Buchla/Tiptop 259T | A Legend Revived

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I don't think this module needs any introduction in Eurorack. Don Buchla inspired countless complex oscillators before it inspired Serge Tcherepnin and digital FM pioneers like John Chowning who brought FM on a chip to Yamaha. The 259 is a landmark VCO. One could assume it would old compared to modern gear like the DPO, Cs-L, Furthrrr, Brenso, Verbos CO and many more, but the 259 has a unique sound you will not find anywhere else.

There's 50 years between the 259c and the Tiptop recreation. A lot has changed. The original featured eight vactrols, but the T has none due to Hazardous Substance Regulations (RoHS). It's fair to say it's impossible to stay faithful. Autotune wasn't finished yet, it relied on the forthcoming 300 series that never took off. Remote/local control relied on Easel programming card tech which is useless in its eurorack incarnation. Tiptop decided to add ART support, a proprietary protocol which supports autotuning VCO's.

Real Buchla 259's are extremely rare, they're mostly faithfully recreated clones. So I had no idea how the real thing sounds and the 1M $ question is obviously 'does it sound the same'. Spoiler alert: it does. This video also concludes my 259 origin story, so it's episode 04 in the 259 playlist, and episode 09 in my Tiptop 200 series playlist. It's a bit confusing but it it makes sense to me.

Bottom line, it's a beauty."