The 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will only be made in the quantity ordered from July 1 to July 31 with expected delivery in late fall/early winter 2023.
Limited Anniversary Edition
The evolution of Don Buchla's legendary modular analogue synthesizer.
In 1973, the Music Easel was one of the first portable electronic synthesizers.
After the release of the Buchla Easel Command and the Buchla LEM218, Buchla now takes the next step and offers with the Music Easel after more than 50 years again a complete instrument.
Limited edition in a powder blue Zero Halliburton aluminium case with custom Rogan knobs and a gold anodised Touch Activated Voltage Source make this instrument unique.
Five additional banana CV connections have been added to the Easel to control knobs and faders and send impulses independently to different inputs. If there is no aux input, the module generates analogue white noise. The top row layout has been made more logical and there is now an LED indicator for the operation/control mode. The pulser has its own single pulse switch and mode discrimination. The modulation oscillator section has been coloured green so that each main section has its own colour. The listed oscillator frequencies are more accurate, and the scaled fader input range can now be set to 1.2 V/oct. In addition, the new modulation oscillator and envelope generator inputs can be trimmed to typical input ranges.
The Touch Activated Voltage Source has been completely redesigned. Buchla's original capacitive touch keyboard has been redesigned and now features better pressure detection, an optimized interface with a better feel and polyphonic MIDI.
Special features of the Buchla Music Easel (50th Anniversary Edition):
- powder blue Zero Halliburton aluminum case
- custom Rogan knobs
- gold anodized Touch Activated Voltage Source (LEM218)
- Consists of a Buchla Easel Command and a Buchla LEM218, with inputs and outputs streamlined to audio and MIDI (Midi output with 3.5 mm jack Midi type A)
- Includes Program Manager Card loaded with presets as described in the original 1974 Easel Directive
- Ground connection
- Sustain pedal connection on the front panel
- Front VU-Meter
The Anniversary Edition comes with the following collectibles and commemorative items:
- Limited Edition Easel Weasel silkscreen print (24” x 15”) signed and numbered by the original artist Jim Phillips
- 12” LP of Electric Weasel Ensemble from Important Records in a unique vinyl color
- Hardcover Edition of Allen Strange’s “Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls”
- Collector’s book that includes a reprint of original 1974 “Easel Operating Directive” manual by Allen Strange and writings by original Electric Weasel Ensemble member Stephen Ruppenthal and others.
- Special edition artist-designed Retro Preset cards from artists including Todd Barton, Suzanne Ciani, and others. Featuring new, unique graphics on each card.
