A rather lush arboreal scene within the city of San Francisco (and not in Golden Gate Park). Where could it be?
Cats
CatSynth Video: Meditation with Korg, Arturia, and White Cat
CatSynth Pic: Roland D-50
Beautiful calico cat atop a Roland D-50 synthesizer. From Yuri de Haer via Facebook.
The D-50 was Roland’s flagship and most popular synthesizer in 1980s. It employed so-called “linear arithmetic synthesis”, which combined sampled (PCM) transients with a variation on subtractive synthesis, including resonant low-pass filters. It also had a joystick. It remains a popular instrument for its pads and other characteristic sounds. Roland released a re-creation of it for their “Boutique” line, the D-05.
CatSynth Pic: Jojodakat and Samson MIDI controller
Jojodakat lounges with a Samson MIDI controller, getting ready for a solo synth jam. Submitted by Stephen Hammond via our Facebook page.
Winslow the Pianist
CatSynth Pic: Kurzweil K250
A handsome tuxedo cat introduces the Kurzweil K250 synthesizer. By Jamie Breustedt via Facebook.
The K250 was the first of the Kurzweil’s “K” series of synthesizers in the 1980s and 1990s. Released in 1984, it was among the first to allow ROM-based samples to be layered and played on a keyboard – although the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI already offered sampling at this time. But it did have features such as variable rates and 16-bit sources that gave it the ability to play long samples and get closer to that holy grail of sampling a grand piano – indeed the K250 was supposedly inspired by a bet between Ray Kurzweil and Stevie Wonder on whether he could make a synthesizer that sounded like a “real piano.”
CatSynth Pic: Hydrasynth
Cute cat atop an ASM Hydrasynth. From Luke Chable via Facebook.
The Hydrasynth was one of the more exciting instruments to come out of at the start of this year, with three oscillators with a rich set of wavetable operations and a polyphonic-aftertouch keyboard. We featured it in our NAMM coverage on CatSynth TV.
Pixel in the Studio, with Moog and Korg
Big Merp with Yamaha RX5 Drum Machine
Big Merp has taken to our recently acquired Yamaha RX5 drum machine. I think he will be ready to lay down some rhythm tracks soon. He also has his rear paw on another recent acquisition: the Buchla Red Panel 158 oscillator. Look for these two instruments featured in upcoming episodes of CatSynth TV!
Back in the late 1980s when I was getting into synthesizers, Yamaha’s DX series dominated the landscape (along with Roland’s D series). I got Yamaha’s “After Touch” magazine which featured new releases including the RX5, which became the flagship of their drum-machine line. It was beyond my reach then, but I now I have one and looking forward to seeing what I can do with it in our eclectic studio at CatSynth HQ.
