Synthesizers

Cat with an ARP Odyssey (Alan R. Pearlman Foundation)

Cat with an orange and black ARP t-shirt and an orange-and-black ARP Odyssey

Cute cat with an ARP t-shirt playing an orange-style ARP Odyssey! Posted by the ARP Archives / Alan R. Pearlman Foundation on Facebook.

cats, and synths, and t-shirts, OH MY! 🔮
check out our merch store 🐈‍⬛
https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/shop/

https://www.facebook.com/alanrpearlmanarchives/posts/1230127707492087

The mission of the ARP Archives and Alan R. Pearlman foundation is “to celebrate the legacy of inventor, musician, entrepreneur and engineer Alan R. Pearlman, by making his innovative inventions publicly accessible”. You can find our more about their work (and shop for cool ARP merchandise) at their website.

Cleo with Korg Rhythm 55, Roland SH-101, Arturia

Cleo the cat naps next to a Korg Rhythm 55 drum machine. Above is a Roland SH-101 synthesizer and arturia keyboard.

Cleo naps next to a Korg Rhythm 55 vintage drum machine, while keeping a wary eye open. Behind her are a Roland SH-101 and an Arturia keyboard. Submitted by hotham sound via Twitter.

Cleo, the one and only.

We at CatSynth are quite happy to feature Cleo today. I have also had the opportunity to play a Korg Rhymth 55 in the past, at the Vintage Synthesizer Museum. A bit in the instrument from Vintage Synth Explorer:

he KR55 was, for its time (1979), an advanced preset rhythm drum machine with up to 96 preset rhythm patterns! These patterns cover the whole gamut of presets (Waltz, Samba, Rhumba, Bossa Nova, Tango, Slow Rock, Swing, Rock, etc.). The KR55 also featured a “swing beat” control to add a variation to the groove. Each drum sound’s level can be individually adjusted for each pattern. It can also be externally controlled via footswitch jack for the Start/Stop and Intro/Fill switches. The KR55B was a black-chassis version released a few years later in 1982 with twice as many rhythm patterns. It has been used by Jean-Michel Jarre, Trio and Depeche Mode.

https://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/kr55.php

USSR Analog Synthesizer Noisebox

Cute cat with a “Rare USSR Analog Noisebox” as described in this auction and seen on matrixsynth.

“Two LFO waveforms
Two LFO frequency bands
Filter, echo block with LFO delay time modulation
Audio input, CV in

An interesting device using the sound from a gloomy drone to the sounds of dolphins. The device is filled with various sound effects and sounds.
Toggle switches of the Soviet military acceptance, will last a long time!
Also USSR transistors and microcircuits are a powerful base for a unique sound.

Another photo of this instrument.

Strangely, the auction appears to have been canceled. But I am intrigued by the idea of new instruments based on Soviet components, so we will see if it ever returns.

Finnegan with Bitwig Studio and Korg microKEY

Finnegan as a kitten learning to record tracks in Bitwig Studio via the Korg microKEY. From emptyvessel on Twitter.

Flashback 4 years, it was unusual at the time for him to be confident enough to come near me, let alone “help” with advice in my @Bitwig sessions. He was only about 6 months old at this point. He looks like he only has one paw because the other one was swatting the mouse pointer

Princess Leia and Empress Effects Zoia

Princess Leia (cat) with Empress Effects Zoia modular effects pedal

A rather royal picture today as Princess Leia (the cat) lounges with a Zoia pedal from Empress Effects. From occurian on Instagram.

We at CatSynth were not familiar with the Zoia, but it looks intriguing. From the official website:

The ZOIA is basically a modular synthesizer in pedal form. Instead of being a delay effect or tremolo, the ZOIA provides the modules necessary to build a delay or tremolo from the ground up. But since you’re the one building it, you can make it do whatever you want. With the ZOIA you can build your own custom effects, synthesizers, midi controllers, and virtual pedal boards. And to make life a little easier, we’ve created modules for all your standard guitar effects. So for instance, if you want a phaser, you can just plop down a phaser. You don’t have to break out the textbooks to learn that they’re built out of all-pass filters. (Of course, if you’re a nerd like us, you can use the ZOIA to build them out of all-pass filters).

https://empresseffects.com/products/zoia

We at CatSynth are nerds, too, and this build phasers from all pass filters.

Ciat-Lombarde Plumbutter and Korg Volca Modular

Black cat with a Ciat-Lombarde Plumbutter, Korg Volca Modular, orange and green stackable patch cables, and other devices.

This cute black cat looks ready to play a Ciat-Lombarde Plumbutter. We also see a Korg Volca Modular, another Volca, and a device that looks to be a Pocket Operator. We at CatSynth also respect this cat’s well-organized patch cables.

From Jackie Rogo via Facebook.

My puss plays a plumbutter

Cat with Behringer MS-101

Cat with red Behringer MS-101 synthesizer

A cat with a Behringer MS-101 synthesizer (red edition). The cat looks rather grumpy.

From Simon Friend via Facebook.

“You said you were getting an SH-101 goddamit!”

The MS-101 ios Behringer’s re-recreation of the infamous Roland SH-101 analog synthesizer. Like the original, it comes in red, blue, and gray, and has that crunchy bass sound. We at CatSynth had the opportunity to try it out at Behringer’s Pre-NAMM event back in 2019.