Buchla
Buchla is a legendary synthesizer manufacturer founded by Don Buchla in 1963. Don Buchla was a musician and electrical engineer attracted by the potential of electronic sound synthesis. He thought electronic instruments could make sounds that traditional acoustic instruments could not.
The Buchla Series 100, the company's first synthesiser, was introduced in 1966. It was a modular synthesiser that allowed users to design their sound modules and patch them together in several ways. The Series 100 was unlike anything else on the market then, and it immediately became popular with experimental artists and sound designers.
Buchla introduced the Buchla 200, a more sophisticated version of the Series 100, in 1970. The Buchla 200 was a complicated multi-timbral synthesiser designed for live performance and studio application. It has a one-of-a-kind touch-sensitive keyboard and many revolutionary control interfaces.
In 1973, Buchla released the Music Easel as a part of the Buchla 200 Series and was designed to be a self-contained, portable synthesizer that could be easily transported and used in live performances.
Buchla has continued to explore and push the boundaries of what was possible in electronic sound synthesis over the years with the Buchla 400 and 700 Series.
He released the Buchla 200e in 2004, an improved version of the Buchla 200 aimed to be more user-friendly and accessible to a larger spectrum of players.
Don Buchla died on September 14, 2016, at 79, leaving behind a rich legacy of invention and originality that will inspire musicians and music fans for centuries.