Play It Like an Instrument, Sound Like Nothing Else
A modern reimagining of the company’s iconic complex oscillator, the Buchla Ziggy is a patch-free desktop instrument designed for gestural, intuitive music making, bridging West Coast synthesis heritage with contemporary convenience. Boasting fully analog complex and modulation oscillators, the Ziggy serves up rich sine waves that you can sculpt in myriad ways using FM and AM modulation, wavefolding, and blending into sawtooth, square, or spike waveforms. Meanwhile, a Sallen-Key lowpass gate operates as a VCA, a filter, or both, with blended envelope shapes, putting a universe of sonic discovery at your disposal. You also get Buchla’s famous Cycler — a hybrid clock, envelope, and LFO that you can use to generate complex waveforms and modulations. Additionally, the Ziggy offers ample connectivity, with comprehensive MIDI support, along with CV, gate, and 1-volt-per-octave pitch, ensuring easy integration with Eurorack, your DAW, and the Buchla LEM 218 keyboard. Moreover, the Ziggy gives you more than 100 presets, a plethora of digital effects, and expansive stereo Main Out jacks. You’ll find editing and archiving patches incredibly straightforward with WebMIDI in a standard web browser. Beyond that, this module is conveniently powered over USB-C. Showcasing an eye-catching oak-and-steel enclosure with classic Buchla aesthetics, the Ziggy is a versatile instrument capable of everything from strange strings and percussive plucks to deep basses and exotic leads.
Related Videos: Ziggy Desktop Instrument Module
Infinite sounds, zero patch cables
There are infinite sounds lurking inside the Ziggy. You can use the Cycler, Buchla’s esoteric modulation source that’s equal parts clock, envelope generator, LFO, and random generator, to modulate pitch and timbre and trigger gate envelopes. The Ziggy also houses an additional slow LFO and supports external MIDI control. Moreover, this module eschews cumbersome patch cables for assigning modulation sources, instead using switch selection, encoders, and sliders for intuitive gestural sound shaping. The modulation oscillator acts as the primary modulation source at low-frequency or audio rates to modulate the complex oscillator with AM or FM modulation and is frequently blended as a second sound source. Additionally, the Ziggy’s lowpass gate operates as a VCA, a filter, or both, bolstered by a Sallen-Key filter architecture. Finally, envelopes are blended shapes, rather than traditional ADSR, encouraging creative discovery rather than sonic precision.
Analog sound meets modern control
While its sound is unmistakably analog, thanks to classic oscillator and lowpass gate designs, the Buchla Ziggy’s modern flexibility has quickly made it a favorite among Sweetwater’s synth savants. That said, digital control over these elements lets you save patches with the simple press of a button and dive into over 100 factory and user presets. Moreover, digital control allows you to get extraordinarily creative with your modulation choices. Beyond that, the Ziggy features built-in digital effects, comprising reverb, delay, chorus, pitch shift, and flanging, to shape your final sound. You also get a Dry/Wet FX knob and a straightforward macro Size parameter. Additionally, the Ziggy features CV modulation, gate, and 1-volt-per-octave pitch for easy coordination with Eurorack systems and the Buchla LEM 218 controller. Finally, MIDI control via USB-C, USB 2.0, 5-pin DIN, and type A mini gives you complete control over the module’s playback and sound.
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 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 making 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 provides 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 Ziggy Features:
- A desktop instrument built around a modern reimagining of Buchla’s iconic complex oscillator
- Uses switch selection, encoders, and sliders for intuitive gestural sound shaping instead of patch cables
- Analog oscillators serve up rich sine waves that you can sculpt using FM /AM modulation, wavefolding, and blending into sawtooth, square, or spike waveforms
- Sallen-Key lowpass gate operates as a VCA, filter, or both, with blended envelope shapes
- Cycler — a hybrid clock, envelope, and LFO — generates complex waveforms and modulations
- Comprehensive MIDI support, CV, gate, and 1V/oct pitch ensure easy integration with Eurorack, DAWs, and the Buchla LEM 218 keyboard
- Digital control allows you to save patches with a simple touch of a button and dive into 100+ available factory and user presets
- Built-in digital FX, comprising reverb, delay, chorus, pitch shift, and flanging
- WebMIDI facilitates straightforward editing and archiving patches using a standard web browser
- Conveniently powered over USB-C
- Eye-catching oak-and-steel enclosure with classic Buchla aesthetics
