Buchla's Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator acts as one module doing many jobs, far beyond a sequencer

Buchla used a naming convention different from most of the industry, and the differences ran deeper than names. His Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (MARF, model 248) is a prime example: it goes well beyond what a typical sequencer can do and can act as an envelope generator, LFO, CV selector, voltage quantizer, and tracking generator. This reflects Buchla’s principle that a single module should maximise the number of musical problems it can solve, rather than being a single-purpose unit. (The MARF is not to be confused with the modern Dual Arbitrary Function Generator, model 250e, which has a different design.) The multi-function design philosophy prefigures today’s ‘Swiss-army-knife’ modules and rewards patching that reuses one module in several roles at once.

Examples

Buchla 248 MARF used simultaneously as a stepped voltage source, an envelope, and an LFO within one patch; compare with modern multi-function modules such as Make Noise Maths or Mutable Instruments Stages.

Assessment

List the five distinct functions the source says the MARF can perform; for three of them, name a single-purpose module that does only that job, and explain why a multi-function module can be preferable in a West Coast patch.