Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI) was a company that made synthesizers and special MIDI controllers. The company began in 1963 as Buchla & Associates, founded by Don Buchla, a well-known inventor from Berkeley, California. In 2012, the original company was purchased by a group of Australian investors who operate under the name Audio Supermarket Pty. Ltd. As part of this purchase, the company was renamed Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments. In 2018, the assets of BEMI were bought by a new company called Buchla U.S.A., and the business continues to operate under new ownership.

Company origin

Buchla's first modular electronic music system was created because composers Ramon Sender and Morton Subotnick asked him to build it for the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1963. In 1964, they gave Buchla $500 from a grant provided by the Rockefeller Foundation. Morton Subotnick wanted to design an instrument that used electricity to control sound, allowing musicians to create sounds that matched their own ideas. Before this, musicians used separate tools like test oscillators or recorded sounds from magnetic tape, which required manual editing. Buchla built the synthesizer with separate parts that could be connected. Each part had a specific job: envelope generators, oscillators, filters, voltage-controlled amplifiers, and analog sequencer modules. By combining these parts, composers could change the pitch, tone, loudness, and where sounds came from in space. The instrument was played using touch and pressure-sensitive surfaces.

The system was called the "Buchla 100 series Modular Electronic Music System." It was placed at the San Francisco Tape Music Center in 1965 and later moved to Mills College in 1966. Morton Subotnick used another unit of the system to complete his first major electronic piece, Silver Apples Of The Moon, which was sent to New York. The same unit was also used to make the 1969 album Illuminations by Buffy Sainte Marie. Along with Robert Moog's Moog synthesizer, Buchla's system changed how electronic music and sounds were created.

Products

The original Buchla modular synthesizer was created by Morton Subotnick and Ramon Sender with support from a grant provided by the Rockefeller Foundation. The first modules were labeled "San Francisco Tape Music Center." Later models were sold through the musical instruments division of CBS.

The Buchla 200 series Electric Music Box replaced the earlier model in 1970 and introduced major improvements in technology. Most settings on the instrument can be adjusted using signals from outside the system.

In the mid-1970s, Don Buchla began exploring digital designs and computer-controlled systems. This led to the creation of the 500 series and 300 series, which combined new digital technology with older 200 series modules to form hybrid analog/digital systems. The Touché was also developed during this time and represented Buchla’s final attempt to create a synthesizer for a broader audience.

During the 1980s, Buchla released the 400 series and 700 series, which were software-controlled instruments operated by MIDAS, a programming language designed for musical instruments. These models also included MIDI technology.

Buchla often avoided calling his instruments "synthesizers," believing the term suggested copying existing sounds or instruments. Instead, he aimed to create tools for making entirely new sounds. This is reflected in the absence of standard keyboards on his early instruments, which used touch plates that did not rely on traditional musical tuning systems.

Buchla also used unique names for his modules. For example, one module was called a "Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator," or MARF. This device can perform tasks beyond what a typical sequencer can do, such as acting as an envelope generator, low-frequency oscillator, control voltage selector, voltage quantizer, and tracking generator. The MARF (model 248) should not be confused with the later Dual Arbitrary Function Generator (model 250e), which has a different design.

Buchla’s instruments, like the Music Easel, use a method of creating sound that differs from Moog synthesizers. Moog systems use basic oscillators and rely heavily on filters, while Buchla instruments focus on complex oscillators that use frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, and dynamic waveshaping to create unique sounds. Many of Buchla’s designs, including the Lopass Gates, use vactrols—special components that act as voltage-controlled resistors—to produce a more natural, characteristic Buchla sound. In December 2017, Arturia released a software version of the Music Easel called "Buchla Easel V."

By the late 1980s, Buchla shifted his focus from synthesizers to alternate MIDI controllers, such as the Thunder, Lightning, and Marimba Lumina.

In 2004, Buchla returned to creating modular electronic instruments with the 200e series. This system uses digital microprocessors but maintains the same size and signal types as earlier 100 and 200 series models. All signals are converted to analog at the panel, making the system appear and function like an analog setup with patch cables. Systems can mix 100, 200, and 200e modules. The 200e modules connect through a digital bus, allowing settings to be saved and recalled.

At the January 2012 NAMM Show, Buchla & Associates announced a new company name, Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments (BEMI), with Don Buchla remaining as Chief Technology Officer. BEMI invested in developing new products and expanded its offerings. In 2013, BEMI reintroduced the Music Easel and later released new modules, including the 252e Polyphonic Rhythm Generator. The "200h" series of modules was also introduced to allow more detailed customization of Buchla systems.

Current status

In 2015, several websites, including FACT, reported that Don Buchla sued the owners of BEMI. He claimed that health issues were partly caused by unpaid consulting fees and that he had a right to his original intellectual property. The lawsuit said the owners of BEMI broke their contract and acted unfairly. Buchla asked for $500,000 in compensation.

Legal papers from California show the court ordered the case to be settled through arbitration in July 2015. In August 2016, the court closed the case because the parties reached an agreement outside of court.

Don Buchla passed away shortly after, on September 14, 2016. His death was reported in the New York Times and other sources, which highlighted his important contributions to electronic music and technology.

In 2017, BEMI attended NAMM and released the Easel AUX Expander. The company also changed its distribution method, stopping direct sales to customers and working more closely with a global network of dealers.

Gallery

• The Buchla Marimba Lumina is connected to a device called LEMUR.
• The Buchla 200e model is located on the back side, and the 223e Tactile Input Port is on the front side.
• The earliest analog sequencers are found on the Buchla 100 model, which has a row of knobs at the bottom.