Let's use CUNSA as a formant filter (but not the one you expect)

video upload by Frap Tools

"There is this lovely paragraph in Allen Strange's Electronic Music where he discusses formant frequencies of rooms and equipments. However, they are not exactly what we may think of today!

https://frap.tools/cunsa

00:00 Introduction
00:43 Allen Strange talks about formant filters
01:51 Creating a formant frequency with a single CUNSA filter
05:37 Modulating the formant frequency

Two Synth Classics up for Auction

Electronic Music by Allen Strange
Details:
"Analog Synthesis Textbook: ELECTRONIC MUSIC - SYSTEMS, TECHNIQUES & CONTROLS by Allen Strange 160 pages, copyright 1972, 10th printing, 1980."


Synthesizer Technique

Details:
"Bob Moog, Tom Coster, George Duke, Roger Powell and other experts offer practical,creative instruction on how to master the technical and artistic potential of your synthesizer. Volume II in the Keyboard Synthesizer Library. 113 pages, 1984."

Auctions via 123Synthland aka Minime123. Title link takes you to more items up for auction via 123Synthland.

Previous 122Synthland posts

A Tip from Allen

video upload by Todd Barton

"A tip from Allen Strange’s book, Electronic Music.
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd"

The Greatest Hits of BIOME - 1973 EMS SYNTHI Compositions

"Members of BIOME, a live electronic music ensemble, perform Tactus Tempus by Frank McCarty, live on KPFA on February 22, 1973. The performers are Allen Strange, Frank McCarty, Pat Strange, Boots McCarty, Steve Ruppenthal, and Steve Whealton. Following the piece, which is performed on four Synthi electronic music modules, the players talk with Charles Amirkhanian about the group and their music."

via @jkant, via archive.org.

Allen Strange's Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and

Title link takes you there. Via Dave Manly on AH:

• Click on title link
• click on McGraw-Hill eBooks
• this takes you to 5 Easy Steps: click on next
• click on Social Sciences and Humanities. In the list of subjects
click on Music
• click on Strange: Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and
• click on Adobe download

Or, click here.

Update: Make sure to check out the comments of this post before buying.

Buchla Easel Instrument Definitions

Published on Sep 29, 2019 Todd Barton

"What we call presets/patches Don Buchla & Allen Strange called "Instrument Definitions". They saw a constellation of connections to be explored as its own universe. I'll be posting a new instrument definition each month on my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd with performance notes, techniques and suggested explorations, See you there."

Swamp Thang

SwampThang.mp3

Bass - Doepfer modular ;-) (from an Allen Strange patch)
Perc - ESX1
Noises - KP2->KP3
the Mobius is clocking the beats

via daddio of Tapewarm

Crooked & 13th Gate Halloween Tracks

Two more Halloween tracks via The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge.

The first is Crooked by Dave O Mahony:  "1st try out with the new TR606. SH101 bass & pads. Tom Waits on vox. Done for the MuffWigglers Halloween post..."

The second is 13th gate from Mark Harrop: "Don't you hate it when you start patching a modular on Friday the 13th and end up opening the gates of hell?

Seems like that wasn't a copy of Allen Strange bound in human skin after all.

Stupidly simple patch. Synthi trap gen and uVCF modulated by S/H CV being mutated by Plague Bearer."

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Buchla Booth Pics

This was definitely one of the biggest surprises for me this year at NAMM. The largest problem with any hardware modular system is the inability to save patches. Once you create something, you have to give it up to the ether to move onto the next patch.  The Buchla 200e introduced the ability to store knob settings, but not patched cable points. The card you see pictured on the Music Easel allows you to save both knob settings and patch points. It stores 10 presets. You can then create and save as many patches as you like on a dedicated iPad app and then load any patch you want to the card over wireless. You can watch a video overview by Todd Barton in this post. The technology, minus the software of course, existed with the original Music Easel back in 1973, but then you had to literally solder the patch settings in a card. You can see one of the cards pictured here has "Figure 21 Variation" written on it. That's actually a Buchla patch by Allen Strange who wrote the manual for the original Buchla Music Easel as well as Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls.

Easel Patch-Chart 17 for the 200

Published on Mar 23, 2013

"Here is my first humble attempt at translating Patch-Chart 17 from Allen Strange's 1974 manual for the Buchla Music Easel. It will be great to really hear this on a Music Easel, but until then it seems to be a very responsive and fun patch. Enjoy!"

Buchla Easel Manual Patch 19

Published on May 11, 2017 Todd Barton

"continuing with Part 2 of my series on Allen Strange's manual for the Buchla Easel."

All parts here.

