In today’s synthesizer world, there’s an overwhelming amount of new products dropping into the marketplace daily. If you can keep up, it’s an exciting time for musicians to expand the boundaries of their creativity with new instruments, and designers to get into the “maker” game and be innovative. As stimulating as this all is, the truth is that the basic ingredients of synthesis were created by a handful of companies about fifty years ago, and still hold sway today. There’s a ton of great new Eurorack and semi-modular gear out there to get you moving into the modular world, but a lot of artists are often drawn to the original 5U Moog and 4U Buchla and Serge formats because these instruments contain most of the basic synthesizer elements embedded into machines that are distinctive and pay homage to the original designers.
Every analog synth, at least in some part, was designed on technology that was pioneered by Bob Moog and Don Buchla, each with their approach to synthesizer design that has become known today as East Coast and West Coast style synthesis. Don Buchla released his first significant instrument in 1966, known as the 100 series, and those synths are not only the basis for components or modules used in today’s Buchla systems, but for synthesizers in the broad general term. While Moog’s designs relied greatly on filtering to achieve subtractive synthesis, Buchla used an approach known as additive synthesis, a technique that uses complex oscillators and wavefolding to shape sound.
By the early 1970s, Moog had implemented a keyboard interface, and it was at this point that Buchla also modified his approach with the capacitive-touch-based Music Box, whereupon the Music Easel as we know it was born. This was also the beginning of the Buchla 200 series, which includes modules such as the Source of Uncertainty, Quad Function Generator, as well as the 208C flagship module that is housed with the Music Easel. In the last two decades, Buchla has developed a reputation as being a mysterious and esoteric hallmark of the synthesis world.
The Music Easel and 200 series modules were re-issued by Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI) in the 2010s, which ended in legal entanglement. After the death of Don Buchla in 2016, Buchla U.S.A. was founded. For the most part, the 200e modules and the flagship Music Easel have remained the same; however, Buchla U.S.A. has recently released two versions of the Music Easel: the Retro and Modern. These releases are a benchmark of quality; a proper tribute to the originals. To understand the importance of the Music Easel to the music world is to understand some Buchla history.
For the purists who want the distinctive feel of the original Music Easel, the Retro version does not disappoint. It includes basic modern features, such as expanded MIDI and USB functionality (as compared to basic MIDI features on the earlier BEMI models) for both the 208C synth and 218E Music Box controller, which are the modules that make up the Easel. It’s housed in a rounded aluminum enclosure padded with the brown vinyl interior that we’ve all come to know and love, and includes the signature silver-capped red and blue Rogan knobs.
As far as playing, the first thing you are struck by is the raw, yet sophisticated character that comes from its complex oscillators. It’s a combination of this electronic design integrated with the interface layout and quality workmanship that gives this instrument such soul. It’s a delight to look at and play, as you feel you’re experiencing something very special, similar to what the artists of the 1970s who played a Buchla must have felt.
Cosmetically, the Modern Easel differs in that it's housed in a sleek, black briefcase instead of the rounded aluminum case. While still having a “retro” feel, the absence of the rounded edges frees up more real estate and there is now space for two new modules. One of these spaces houses a brand new module called the Electric Music Box I/O (EMBIO). This module adds an additional LFO, CV-to-pulse conversion, slew in and out, and a CV mix/crossfade. It provides MIDI out for the 218C (accessible via 3.5mm jack [type A] or USB) and it transmits velocity data. Both the Retro and Modern Easels include a sustain port for the 218C, and main audio outs, in addition to the mix audio outs on the module. There is a slot for expanding the unit with either the 200E USB Utility and Firmware Card or the 200E Memory Card (both sold separately), and there is also an interesting feature called the EMBIO Wildcard Window. This feels like a work in progress, as the manual addresses the interface as an opportunity for developers to implement their own ideas. Details on this are not yet available, but there is a schematic in the manual that gives information on the connection. The single supported use of the Wildcard Window at this time is to alternatively mount the Embed Kit for the Program Manager. My guess is that we’ll see all sorts of third party auxiliary devices being developed for the Wildcard Window, adding all types of features and functions in the way that so many different makers have made tools for the Program Manager over the years.
The other module space is filled with a blank panel and allows you to fill it with any of the Buchla 200e series modules of your choice, adding a bit of customization and further functionality to your Easel. I’ve been daydreaming about what I’d fill that space with, but it's proven difficult, considering there are twenty-six modules to choose from that will fit the footprint, though the 267E Uncertainty Source/Dual Filter sure would be a great choice, adding voices, voltage sources, and filters, making a powerful synth in a very compact footprint.
The 218C controller, or “Music Box,”' has a standard piano-style layout, with its iconic unconventional touch capacitance sensors; instead of depressing a key, it’s touched to trigger voltage. I can envision how this could be frustrating for those who are accustomed to a more traditional keyboard or piano with weighted keys, but this unconventional approach adds unique features and expands the definition of a keyboard controller, allowing several parameters to be controlled by a single key. It’s possible to create complex patches integrating the sequencer at various points, controlling parameters such as timbre, modulation or pitch; injecting it into the keyboard by sliding your fingers up and down while holding down a chord. The same can be done with velocity, adding, for example, a filter that can be controlled with pressure. A unique Buchla example is patching the controller’s Pressure into the Complex Oscillator’s Timbre CV Input and tweaking that while simultaneously varying pressure on the controller. Simply holding a chord and moving your fingers within that configuration can produce an array of sounds, making it very fun for exploring.
So much of the magic comes from keeping your hands on the touch surface that changing pressure and moving your hands around the controller can enable you to express yourself in ways that just can’t be done with a traditional keyboard.
The 218C also features an arpeggiator with four voltage presets, enabling the ability for chord and key changes, and there's even a latch feature for the arpeggiation (something earlier versions of the Easel were sadly missing), by holding down pads 2 and 3 for a few seconds whereupon the currently held notes will latch.
Pairing the arpeggiator with other features such as random, octaves, and ascending modes, adds another resource for creating complex and interesting patches, and finding an imaginative way to include the sequencer in this, whether it be with pitch or modulation, adds to further the richness.
As for the 208C module itself, the first thing you’ll notice is how good it feels to patch with banana cables if you're not used to it. When patching 3.5mm or ¼” cables, there is a push to “snap” the cable solidly into the jack in order to get a good connection. Banana cables only require a “touch” to make a connection; you can push it in all the way for long-term patching, but it’s also possible to tweak patches by simply touching the tip of the cable into the destination jack, allowing creative adjustments on the fly. Once you get used to this, it’s very hard to switch back to 3.5mm cables. Along with the capacitive touch keyboard, this is another way that the Music Easel creates a unique playing experience.
As for the overall sound of the Music Easels… they are unmistakably Buchla-esque: beautiful and rich, complex and satisfying, with the signature Complex Oscillator, Lo Pass Gates and Pulser—emblematic of the Buchla sound. Whether you’re looking to explore West Coast synthesis or just want a complete compact system that encapsulates the most iconic Buchla experience, either Easel will suit you well. At this time, Buchla offers both models for the same price, but whichever you choose, you can rest assured of buying a high-quality, iconic instrument that will bring you years of learning, creativity, and enjoyment.

Price: $4,990 each

buchla.com

*To hear a record that I made using only the two Easels visit https://theanimalsatnight.bandcamp.com/album/ease...