NAMM 2020: Behringer ended the decade in typical fashion, announcing its latest 'reproduction' of a classic synth. Next off the rank is the CAT, a clone of the Octave CAT (minus keyboard), an analog, dual VCO synth used by the likes of OMD, Devo and, more recently, The Chemical Brothers.
The CAT was actually first announced as part of a raft of promised Behringer clones in 2017, but this is the first definitive sighting since. Powered by a clone of the original's guts, reproducing the “CAT SRM II” circuitry with matched transistors and JFETs, it's a dual-VCO affair with sawtooth, triangle, modulated pulse and sub octave square shapes on one oscillator, plus sawtooth, square and sub on the other.
We're still waiting for confirmed pricing and a release, but we'd expect it to land at around $300, and we'll learn more at the upcoming NAMM 2020 show.
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Key Behringer CAT specifications
• Analog synthesizer with dual VCO design
• Reproduction of original “CAT SRM II” circuitry with matched transistors and JFETs
• Analog signal path based on authentic VCO, VCF and VCA designs
• 4 variable and simultaneous oscillator shapes (Sawtooth, Triangle, modulated Pulse and Sub Octave Square)
• Paraphonic mode allowing independent control of both VCOs
• Classic filter design featuring high pass/low pass with peak/resonance
• Filter can be modulated from 6 different sources with 2 modulation depth attenuators
• Dedicated and fully analog triangle/square wave LFO
• 2 analog Envelope Generators for modulation of VCF and VCA
• White noise generator
• 16-voice Poly Chain allows combining multiple synthesizers for up to 16 voice polyphony
• Eurorack form factor, so the main module can be transferred to a standard Eurorack case
• Audio input for processing external sound sources
• External control inputs and outputs (High Note CV, Low Note CV, Gate, Filter etc.)
