Author: catsynth

NAMM: The large and small of it (Nektar and Nord)

I tend to oscillate between the very large and the very small when it comes to instruments. On the small scale, I stumbled upon these tiny controllers from Nektar Technology.

These tiny controllers seemed like perfect companions for the iPhone and iPad – and they are quite cute. (Use the stuffed cat for a sense of scale.) The keyboard and continuous controllers both have a small modular footprint, slightly wider than an iPad. I might have gotten either or both, if they were available. Nektar hopes to have these out later this year.

While it is great to be able to show up at a gig with just an iPad, a controller like those from Nektar, and a couple of cables, sometimes one needs a real keyboard. And those aren’t getting any smaller. The Nord Stage 2 is the latest incarnation of my heavy but reliable workhorse keyboard:

The electric pianos (and the primary reason I got the Stage) were the same as ever and felt great. But what is different from the previous version is the synth section, which is now more akin to the Nord Wave. I could definitely use that feature. There are also improvements to the acoustic piano modeling, but that is more incremental. I don’t think I would replace my Stage EX at great expense for these features, though. There are some new acoustic pianos available for the older model, which I will try out at home.

NAMM: Ear Protection (Etymotic and Vic Firth)

We open our blog coverage of NAMM with our reminder to everyone about protecting one’s ears. The show floor itself can get quite loud, but that’s usually mild compared to what we put our ears through at concerts and rehearsals. This is something I am especially concerned with as I am in two very loud post-punk bands. This year, the company Etymotic Research is presenting new filtering earplugs, and Vic Firth offered complementary editions to members of the media:

The earplugs are designed to reduce overall sound level while preserving frequency response, which allows one to more easily hear speech and musical detail. I using them right now and they do cut background noise, though it is not yet a full test.

When the noise meter hits one hundred, watch out.

CatSynth at NAMM 2013

Once again, CatSynth will be representing at the big NAMM show, which gets underway this week. I will be on the show floor Friday and Saturday and covering synthesizers, software and mobile apps, controllers, and anything else that piques my interest. Look for articles here on the blog all weekend as well as frequent live updates via @catsynth on Twitter with hashtag #NAMM. Among other things, I will have a bit of time to meet with representatives from Moog in more depth, where I am sure we will talk about the new Sub Phatty as well as AniMoog, which continues to be one of my favorite apps. If there is anything you would like to see in our coverage, or anything you would like to me ask one of the music manufacturers on your behalf, feel free to leave a comment here, or tweet us with hashtag #NAMM.

World of Wonder with DJ CatSynth, January 16, 2013

A bit tardy uploading last week’s show to the podcast channel, but here it is. Playlist below.

12:00AM-12:03AM (2:33) Nina Simone “I Put A Spell On You” from I Put A Spell On You (MP3, 2006)

12:03AM-12:13AM (9:48) Myrmyr “Golden Ashes” from Fire Star (CD, 2012)

12:13AM-12:18AM (5:18) Pauline Oliveros “DIGIACC Flight” from DIGIACC Flight (MP3, Single)

12:18AM-12:22AM (4:08) Damero “1-1+1-1+1-…=1/2” from Happy In Grey (2007) on BPitch Control

12:22AM-12:32AM (10:19) Colleen “Everything Lay Still” from The Golden Morning Breaks (CD, Rock, 2005) on The Leaf Label

12:33AM-12:35AM (2:00) Bill Withers “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE” from Lean on Me The Best of Bill Withers (CD, Album, Private, 1994) on Columbia (us)

12:35AM-12:39AM (3:19) The Books “Contempt” from Thought for Food (Remastered) (2011) on Temporary Residence Ltd.

12:39AM-12:57AM (18:50) Asmus Tietchens “Teilmenge 42” from Z-Menge (2006) on Line

12:59AM-01:02AM (3:39) I Monster “Daydream in Blue” from The Chill Out Room (MP3, 2010)

01:02AM-01:03AM (1:01) Ilkae “Sushifruit” from Pistachio Island (2001) on Merck Records

01:03AM-01:28AM (24:48) PGT “DOME” from Temporary Habitations (CD, 2008) on Loochtone

01:28AM-01:33AM (4:03) Aloe Blacc “I Need A Dollar” from Good Things (CD, Album, 2010) on Epic (usa)

01:33AM-01:42AM (9:33) Four Tet “UNSPOKEN” from Rounds (CD, Album, Private, 2003) on Domino (UK)

01:42AM-01:49AM (7:16) Xinlisupreme “COUNT DOWN” from Murder License (Rock, 2002) on FatCat Records (USA)

01:49AM-01:59AM (9:33) David Dunn “Ennoia 2” from Four Electroacoustic Compositions (2002) on Pogus

Fevered dreams

After a relaxed and healthy Saturday (including a 4-mile walk through SF), I found myself all-of-a-sudden quite sick for the second time this month early on Sunday morning, including a fever. It dissipated by midday, but not before some interesting fever-induced dreams. Here is one of them:

It took place in Western New York, but the landscape had been replaced with a relatively flat desert environment. At the south end was a transplanted version of Yale – there was still the New Haven town green, but the university had different architecture, more columns and arches. A large numbered highway (I don’t remember the number) snaked its way north from the university into the desert along the southern edge of a large shallow lake. The road then split into two that were labeled “Masculine Dr.” and “Feminine Dr.” on Google Maps (yes, Google Maps appeared in the dream). Zooming out, the lake was shaped exactly like the entirety of all five Great Lakes in miniature – probably about the size of one of the Finger Lakes.

Dreams aside, I recommend to readers in the U.S. that they get a flu shot this year.

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Haven

I took this Instagram of Luna napping on her beanbag chair in the studio area the other day. What could be more peaceful than a cat curled up in a favorite spot for a nap.

The image also brought to mind this week’s Photo Hunt theme of Haven at multiple levels. CatSynth HQ is itself a haven that protects us from the outside world. But within the overall expanse, the studio area provides another level of enclosure or refuge. And sinking into her beanbag chair, Luna finds a haven within a haven.

The theme also brings to mind the town of New Haven, Connecticut, where I attended Yale many years ago. I don’t have any photos of my own from that time, though I did do a Fun with Highways post about the town back in 2007.

The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is Haven.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up on Sunday at iInfidel.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.