Exploring the 1st Buchla 100 Modular Synthesizer

This video is a historical, technical, and musical deep dive into the Buchla 100 Series Modular System at the Mills College Center for Contemporary Music. This instrument was the first voltage controllable modular synthesizer built by Don Buchla—it was delivered to the San Francisco Tape Music Center in the mid-1960s.

In this video we’ll start with a brief historical overview of the Buchla 100 Series Modular System and the San Francisco Tape Music Center. Then, we’ll unpack everything that’s inside the instrument module by module. Finally, I’ll share some of the quirks of this particular instrument, and lots of patch examples to illustrate its unique voice and character.

As I was getting to know this instrument, I tried to keep in mind the circumstances surrounding its development—the people who contributed to it, the time in which it emerged, and the state of electronic music at the time of its invention. These thoughts greatly inspired my approach to working with the instrument and are present throughout this video.

It’s a rare opportunity to be able to work with a historical instrument like this one. I have always been super inspired by Buchla’s work in general, but like many people have had few opportunities to work with his original instruments. Instead, much of my experience has been through newer instruments inspired by his designs. Being able to work closely with this instrument was an incredibly inspiring and clarifying experience that allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of Buchla’s own creative and technical development, as well as the multitude of music, modern modules, and instruments that have been inspired by his work.

Special thank you to Mills College for letting us spend a week in the electronic music studio working with the Buchla 100; to The Buchla Archives and Ryan Gaston for helping to put this video together; and also to all of the amazing folks in my Patreon community for your support in helping to bring educational projects like this one to life!

Join my Patreon community for behind-the-scenes content, unreleased music, and more:

Thank you to:

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Historical Overview: Buchla 100 + the San Francisco Tape Music Center
7:38 Mills Buchla 100 System Overview
14:27 Timbre in the Mills Buchla 100
18:29 Chaos in the Mills Buchla 100
21:52 Voltage Control Quirks
25:00 Sequencing Tactics: Triggered Segments
30:40 Sequencing Tactics: Extended Sequences
32:06 More Patches + Sounds
32:36 Ring Modulated Reverb Patch
34:40 Keyboard Chaos Patch
36:55 Gated Voice Patch
38:29 Wonky Drum Machine Patch
38:57 Triggered Gestures Patch
39:14 Transposed FM Sequence Patch
39:48 Bell Tones Patch
40:27 Touch Controlled Ratchet Patch
41:00 Sequenced Melodic Patch

Sarah Belle Reid is a performer-composer, active in the fields of electroacoustic trumpet performance, intermedia arts, music technology, and improvisation.

[sarahbellereid]

Addendum: now watching this video after its release, I realize that, in the section in which I talk about the formation of the San Francisco Tape Music Center, my wording makes it sound as if the SFTMC was entirely Subotnick & Sender's idea—but the SFTMC also owes a lot directly to Pauline Oliveros.

Prior to the SFTMC's official formation, Oliveros and Sender organized Sonics, a popular concert series of tape music, multimedia pieces, and improvisation. This series was responsible for much of the community-building that led to the SFTMC's success/popularity, and truly, the SFTMC effectively WAS the next evolution of the Sonics events. And, though she was not as directly involved in the SFTMC's "official" incorporation as were Subotnick or Sender, she did remain an important figure in keeping the SFTMC alive, active, and functional. Without her, the SFTMC would likely never have existed—and without her, it certainly wouldn't have seen the success that it did.

[kgbinfo]

I just took a massive bong hit, decided to open YouTube, and this is what popped up. The universe has aligned itself in my favor today. Thank you.

[AlexBallMusic]

Thank you for, totally riveting (and ratcheting).

Making me think I should try some no-filter FM/AM experiments.

Some really marvelous sounds at the end, really showed off what it can do.

Thanks again for the in-depth video of such a rare and strange system.

[howardyermish]

Kind of mind blowing that there were no filters in that system. Thank you for taking us with you to explore this instrument. Sometimes looking back helps spark new ideas for today.

[edda]

Sarah, it is absolutely great to finally find someone (with very advanced 'musical' analog sound synthesis expertise) able to make these kinds of early electronic music type sounds and structures, most often neglected (or forgotten :-) by analog modular players!! Very much appreciated!! Greetings from Willem Twee Studios, The Netherlands :-)

[bobfrye]

I taught and undergraduate class on Synthesis on this very synth when it was located at UCSD in the mid 70’s. Was an honor and a privilege to get to know this very quirky instrument in a very intimate way. It’s really quite something!

