Buchla & West Coast (1963)
Synthesizers
Don Buchla declared war on the keyboard, viewing it as a 19th-century relic. His modular systems with touch plates created the "West Coast Synthesis" philosophy, where timbre matters more than notes.
Full text
Buchla's approach (West Coast Synthesis) relied not on filtering, but on creating timbres from scratch via FM modulation and waveshaping. Instead of a keyboard, he used touch plates sensitive to finger pressure.
The main innovation was the sequencer. Buchla was the first to propose an instrument that plays itself. The musician didn't press notes but set up a system generating infinite, self-evolving rhythms. The artist's role shifted from performer to designer.
Sources
- Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer — Harvard UP
- Teboul, Ezra J.; Kitzmann, Andreas; Engström, Einar (eds.) (2024). Modular Synthesis: Patching Machines and People — Routledge
- Holmes, Thom (2020). Electronic and Experimental Music: Technology, Music, and Culture — Routledge
- Vail, Mark (2014). The Synthesizer: A Comprehensive Guide — Oxford UP