting with consists of the folowing Modules:

Source of Uncertainty Model 266
Quad Function Generator Model 281
Quad Voltage-Controlled Lopass Gate Model 292
Dual Reverb / Equalizer Model 275 
 (which is quite a rare module and only one of two old modules 
 that do not fit in the new 200e boats, the other one being the 
 Dodecamodule Model 212)
250e Arbitrary Function Generator 
Programmable Complex Waveform GeneratorModel 259
 (which is probably the most expansive Buchla module that one can buy from the old 200 series 
  but a beauty it is)

Short Update: An anonymus user pointed out that "there are quite a few 200 modules that don't fit in a 200e cabinet without modifications: 208, 248 ,227 ,296 (296 fits only in one position in the 18 and 24 cab)"

Protofields and the Buchla 200

 This is my favorite Buchla 200 video. So inspiring. I think this is the Buchla that now belongs too former NIN member Alessandro Cortini but correct me if I am wrong.

An extremely rare version of Protofields piece made in one take with the Buchla 200 System. This is just a memory of these days not a finished work.

Music by Antonio Isaac, camera by Gerardo Pellicer.