Modular Impersonates Buchla

Modular Impersonates Buchla
« on: February 18, 2021, 08:26:04 AM »
I've made a short video after being inspired by Todd Barton's explorations of the Buchla Easel. I find Todd's ever curious approach to modular synthesis really engaging. I've also been interested to learn more about Don Buchla's design choices for the Buchla Easel, and this led me to look with fresh eyes at my own embryonic modular synthesizer.


Re: Modular Impersonates Buchla
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2021, 02:41:21 PM »
I think I must have forgotten to post the link. Doh!

https://youtu.be/HCxN4RBa3L8

chysn

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Re: Modular Impersonates Buchla
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2021, 07:53:13 PM »
I think it's a lovely system. I much prefer small eurorack to large eurorack. My 84HP system was built around Tetrapad, a pair of STOs, Maths, Optomix, etc., with an eye toward replacing Tetrapad with 0-Ctrl.

You can maybe get a little closer by pulling the passive mult in favor of a 2HP Verb.
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Re: Modular Impersonates Buchla
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2021, 10:06:14 AM »
I think it's a lovely system. I much prefer small eurorack to large eurorack. My 84HP system was built around Tetrapad, a pair of STOs, Maths, Optomix, etc., with an eye toward replacing Tetrapad with 0-Ctrl.

You can maybe get a little closer by pulling the passive mult in favor of a 2HP Verb.

Hi, thanks for your reply. It is a cute little collection of modules and great fun.

In the video, thinking about it, I'm having fun with my gear and then saying I wan't something else, which wasn't quite what I meant to say, but still.

That's not a bad idea about the mult actually. I could always tape the mult to the side as it doesn't take any power and a reverb would be fun. I do have the ALM S.B.G. which gives me an out to FX boxes although I've found I haven't used that as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure if it's because I'm lazy or find the extra wires too much but it always feel nicer to keep it all in the little case. Not sure why.

 I'm going to have to look the Tetrapad up. I'm not sure what it is.

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Re: Modular Impersonates Buchla
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2021, 05:59:10 AM »
That's not a bad idea about the mult actually. I could always tape the mult to the side as it doesn't take any power and a reverb would be fun.

Consider selling the passive mult and spending the proceeds for a few Tiptop stackable cables. Taping it is just going to make it wobbly and hard to patch, while stackables make it really easy to visualize what's going on. My view is that there's almost no space that a passive mult takes up that wouldn't be better used by something else.

Quote
I do have the ALM S.B.G. which gives me an out to FX boxes although I've found I haven't used that as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure if it's because I'm lazy or find the extra wires too much but it always feel nicer to keep it all in the little case. Not sure why.

I was wondering what that was. If you have internal effects with the 2HP, you can free up that space.

What's the 4HP black module in the middle?
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Re: Modular Impersonates Buchla
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2021, 04:36:31 AM »
Hi, some good advice there, thanks.

I may will look at the stackable cables - they are very Buchla after all. I'd be unwilling to take the S.B.G. out of my rack because I've found a few other uses for it too. It works greats as a distortion module, because it has a lot of gain in the return channel, and it's also a good way to route external synths into the modular world, because it takes them up to the right level. I've been using it to pipe a Boomstar 5089 and, thinking about it, I could also bring in my Prophet 6.

The black module in the middle is the OCHD, made by Instruo who took up DivKid's original concept, which is 8 triangle LFOs, running unsynced but at 'musical' speeds. You can speed the overall rate up, with the top one always being the quickest and the bottom one the slowest. It has a CV in so you can modulate the rate. It's a nice way to add some organic movement around your eurorack modules.