e-mu

International Cat Day with Sam Sam and Big Merp

Today is International Cat Day (8/8), so we’re celebrating Sam Sam and Big Merp.

Black and white cat sitting on a cat tower. To the left is an audio mixer and patch bay. To the right are several rackmount synthesizers and other pieces of music gear, and the left corner of a large red Nord keyboard.

Brown and white cat sitting on a large red Nord keyboard, depressing some keys. Behind the cat is a computer screen with an open Pro Tools recording session, a small Arturia keyboard synth, and various pieces of audio gear.

Big Merp on the Nord for CatSynth TV!

Big Merp helps us with our recent I-710 video, adding his own part on the Nord. We also see an Arturia MiniFreak V and Delay Brigate, E-MU modules, a Golden Age Project compressor, and more.

You can see the video we were working on here

PixL, Moog, E-MU SP-12, Yamaha, more

Meet PixL, who debuts with a couple of very stylized photos. This first one features PixL atop a Moog synthesizer (specific ID left as an exercise to the reader). This next picture includes an E-MU SP-12 drum machine, a Yamaha TG-33, and more. From burnsfield_art on Instragram.

There’s a new kid in town.

Olive in the Studio (Yamaha, E-MU, more)

Olive is sitting pretty in a corner of the studio with sundry synths, including some older Yamaha instruments like a TX802, MCS2, and more). We also see an E-MU Proteus-2000-era module on the rack. The remaining synthesizers are left as an exercise to the reader.

From Charles Whiley via Facebook.

Sascha in the Studio

Sascha has reclaimed his rightful place on the desk at Space Kitty Studio. We see the usual array of gear in the background, including sundry instruments from Roland and E-MU Systems, as well as modular.

From Neil Parker of Space Kitty Studio via Facebook.

To see Sascha’s other appearances, please follow this link.

Sascha at Band Practice (Roland, E-MU, Modular)

Our pal Sascha is back; it looks like he snuck in during band practice at Space Kitty Studios. We see the familiar Roland TR-909 and TR-8s, the colorful E-MU Proteus modules, and a bit of modular in the upper left corner. From Neil Parker of Space Kitty Studios via Facebook.

Black Agent Band Practice at Space Kitty with Jason Pitt & Sascha the cat.

CatSynth Pic: I didn’t say stop

A little fun this morning. From Michael Butler via Facebook.

Cats make great listening companions in the studio. Sam Sam can often be found lounging on the beanbag chair (as Luna did before her) – she just seems enjoy being there and listening, even to all the “weird” music that I make.

CatSynth Pic: Gracie, Moog, PPG Wave, and More

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.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Sam Sam: E-MU

Sam Sam has her usual spots, but sometimes she sits down in unexpected places. For example, yesterday she entered “kitty loaf” mode in front of an overflow shelf just outside the studio that continued several old E-MU modules.

The E-MU Orbit, Carnival and Classic Keys are all variants of the first generation Proteus. The Orbit, in particular, was iconic in its time, but all rather obsolete now. I do still use my Proteus 2000 module (a Vintage Pro with Mo’Phatt and Beat Garden expansion ROMS) quite often – you never know when you might need a few lines of Mellotron flute or strings or a classic highly-filter-swept drum loop. There are other ways to get these musical elements, but the P2K remains quick and accessible. The Morpheus also still has a place of honor in the studio.

Both of these later-generation E-MU instruments had more to offer, especially the z-plane filters that the Morpheus took to the extreme. These days, I do find myself experimenting with the Morpheus Eurorack module from Rossum Electro-Music more than the old E-MU box, which is just the z-plane filter with CV-controlled parameters. Even after using it extensively in recent shows, I still have a lot to learn and practice with it.

When we’re not up in the studio, Sam Sam enjoys spending time on the living room rug and perfecting her patented “scratch-and-roll” move.

I have too many photos of her in this pose now, it’s just hard to resist. Of course, what she wants is not a photo, but pets and then brushing. I am more than happy to oblige.

CatSynth pic: Cat, Korg MS-20, and E-MU Emax

Adorable Siamese cat with a Korg MS-20 synth as well as an E-MU Emax workstation! From _mgo_ on Instagram.