4U Format Modules + EMS • Library of Congress: The Buchla is BACK!

It has been a few weeks, and those who follow us on Instagram may have seen inklings of the Buchla 100 system at Library of Congress making the rounds on the internet, and even earlier still, thanks to Ted Gordon's initial inspection of the Buchla in the Performance Arts reading room. Recently, MEMS was hand selected to complete the task of bringing it back into working order and getting it reassembled so it can be used again. Yeah, you read that correctly, the Buchla 100 system that Morton Subotnick owned is now back in business at the Library, and you can check it out any time, with a valid library card.

Now before you all line up at the Madison Building with your IDs and compositional ideas, this is not an official statement yet, as the Library needs time to get it onto a portable cart and purchase some pomonas. But I though as a sneak peek, to chronicle some of the work we did and the logistics of it all. We still have to go back to "unveil" it (alongside Mort hopefully).

Over a year ago, we were contacted by Andrew Northrop at University College of London. Andrew was in DC and had happened to film some stills and 16mm film reels of the system on his trusty Bolex. He met with Carol Lynn, the Curator, and the idea of repairing the system came up. Andrew had a thought regarding restorations and repairs: these all happen in a vacuum, and sadly nobody seems to ever chronicle these events. One day, the instrument is in pieces, and one day, it's not. As Laurie Anderson once said, "on again, off again, always two things switching, one thing replacing the next". But this is analog synthesis... We need to see the whole process from start to finish!

Andrew's solution was to involve UC London - to frame this as an information share with the University and the Library, and of course to document the entire thing with a short film. The grant was penned, and he worked tirelessly to organize the whole thing. After what seemed like an eternity, our grant was approved. I won't bore you with the details of prep, parts sourcing, Zoom meetings, and all the travel woes. On the 24th of March, Chip, Andrew and I stepped off our prospective flights and piled into our rental car to head to the Library.



If any of you have had the chance to visit the Library of Congress, I will be preaching to the choir when I say I was thoroughly impressed with the magnitude of information that was housed there. We gained access to the restricted areas in the stacks, and entered the vault. The... Flute Vault? There we found a multitude of very well constructed boxes that housed the remains of Mort’s 100. It is worth noting that this system had changed hands, it was donated to the Library on Mort's suggestion by Michael Czajkowski, who used the system to teach synthesis alongside Laurie Spiegel in Aspen. You may know Michael by his recording "People The Sky".




Mort’s “barge” was there, and since Mort did not technically assemble the boat it was the wish of the LoC to reintegrate the modules back into the primary system. The barge was really just a 200e boat that was cobbled together (quite poorly). The modules were crammed inside with missing standoffs and boards just hanging about. It was evident that Mort might not ever have used this (at least not for long) since all the boards were shorting out against each other and the supply board. We would repurpose this barge for the scant 200 series modules that were in the collection and also using it for a testing rig.

We also had the chance to grab the EPROMS and Ghost Box 2, for further documentation.




Since we could not solder on Capitol Hill, we had to bring the modules to a makerspace in Fairfax, Nova Labs. Nova Labs set us up in a classroom and made sure we had the specific key, and fobs for 24-hour access. We were initially worried about being locked out at a certain time, so these fobs allowed us to rest easy.

The first order of business was to remove every single module from the cabinet and test them. Chip set up a testing station while Andrew and I worked on documentation. I would remove the modules, check for any mods or other physical issues, and Andrew would document the modules front and back with a 50-megapixel camera. Here are some photos from this stage of the production:








As the day went on, we had accrued two piles of modules, half working and half in serious need of repair. When we looked at this pile, our stomachs churned. Would we have enough time? The only thing holding our sanity together was the frequent trips to H-Mart, where we would binge on mochi donuts and Korean snacks – Andrew needed his banana boba milk tea to recharge. It was either the potassium, the sugar, or the caffeine. Maybe a combination of all three.



On Day 2, we started the repairs. Each module was gone over with a fine toothed comb - slowly but surely we started to tip the scale of working/non-working, to get a large pile of modules that were back in business. We prepped the cabinets to load up. One problem we ran into, was the system had been reconfigured so many times since Mort put it together. We didn’t have the correct number of modules that Mort had in his Bleecker Street studio, nor did we have the right combination from Michael and Laurie’s config. So we had to come up with a hyrid configuration that borrowed aspects from both.


It was time to start putting modules back in the cabinet – dinner had come and gone, and we were now racing against the clock.








The Buchla took its' first breath in a while, and let forth a torrent of sounds. The soundscapes that bellowed forth from our trusty speaker started to beckon other members of Nova Labs into the room for a rare chance at hearing a vintage Buchla in the flesh. We ran a final burn in test overnight and made sure it was stable when we arrived on Day 3, and waited for the Buchla to be picked up by the LoC. I made one last push and copied as many of the EPROMs from the Ghost Box as I could, along with the source code inside the box.


Upon arrival, we presented the system to a small audience of library staff with much fanfare.





However, our work was not complete - the archivist surprised us with some gems - Ghost Box 1 AND the 311 SCR Driver - Don's light show module that can control light bulbs via SCR circuits! Chip found the SCR Driver to make an excellent purse. We stayed the entire day, and absorbed every book of Mort's personal notes and information about the Ghost Scores. Many scans to go through now, but we tend to go through information in quite the hurry...






All in all, the trip was a success, and the Buchla is back in action at LoC. Our next visit will be sooner than later, to help the library set up a permanent home for the system with speakers and cables - so one can just bring their laptop and record, or just enjoy crafting the universe that Mort and Don had explored in the 60s once more. As we left the steps of the library, all I could think about was one thing, that the chapter was not ending for us and the LoC system - but it is just beginning! There will be more news soon, but first, enjoy a photo of the three biggest nerds in our nation's capital at that present time...

Statistics: Posted by shoegazer86 — Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:54 am — Replies 16 — Views 402

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