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Big Merp on the Nord Stage

Our very own Big Merp serenades us with a tune on the Nord Stage here in the studio at CatSynth HQ.

We were in the process of finishing Part 2 of our series along US 50 in Nevada. Maybe I’ll add his contribution to Part 3 😹🛣️

KC and modular

Beautiful black cat KC sits atop a very large and impressive modular system. We also see a Novation controller.

From our friend Jack Hertz, whom we hope gets a chance to share the modular with KC.

Baku with Behringer Crave

Adorable kitten Baku poses with a Behringer Crave synthesizer.

From yuki_and_baku via Instagram.

Orion with Sequential Prophet synthesizer and Novation Launchpad PRO

Orion from @orion_s_life on Instagram returns. He is posing handsomely with a Sequential synthesizer (we’re pretty sure it’s the Prophet 12) and a Novation Launchpad Pro. Both great choices, as we have a Prophet 12 (tabletop) and Launchpad Pro here at CatSynth HQ, too.

Ansel and Midas

Ansel sits proudly with a rather impressive Midas console. We are sure both cat and console do a great job of connecting up the many synths of Charles Whiley, who contributed today’s photo.

Smokey in the Studio with Novation Summit, Elektron, Studio Electronics, and More

Smokey as a place of honor in this studio place of honor in this studio. On the right is a Novation Summit, in the center are offerings from Elektron. In the Upper left in the Studio Electronics Boomstar that we saw in a previous post with Smokey’s fellow feline Valentino, and on the left is a synth that we leave as an exercise to the ready.

From Patricia Wolf via Twitter.

Fifi with Polyend Tracker and Medusa

This cat is enjoying some scritches and beats from the Polyend Tracker and Medusa (itself a collaboration between Polyend and Deadbox). We enjoy the chill, almost Motown sound to the chords, with the synthesizer twist.

Video Isobutane via YouTube (seen on matrixsynth).

“Hey, some details about this beat. Im running a sequence of midi chords on the Tracker using the midi chord step fx. These are played back on Medusa. The synths output is connected to Tracker’s line input and runs through the onboard limiter, eq, and reverb. The wonky beat is live-recorded from one-shot samples using micro-timing while live-recording. The bassline is a looped and filtered sample of a square wave from my MS1 synth. The cat’s name is Fifi. Thanks for watching”

The Polyend Tracker seems to be having quite a moment, at least here on CatSynth. Perhaps something to investigate for a future video…

Wordless Wednesday: Detail of the Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. While most share the “postcard images” of the building as a whole, I find its many details to be the most interesting.

Frank with Strega Prototype

Frank naps against a prototype of the Strega, a collaboration between Alessandro Cortini and Make Noise.

2020, Frank dreaming of new ways of making sounds with a Strega Prototype. Miss this boy a lot.
https://twitter.com/blindoldfreak/status/1356779055803207682

The Strega sounds intriguing and we look forward to trying one here at CatSynth one of these ways. I wonder if Big Merp will nap on it.

Noise Cat (Line 6, Digitech, Boss)

Sasa gets ready to perform a noise set with pedals from Digitech, Boss and Line 6. From Mark Wilson via Facebook.

Of the three pedals, I am most familiar with the Line 6 DL 4 delay pedal. It was my go-to for many years for delay and loops, even acting as an extra oscillator when the feedback was turned up. One memorable show with the DL 4 was performing Polly Moller Springhorn’s piece Flip Quartet at Book Zoo in Oakland, one of a few times I played it.