black cat

CatSynth Video: Korg M1 Modded circuit bent with Marcel

From polynominaldotcom on YouTube, via matrixsynth.

Just modded and bent the classic M1/M1r wavetable with 6 switches on the back of the machine. 5 sounds demo with circuit bent options.
First 3 demo with normal Midi keyboard, In 2 others, the Mi1r is driven by an algorithmic generator module ‘Turing machine’. Generated patterns are midi converted with a Doepfer a-162 cv to MIDI module.

Very interesting to see a Korg M1 and M1R “bent” this way. And if that feline portrait looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it before. Eric of Polynominal.com and his cat Marcel are good friends of ours at CatSynth, and we have featured many of Marcel’s pictures.

CatSynth Pic: Dexter and REON Driftbox

Dexter and REON Driftbox

From Melker Häggbom Klingberg via Facebook.

My buddy Dexter, figuring out how to set the MIDI channel on the driftbox.

The REON Driftbox series of small synthesizers was introduced last year. Dexter’s appears to be a Driftbox SE model.

The REON Driftbox SE is a digital paraphonic Synthesizer with 2 digital oscillators and an analog Steiner Parker filter. It features also an impressive amount of connections on the backside.

http://www.synthanatomy.com/2017/09/5-new-reon-driftbox-products-synthesizers-coming-soon-worldwide-presentation-at-synthfest-uk.html

We at CatSynth are learning more about these interesting little boxes. I find myself particularly intrigued by the J and S models.

CatSynth Pic: Syd and Roland Juno 60

Syd struts down a Roland Juno 60 with maximum floof effect.  From Moustafa Ismail via the Facebook group Synthesizer Freaks.

A bit more on the Roland Juno 60, one of the classics:

Among the first in Roland’s amazing Juno family! Six analog voices of polyphony and patch memory storage!! The Juno-60 sounds great, however, like the Juno-6 it lacks MIDI control. The Juno-60 includes 56 patches of memory storage. The Juno-60 is still popular due in part to opinions that it sounds better (punchier) than the Juno-106. The Juno-6 and 60 are very rich sounding synthesizers and are great analog machines as long as you can withstand the absence of MIDI control. 

http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/juno60.php

Remembering Luna, Two Years Later

Even with so much happening in our own lives and in the world at large, we pause it all on this night to remember our beloved Luna, who passed away two years ago on October 31.

There is a both a poetic beauty and a cruel irony in the fact that she left us on Hallowe’en.  It was the day every year that she was the star of cat-blogging world, hosting the annual Hallowe’en edition of Weekend Cat Blogging and being the most beautiful of beautiful black cats.

As we begin the yahrzeit, we light our memorial candle, and pay special respects to her memorial.

There was a moment of explosive grief as I told her, wherever and however she is, that I miss her so much.  After that, a calmer sadness settled in as I sip a glass of bourbon, play “Dollar Days” from David Bowie’s Blackstar, and assemble this post.

Luna closeup portrait

She was a work of art, and fit in perfectly with aesthetics and design of CatSynth HQ.

But she was also extremely sweet and loving.

Please join me in remembering our sweet little girl, who left us way too soon.  She will always be missed, never forgotten.