From the blog Awesome Robo. Many of the pictures are familiar, but not this one with a belly-rub-inviting post similar to Luna’s from the weekend.
If you haven’t had a chance to, please check out our recent art and music reports here and here.
Category: Synthesizers
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CatSynth pic: Singing kitten
Submitted by Reconnaissance Fly bandmate Polly Moller via Facebook. Let’s just consider this another one of those synths that is more analog than analog 😉
This also seems like a convenient time to shamelessly plug our new album Flower Futures.
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CatSynth video: do re minor
A great demo track from Ebotronix on YouTube. Via matrixsynth. It includes an impressive array of synth gear. And watch for the cat in the corner 🙂
4ms Peg, QCD / Expander, RCD, VCA Matrix
Analogue Systems RS100²,RS110²²,RS 170,RS360²,RS500e²
Arp Odyssey 2821 white noise
Bananalogue VCS
Cyndustries Zero Oscillator
Doepfer R2m, A118, A134²², A143-2,A148,
A 149-1, A151²²,A160/161, A175²²,A185-2, A 138c
Flame Chord Machine²,Talking Synth Module²
Grendel Formant Filter²
flight of harmony choices
Make Noise PP, Maths²,Moddemix²²,Optomix,QMMG,René, Woglebug²
Malekko Anti Oscillator²² Uncle³,Jag
Moog Freqbox²²,MP201
Oberheim Sem
Sherman Filterbank 2
Simmons Clap Trap
SSL Modulation Orgy
Tip Top Audio Z8000 manual voltage source
Toppobrillo Quantimator,Sportmodulator,TWF²
Logic masterclock to Kenton Pro 2000² , QCD,Peg, RCD
FX :Boss VF1,Lexicon MX 400,PCM 80, Line6 echopro,TC M one XL
mackie the mixer³
kick by RS110 Maths QMMG -
BirdSynth pic (?!)
While we are focused on cats, occasionally a photo with other animals is too cute to pass up, such as this one of budgies taking over a Casio keyboard.
This actually marks the second “birdsynth” picture, as we featured an owl here.
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CatSynth pic: Korg Mono/Poly and Charlotte the Cat
Some sad news via matrixsynth. One of our frequently featured synth cats, Charlotte, recently passed away.
Charlotte appeared in many photos featured on this site, often showing disdain for the synths. You can see a few examples here and here. She lived a good long life of 18 years, but it is still sad to lose a beloved pet, and our thoughts go out to her family.
The post on matrixsynth also featured some cool filtered images of the Korg Mono/Poly.
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CatSynth video: Bookie with Tiptop modular
Video by Benjamin Hawkins on YouTube. Also on matrixsynth.
“My cat is chilling with this Tiptop modular system”
I love how Bookie is so relaxed around synth music. Luna is the same way 🙂
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NAMM 2014: New WMD / Steady State Fate modules
Analog-module makers WMD had a strong presence at this year’s NAMM show. In addition to their existing offerings, which include both utility and more esoteric modules, they presented a set of devices that were jointly made with Steady State Fate (SSF). You can see a demo in this video.
It was fun how they made Zip, our trusty stuffed kitty, rock out to the modular 🙂
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Battle of the iPad Docks NAMM 2014: Miselu C.24 vs Focusrite iTrack
Once again, iPad docs were a popular offering at NAMM. Perhaps the most unusual and interesting was from Miselu, a small San Francisco-based company. The C.24 acts as a hard-shell case for a standard-size iPad, but opens up into a dock with a two-octave keyboard and other controls.
The keys, which feel quite different from standard keyboard/synth keys, are magnetic rather than mechanical, and include aftertouch. The connection to the iPad is via bluetooth, bypassing the issue of Apple’s changing the port shapes. And it includes a space for expansion controllers above the keyboard. This is an intriguing device, though it is not yet available.
The iTrack from Focusright is perhaps more conventional in the world of iPad docks. But what makes it different is that can support both iPad Minis and full-sized iPads.
It also includes audio support based on Focusrite audio technology and with mic and line level I/O. MIDI is supported via USB.
Both of these are interesting devices, it depends on ones need for portability and MIDI keyboard versus audio support.
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NAMM 2014: Waldorf 2-pole
Waldorf introduced a new analog filter, the 2-pole at this year’s NAMM show.
Those of us who spend time with analog synthesis are quite used to all sorts of complex filter topologies, most of which have at least four poles. So a two-pole filter seems a bit simple by comparison. But Waldorf is known for taking simple concepts and turning them into complete instruments. The 2-pole includes low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass elements, and also includes drive and rectify settings. It also includes its own envelope and LFO, as well as live triggering capabilities.
You can see a full demo of the Waldorf 2-pole in this video:
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NAMM 2014: Moog Theremini
The most notable new offering this year from Moog Music, Inc. was the Theremini, a very accessible incarnation of the classic theremin.
The design of the instrument evokes classic science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s (in which the theremin was a mainstay), and it features modern enhancements including a variety of tones and effects, support to stabilize pitch, and CV and MIDI for external control. And it’s MSRP is $299.
I decided to try my hand at this fun and photogenic instrument.
You can see a bit of my attempt to perform one-handed in this video.
I can see this being a great tool for live performance, both standalone and as a controller for analog synths. I look forward to learning more about it.