Buchla 106

 

link to Gerber files : https://synthesizerunderconstruction.blogspot.com/2024/01/buchla-106.html

are you missing a screw??!!

 

Sometimes it happens so .. When i started working on the box i noticed the screws on the original panel as they were non standard ,so in order to save them i put them back on the front panel once i got the panel out .Somehow in a month or so , while working on the electronics that panel got lost somewhere in the basement ,and when it was time to start populating the panel i made i just couldn't find the screws Now there are 4 ugly holes that i need to mask somehow ,it ruins the picture a bit but i can live with it . 

The enclosure as factory made provides 2 rectangular holes just exact fit in the back to add 6 banana jacks ,i made those four individual sampler outputs plus a mix output that is the selection made with the white push buttons from the bottom of the panel , and finally ground .The DIN socket connects to external PSU.

 

 What i learned from my previous groovebox proves to be right , i installed a switch from the main clock to the 208 Music Easel Random Section ...cause when it stops clocking the Uncorrelated Random remains at that random last step . 

Other feature i find useful is having one of the excite inputs of the Neural Pulsers at the bottom of the panel where it's easy to tap with your fingers cause one can trigger a neuron in such way (sometimes...) ,along with the potentiometers at the bottom of the panel for easy access it's performance friendly ,while most of the patching is done in the middle of the panel ..

The little box in the background is a fifth voice ,another Hagiwo Sampler with additional XR2206 LFO ,and Synthrotek Dirt Filter .

West Coast Mini

 

Another project that's been sitting on the workbench for years , another single panel synth ,this time in green and yellow knobs and jacks .This project is almost done but i grew tired of synthesizers i guess after 15 years of soldering ,one must grow tired a bit . The enclosure for this is very shallow i meant to make a new enclosure for the same panel and have a PSU integrated in the box . This is Volk comparing to Volca , it has 1 x 258 Buchla ,1 x Low Pass Gate ,1 x High Ripple VCF (Electronotes) ,1 x DUSG Serge ,1 x Serge SSG ,1 x NLC Spasm ,1 x Buchla 208 Uncorrelated Random ,1 x Serge Tripple Waveshaper ,2 x LFO's EFM ,Xmix EFM ,Serge Noise ,and thats alot ! The panel is specious and the thing is ,this is almost complete ... Most of the PCB's are soldered ,,2 or 3 left to complete and wire up . 

Џумбуш Кутија

Another GrooveBox is finished. This time with 4× Hagiwo Sampler Drums, Experimental Hardware Neurons as main sequencer , additional CGS Gate Sequencer, Yusynth Pulse Delay, and Buchla 208 Random. Instead of a regular kick and bongo, there are samplers — that’s the main difference from the previous machine. Together they now hold 240 sounds, each 600 milliseconds long at 48kHz.

The enclosure was something I found lying in the mud at the junkyard. It looks like an old fiscal cash register, or maybe some other device. Sometimes you can find boxes from medical equipment there too. Cleaning off the factory-baked paint wasn’t easy, and this machine changed its face several times before I finally completed it.

As always, some things could have been done better.

Groove Box

 

before the wiring

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 Few more layouts are available at https://synthesizerunderconstruction.blogspot.com , i updated the Buchal 106 PCB layout with dual layer smaller PCB  .There is now PCB layout for 3 Band Moog Parametric Equalizer  . As i am building a new DIY mixer i decided to include few DIYRE Color modules like Distortastudio  and FA38 from Trident Consoles . There is a new layout for Vintage Serge VCO , and  updated the layouts for Buchla 194  ,and the MOTM Yamaha GX VCF for which i finally got the PCBs.

Mixer

 I rehoused the Mixer i built for myself as the first build had no printed panels ,the cheap switches i used for muting the channels started failing ,and there were too many wires using converters for each banana - jack i use , so i made it all standard 4mm banana sockets except a few ,i had to minimize so in that sense here i am missing two limiter/saturators and one optical compressor and a joystick panner and they will need to be in a separate box , instead i included here a small 4 channel filter bank based on schematic i found at electr-music . This is just basic mixer and actually a Buchla 106 ,with additional 4 mixers from Serge Schematics used as aux channels , there is also 3 SIAM Equalizers .