[thesoundsmith]

This was available to rent for, I believe, $5/hr, along with a four-track tape machine and a full Moog system in 1970. . I learned on the smaller one ($2.50/hr and a two-track recorder.) You really LEARNED on these, nothing of the 'normal' world was relevant. SO much more fun than piano.
Ms. Reid, the 132 Waveform module was also on Mills' smaller System 100. (I used it as a VC B3 Hammond.)

[liamodellbass]

Super cool history video/demo!!! Something I found fascinating while watching this are the physical gestures you made while engaging with the instrument. For example, you aren't simply touching the touchpad, you've got this flicking motion almost like you're plucking a string. How cool! That would be a great video if you haven't made it already, how you perceive physical embodiment of music and performance in your work.

[NavelOrangeGazer]

A piece of electro-acoustic music history

[nativeVS]

Those raw oscillators are still amongst the most powerful sounding ever made.
Glad to hear and see this senior ciizen is being used for new music.

[planetplex]

I feel like I was able to experience this trip along with you and really get a pretty intimate look into this historical instrument. Thank you for taking us there! This was great!!!

[DoctorCalabria]

Thanks Sarah for the best explanation and demonstration on the Buchla 100 that I’ve ever seen.
It took me back to my earlier days in the 70’s at the Columbia- Princeton lab. We programmed music on a mainframe using Music 360, Wylbur and Fortran. The digital tapes were bussed from NY to Princeton for D/A conversion and then shuttled back. The whole round trip took days before you could even hear if you actually generated any audio, much less the audio you were hoping for.
Synthesizers were a truly disruptive technology. As you said, these early machines were designed with the thought in mind of reducing the turnaround time and making sound creation a more immediate experience. They really did come to be their own ecosystem though. I remember splicing, tape, snippets and coming up with some truly serendipitous, unique and unexpected results. I don’t think any of the new hardware come close to the feel of composing with actual magnetic tape, but certainly it did open up an even more expansive palette and musical dictionary. Even as a hobbyist, I have assembled a home studio containing enough modular gear, synths and equipment that I should probably delete the word “home”.
Thanks for getting an old geezer excited enough to actually leave a comment. Maybe I’ll go dust off that reel to reel now.
Great job 👍

[RobbyMatthias]

Thanks' for all of your hard work. I've been wanting to see a really 'in-depth' video of the first 'Buchla#100' system!

[RandomMakingEncounters]

I appreciate how the panel designs aid in understanding the pathing of the signals. Clearly, this was all really new so more visual guidance probably helped make it less cryptic and overwhelming. Thanks for the dive into the system!

[dr.eville]

There should be a sample pack competition with just the audio from this video.

[stevesnyder]

Love it! My first exposure to synths was with a Buchla system at East Texas State University about 1977. Spent many hours exploring that synth and composing with it. We referred to it as Beep Squawk music.

[nicholasfaith]

Morton Subotnick, along with Derbyshire, Ussachevsky, Cage, Stockhausen, Schaeffer, Henry, Milton Babbit, and Alan Splet (David Lynch and Alan Splet's music and sound design for EraserHead is criminally ignored). I've stumbled back into this video a few times now, it's a lovely video. Thank you for making and sharing it. ❤ It is beautiful to also see that piece of history is still getting great use to this day.

[fablesofsilence]

Super stoked you got a chance to do this deep-dive on the system 100 and decided to share it. It really gives a good idea of the process instrument itself and some of its possibilities. I have been working with Buchla systems quite a bit in the last couple of years and am very happy to see interest in it growing.

[FreddyKBassman]

This was absolutely mesmerizing to me as I did not know that an original Buchla system still existed and working! My love for electronic music and synthesizers came about with my dad bringing 2 LP's to the house: Dick Hyman's 'The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman' and Walter Carlos 'Switched On Bach' and, he build for me and my brother a PAIA kit synth back in the early 70's and my love for synths and electronic music has never stopped. Thank you for this wonderful video. Cheers

[feralfoods]

very cool history and experimentation of this historic instrument. thank you so much for making this video!