Tweek is proudly showing off a large pedal collection, including a Signal Blender and Dark Star from Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Avalanche Run from EarthQuakerDevices, Hologram Electronics Microcosm, Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry, and many many more.
Olive sits confidently in the command chair in front of an impressive array of tabletop modules. Next to her is a rugged JL Cooper fader fox (I had one of these on loan in the 1990s and wish I still had it). We also see a Studio Electronics BoomStar, and a Yamaha 1980s item below it; a JoMox Alpha Base, a Sequential Prophet ’08, sundry rhythm machines from Boss, and much more.
Jet sits somewhat stealthily inside a Ross Lamond VCS3 cabinet. In front, we see a 9090 Analog Drum Synthesizer. From Keith Winstanley via Facebook.
The 9090 is a DIY kit based on the legendary Roland TR-909 drum machine. The original site is here, and there is still an active Facebook group about them. You can find fully build versions there as well as on Reverb, etc.
You can see Jet’s previous appearances on CatSynth here.
A spatious studio space with sundry synthesizers, including Sequential, Moog, a modular, and more. Of course, no studio is complete without a cat, and a cat bed. I really like how open and light the space is.
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.
Our final CatSynth pic of 2021 features our old pal Runkl from Portland posing handsomely next to a rather large modular system. He even has his patch cables collected up nicely.