SInthai Solo

 

This little monophonic FM synth is based on Hagiwo's FM Oscillator ,it's just Arduino with the help of AI and therefore not Duophonic at least , but i decided to keep it , it's got 7 waveforms ,envelope ,pitch bend with 2 semitones ,range and depth controls , there are dedicated cv inputs for all these functions , now there was room on the panel to add a simple envelope generator as there is pulse out on keypress at D1 , but guess i'll just do that part separate ,the Joystick is just voltage source to modulate inputs . It's all done on stripboard .The keyboard is cut out from larger Casio CT660.

***

 

Homemade Groovebox

 This is a Home made Groove Box i built . It features Experimental Hardware Neurons from Wiard as the trigger sequencer ,voices include 2 x Hagiwo Samplers ,1 x Hip Bass Drum from Craig Anderton and two NLC Bong0's stripped to only two inputs and an output . There is also 194 Buchla Bandpass Filter and 106 Buchla Mixer ,99dsp Effects from Aliexpress ,a Colorupter Optical  Compressor ,and 208 Uncorelated Random from Buchla paired with CD4052 Pattern generator to sequence thru the sample select or sample banks . 

Random Number Generator - Mid Fi Electronics

 

Something i built ..

 Little gallery of the pedals i built recently ..

Christine Fuzz by Tone God 

Culture Jam Triton Delay and Fred Briggs '64 Vox Tones OD

Mad Box Blend with 99DSP Effects from AliExpress and EH LPB 

XR2206 Ring Modulator based on design by Osamu Hoshuyama

Zvex Fuzz Factory 

Ringmodulator Using XR2206. BY OSAMU HOSHUYAMA

 

From the notes on the web site :An amplifier was added so that a guitar or the like can be input. A bias circuit was added so that it becomes just an oscillator when there is no input signal. It also serves as a knob to prevent only the oscillation sound from leaking out when there is no input signal.

I built this on stripboard somewhat modified ,and fitted in old Russian antenna enclosure . 

Mixer

 Finally i completed this diy mixer ,it's not as pretty as some other things i've done ,but i changed my mind too many times about too many things while building this ,so in the end i only waned to complete it and it's done . This is a Buchla 106 Mixer ,with 3 x  SIAM (Siemens based EQ) on 3 channels on one of the two groups of the 106 Mixer .There is mute on all channels and 4 groups of aux channels based on early Serge Mixer using 741 ,i expanded the 106 to 4 channels for group or 8 in total ,so that extra channel at group is actually two channel summer meant to be used as return for 2 aux groups , those 2 extra channels have Tape Saturator Colour MK1 which can be bypassed  with high pass switchable from 40hz to 60hz .The second group of the mixer has no equalizer . In addition there is 4 channel input joystick that works as a four channel panner ,or two x two channel panners ,it can be useful to browse thru the 4 aux groups ,the joystick has Colorupter Optical Disrupter Colour that can be bypassed .This build was not easy cause i reused lot of materials for the panels and the enclosure ,the enclosure is leftover from machines in an old textile factory ,the inputs and outputs are in the back of the enclosure and that part is fitted additionally but it turned out beautiful.

Bellow is a little preview ,pedals used : Zvex Fuzz Factory ,Tone God Christine ,Culture Jam Triton Delay ,Fred Briggs '64 Tones ,now too lazy to make more cables ..

Colorupter ,Joystick

 

Colorupter ,Joystick 

ZVEX FUZZ FACTORY

 

OD

'64 Vox Tone by Fred Briggs

 

Siemens Equalizers

SIAM (Siemens Insprired Audio Module) 

Synthesizers

 

this project is done.

building best of cgs