KAT Percussion

KAT Percussion

Also known as: KAT

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KAT Percussion is an American electronic percussion brand with roots dating back to 1984, when engineer Bill Katoski and orchestral percussionist Mario DeCiutiis founded KAT, Inc. in Massachusetts. The company made its name with the malletKAT, a MIDI mallet percussion controller introduced in 1986 that became a standard tool for professional vibists and marimbists, followed by the drumKAT multi...

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KAT Percussion is an American electronic percussion brand with roots dating back to 1984, when engineer Bill Katoski and orchestral percussionist Mario DeCiutiis founded KAT, Inc. in Massachusetts. The company made its name with the malletKAT, a MIDI mallet percussion controller introduced in 1986 that became a standard tool for professional vibists and marimbists, followed by the drumKAT multipad in 1988 with its distinctive "mouse-ear" pad layout and FSR sensors. Other early instruments included the trapKAT, jamKAT, and the DITI trigger-to-MIDI interface.

After the original KAT, Inc. wound down, DeCiutiis continued the controller line under Alternate Mode while the KAT Percussion brand passed through a series of distributors — KMC Music under Fender, then DW Drums following a 2015 asset sale, and later Hal Leonard, which has handled the brand's distribution since 2017. Under these arrangements, the KAT name expanded beyond high-end MIDI controllers into more accessible territory, including the KT1, KT2, and KT3 entry- and intermediate-level electronic drum kits, the KT-100/KT-200/KT-300 series, and the KTMP1 multipad sound module.

The brand occupies a niche shaped by its original engineering focus: mallet and pad-based MIDI controllers aimed at percussionists who want to trigger sounds outside a traditional kit, alongside a line of affordable mesh-head electronic drum sets. Notable users of KAT controllers have included Rush drummer Neil Peart, who incorporated a malletKAT into his rig, and Jethro Tull's Doane Perry, who used a drumKAT.

KAT Percussion has 18 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Electronic Drum Sets, Electronic Pads, and Headphones & In-Ear Monitors.

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