Category: Synthesizers

  • Rhodes Mark II and Yamaha Reface

    Rhodes Mark II and Yamaha Reface

    In the purrfectly balanced picture, we have a tableau of cat, ukulele and Ableton Push MIDI controller above a beautiful Rhodes Mark II stage piano and two Yamaha Reface synthesizers. From robbiesko via Instagram.

    Rewiring the 100 + cables at home to get things running more smoothly..rat’s nest be gone!! Hope y’all are doin well ✌🏼

    Ah, the proverbial rat’s nest of cables. Something we have to take care of periodically here at CatSynth HQ as well. But I am most interested in that Rhodes.

  • Merce with Fuzz Box and Korg Mini Kaoss Pad

    Merce with Fuzz Box and Korg Mini Kaoss Pad

    Our friend Merce the cat enjoys a nap on a fuzz box and Korg Mini Kaoss Pad. Via Merce’s Twitter feed.

    Fuzz Box: Pillow and self

    https://twitter.com/Merce_the_cat/status/1316841463368433664

    Merce looks very content, which of course makes us happy in turn. We love the retro lettering on that fuzz box. And we have a Mini Kaoss Pad although it hasn’t gotten as much love in recent years.

  • CatSynth Pic: Queen of Moog

    CatSynth Pic: Queen of Moog

    This cat proudly shows off a Moog modular. Queen of Moog, indeed!

    From Reed Hays on Twitter, submitted by our friend and follower George Kelley. You can always submit your CatSynth pics via @catsynth on Twitter.

  • CatSynth Pic: Willow in the Studio

    CatSynth Pic: Willow in the Studio

    Meet Willow, who shares a studio with @puxflux in Portland, Oregon. They have been together for over 15 years, since Willow was a kitten, and clearly enjoy making music together.

    Identification of the synths left as an exercise to the reader.

  • CatSynth Pic: Compression (Universal Audio)

    CatSynth Pic: Compression (Universal Audio)

    Someone apparently cranked up the compression on both the mix and this cat using a Universal Audio system with Apollo interface. From Universal Audio’s Twitter, found by our friend and Twitter follower @GazouilleurFou.

    Mix so dialed…even the cat compressed 😺

  • CatSynth Video: Meditation with Korg, Arturia, and White Cat

    CatSynth Video: Meditation with Korg, Arturia, and White Cat

    A very meditative piece from our friend Kemal Sabran. The little white cat is definitely relaxed by these calming sounds.

  • CatSynth Pic: Roland D-50

    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: Jojodakat and Samson MIDI controller

    CatSynth Pic: Jojodakat and Samson MIDI controller

    Jojodakat lounges with a Samson MIDI controller, getting ready for a solo synth jam. Submitted by Stephen Hammond via our Facebook page.

  • Winslow the Pianist

    Winslow the Pianist

    Meet Winslow, who has his own toy piano and knows how to play it.

    Winslow’s playing reminds me a bit of Nora, but with a toy piano it brings to mind John Cage’s Suite for Toy Piano, and some of my own composition.

  • CatSynth Pic: Kurzweil K250

    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.”