Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments Music Easel (Sneak Preview)

This pair of videos, via Todd Barton, take a look at the upcoming Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments Electronic Music Box.

The first video, above, captures an improvised jig by Baron on a prototype of the new BEMI Music Easel. 

The second video captures a compilation of different sounds.

“Though my flipcam mic doesn’t do justice to the full range sound, know that this is the cleanest, crispest and full bodied sound in all my sonic arsenal,” notes Barton.

“The integrated keyboard is so intuitive and expressive,” adds Barton. “The oscillators are deep and rich, great analog sound and feel.”

Check them out and let us know what you think!

11 thoughts on “Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments Music Easel (Sneak Preview)

  1. I don’t woven know how to react to a Buchla video that isn’t just strange bleep-boop sounds mixed with the sound of an effected dentist drill!

    1. I find it hard to connect with modulars lately. I virtually never hear anyone really labor over them, rendering anything nearly as huge as Wendy Carlos or Johannes Schmoelling have done. Instead, its either T-Dream loops or Busy Box noises with no real musical context. Having this thing make a noise like an old modem is cute, but the actual point is lost on me. I’m restless to hear someone who moves beyond glitch noises and bass lines. With DAWs now matured, there’s no reason to limit things to one mono voice when you’re using the broadest tonal resource on the planet.

  2. Fungo, I see what you are saying, but I think the point with modulars is that they have become an end in themselves for their own reasons. Its easy to get lost in them and not get a lot done. But they fit great in a larger context. I would personally love to arrange songs with one of these in the mix, but I’d use a lot of other things, too.

    I do think music education has suffered over the last 20 years, but then, music is evolving outside of the university now, as it has been for some time. There is great stuff going on in schools, in synths, and in DAWs, and I’m enjoying watching it all unfold.

    I would never have predicted the state of the art would go in so many interesting directions, and its more than I could have hoped for. Now I can only hope to be a good student of life and create something of value.

    1. “I see what you are saying, but I think the point with modulars is that they have become an end in themselves for their own reasons. Its easy to get lost in them and not get a lot done. But they fit great in a larger context.”

      I rarely hear modular work that says “This took many hours to construct.” I guess my standards are a little uppity, since my first modular awareness came from “Switched-On Bach.” That’s a high bar to even reach, much less pass. A modular “should” either be a source of colors only it can generate or it “should” be a more orchestrated affair. Bass lines and modulated squonks are underusing the power badly. You’re right about context and that’s what is lacking when someone simply LFO-modulates a line and grins like a Cheshire cat. Its not like a Buchla can’t handle anything you ask of it, but it needs someone with a 3-D overview to multitrack it carefully. That’s when it becomes an ensemble that thunders.

  3. I think this is a great synth. Its got a lot of range, and a certain sonic signature I’d love to add to my palate. I am kind of surprised they chose to reissue a classic, as so many companies are trying to do new things, but I like reissues. The SEM is great too!

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