The Tower of Buchla
In essence, the job of the 225e is to translate incoming MIDI signals into analog voltage and pulses. While the MIDI-management aspect probably feels obvious, the more precise function of the MIDI Decoder portion of the 225e’s dual identity is the way it specifically routes and responds to MIDI messages. For explicit destination modules, its four internal busses convey information within the broader connected 200e system: pulses to a 281e, velocities to a 292e, and pitches directed to upward of four 259e or 261e modules. Four further busses convert MIDI note information into separate output voltages for pitch, velocity, and pulse with sustain information. Six additional controller busses each support two independent controllers, capable of processing information such as modwheel or aftertouch. Note velocity, pitch transposition, and fine-tuning can be adjusted via the interface, in addition to polyphonic toggling. The 225e also functions as a preset manager, which is critical for any 200e system. This allows patch information from individual models to be stored and recalled, as well as to create global patches for your entire 200e setup. Sweetwater’s got quite a history with synthesizers, and we can safely say that the 225e is a wonderful addition to any Buchla system!
Buchla: the crossroads of sonic excellence and game-changing technology
The name Buchla is synonymous with some of the most compelling, convention-breaking technology to emerge in the musical spheres of the mid-20th-century’s electronic awakening. A pioneer of electronic music and instrument design, Don Buchla founded his namesake company in the 1960s, following the success of a modular electronic music system that was commissioned by composers on a Rockefeller Foundation grant. For the next 50 years, Don lived on the bleeding edge of electronic music synthesis. He incorporated uncommon coding languages, touch- and pressure-sensitive surfaces, and spatial location modulation, eventually innovating for the likes of Oberheim, CBS, Zeta Music, E-Mu Systems, and Moog. Meanwhile, he also dedicated himself to make good on MIDI’s promise of the 1980s to be more than just a piano keyboard controller. By the 2000s, Don introduced his magnum opus with the 200e, a love letter to a half century of unparalleled innovation in modular and analog synthesis. Today, Buchla U.S.A. works diligently to uphold Don’s rich legacy and provide his classic designs alongside new iterations of products that are “designed to introduce the unique world of Buchla synthesis to a whole new generation of electronic music makers.”
Buchla 225e MIDI Decoder/Preset Manager Module Features:
- Internal busses relay module-specific information for optimized MIDI data usage and less clutter from patch cables
- Supplementary MIDI support allows CV processing of individual facets of MIDI messages, allowing for a high degree of delineation
- Optional polyphony, pitch transposition, fine-tuning, and velocity transformation can be modified for its CV output for variations in inter-system communication
- Preset Manager functions to store and recall local and global presets for individual modules and system settings
