According to guyd2, the Model 416.3 Meta Expander is:
"A sophisticated, stand-alone expansion unit for the Buchla Music Easel.
Contains several dedicated modules : Comparators, Dividers, Boolean, VC Slew Limiter, S/H & Noise, analog ultrastable VCO/LFO, advanced Mixer w/ Comparator, and an 8-step Sequencer.
Also expands on the 208 CV I/O's, pulses I/O and Switch inputs."
"We get an introduction to Katla, an enigmatic new synthesizer from Iceland-based Genki Instruments, at Buchla & Friends 2026. Named one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland, Katla is synthesizer that combines five digital oscillator voices with envelopes, analog filters and wavefolders, and a set of "Kalta" chaotic parameters, for an organic, "controlled-chaos", sound and performance. It also features side panels and knobs made from volcanic lava rocks.
To find out more, please visit https://genkiinstruments.com/katla
0:00 Introduction
0:27 A demo of Katla and its 'controlled chaos'
2:16 Conclusion
"This patch creates a simple techno groove using three PatternSeq channels.
Each PatternSeq sends trigger signals to the drum machine, pitch CV, and pulse signals to the 208. Wave shape is modulated with random control for added movement and variation.
Three PatternSeq modules handle:
Trigger outputs to the drum machine
Pitch CV sequencing
Pulse signals to the 208
Random modulation applied to wave shape
Hope you enjoy this patch.
#700FunctionProcessor #Buchla208 #BuchlaSynthesizer #ModularSynth
#PatternSequencer #CVSequencer #WestCoastSynth #ModularPerformance
#ElectronicMusic #ExperimentalMusic #SoundDesign#techno#4U Modular"
"While playing the bass line, a blast from the past came back to me.
Psychedelic vibes. Inspiration always comes from our roots.
Standing on the shoulders of giants.
Recorded just to capture some ideas — not a proper recording session.
#ModularSynth
#Buchla
#PinkFloyd
#DavidGilmour
The following is in via Sean Graves, who had the following to say:
"The piece, 'The 'Easel' Spirit in 3U: Rebuilding a Buchla Soul in Eurorack,' documents my five-year journey to replicate the specific workflow and 'soul' of the Buchla Music Easel using a curated Eurorack system."
"This post explores the creative power of 5-step sequencing (the 'migrating downbeat'), the 'origami' of wavefolding via the Verbos Complex Oscillator, and the organic harmonic dampening of vactrol-based Low Pass Gates. It’s a technical yet accessible look at why the West Coast workflow remains the 'holy grail' for performance - based synthesis."
The full write-up follows, with a demonstration of the system in the video above.
The “Easel” Spirit in 3U: Rebuilding a Buchla Soul in Eurorack
The Buchla Music Easel is legendary. It isn’t just a synthesizer. It’s a self-contained performance ecosystem. For many of us, the “Easel” workflow is the holy grail of synthesis. However, instead of chasing original hardware, I’ve spent the past five years rebuilding its specific soul within the Eurorack format. Because everyone deserves a hobby, right?
The Chef vs. The Sculptor Most East Coast synthesizers work like a sculptor. You start with a massive block of harmonic noise (Sawtooth or Square waves) and carve it away with a filter. The Buchla workflow is different. It’s like being a chef in your own Hell’s Kitchen. You start with basic, “bland” ingredients (sine waves) and spice them up with Frequency Modulation (FM), Amplitude Modulation (AM), your choice, and then fold until the sound sizzles.
My current rig recreates this spirit by focusing on three pillars: Uncertainty, Complex Oscillation, and the iconic Sequential Voltage Source.
Part One: The Modulators (The Brain) In a true Easel style setup, the Tokyo Tape Music Center 5-Step Sequencer acts as the brain. While most modern sequencers favor 4-8-16-32 steps, the 5-step limitation is actually a creative superpower.
"This is a video series breaking down the Tip Top Audio Buchla 200 series of modules. Deep dives, information, patch examples."
Playlist:
1. I went all in on Tiptop Buchla. Was it worth it?
This is the first part of a video series on my new Tip Top Audio Buchla 200 series modular system. Here I describe my decision-making process and my initial impressions along with some of the history that makes this system so interesting.
00:00 Why I chose Buchla
03:20 Advantages of the system
05:13 History of the Buchla 200 series
09:56 Some disadvantages
11:38 Why bother using vintage designs?
2. The Magic of Buchla Oscillators: An Exhaustive Deep Dive on the 258t and the 259t
This is part 2 of my video series on the Tiptop Audio Buchla 200 series system. In this video I focus on the 258t Dual Oscillator and the 259t Programmable Complex Waveform Generator.
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Dual oscillator features
02:58 Dual oscillator 2 FM inputs
04:54 Buchla signal types explained
07:02 259 introduction
08:09 Principle oscillator and harmonics section
11:38 Modulation oscillator
14:58 Modulation bus
18:09 ART inputs
19:31 Example patch 1
24:01 Example patch 2
30:37 Outro
3. The Low Pass Gate: The Beating Heart of Buchla Synthesizers
This video is part of a series I'm creating highlighting modules in Tiptop Audio's line of Buchla 200 reissues. Today's episode features the 292t Quad Lopass Gate as well as a discussion of Low Pass Gates in general.
