analog

CatSynth Pic: Moog/Realistic MG-1

This cat is showing off a great find: a Moog MG-1, which was made for the Realistic (Radio Shack) brand in the early 1980s. From Paul Cunningham via Facebook.

Found this Moog at the pawn shop. Already had the cat. Look it’s got all it’s slider knobs!

The slider knobs (and other knobs) do fit the industrial design of the time. And the colorful section borders suggest a precursor to Moog’s current Matriarch series. It is, nonetheless, a fully equipped analog subtractive synthesizer:

The MG-1 includes:

Two oscillators with sync & detune, one producing either a Square or Sawtooth waveform, with the other producing either a Pulse or Sawtooth waveform.
One 24db/oct low pass filter/VCF, that can use the envelope generator, has three-position keyboard tracking, and is capable of self oscillation.
Three-part envelope generator, with separately adjustable Attack and Decay or Release, and selectable Sustain on or off. The Envelope Generator can be triggered by either the keyboard, or the LFO.
Oscillator 2 can be tuned independently or hard-synced to Oscillator 1.
Noise generator. (Digital Pseudo-Random Noise)
Ring modulation (called “Bell Tone” this is Amplitude Modulation of VCO 1 and 2).
Polyphonic oscillator. This is a divide-down square wave generator. It is routed to the VCF and the VCA.
LFO that can modulate the oscillators and the filter using a Triangle, square or random Sample and Hold waveform
Voltage controlled amplifier with Keyed, Hold, and Envelope modes (accessed via 3-way switch, misleadingly only labelled “Tone Sources” but also affects Poly signal)
Portamento (called “Glide”)
External Control inputs for pre-MIDI CV/Gate.

CatSynth Pic: Leo and Moog Subsequent 37 CV

Leo the black cat and Moog Subsequent 37 CV

Handsome Leo poses next to a Moog Subsequent 37 synthesizer. Submitted by jenny Grover via our Facebook page.

This appears to be one of the limited-edition Moog Subsequent 37 CV versions which were introduced at Moogfest. I must admit, we at CatSynth are a bit envious of Leo and Jenny on this one 😸🎹

CatSynth Pic: Elektra and Korg MS-20

As our time in New York winds down (for now), it seems appropriate to share a Brooklyn cat. Elektra naps on a keyboard beneath a Korg MS-20 synthesizer. She seems really comfortable and content.

From Maeghan Donovan via Facebook. Please check out her music at http://maedon.net/

CatSynth Pic: Gizmo, Little Phatty and Poly 800

Gizo poses with a Moog Little Phatty and a Korg Poly 800. Submitted by J Lugo Miller via our Facebook page.

Why does Gizmo love the Little Phatty and the Poly 800 so much?

Well, they are both fine synthesizers. The Little Phatty started the modern Moog “Phatty” series that includes the Sub Phatty we have here at CatSynth HQ and lives on with the Subsequent 37. And the Poly 800 has a place in the history of MIDI analog synths of the early 1980s.

At a time when Roland was doing well with their Juno-series, KORG countered with a poly-synth of their own in 1983 with the Poly-800. The Poly-800 was comparable to the Juno-106, at the time, with respect to the fact that musicians now had access to affordable programmable polyphonic analog synthesizers (it listed for under $1,000) with memory storage, stable DCOs (digitally controlled oscillators) and a new state-of-the-art technology called MIDI (although there was no SysEx implementation yet).

CatSynth Pic: Arturia MiniBrute 1

We at CatSynth love our Arturia MiniBrute 2, but this cat really loves their 1st edition MiniBrute. From Rene Ubachs via Facebook.

Cats really like synths !

They certainly do 😺

CatSynth Pic: Betty and the Yamaha CS20m

Adorable Betty the black cat sits atop a vintage Yamaha CS20m synthesizer. From Edda Jayne Hill via Facebook.

Betty loves the CS20m

And she is certainly in good company! Long before Yamaha’s dominance in the mid-1980s with the DX series of FM synths, they created the CS series of analog subtractive synthesizers. Although similar in topology to other analog synthesizers of the era, they had their own unique sound and character and were prized by many artists.