The Buchla synthesizer company was founded by electronic instrument pioneer Don Buchla in 1963. The company was based in Berkeley, California and was one of the first companies to design and manufacture modular synthesizers. The Buchla synthesizer company was a pioneer in the field of electronic music, and its instruments were used by a wide range of musicians, composers and sound designers.
The Buchla 100, which was released in 1963, was one of the first electronic instruments to use a modular design. This means that the synthesizer was made up of a series of individual modules that could be connected together to create different sound-generating and processing configurations. This approach was in stark contrast to the traditional keyboard-based synthesizers that were popular at the time, which had a fixed architecture and were not as flexible in terms of sound design.
In the following years, Buchla released several other models, such as the 200 series, which was released in the 1970s and featured a more comprehensive set of modules and expanded capabilities. The Buchla 200 series was widely adopted by composers, musicians, and sound designers, and it became one of the most popular instruments in the field of electronic music.
In the 1980s, Buchla released the Buchla Easel, a portable version of the 200 series that was designed for live performance. The Easel was well received by musicians and performers, and it was used in a wide range of live electronic music performances.
In the 1990s, the Buchla company struggled financially and was forced to close its doors. Don Buchla continued to design and manufacture Buchla-branded instruments under the name Buchla & Associates, but production was limited.
In the 2000s, Buchla & Associates was acquired by a new company, Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI), which was formed by a group of former Buchla employees and supporters. BEMI reintroduced the Buchla 200 series, and also released new models such as the Buchla Music Easel and the Buchla Lightning.
Don Buchla passed away in 2016, and the company Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments continues to produce and design Buchla-branded instruments, maintaining the legacy and the innovation of the original Buchla synthesizer company.
Important models
Synthesizer Online 