I think this is a good thread to discuss common questions about the command station.
First question: how do I stop the note from droning on after I have triggered the note ?
For example the cirklon sends C5 to the Buchla but after the note has played it won’t stop playing it. Which slider and short bar do I need to use to make sure 5he notes I play are short and sweet ?
I don’t have one but this video seems to answer the question (if I’m understanding you correctly) so after patching envelope generator using the orange out jack on the right, the left side 3 red or orange sliders for attack decay sustain advanced all the way north (up) seem to indicate minimum note length. unless cirklon changes the equation then idk.
upper switch flipped to keyboard, lower switch to sustained follows the gated note signal (keyboard or other I guess), lower switch to transient follows the fader depth
could be lots of reasons… do you have a pic of the patch? could just be as simple as having the level slider up for the lo-pass/gate when it sounds like you’d prefer having that down and patching into the modulation amount from the envelope generator.
and remember the attack/sustain/decay sliders work in reverse: up-most position is the lowest level, and vice versa.
stay puff for life.
I spit out my coffee when I read that
the shorting bar you have from the EG (orange banana jack) into the lo-pass/gate 2 (black banana) input should likely be going into the lo-pass/gate 1 input (left side of the lo-pass gates) instead. and then lower the lo-pass/gate 1’s level slider (just above the orange EG jack you’re using here) to zero.
also a couple of your patch routings seem to be routing outs to outs. so they likely have no effect. in the patch field, the modulation inputs are black, and the outputs are colored the same as the source of the modulation.
also also: you have sequencer output routed to decay amount. which maybe you want (I love doing this) or not… but it would affect the short, staccato notes you’re after.
I got it to work brother.
The gate level needs to be down.
Orange envelope sliders to the top so the notes played are snappy. These two steps are all you need on the command station.
On the cirklon make sure you select an active track with the correct midi out. Like a rookie track 1 was pointing to USB1 instead of Midi 1. Then click pattern mode and start making those xoxo basslines to profit.
there you go! this looks much better! yeah best approach when you get stuck or confused with modular (happens all the time, even after several years of doing it) is break it down to the basics and make the part you’re stuck with as simple as possible to understand what’s patched or attenuated wrong, or what you’ve just misunderstood. play with that for a minute until you get it, then start patching away!
As someone who has rarely used an easel every time I sit down at one it takes me an embarrassing amount of time to get sound going on it.
I would definitely recommend having a full song idea you have then performing along with the Buchla. I have ableton live sets all built up for different moods and I play along . You have your ideas and you definitely can figure out the limitations of where your sliders can go. I can put a 15 minute cooking timer on while my track plays and know when to play.
The other thing I do is take pictures with my digital camera on my favorite patches I built then disassemble everything and recreate it again and again. You become more confident the more you recall patches from a photo and you know how much wiggle room you have with the slider values.
I am a new owner since April 2023 and with only 20 hours each month I feel very comfortable with a blank Easel.
you’re not alone. even Sam Shepherd of Floating Points says it confuses him a bit. and he’s no stranger to Buchla, as you can see 
I think it’s just the nature of semi-modulars. they have to make decisions for the pre-wired routing within the space that they have, and that can sometimes end up making it non-obvious what’s going on. what you end up with is a situation where some of the patch is in front of you, and some of it’s not. mostly you just have to use it often enough to get it, and remember it.
I picked up a 208c in July. The thing I’ve vibed with the least was the sequencer routed to pitch. I guess I’m just used to quantized voltages rather than manual tuning. Obviously there are other things to sequencer but for those of you using it for pitch, do you reduce the CV range on the oscillators or go some other way?
Otherwise I’ve found it lots of fun.
That’s one way to go. Lots of sequencers offer range switches for this reason. The 208 provides sliders at the modulation destinations. For my part, I tend to embrace the imprecision of the sequencer. However, I don’t mind hunkering down with a tuner and tuning each step when I need to.
There are other options, too. You could send a quantized sequence in over MIDI or CV and dedicate the Buchla’s sequencer to modulation of other targets. If you have a 218, you can use the arpeggiator for note pitch. One of the best things about the 208c is the fact that it can be controlled from so many input sources (MIDI, 1v/oct, and Buchla 'nanners) simultaneously. This allows for some incredibly complex rhythms that one might not expect from such a seemingly simple sequencer.
Thanks. I actually love the MIDI spec so you can trigger events and pitches separately…just like in a modular! I’ve been using Linnstrument for pitch, as well as Vector Sequencer.
I’m also curious about what people are doing for more timbral variation besides the usual wiggling of parameters on the front. I’ve experimented with audio rate modulating timbre, and im wondering if there’s a way to simulate offset or “bias” like on some other wavefolders.
Most of my Buchla 208c playing is using tight slider ranges. Especially the voltage sequencer. The small moves really add a lot to your performance already.
Do you use the keyboard or the pulse switch ?
Bro are you reading my mind? My Diablo IV Druid character build was called “Buchla . I almost called him General Buchla.
Anyone else’s master volume knob sit too low and is scratchy like scrapes against the metal casing? Otherwise the build quality is really nice!
Any tips how to make it a smoother knob and not scrape?
