Of course, every day is National Cat Day (or International Cat Day) here at CatSynth. But we are marking the occasion by letting Sam Sam and Big Merp share their own pics. Above, we see Sam Sam in one of her favorite spots in the studio, in front of the Yamaha TX802 and cassette deck. Sam Sam would also like to share her recent studio video.
And lest Big Merp is left out of the fun, here is a pic of him hanging out behind the main modular synth.
Pinki shows off a Roland TR-909 drum machine. From Edda Jayne Hill via our Facebook page.
Pinki just hit the start button and is seemingly impressed by the outcome 😁
The TR-909 was a commercial failure compared to its predecessor, the TR-808, but it has since become a prized instrument and commands rather high prices. Many friends even celebrate “909 Day” on the 9th of September. Roland has more recently introduced a TR-09 as part of its Boutique series.
Meet Sascha, an adorable tuxedo cat in residence at Space Kitty in Seattle. Looking at their Facebook page, they have a rather impressive collection of synths. This photo only includes some of the rackmount and tabletop instruments, including several classic E-MU 1U modules and offerings from Roland and Korg.
Submitted by Neil Parker of Space Kitty via our Facebook page.
Blixa and Sasha hanging out in the studio. Submitted by Neil Parker via our Facebook page.
Identification of the synths and other gear in this picture left as an exercise to the reader.
Meet Brisket, an adorable tuxedo cat. Brisket is showing off a Korg MS-20 mini today. You can see more photos on Steve Peglar’s Instagram, embedded below.
I have been intrigued with the MS-20 mini since it came out a couple of years ago. Sure, it’s not the original, but both the smaller size and the modern features like USB+MIDI make it quite attractive. You can see our review from NAMM 2013 here.
It’s been a week of both progress and setbacks as we work to make a happy home for both Sam Sam and Big Merp. To help give Sam Sam more of a sense of territorial ownership over the loft level, and to give her more diversions, we bought her a wall-to-ceiling cat tree. After tentatively exploring it for a week or so, she finally claimed her place on the top platform as “queen of the loft within the loft.”
With these and other steps, she has been becoming bolder and more confident. I was able to capture this close-up showing her radiating happiness and beauty.
We also got her a Cat Cave, a cozy and calming little place to sleep, which she liked as well.
Another positive step is that she was able to remain while Big Merp entered the room. No fight or flight. Things were tense but peaceful, and both cats hung out in the same space for quite a while.
Sadly, it was not to last. By the latter half of the week, Sam Sam had retreated back to hiding in the studio, while Big Merp resumed encroaching on her spaces. I know that he just wants to play and be where the action is. Whether I’m doing business or creative work in the studio, he always wants to be nearby and be “the little helper.”
Indeed, there were enough studio pics from the last few days that we will feature him in a “Man-Cat Monday” post tomorrow complete with synthesizers. On the downside, the studio is one again becoming ground zero in the territorial conflict between him and Sam Sam. I do really want comity between them or at least detente, so we can all enjoy these spaces together.
A cute tuxedo cat shows off a Korg Poly 800 synthesizer. From Cesar Inserny via Instagram.
True meownalog synthesizer.
The Korg Poly 800 was a popular affordable polyphonic-analog synthesizer. The first synthesizer that I considered was its successor, the Poly 800 mk2, though was steered away from it because of its lack of velocity sensitivity and small keyboard range. They can still be picked up rather affordably for those interested in trying this instrument out.
Getting the two cats to coexist at CatSynth HQ has a long and sometimes bumpy road. Sam Sam in particular has a tough time of it. But things are starting progress to the point were we at least of tolerance and respect. Sam Sam mostly stays on the mezzanine level of HQ, splitting her time between the bedroom and the studio, but she is starting to come out more and reassert herself as the sassy queen of the house.
Big Merp has the run of the downstairs level and enjoying both the relaxing and fun of living here.
He does sometimes come upstairs. In this photo, he jumped up on the main studio console that houses the Nord Stage, Prophet 12 and Pro Tools workstation, and has found a nice hiding place behind the monitor.
From his perch, he supervised part of the postproduction for our latest CatSynth TV, which you can now see here.
Sam Sam also hangs out in the studio a lot. In this video she gives as a little mew as a greeting.
They can actually be in their own spots in the studio at the simultaneously now; and that is indeed progress.
Cats find interesting ways to sit, with or without synths. And this kitty is no exception. From Ceephax Acid Crew on Twitter.
I espy an Ensoniq DP/4 signal processor, Yamaha TX802 FM module, Korg Wavestation A/D module, and more that are left as an exercise to the reader.
Mojo the cat looks on as a musical performance with an Arturia Keystep and Moog Minitaur unfolds. He seems to quite enjoy it. Submitted by Bruce Oliver via our Facebook page.
Mojo was my little buddy for 17 years. He loved synth sounds but would vacate the room if you picked up a guitar!