Monday, 11 February 2019

Buchla Systems

This is a list of different Buchla system configurations that were released by Buchla over the years.

System 200-081 (8 panel units)
AKA: The Music Easel


Modules:
208 - Programmable sound source
218 - Keyboard
Case: 208-08
PSU: 214A

The catalogue price for this in 1972 was $2850 USD
Taking into account inflation
$2,850 in 1972 → $17,162.18 in 2019

My easel came in a 10U case.

Of course BEMI released their version only recently:


And a recent config of the Easel which I like is the Easel K
The modules consist of :
218 Touch Keyboard Controller
225e MIDI Decoder / Preset Manager
223e Multi-Dimensional Kinisthetic Input Port/Tactile Input Port.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 200 - 141 (14 panel units)


Modules:
206 - Dual Mixer
208 - Programmable sound source
218 - Keyboard
248 -1602 - MARF
265 - Source of Uncertainty

Case: 208-18
PSU: 215A

The catalogue price for this in 1972 was $4990 USD
Taking into account inflation
$4,990 in 1972 → $30,048.87 in 2019
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 200 - 181 (18 panel units)


Modules:
206 - Dual Mixer
208 - Programmable sound source
218 - Keyboard
248 -1602 - MARF (with expander in this case)
265 - Source of Uncertainty
257 - Dual Control Voltage processor
258 - Dual VCO
291 - Dual bandpass filter
292 - Quad Lowpass Gate

Case: 208-18
PSU: 215A

The catalogue price for this in 1972 was $6960 USD
Taking into account inflation
$6,960 in 1972 → $41,911.85 in 2019

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 101 (10 panel units)


Modules:
258 - Dual VCO
212 - Dodecamodule
237 - keyboard


Cabinet : 200 - 10
PSU - 215

The catalogue price for this System 101 in 1972 was $2850 USD
Taking into account inflation
$2,850 in 1972 → $17,162.18 in 2019

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 151 (15 panel units)



Modules:
258 - 2 x Dual VCO 
212 - Dodecamodule
237 - keyboard
245 - sequential voltage source
295 - 10 channel band pass filter 

Cabinet : 200 - 15
PSU - 215
The catalogue price for this System 151 in 1972 was $4050 USD
Taking into account inflation
$4,050 in 1972 → $24,388.36 in 2019
-------------------------------------------------------------

System 161 (16 panel units)

This doesn't have the 10 channel filter. The cabinet was a special design (22" x 10 " x 37")


Modules:
258 - 2 x Dual VCO 
212 - Dodecamodule
238 - keyboard (8U, 5 octaves)
245 - sequential voltage source
Cabinet : 200 - 16
PSU - 215

The catalogue price for this System 161 in 1972 was $3,940 USD
Taking into account inflation
$3,940 in 1972 → $23,725.96 in 2019
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 241 (24 Panel Units)
The 212 dodecca has gone. In its place we have six oscillators (3 x 258s), a SOU (265),
a 16 stage sequencer (246), reverb (275), 4 pre-amps (module 270), 4 gates & 4 function generators (292 & 280), plus a dual band pass filter (291).


Modules:
206 - dual mixer
258 - 3 x Dual VCO 
230 - Triple envelope detector.
246 - 16 stage sequencer
238 - keyboard (8U, 5 octaves)
245 - sequential voltage source
265 - SOU
270 - quad pre-amp
275 - dual reverb/equalizer
280 - Quad EG
292 - Quad low pass gates
291 - Dual band pass filter

Cabinet : 200 - 24 (27"D, 15" H, 37" W)
PSU - 215
The catalogue price for this System 241 in 1972 was $6,330 USD
Taking into account inflation
 $6,330 in 1972 → $38,118.11 in 2019

---------------------------------------------------------------

System 200 - 242 (24 Panel units available)
The 238 keyboard has been dropped in favour of a 218.
We also now have a 227 System interface & a MARF 248-1606
(The 246 sequencer & 280 FG have been dropped from the System 241).

The Buchla Catalogue for the MARF  states that it's offered in several versions of different densities but identical function, and that expansion to larger versions can be done at any time.

Version Number     Stages     Outputs
248-1602                16            2
248-1606                16            6
248-3206                32            6
248-3210                32            10

I have never seen a MARF 248-1606. I'm more familiar with the 248-1602.
I can only imagine that the 248-1602. had an extra output board ... maybe 2U panel size ??
This is just a wild stab at what one would look like.
Please email me if you have one or can help me out on these details



Modules:
206 - dual mixer
258 - 3 x Dual VCO 
230 - Triple envelope detector.
248 - MARF
218 - keyboard
265 - SOU
285  - frequency shifter
292 - Quad low pass gates
291 - Dual band pass filter
 
202  portable case (Haliburton Zero)
215 PSU
The catalogue price for this System 242 in 1972 was $9700USD
Taking into account inflation
 $9700 in 1972 → $58,411 in 2019
 ----------------------------------------------------------

