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.
Meet Marsi, who has a cool collection of synths and rhythm boxes. He is sitting on a Yamaha CS1-X, and also has a Roland MC-303 and Boss DR-202. From Sascha Kaus via Facebook.
Loki poses with a Waldorf Streichfett synthesizer in a beautifully composed photo. From Nicky Skolagava via the Facebook group Synthesizer Freaks.
The angle makes the Streichfett look large, but it’s a rather compact little box with an interesting story. From the Waldorf website:
Streichfett combines the best of the previously extinct species of String Synthesizers of the 70s and early 80s. Its dual sound engine features a fully polyphonic strings section and an eight voice solo section, which is essential for recreating classic movie sounds from the 70s and 80s. The Ensemble Effect provides depth and movement to the String Section, while the Effects section adds adjustable Phaser and Reverb. Additionally, the Animate Effect can be used to modulate the strings registration, allowing spectacular sound morphs.
This cat is interrupting the unboxing of a new Modulus 002 synthesizer from Modal Electronics. By Godric Wilkie via Facebook.
When the little thug isn’t swearing at Sascha, he’s sitting on my synths…
The “little thug” has stumbled upon an interesting instrument that we at CatSynth don’t know much about, but learning more here. Now called a Modal 002, it’s a rather massive beast.
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.
It’s been exactly two years since Sam Sam made the long trip from southern California to come live with us at CatSynth HQ! And not a day goes by that we are not grateful to have her in our lives. I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.
Samantha, or “little Sam Sam”, had a complicated life. She started out (as far as we know) in the suburbs south of San Francisco, and then moved with her human to the high desert north of Los Angeles – we like to joke that she lived “out in back of Palmdale where the turkey farmers run” in tribute to one of our musical heroes, Frank Zappa.
When her human passed away, she then went to live with his sister, also in southern California. Unfortunately, the sister’s health was declining and another cat bullied Sam Sam, so this was not a happy chapter for her. As her new human was preparing to go into assisted living, Sam Sam needed a new home.
In December of 2016, I was still deeply grieving after Luna’s death – and also reeling for the shock and horror of the election. I hadn’t yet prepared to welcome another cat into my life, but when a friend and bandmate reached out to me that he needed to find a new home for a sweet cat whose human was headed to assisted living – and then shared her adorable photos, I said yes. How could I not?
At first, Sam Sam was exceedingly shy and skittish, spending most of her time hiding under the bed, coming out only for food, water, and the litter box. She was mostly silent but occasionally emitted these tiny squeaks. As she adjusted to her new home, her personality blossomed. She’s quite friendly, vocal, outgoing, and quite a ham.
And she has no trouble demanding exactly what she wants from her humans.
“I want food nooooowww!”
We close with this episode of CatSynth TV featuring Sam Sam is all her adorableness.
Please join me in wishing Sam Sam a very happy Gotcha Day!
