Conference napalm::commusic_v1

   
>>    Keep your eyes peeled for more on this thing, maybe Buchla is going to
>>    try to get into the mainstream market after all these years?
 

	nahhhhhhhhh.

    One happy Buchla fan from USENET:
    
From: ckk+@andrew.cmu.edu (Chris Koenigsberg)
Subject: Buchla's THUNDER
Date: 3 Apr 90 20:27:50 GMT
 
I just sent my deposit and I'm getting Donald Buchla's new "THUNDER"
soon - it is an intelligent MIDI controller that has touch-sensitive
plates which measure your gestures, using a TMS 320C25 signal processing
chip. It can do some complex processing before sending out the MIDI
signals, so you can quickly cook up a firestorm of notes and signals
from a few keystrokes. It can also receive system exclusive data, save
it up for re-transmission later (to dump and restore presets from a
synth module, for example).
 
It looks real neat, like something made by pueblo Indians. It's a real
solid piece of metal equipment. It has 26 touch-sensitive plates, 14 of
which also sense the location and movement of your fingers (you can map
finger movement to MIDI controller parameters like "mod wheel" or
"breath control" for example). It has 11 LED's that you can map to
anything you want to help you remember what's going on, and it has an
80-char 2-line backlit LCD. It has 32K of RAM and 65K of ROM (he calls
it the "STORM" operating system) It can save data on cartridges. It
costs $1990.
 
Has anyone else heard of Buchla's THUNDER, or any of his other recent
instruments? I understand there were THUNDER writeups in recent issues
of some magazines like Keyboard, after Buchla exhibited a prototype at
this year's N.A.M. convention.
 
I tried one at this year's ICMC in Columbus, Ohio. I hate piano
keyboards and I always hated MIDI devices, until I tried the THUNDER - I
was very impressed by its flexibility and complexity, things which MIDI
controllers have lacked up until now.
 
Buchla's old analog synthesizers in the 60's were known for their
complete and total flexibility, at the expense of the ability to play
cheap factory presets. You could set up the most amazing patches, but it
was an effort to set up a major scale (no piano keyboard, just buttons
and ribbons and sliders). I liked that.....
 
His address for more information is
 
Buchla and Associates
P.O. Box 10205
Berkeley, CA. 94709
 
and tell him I sent you from the network!
 
----------------
Christopher Koenigsberg
ckk+@andrew.cmu.edu
Research/Systems Programmer
Psychology Dept. Facilities
Carnegie-Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213
(412)268-7591

    I just read the review of the Thunder in this month's EM.
    
    I'm now fighting off a severe case of MIDI lust... and seriously 
    thinking about SELLING some gear to make room and raise the 
    cash.  
    
    Has anyone out there in COMMUSIC land actually laid hands on one of
    these things?
    
    	-Bill

    
    Another question:  How big is a Thunder [physically, that is].  Is
    it 24" across, 36" across, or what?  The photos I have of it don't give
    any scale information at all. 
    
    	-Bill 

    
    For those who thought the Thunder was a refreshing idea, here comes the
    Buchla Lightning.  At $995 list, it converts *hand gestures* into MIDI
    output.  Holy Theremin, Batman!
    
    Yo, Tom Janzen, this is just what you've been looking for!
    
    							Brian

    Does anyone know what technology is used in the Thunder to pick up the
    touches on the plates?  I am particularly interested in how the
    positionally-sensitive plates work.  I hope it isn't something
    conductive that requires a wrist strap or something like that. :)
    

    Does anybody have the phone number for Buchla?  Phone information in
    Berkeley has no such listing.