Sam Sam naps in a cozy but cluttered corner of the studio at CatSynth HQ. Above her is our trusty Nord Stage keyboard. In the background, one can see a bit of the old Yamaha rackmount synths, the TX81Z and TX802.
Samantha
Sam Sam, Yamaha TX802 and TX81Z
We don’t get a lot of “CatSynth pics” of Sam Sam. But she does like this cozy little corner of the studio, especially after the recent reorganization of the studio. The rack next to her has our vintage Yamaha FM modules, the TX81Z and TX802 (with the latter turned on), along with a cassette deck that comes in handy every once in a while.
Wordless Wednesday: Sam Sam Hipstamatic
Sam Sam in the corner (E-MU, Nord, Kenton, DMC)
Today we feature our very own Sam Sam posing in her favorite corner of the studio. To the right we see a bit of the E-MU Proteus 2000 (Vintage Pro) and Morpheus, our trusty red Nord Stage, a Kenton Pro Solo MIDI to CV converter, and a Digital Music Corp MX-8 Midi Patch Bay. Some audio gear as well, including our mixer, audio patch bays, and the “Really Nice Compressor” from FMR.
Our 500th Episode of CatSynth TV!
We are celebrating our 500th episode of CatSynth TV! Hard to believe we have made so many of these, but we have and we’re still having fun with it.
This one features numerous synthesizers, including the Octave CAT, Pocket Gamelan, and various instruments from Arturia, Cherry Audio, Moog Music, Strymon, MOK, Buchla, Metasonix, Make Noise, and more. There is also an appearance by Sam Sam at about the 1-minute mark.
Sam Sam and Big Merp on International Cat Day
We were reminded that today is International Cat Day! So here are Sam Sam and Big Merp together enjoying time on the patio.
Scenes of them together have become more and more common – I wouldn’t say they were best friends, but they have learned to live together and it makes all of us at CatSynth quite happy.
Wordless Wednesday: Sam Sam at the Corner
Wordless Wednesday: Sam Sam with Turquoise and Crimson
Wordless Wednesday: Sam Sam and Jade
Farewell to 2021
I have remarked on numerous occasions that this year seemed to go by exceptionally fast. There was hope, excitement, optimism giving way to a mixture of frustration, cynicism and resolve as the pandemic and political situations dragged on and darkened. I have seen the goodness in many people, while I have witnessed the worst in others. But our personal year at CatSynth was a rich one filled with many experiences.
Most notably, the new album Meow Meow Band is out. I am really proud of the music, the presentation, the collaboration with other musicians and everything out it. Please do take a listen if you haven’t already. It was also a chance to reconnect with the city, go out on the road and into the desert, and start experiencing live music again. Of course, most of the time this year was spent here at HQ with our music, Sam Sam, and Big Merp. I always value time alone with my cats, music, and ideas and this moment in time has provided ample opportunity for that.
It’s been another strong year of growth for CatSynth TV. The most popular videos continue to be our synth demos and tutorials, but I’m also proud of music videos, highway videos, and expanded review series. There were fewer videos total this year. We took more time to get them right, but also time off to focus on other things (like the album). Trying to find that balance between the drive to always do more and the limits of time and resources will always be a challenge. We close out the year of videos by spending some time with Sam Sam and Big Merp.
We at CatSynth are grateful to all of you who chose to join or continue this journey with us in 2021, whether here on the blog, on CatSynth TV, or on social media. It is a fool’s errand to guess what will happen in the coming year, but we do have many goals, aspirations, and hopes; we will take each day as it comes.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year and health and joy in 2022.