xmlguy wrote:Synthoid wrote:xmlguy wrote:A Buchla in hand is better than two Schmidts in a bush.
I have
yet to hear a demo of a Buchla that consists of something more than blips or bleeps.
That's because modular synths tend to draw more than their fair share of people with no musical talent - who are fascinated and awed by the complexity of all the knobs and wires. There is a certain amount of theatrics with large models of modular synths that can fill a whole wall with knobs, flashing lights, and jumper wires.
I've used a Buchla to make music. I actually created a whole song on one using the sequencer to create a bass line arpeggio, with a filter sweep. I have a mp3 of it kicking around somewhere. I wouldn't personally buy a Buchla or any expensive modular analog these days. I'm not a member of the "ultimate synth collectors club." My club would be "most bang-for-the-buck synth club", so owning a Buchla or a Schmidts would be frowned upon and probably would result in banning from the club.
Check out Lionel Bauchet, a French composer who has released on English electronic music composer Ian Boddy's label DiN:
http://www.din.org.uk/din/node/407
In particular, his album "The Secret Society" demonstrates his extraordinary performance of his Buchla (especially the first track "Introductory March To The Secret Society"). He uses Buchla's controller rather than a keyboard and it is wondrous (I own three mint condition CS80's and thought the CS80 was the pinnacle of performance based synthesis - until I heard this composer perform on a Buchla. The CS80 is not as spontaneous in many ways demonstrated by Bauchet on the Buchla with its dedicated controller - and that's saying something because the CS80 is superlative). It's as if he controls many interacting characteristics of the sound all at once on the same strip of conducting metal controller - kind of like on Kronos where many modulating characteristics can be assigned to the one controller - only the Buchla seems to be set up / optimized to take of advantage (though it does also prod as to just how versatile the Kronos could be in a very electronic / synthesis performance mode if one put the time into mapping modulation capabilities to controllers)!
I accept he is one of a kind, but he demonstrates the hidden depths and scope of a Buchla (if only I had the money and the time). Genuinely worth checking out (you can get his album on iTunes and find demos of him playing on YouTube).
Regards,
Kevin.