System 200 - 361
Getting pretty big ! 36 units available using two 203-18 cases

206 - 2 x Dual mixers
219 - Polyphonic Keyboard - Compound Touch-Controlled Voltage Source.
227 - System Interface
230 - triple envelope detector
248 - 3206 MARF
257 Dual CV processor
258 - 4 x 258 VCOs
265 - SOU
270 - Quad Pre-amp
280 - Quad EG
285 - Frequency shifter / modulator
291 - Dual VCF
292 - 2 x Quad Low Pass gates
294 - 4 channel filter
295 - 10 channel filter

Cases: 2 x 203-18
PSU: 2 x 215A
The 203 case looks like this:


 The 248 - 3206 MARF is something I'm not familiar with.
So this pic is my idea of what it probably looks like ... please write to me if you have one or knows what they do look like.
" A 3206 is a normal 1602 unit with an additional 4 space panel added to it. The expander adds another 16 stages of sliders and memory as well as 4 more output channels. The 6 total output channels can address the 32 steps in any way.". (Buchla tech)

The Buchla Catalogue for the MARF  states that it's offered in several versions of different densities but identical function, and that expansion to larger versions can be done at any time.

Version Number     Stages     Outputs
248-1602                16            2
248-1606                16            6
248-3206                32            6
248-3210                32            10 

Anyway the catalogue price for this System 361 in 1972 was $14,200USD
Taking into account inflation
$14,200 in 1972 → $85,509.82 in 2019

-------------------------------------------------
System 321 (32 Buchla Units)
This system incorporates the 204 for the first time. It's a Quad Spatial Director.
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.


226 Quad Monitor interface.... (I haven't seen one of these so don't know what it looks like). .... probably something like a small 227 ??? I'm guessing the module occupies 3U.
It's used for monitoring, interfacing, and final program  formatting in four-channel systems.
There is built-in provisions for quad mixing, duplications, and overdubbing
 simplify the manipulation of quadraphonic material. (Vintage synth E)

It was the time when 4 track studios were the rage.
The MARF is replaced by two sequencers (245 & 246)

204 - Quad Spatial Director
206 -  Dual mixer
217 - Keyboard
226 - Quad monitor Interface
230 - triple envelope detector
245 - 5 stage sequencer
246 - 16 stage sequencer
258 - 3 x 258 VCOs
264 - Quad sample & hold
265 - SOU
270 - Quad Pre-amp
284 - Quad EG
285 - Frequency shifter / modulator
291 - Dual VCF
292 - Quad Low Pass gate
294 - 4 channel filter

Cabinet: 200-32
PSU : 215 x 2
Possibly the cabinet would have been 4 rows of 8U

The catalogue price for this in 1972 was $9,940 USD
Taking into account inflation
$9,940 in 1972 → $59,856.87 in 2019

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

System 401 ( 40 Buchla Panel units)


204 - Quad Spatial Director
205 -  Matrix mixer
206 - Dual Mixer
226 - Quad monitor Interface
230 - triple envelope detector
238 - keyboard
245 - 5 stage sequencer
246 - 16 stage sequencer
256 - Dual CV adder
258 - 4 x 258 VCOs

265 - SOU
270 - Quad Pre-amp
275 - Dual reverb/eq
284 - Quad EG
285 - Frequency shifter / modulator
291 - Dual VCF
292 - Quad Low Pass gate
295 - 10 channel filter

200-40 Cabinet (5 rows of 8U)
PSU : 215 x 2

The catalogue price for this in 1972 was $11,050 USD
Taking into account inflation
$11,050 in 1972 → $66,541.09 in 2019

Fenix IV - Synton - TINRS

I met Stijn and Priscilla Haring-Kuipers of TINRS (This Is Not Rocket Science) yesterday and was excited to learn that there is a new Fenix in the works.



Looks like this is their new prototype sequencer
I love my Fenixes. I wonder what the new synth will be like.


The old sequencer was awesome ... still one of my fav seqs of all time




Some links to follow:
Synton fenix 1 - filter modulation
Fenix 1 & 3 - sequence 2




The links below are from TRINS website:
Fenix IV 
Fenix – ongoing experiments
Experiment Board no 2 – halfway
Experiment Board no 2
Fenix Experiment board no 3 


Experiment Board 1



Formant Filter



Sunday, 10 February 2019

NewSoundWaves Synth Meet Feb 10

Thanks to everyone who attended the New Sound Waves meeting today.


Lots of fun.


 


Thats a "wobbler" on the left and a "Rectangular Thing" in the centre.


Edgecutter & Tuesday


wE HAD THE PLEASURE of meeting Stijn Haring-Kuipers
Principal inventor, CEO of Void B.V. and Priscilla Haring-Kuipers, Resident media psychologist.of TINRS









Terry's video synth.

