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: 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.”