Buchla Easel Manual Patches from 1974

Published on May 1, 2017 Todd Barton

"Video series on Allen Strange's Buchla Music Easel manual from 1974: Programming and Meta-Programming the Electro Organism . . .

You can download the manual here:
https://buchla.com/guides/Music-Easel...

The video Quick Start Guide mentioned in the tutorial is available here: [posted here]

And my Easel Explored video course can be found here:
https://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/..."

Buchla Easel Manual Patch 13 & 14

Published on May 4, 2017 Todd Barton

"continuing with my series on Allen Strange's patches from his Buchla Easel Manual (1974)."

Buchla Easel Manual Patch 14


All parts here.

Todd Barton on the Buchla and Sound Synthesis

via groundloop where you'll find the full interview.

"How did you discover the Buchla?

My first encounter was with a Buchla Music Easel that my friend, Doug Leedy
handed me and let me just explore it for a few days back in the mid-1970’s.
At that time I had no idea what I was doing…just plugging in patch cords and
twisting knobs hoping to get a sound. Eventually sounds came. I was smitten
with the ability to alter timbres and create sounds from scratch.

Since I couldn’t afford a Music Easel I instead saved up and got a lovely three
panel Serge from Serge Tcherepnin in the Haight Ashbury in 1979. Still not

knowing much about synthesis I also got Allen Strange’s book, Electronic Music:
Systems, Techniques and Controls. Parts of that book helped but mainly I began
patching 4-8 hours a day.

It wasn’t until 2004 that, having a steady job as Resident Composer at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 1969, I was able to save enough to finally
get a Buchla 200e system. Since then I have spent as much time as possible
plumbing its endless depths."

Buchla Easel Manual Patch 11

Published on May 2, 2017 Todd Barton

"next in my continuing series of patches from Allen Strange's 1974 manual for the Buchla Music Easel."

All parts here.

Buchla Easel Manual Beginnings & Patches 5 to 9

Published on May 8, 2017 Todd Barton

"This tutorial begins my video series on Allen Strange's Buchla Music Easel manual from 1974: Programming and Meta-Programming the Electro Organism . . .

You can download the manual here:
https://buchla.com/guides/Music-Easel...

The video Quick Start Guide mentioned in the tutorial is available here: [posted here]

And my Easel Explored video course can be found here:
https://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/..."

Buchla Easel Manual Patches 5 to 9

Published on May 8, 2017

All parts here.

MAKEN0ISE Acousmatic Gestures

MAKEN0ISE

"Let's use some simple control voltage shapes to inscribe rhythm and intelligibility on unrelated sounds with the Tape & Microsound Music Machine.

"Acousmatic music" is, nominally, music whose sonic origin cannot be seen. It is commonly associated with the GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales) and the composers there, including Francoise Bayle, Bernard Parmegiani, Beatriz Ferreyra, Pierre Shaeffer and others. Some info about the importance of gestures to this "school" of composition can be found here: https://www.inventionen.de/Inventione...

Further reading on shapes and gestures in music and listening:

Pierre Schaeffer, Treatise on Musical Objects
James Tenney, Meta Hodos
Allen Strange, Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls

http://makenoisemusic.com/synthesizer..."

Buchla Easel Manual Figures 17 to 19

Published on May 15, 2017 Todd Barton

"Continuing with Part 2 of my series on Allen Strange's manual for the Buchla Easel. Looking at more Program Card patches using the Inverter."

All parts here.

Todd Barton Butoh for Easels

via Todd Barton

"I'm proud to announce the premiere performance of my new piece, Butoh for Easels. On Friday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. at the Schneider Museum of Art on the campus of Southern Oregon University I will be joined by three amazing synthesists: Bruce Bayard, Eden Mononym and Adam Scramstad to perform this piece for 4 Buchla Music Easels (analog synthesizers) in quadraphonic sound space. This is part of our ongoing series: Quadraphonic: Space and Metaphor Not since the 1970’s group, The Electric Weasel Ensemble spearheaded by Don Buchla and Allen Strange, have this many Music Easels been seen and heard in a single performance space. This new composition was created for the reverberant acoustic of the Schneider Museum coupled with a quadraphonic surround-sound system. This will be a unique sonic experience! I know many of you on this list are from out of town and won't be able to be here, but I hope to have good video and audio of the performance available. If you are in town I encourage you to make it -- there is nothing like quadraphonic sound LIVE! Also, there will be exciting solo performances by Eden, Bruce and Adam!

all best wishes,
Todd"

Buchla Easel Manual Patch 12

Published on May 3, 2017 Todd Barton

"continuing with my series on Allen Strange's patches from his Buchla Easel Manual (1974)."

All parts here.