Two Powerful Functions, One Integrated Module
Buchla's 257e is a Control Voltage Processor, but that's really only a part of the picture. It shares some commonalities with the 256e, having a top section with identical functionality. Each processor implements a transfer function in order to modulate a CV input signal; every transformation can be further modified with the introduction of a breakpoint, whose value and position can be modified via dedicated control knobs to create non-linear functions. The LED display provides a rough approximation of the affected output voltages along the X- and Y-axes. This visualization corresponds to the linear transformation between the input and the output, and the user-defined voltage levels along the signal path.
However, the 257e really differentiates itself with the bottom half of the module, adding three independent, dual-input slew processors — all of which are voltage controllable. Slew rates can positively and negatively vary between 0.1 and 10 seconds, and CV inputs can function in lieu of physical changes to affect the virtual knob’s position. Slew behavior can be toggled between “rate” and “time” for each channel, with an additional auto-pulsing option that results in a pulse being sent whenever the output CV reverses direction. Sweetwater’s modular maestros have really enjoyed utilizing the slew features to construct and shape waveforms to convert incoming signals, in addition to using the pulse output controls to integrate sequencer start/stop/advance functions.
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 257e Control Voltage Processor Module Features:
- 2 independent, parallel voltage processors for a multiplicity of uses with input voltages
- Linear transformations deliver intuitive changes from CV inputs
- Dedicated breakpoints offer further control of signal transformations
- LED display screen offers approximate visuals for quick modifications on the fly
- Slew controls provide unique opportunities for time- and rate-based wave shaping, frequency modulation, and pulse-based integration of vibrato, tremolo, portamento, and more
- Voltage control of most parameters means near-limitless modularity in production and performance
- Presets can be saved for quick access*
*Note: Presets can only be saved with the inter-system use of a Buchla Preset Manager module. If you have any questions, please contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer.
