1982 Buchla 400 Awakens: Haute Tension by Hideaway Studio published on 2015-09-23T19:27:01Z A live improvisation by D.A.Wilson on an extremely rare 1982 Buchla 400-T computer controlled 6-voice hybrid synth (digital "arbitrary" oscillators into analog filters) running MIDAS-III complete with flat pressure sensitive Touch Controller housed in a custom Teak solid wood cabinet awakens during return to operation and overhaul and Lotharek Rev.F HxC virtual floppy disk retrofit at Hideaway Studio. The touch keyboard was a nightmare to get used and it took a great deal of my concentration to perform this as the pressure-to-pitch modulation was pretty intense on the patch I'd dialled in that day but it certainly resulted in something from the heart. The highly responsive playing surface opens up some interesting possibilites for expressive patch design and playing! Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2015. Genre Buchla 400 Comment by Marco Ferrantelli impressive 2024-02-12T00:25:35Z Comment by Chris Threesprocket Beautiful sound and a real trip down memory lane! This particular unit is legitimately one-of-a-kind and passed through my own hands about 20 years back. Needless to say, it never sounded quite so good in my hands! I acquired it (DOA) while working for Buchla in Berkeley, late 1990s, repaired it (mostly; or at least got it working) between there and Michigan in the early 2000s, and sold it on to a colleague in the UK soon after. This type of unit was meant to be used with a weighted piano-style keyboard, but we made it work with a touch interface meant for an original 400. There is only one other "Buchla by Kimball" unit in existence that I'm aware of, both prototypes for a deal that never came to pass. This one can also be seen, with a larger (uncut?) touch cabinet, in photos from Analogue Heaven Midwest 2002: http://larry.retrosynth.com/larry/ahmw2002/ahmw2002.htm 2022-03-13T13:01:15Z Comment by Zoƫ Blade This might be the most musical thing I've heard coming out of a Buchla, very Namlook-esque! 2020-08-22T10:17:03Z Comment by Clusterchord fantastic 2019-11-01T23:00:32Z Comment by olifreke Lush 2018-06-14T18:19:29Z Comment by electronicgoods oooooooh 2017-03-20T12:46:42Z Comment by XpanderXT beautiful sounding. I remember seeing a regular Buchla 400 at West LA Music in the early 80's. I still have the product brochure for one somewhere in my collection. 2016-09-17T11:14:04Z Comment by Little Sons LSP Mystic ! 2016-07-06T00:48:25Z Comment by Little Sons LSP Steel on ! 2016-07-06T00:47:28Z Comment by Jonni Slater Killer sound... Nice work on bringing it back to life. 2016-03-17T21:50:04Z Comment by Ghost of Lightning tripping out now 2015-11-20T03:01:18Z