When Don Buchla decided to build a synth for performing musicians rather than experimental composers, he partnered with David Rosenboom to create something that broke the mold of what a Buchla could be. The result was the Touché, a 1980 hybrid that married digital sound generation with analog control in a way that felt genuinely forward-thinking for its era.
This eight-voice polyphonic instrument packs three oscillators per voice for a total of 24 digital oscillators, all running through non-linear waveshaping circuitry that could generate an enormous palette of timbres with minimal knob-turning. The 61-key piano-style keyboard was a departure from Buchla's signature touch plates, making it far more accessible to traditional keyboard players. A three-way touch-sensitive controller handled pitch bending and modulation duties, while the front panel featured seven continuously variable parameters for real-time sound shaping: pitch, FM frequency and index, timbre modulation frequency and index, timbre value, and level control. The instrument used a proprietary programming language called FOIL and required an external monitor for editing, storing up to 32 patches instantly with the ability to save additional patches to cassette tape.
The Touché was designed as Buchla's final attempt at a mainstream synthesizer, and its rarity speaks volumes. Only four units were ever manufactured, with just one remaining in functional condition today. The instrument has appeared on David Rosenboom's landmark recordings Future Travel and Daytime Viewing, capturing some genuinely otherworldly soundscapes that showcase its unique hybrid architecture. For those fortunate enough to encounter one, the Touché represents a fascinating intersection of Buchla's modular philosophy and the emerging digital synthesis techniques of the early 1980s.
