They're Low Pass Gates in the Music Easel. It doesn't use filters, but the LPG can act as one.

Right. Obviously I'm not an expert. So, do these gates give the lovely acoustic tone?

Um, what exactly is a LP Gate? I know, I could look it up...

Cheers!

Also, I'm sort of an intuitive knob twiddler; are buchlas in need of expert controllers (i.e., synth nerds)? Or, would a rank amateur such as myself be able to get something interesting out of one?

Read: Lowpass gate - Electronic Music Wiki and Vactrol - Electronic Music Wiki

Interesting, probably, but it'd be frustrating as well.

When I got the chance to play around with a Music Easel last year, it completely baffled me. Nothing seemed to be working like I expected it to work.

Thanks for the links. How long did you spend with the easel?

I fruitlessly tried to figure it out for 15 minutes, then one of the BEMI folks came over and explained me a few bits.

I wasn't completely new to West Coast principles - a friend has an Euro setup with various devices like that - but it just made me feel completely helpless (which I found pretty funny, since I've been doing this synth thing for over 2 decades).

Though - I figure that with a solid dose RTFM and owning the device (as opposed to demoing it on the Musikmesse) I could probably get done what I wanted.

Update: I ordered and paid for the Easel on Friday. Let's see how quickly they can fill the order. I've been assured by BEMI that everything is business as usual.

To all those who don't fully get, but are curious about the easel, I really strongly recommend reading the original guidebook. Seriously, practically anyone interested in analogue synthesis will get something out of it, even if all the basic concepts of subtractive synthesis are totally familiar to you. Going back to basics can be a real eye opener. You also come to appreciate how incredibly cleverly designed the Easel is.

Obscurely, as with all things Buchla, you can find the manual by googling 'pamteo.pdf'

If I were you I'd expect at least 4-6 months

Maybe. They said 6-8 weeks.

That's part of the reason I've continued this thread: so people can see what their delivery times are like post-lawsuit filed.

hey, thanks for updating. i'm very eager to hear how soon your easel lands as i've been looking to grab one, but am currently apprehensive after finding this thread/seeing the opening page. fingers crossed their 6-8 week delivery time (which they post on their site) is true. really wanting one.
pardon the noobish question, but is the easel anything like the old ems synthi aks?

Honestly I would have to say that the Buchla is not. The Synthi, both VCS3 and AKS, are built around a subtractive synthesis topology (harmonically rich waveforms then modified by a filter and output to an amplifier). Buchla's instruments are less straightforward, although much of the philosophy centers around the complex oscillator and generating tones though that rather than oscillator and filter in tandem.

I wouldn't recommend a Buchla (or Serge, or Wiard) to anyone unless they were very clear on the differences between these instruments and a 'typical' synth architecture of oscillator/filter/amplifier.

Hope this helps!

The Serge is more than capable of doing standard subtractive synthesizer patches. Things don't start getting weird until you remove the NTO and PCO bumpkin

I've decided to save up for one for 2016

i e-mailed buchla yesterday asking about the wait and this was their reply:

thanks for your email
we are just waiting on keyboard assemblies so if we receive them we can ship sooner than 6-8 weeks

unfortunately it didn't really answer my question re: if the 6-8 week timeframe is accurate seeing as i don't know how long they'll be waiting on the keyboard assemblies. ugh.

I would strongly urge anyone who is contemplating the purchase of any product, including the Easel, from BEMI to first consider the ethical ramifications of doing so:

MATRIXSYNTH: Don Buchla Files Lawsuit Against BEMI - Buchla Electronic Musical Instrument, LLC et al

And I would like to strongly urge everyone to not forget that this is still the internet. Anything can be put up, and unless involved with it direcly, nobody is really able to make a judgment from just one side of a story. That's what courts are for. To keep it fair. At least I hope so.

Best then to err on the side of caution and not risk giving money to individuals who allegedly have no interest in Don Buchla's legacy, or in sharing in the profits from his inventions until the courts decide otherwise. :tut:

There's plenty of other synths to buy in the meantime. kfhkh

none with the unique characteristic of this one though

True. One of the biggest draws for the Easel is the fact that it's packaged as a standalone musical instrument. There are other alternatives, though. None of which will sound the same, or offer identical functionality, with some offering more functionality, and some will cost less while others will cost more. Personally, I would take a Serge over a Buchla any day of the week, but that's my preference, and others will differ.

Sure, but that is hardly its strong suite. Big waste of money if 'Moogy' sounds were what you were after.

Do you know something we don't? Because right now we are in the 'he said/she said' stage of things. To be honest, my want for the Easel probably outweighs any ethical consideration in the matter.

I never said anything about it being Moogy. It's very easy to setup standard VCO -> VCF -> VCA patches on the Serge though, and to my ears they sound as good, or better, than just about anything else out there. Hell, the NTO on the Serge is the same oscillator which was used in the famed TONTO modular. Serge systems also don't sound like any other modular system out there, be it Moog or Buchla.

Aside from the raw sound of the thing, the strength of the Serge is in allowing its users to patch it in any way that they want, either within a traditional east coast paradigm which I described above, completely bonkers west coast self generating patches, or anything in between.

What we know is that Don Buchla is no longer a part of the company which bears his name, that he is unhappy about it, and that he feels that he has been cheated out of his profits and legacy. That's more than enough for me to dismiss the possibility of putting a BEMI product in my setup until this is all settled.

That's your choice, though I can't say that I agree with it. I do hope that Don can eventually recoup some of the profits that he lost out on during this whole situation.

The Serge architecture is great. The sound seems second rate to me. More like lab equipment than a musical instrument. Not to say that glorious things cannot be done on a Serge... it just seems that you'd have to fight it.

Is this based on personal experience or hearsay?

It's based on never hearing anything come off a Serge that made me want to run out and get one. I'm not saying they aren't [insert adjective], but only speaking of my individual taste when it comes to high dollar items.

Would I love to give a Serge a test drive? Yeah, I'd check it out. Maybe I would be surprised and find out I'm totally off base. But do I want to drop 4k+ to demo one? Nah.

What sorts of sounds are you looking for? Maybe I can cook up a quick demo for you.

Anything musical would do.

Although, to be fair, probably 90% of the stuff I hear on otherwise impressive modular systems tends to be the same boring, random noise stuff without purpose. Including Buchla systems.

Well, again, that's whats "someone" wants the public to believe. Have you talked to Don? And if so, do you know him so well that you honestly can say he is infallible? Not saying he isn't, just trying to be neutral...

So I assume you are a vegan, do regular charity work, and always vote for what is best for everyone?

If he wins the lawsuit then he will get his share from this purchase. If not, well then there is no ethical problem, right?

I m called a gearslut, for a reason cooge