00:00 Introduction
03:09 Tour of Features
04:51 Timbre and Amplitude
07:15 Buchla Bongos
08:38 Vactrols and Pinging
13:40 Filter Deep Dive
17:05 Getting A Steeper Cutoff and Resonance
20:08 Performance Patch Example and Breakdown
"An EMS VCS3 does a throbbing drone. The Moog Model 10 is sequenced by a synthesizers dotcom q960/q119 with a little help from the Mos-Lab envelope.
The Serge comprised of licensed circuits by Elby Designs, Catgirl Synth, all lovingly paneled and assembled by Rich at Lower West Side Studios of Canada. There is a Buchla clone of a Source of Uncertainty module assembled and paneled by Jason Fry of Free State FX that is randomizing various parts of an M401 Multimode (Arp 1047 clone) also built by LWSS.
From the 401, the audio heads to the Analog Craftsman Gristleizer. The result is a little rhythmic bubbling.
The title is a nod to Tricky’s Pre-millennium Tension album but nevertheless reflective of the current zeitgeist.
00:00 Intro
00:38 Nymira by Terraphones
01:16 Erea 2 by Embodme
02:06 A Wild @BennJordan !
02:17 Flux by Soma Laboratories
03:00 Ruby Moon through Omnisphere Effects
04:33 Demonbox by Eternal Research
05:31 Katla by Genki Instruments
06:36 Buchla Music Easel by Buchla
06:53 Rhodes Piano by Rhodes
07:10 Dvina by Soma Laboratories
07:25 Uranograph by Clank
"The Buchla 259t by Tiptop Audio is my favourite complex Vco, in this video I am exploring its sounds with some explanation. The timbers and all the modulation of this modules are just incredible! Let me know what you think of it in the comments."
"A 16-step sequence on the Buchla 246 with a new addition, the Késako Player! 👌🏽
Both Buchla 284 and @synththomas 292 are also sharing the spotlight, then going into @soundfreakmodular Dual filter, @the_mems_project 291 filter and Buchla 296e
"*700 Function Processor is now officially released.*
This video showcases the latest *Pattern_Seq* app included in the production version.
This is a quick walkthrough of the main features and functions of Pattern_Seq.
For other functions, please check the related demo videos：" [posted here]
700 Function Processor Patch #1 | One Module, More Patch Space
video upload by Gm Xe
"Testing the TipTop Audio / Buchla 248t module. The 248t has eurorack level CV/Pulse outputs as well as the ART serial data outputs to drive modules that will receive ART note data. This configuration has a TTA 259t controlled by the ART signals and the Buchla 208c Easel Command controlled by CV/Gate (v/oct scaling).
Small group shot further below. Be sure to see the full set for more.
P.S. Brian also had an iPad with the following to say:
"Had fun showing Textquencer app , it converts text to midi notes, quite the sequencer, the letter A is the root note. I used our mailing list as the source text 😁. It’s also good with foreign languages with a lot of vowels like Hawaiian or Native American sources.
I also think Igor Vasiliev’s GLITCHSCAPER app for percussion is great, certainly not an 808/909 cliche"
Also: "in that picture I did an a/b comparison between the $5k Easel and the $200 KORG [Volca] modular with midi hack, and IMHO the KORG did pretty good😛"
"In this video, I explore an extremely rare electronic instrument called the Touché, created by Buchla and Associates in 1980. Filmed at the Buchla Archives in Vancouver, this is a rare opportunity to hear and see an instrument that very few people have ever encountered firsthand. Only around five Touchés are known to have been built, and very few remain functional today. Because of this, the instrument has remained largely absent from public performance and documentation. This video helps bridge that gap by sharing the Touché’s sound, design, and historical context.
While Don Buchla is best known for his modular synthesizers such as the 100 and 200 Series, he also created a number of non-modular, computer-based instruments that explored new relationships between performance, software, and sound. The Touché is one such instrument. Conceived by Don Buchla in collaboration with composer David Rosenboom, it is a bi-timbral, eight-voice polyphonic keyboard instrument that combines digital sound generation, analog processing, and computer-mediated control.
The video begins with a historical overview of how the Touché grew out of Buchla’s computer-controlled instruments of the 1970s, including the 300 Series systems. From there, the video moves into a detailed walkthrough of Touché’s sound architecture, including many musical demos.
This video was created in collaboration with the Buchla Archives, an organization dedicated to the thorough and thoughtful documentation and preservation of Donald Buchla’s work.
Special thank you to Ryan Gaston and David Rosenboom for research assistance."
"This video, shot informally in the Ensemble Room at Mills College in 1983, contains the only footage known of David Rosenboom playing his 1981 composition Nova Wind from Future Travel. In it, he plays the legendary Touché—digital/analog keyboard instrument produced in collaboration with Donald Buchla in 1979-1980—, violin, piano, and ancillary electronics. A complete studio recording of Future Travel was released first on a vinyl LP by Street Records in 1981 and later on a double-CD from New World Records in 2007."
"Join us at Buchla & Friends with the wonderful person that is TODD BARTON! Inspired by the work of Bebe and Louis Barron on the soundtrack to the 1950s film Forbidden Planet, Todd Barton created the classic Krell patch. A generative, ambient patch for modular synthesizers where random voltages influence (at it's most basic) the time, pitch and shape of your notes. We discuss the origins of Krell, the basics of the patch and how to expand it.
The 2026 Buchla & Friends event is happening January 24th-25th, be there, it'll be ace. Info below."