A 3-trins video synthesizer, Roland V4 mixer & Edirol P10 sample player.



Double Jomox Eurorack


Furrrr Generator    complex oscillator , Stillson Hammer sequencer

Love this DIY synth

Saturday, 9 February 2019

Adding anchor links within the same webpage

This is not related to synths at all but may help some who are trying to add links within
a single page when using google blogger.
esp if the page is very long.and needs a index for example.

Inside the Html mode ,write the code like:

<a href="#1">Index</a>


The link :

<h1 id="1">index</h1>


<a > contains href element to refer the link
<h1> contains the ID of href element.

Friday, 8 February 2019

An evening with This Is Not Rocket Science

An evening with This Is Not Rocket Science


A reminder ... This Sunday TINRS will be demoing and work-shopping  this Sunday.
You can bring your synths too.

FaceBook

 Location: 107 Project Gallery.
Address: 107 Redfern St, Redfern NSW 2016


Buchla - CV vs Audio

Have you ever wondered why Don Buchla separated control voltages from audio signals.

In virtually every other modular synthesizer system there is no division between the two.
Eurorack use 3.5mm cables.
Serge use Bananas
Moog and the rest of the 5U community use 1/4 inch jacks.
This democracy of connectors seems very practical. All voltages are treated the same and this gives increased flexibility and scope for experimenting.

So why did Don decide to separate the two



I just read an old interview of Don Buchla which may shed some light on the subject.
http://www.vasulka.org/Kitchen/PDF_Eigenwelt/pdf/096-099.pdf

"I would say that philosophically the prime difference in my (Don Buchla) approach from that of Robert Moog was that I separated sound and structure, and he didn’t. 

Control voltages were interchangeable with audio (in the Moog world).  
The advantage of that is that he required only one kind of connector and that modules could serve more than one purpose. 

There were several draw-backs to that kind of general approach, one of them being that a module designed to work in the structural domain at the same time as the audio domain has to make compromises. DC offset doesn’t make any difference in the sound domain but it makes a big difference in the structural domain, whereas harmonic distortion makes very little difference in the control area but it can be very significant in the audio areas. 

You also have a matter of just being able to discern what’s happening in a system by looking at it. If you have a very complex patch, it’s nice to be able to tell what aspect of the patch is the structural part of the music versus what is the signal path and so on.  

There’s a big difference in whether you deal with linear versus exponential functions at the control level..."
D.B. 1964.

The last point raises questions re linear vs. audio taper, bipolar vs. unipolar, and shielded vs. unshielded cables.

Another article from SOS shines more light on the subject:

"One significant difference between Buchla's approach and that of Bob Moog was his separation of the signals used in synthesis into three distinct classes. 
First, there were the audio signals, which could be generated by oscillators, or injected into the system from devices such as microphones or tape machines. 
Secondly, there were the control voltages. 
Finally, there were timing pulses, which we nowadays call clocks, gates, and triggers. By today's standards, the audio levels were quite low (about 1V peak-to-peak) and the CVs and pulses were rather hot, with a maximum voltage of around 15V."
 http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec05/articles/buchla200e.htm


The precise  Buchla audio & CV levels fluctuated over the decades:
100 series Buchla had audio at 0dBV .... roughly 1 volt RMS.
Pulses are 15V and CVs range between 0V & +15V.
Early 200 series Buchla used audio levels of +4dBV... Professional line level  of +1.736 RMS
Pulses are 15V and CVs range between 0V & +15V. for early 70's 200.
Late 200 Buchla  dropped the CV range to 0-10V. Audio levels stayed the same at +4dBV
Buchla 200e dropped audio back to 0dBV. Pulses are 10V. CVs are 0 to +10V.



Inspite of these changes over time, one thing remained constant : the huge gap between CV and  audio levels. It's probably a good  enough reason for not mixing  CV and audio (or at least taking extra care) within a Buchla system .

This is making me wonder what the compatibility of the new RED Panel Buchla 100 will be like with my standard Buchla. I'd love to mix the two if that was possible. It's interesting that this separation of CV & audio is gone within that system. I guess this makes it more compatible with Eurorack.

According to the Doepfer manual, the Eurorack universe runs by these guidelines:
Audio voltages produced by modules such as a VCO or NOISE are typically in the 10Vpp range (from -5 V to +5 V)
Control voltages, as produced by modulation sources like a LFO and ADSR, are typically from -2.5 V to +2.5 V (5 Vpp) for LFOs, and from 0 V to +8 V for ADSRs.
These days, there are lots of companies that have +/- 5V CV ins and outs. (10Vpp)
Trigger, Gate or Clock Signals, are typically rectangle shaped signals with voltage levels of 0/+5 V

Synovatron make an excellent series of modules that do Buchla- euro & Euro - Buchla conversions easy.
https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=136727

http://synovatron.blogspot.com/