Reading Rainbow, the Buchla synth’s “MARF,” and a prototype’s live debut

Hold on for a wormhole between different nerd universes. Steve Horelick, the prolific composer behind the music for Reading Rainbow, meets the classic Buchla 200, meets a new prototype of an official recreation of the Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (MARF). Also, Star Trek. Let’s explain what those things are for those who don’t know — and talk about how you can join a special event live online.

Cook every day: read Suzanne Ciani’s 1976 Buchla Cookbook, for free

In 1976, Suzanne Ciani reported back to the USA’s National Endowment for the Arts with a report on her compositions, in the form of a modular cookbook. Now you can read her notes and follow along using entirely free software, complete with sound examples. I love overusing the cookbook metaphor, maybe just because food is […]

Peter Kirn - September 21, 2026

Buchla Ziggy: the complex oscillator gets a friendly standalone synth

It’s been decades in coming: what if you took the best parts of the classic Buchla complex oscillator with its, well, ziggy waveshapes, and built a friendly compact synth around it? It’s all that modular fun, but in a package that lets you tweak right away without connecting a single patch cord.

Peter Kirn - May 5, 2026

From Éliane Radigue to West Coast, Homework is a patchable wonder

Peter Kirn - May 4, 2026

Soundbites: the music inventions of NAMM, Buchla and Friends

Nadia Says - January 30, 2026

GForce just made a West Coast, MPE-playable synth playground

Peter Kirn - October 28, 2025

Here are the best Labor Day Weekend deals right now, shipped in USA

Peter Kirn - August 30, 2025

El Jaguar: re-amped Colombian Picó sound systems as instrument

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2025

Go watch this video on Buchla, Spectraphon, and spectral animation

Peter Kirn - January 3, 2025