Anyone try out the new Buchla Music Easel yet?

Anything about hardware musical instruments.
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

I just found out about this..
it's like Buchlas most affordable synthesizer yet!

Price: $3,700.00 :o
http://www.jrrshop.com/keyboards-midi/a ... usic-easel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loeGOKchnuU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYlafCXm61E
Last edited by V0RT3X on Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
:borg:

Post

:borg:

Post

I've played with one a few times. The first time was at Knobcon last year; I really didn't get the potential though until after Todd Barton had his seminar later that day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6kPTszTxvo

I've doodled with them a couple times since them; my local Eurocrack dealer sells them and keeps a demo unit at the shop.

ew
A spectral heretic...

Post

I've spent some time with a BEMI Music Easel. I've also had the opportunity to play an original Easel and a 208r clone.
They sound very nice but for the same price I got a Make Noise Shared System

Here is mine...
Image

I feel that the quality is very similar (between the SS and the BEMI Easel) and while they sound very different, they both sound fantastic. However, I like the Rene sequencer much more than I like the sequencer on the 208, plus the SS has a granular sampler and pitch shifting delay. The 218 is kinda wasted on me. I just don't often interact with my modular that way. The only thing I miss about the Music Easle is the spring reverb, but I can add one of those to my existing modular.

...And I'm with EW, those Todd Barton videos nearly sold me on the Easel by themselves. There are also some videos of Alessandro Cortini playing an Easel that are pretty nice, but I think he prefers his original.

Post

justin3am wrote:The only thing I miss about the Music Easle is the spring reverb, but I can add one of those to my existing modular.
I added a spring reverb to mine a while ago; I should have done it long ago. However, I think the next thing I'll do is get rid of my numerous delays and replace them with an Erbe-Verb; I know it's digital, but the sound and control :love:

I don't know if you got a chance to play with the prototype at NAMM or not, Justin. If not, go over to AH and play with one for a bit; you'll be taking it home ;)

ew
A spectral heretic...

Post

I'm quite ignorant of about everything. Is the buchla designed to encourage "aggressive/jagged" sounds, or is that merely the preference of the programmer in those videos?

I just vaguely recall from long ago experience that such as arp 2600 or even mid-sized moog modulars or eml systems, tended toward more sonority or a "clinical scientific" sound except when intentionally pushed into the jagged territory? Or perhaps am recalling wrong. Or perhaps the question has no relevance at all.

Post

I think it's just a matter of patching styles. The "aggressive/jagged" sounds you are referring to are most likely a result of FM or ring modulation of two inharmonic signals. You would get similar results from other modular systems.

With Buchla synths there is typically a focus on complex oscillators and FM and less of a focus on filters (you may notice the Music Easel doesn't feature a resonant filter, only to low pass gates). This can lead to dissonant sounds but it doesn't have to. It's pretty easy to achieve common 12-tet synth sounds but I think that misses a lot of the fun of a modular synth.

Post

I just can't get excited about the Music Easel. There, I said it! The all in one aspect is nice, but otherwise I'd rather have a big euro system.
Incomplete list of my gear: 1/8" audio input jack.

Post

justin3am wrote:I think it's just a matter of patching styles. The "aggressive/jagged" sounds you are referring to are most likely a result of FM or ring modulation of two inharmonic signals. You would get similar results from other modular systems.

With Buchla synths there is typically a focus on complex oscillators and FM and less of a focus on filters (you may notice the Music Easel doesn't feature a resonant filter, only to low pass gates). This can lead to dissonant sounds but it doesn't have to. It's pretty easy to achieve common 12-tet synth sounds but I think that misses a lot of the fun of a modular synth.
Thanks Justin3am.

Post

Looks awesome, as a Berkeley resident I've always hoped I'd come across one of the originals at some old granny's garage sale for $20. :lol:

The 1974 Music Easel manual is quite a remarkable document for its time, written by Allen Strange (mentor to the late, great sound designer Tim Conrardy).
Last edited by Winstontaneous on Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post

Looks awesome, as a Berkeley resident I've always hoped I'd come across one of the originals at some old granny's garage sale for $20. :lol:

The [url]1974 Music Easel manual[/url=http://www.synthfool.com/docs/Buchla/PaMtEO.pdf] is quite a remarkable document for its time, written by Allen Strange (mentor to the late, great sound designer Tim Conrardy).

Post Reply

Return to “Hardware (Instruments and Effects)”