Ziggy is a desktop Buchla that has all the flexibility of a modular with no patching required – Demo

video upload by MusicRadar Tech

"Buchla’s Ziggy monosynth aims to bring the brand’s singular style of West Coast synthesis to a wider audience, both by dropping the price – at $999, Ziggy is a fifth of the price of the company’s Music Easel – and repackaging the sound engine in a non-modular, self-contained desktop instrument that’s intended to be more modern and accessible than its previous designs.

The format may have changed, but Ziggy still has the digitally-controlled analogue architecture of a classic Buchla: a complex oscillator with wavefolding, a modulation oscillator for FM and AM, and a low-pass gate in place of a conventional filter and VCA, inviting the kind of unconventional sound design that has earned the brand a place in the hearts of those looking for an experimental alternative to the traditional East Coast approach. What makes Ziggy different, though, are additions like browser-managed patch storage, digital effects, and extensive connectivity: alongside CV inputs for pitch, gate and modulation, you get an external audio input and 5-pin MIDI and USB-C connections, which allow for the kind of external control via the KeyStep that you can see here.

It’s fair to say that most music-makers won’t have had the chance to experiment with a Buchla before, and with Ziggy, the company is hoping to change that. While it’s clearly more approachable than a Music Easel or a Skylab, designing sounds with Ziggy will still take some getting used to, as we found out over at Buchla’s booth – but cycling through the instrument’s presets, which showcase the unique, often chaotic timbres that West Coast synthesis is known for, left us eager to dive deeper into the Buchla universe. Mission accomplished."