For next week, Joe will give a comprehensive overview of modular synthesizers, with a focus on the visionary instrument designer Don Buchla, who passed away last week at age 79. You can read the excellent New York Times obituary here.
For preparation, you should read and listen to the following
Joe’s “synth biography”:
http://web.media.mit.edu/~joep/SwitchedOnForward.html
This article about Don Buchla from Keyboard Magazine: http://www.keyboardmag.com/artists/1236/the-horizons-of-instrument-design-a-conversation-with-don-buchla/59510
Mark Vail’s article about Buchla from Vintage Synthesizers: http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Buchla-VailArticle.pdf
Joe’s old NMB article, where he talks about Don’s interfaces: http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/American-Innovations-in-Electronic-Musical-Instruments/
If you can access it, look through Pinch and Trocco’s book, ‘Analog Days’ – https://www.amazon.com/Analog-Days-Invention-Impact-Synthesizer/dp/0674016173 as well as my review of that book: http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Tod-Science_Moog-review.pdf
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1moEseg14c
Look at bits of these as desired: http://megasynth.de/interviews/don-buchla-interview/
And listen to some vintage Subtonik – e.g., ‘Silver Apples of the Moon’, ‘Touch’, ‘The Wild Bull’, ‘Unitl Spring’, ‘Sidewinder’, etc. All can be found online or requested at our jukebox http://otto.media.mit.edu
Check out Sizanne Ciani’s ‘Buchla Concerts 1975’ album as well, which is also listenable on otto. A very different style in using the Buchla.
Joe also digitized this old record, as well posted on otto: Collaboration In Performance – David Rosenboom & Donald Buchla
Enjoy!!!