The $40,000 Synthesizer
Posted by QuenchPops | Filed under Stick it in your ear.
Buchla, designers of unusual electro-acoustic instruments, recently released a series of synthesizers built upon the engineering and electronic experimentation of the 1970s. The major difference between these synths today and the 70s is their ridiculous price tag. I’m sure it’s worth every penny if you have that kind of money, but it is most likely only going to be seen in a major label setting with groups like Fischerspooner or Amon Tobin or some huge electronic artist, not a regular musician. I don’t even know if a major label artist would buy on of these, but they do look badass and I can’t imagine what they sound like. You gotta hand it to companies that are so passionate about a product that they push their vision way beyond the limits of anybody else.
One commenter on electronic music news site Synthtopia nails it exactly: “Thirty-six grand is nothing compared to the glass-floored room jutting over the Mediterranean it’ll be sitting in. And the girls bringing in trays of elegant snack food aren’t cheap either. And their hi-heels clatter on the glass floor so much! But that’s nothing compared to the sheer guilt that I’ll be forever guilty of funding the whole enterprise - jet skis and all - from that wretched, silly, three-minute pop song. I know, I’ll write an album about how rotten and distorting it is to be rich and famous. But first, three interviews and a photo shoot with Shakira. Actually, I don’t need the most expensive version. All I want is the one with the circle of buttons on it.”
Here’s some other models of the 200e, the first one below being the full $40k setup:
Tags: 1970, 200e, 40k, 70s, buchla, keyboard, synth, synthesizer, synthtopia
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