We espied this photo on the Facebook page of Robotspeak, our local synthesizer shop and informal gathering place for monthly shows here in San Francisco.
I have myself dropped quite a bit of hard-earned money there (but don’t regret any of it), and I have played there on a few occasions, including the Analog Ladies showcases. You can read about past visits to Robotspeak via this link.
Meet Nemo! He is showing off an original Novation Bass Station keyboard synthesizer. Photo submitted by Arthur Schmitt via our Facebook page.
Many readers will be familiar with the popular Bass Station 2. The original Bass Station was released in the early 90s, first in this keyboard form and later in a more popular rack form. (It was the 90s, so we still all had collections of 1U-3U rackmount instruments and signal processors). From Vintage Synth Explorer:
Before the famous Novation Bass Station Rack module came the small and portable Bass Station keyboard! This synthesizer uses digitally synchronized analog oscillators (DCO’s) to reproduce the sounds of a monophonic dual-osc analog synthesizer with simple and intuitive controls via 17 knobs, 10 switches and 2 Moog-style pitch/mod wheels. Think EDP Wasp and ARP Odyssey.
Gracie returns! This time we see her testing out one of her Moog synthesizers (a Sub37 or Subsequent 37). We also see a Korg vocoder below, and an Oberheim in the back. In the background, we see a PPG Wave, a rare DK Synergy below it, and a few other synths that we leave as exercises to the reader. Gracie always has such an impressive collection 😸
From Alsún Ní Chasaide via Facebook.
This is one lucky cat, with both a Sequential Prophet 6 and an OB6 from Dave Smith Instruments. And the keyboard versions at that 😻
Photo by Jon Sellers via the Facebook group Synthesizer Freaks.
The two instruments are quite similar in layout and overall architecture but have distinct sounds and other characteristics. The P6 is a classic Prophet. while the OB-6 has the distinctive sound of its Oberheim filters.
You can read our past NAMM reviews of the P6 in this post, and the OB-6 here.
Carmen returns, this time with the new Malekko Manther tabletop synthesizer, courtesy of Julia More, aka The Synth Witch. A bit on the manther from Malekko’s website:
MANTHER is a full featured, tabletop monosynth with an analog signal path, an advanced 64-step digital sequencer and onboard delay. The heart of this beast is a coveted CEM 3340 based VCO IC chip. The analog filter is based on an ssm2044 chip. The Source Mixer allows for total control over the Square, Triangle, Saw, Tri Shape, Noise and Sub levels and waveforms also include individual outputs. Dial everything from heavy basslines to screaming leads to stomping kicks. Manther growls like no other!
You can all of Carmen’s appearances on CatSynth via this link. There is also a little of the Manther in this video from NAMM.
Today we have Zook posing next to a Moog Sub 37 synthesizer and atop a Yamaha CP4 stage piano. Submitted by Scott Blasko via our Facebook page.
This is a beautiful photo, and the lighting and texture are incredible! We can see Zook’s black fur, expression, and silhouette even against the dark background and the dark surface of the keyboard. Well done!
Our white feline friend returns, sitting atop a large Modcan modular system as streaks of sunlight enter the room.
Submitted by our friend Davor Gazde via our Facebook page.
Cat showing off a Sequential Prophet 6. By maxeredussence on Instagram.
We at CatSynth are a bit envious of this kitty, as we covet the Prophet 6 (and the Rev 2). I love my Prophet 12, but these are completely different instruments and complement one another. You can read our NAMM 2015 review of the Prophet 6 here.
We have a brand-new CatSynth TV! This one demonstrates a couple of the hidden features of the Moog Sub Phatty synthesizer.
In particular, we look at filter-topology selection and Oscillator 2 beat frequencies. The filter selection makes the instrument much more powerful, moving between the extra crunchy 1 and 2-pole filters to the smooth 4-pole that is “quintessentially Moog”. The beat frequency is a bit more esoteric – it maintains beating frequencies across different pitches, leading to some odd detunings in different registers. But it can add a new timbral-metric component to compositions – something to explore in more depth.
We also look at the Editor/Librarian software from Moog, which is really handy for accessing these features as well as saving patches.
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It seems like it is a week for Cats on Moogs, and in particular cats on Moog Sub 37. From Drew Millar via the Facebook group Synthesizer Freaks – part of the same thread that included Monday’s Cat-on-Sub-37 photo.