Buchla

In 1963, a man named Don Buchla made history. Under commission by a pair of avant-garde composers, Buchla designed one of the world’s first modular synthesizers, helping to change the course of pop music. Today Buchla’s earliest creations are prized commodities—the Library of Congress currently owns one, and the Smithsonian reportedly tried to acquire the one belonging to Mills College. Columbia’s Computer Music Center is home to not one but three of his seminal instruments, much of which were most likely soldered together by the inventor himself. Now, this rare gem is receiving a first-ever scrupulous restoration. The Low Down's Acacia O’Connor '18JRN checks in with the student group that has spent the past two years patiently coaxing a priceless artifact back to life.