In 1979, Donald Buchla invited David Rosenboom to collaborate on the design of a new, keyboard instrument with digital sound generation and hybrid, computer controlled, analog outputs. The result was the Touché, released in the spring of 1980.

Among particular traits of the instrument are:

· flexibility in use – highly programmable (64 programmable function parameters available), a library of “instrument” structures that could be be stored as “presets”;

· responsiveness – broad ability to program multiple stimuli and response structures in performance;

· non-linear waveshaping – getting an enormous range of sound with efficient means of control, i.e. using a small number of knobs.

The guiding idea of the instrument design was to optimize it for live performance. The hybrid, digital-analog nature of Touché assumes the following. On the digital side: a sound generating engine produced a wide range of timbre of sound possibilities with non-linear wave shaping techniques. On the analog side: a programmable analog circuit called Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (MARF) enabled extensive control of all sound synthesis parameters.

Rosenboom’s recordings Future Travel (1981) and Daytime Viewing (1983) offer extensive exposure to some particular particular sound worlds created with the Touché.