Copying and Selling the Future’s Past: Buchla/Arp Replicas and Intangible Sonic Practice

Abstract

This study investigates the role of replicas in the preservation and transmission of historically significant electronic musical instruments, focusing specifically on a DIY reconstruction of the Buchla 100 system and a mass-produced Eurorack reinterpretation of the ARP 2500 developed by Behringer. The inquiry is informed by fieldwork at the Willem Twee Studios in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, an institution notable for its commitment to maintaining rare synthesizers in an operational state and making them accessible to performers and the public. This approach foregrounds the tension between museological imperatives of conservation and the cultural value derived from continued sonic and performative engagement.
Replicas are here conceptualized as a form of second-order preservation, wherein the continuity of technical practice, sound production, and performance traditions is privileged over strict adherence to material authenticity. The LA67 Buchla 100 reconstruction exemplifies a fidelity-driven model of replication, seeking to reproduce the design and circuitry of the original 1960s system with minimal deviation. By contrast, Behringer’s ARP 2500 modules embody a corporate, consumer accessibility-oriented approach, reconfiguring the instrument within the standardized Eurorack format while sacrificing systemic and historical specificity. These contrasting strategies raise critical questions regarding authenticity, authority, and the extent to which replication practices democratize or dilute historical experience.
Drawing upon scholarship in musicology, heritage studies, and the study of technology, this paper argues that replicas function simultaneously as material artifacts and as conduits for intangible heritage. Beyond preserving circuitry or physical design, they sustain traditions of practice, performance, and aesthetic engagement that would otherwise be rendered inaccessible. While replicas cannot fully reproduce the historical aura of original instruments, they operate as vital agents in maintaining cultural lineages of electronic sound synthesis, ensuring continuity between past innovations and present communities of musicians, scholars, and practitioners.