Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $451
Budget/Beginner
$500
$1501+
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Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 3 merchants for "Octave CAT". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Step into the world of classic analog sound with the Octave CAT synthesizer, a modern tribute to a rare gem from 1976. Designed for musicians who crave the authentic warmth and character of vintage synthesis, this instrument offers a meticulous recreation of its legendary predecessor. Whether you're exploring monophonic riffs or lush, 16-voice polyphonic textures, the Octave CAT delivers with precision and flair. Its dual oscillators, capable of producing various waveforms, open up a universe of sonic possibilities. Dive deep into sound design with modulation options, sub-octave settings, and a mixable noise generator.
The true heart of the Octave CAT lies in its four-pole filter, inspired by the original SSM2040, offering a nuanced resonance behavior that captures the essence of the past while embracing the demands of modern production. With tempo-synced LFOs and an intuitive step sequencer, your creative journey becomes limitless. The internal effects section, loaded with distortion, phaser, and reverb options, ensures that your sound is as expansive as your imagination. Fully equipped for today's digital world, it supports MIDI control, DAW automation, and even MPE support, making it a versatile tool for any studio setup.
Key Features:
- Mono, duophonic, and up to 16-voice polyphonic modes
- Two oscillators with diverse waveforms
- True-to-original four-pole filter with SSM2040-inspired design
- Modulation, S+H, and sub-octave settings
- Tempo-synchronous LFO and eight-step sequencer
- Internal effects: distortion, phaser, flanger/chorus, echo, reverb
- Full MIDI control and DAW integration
- Over 300 presets available
- Scalable user interface with zoom and resize options
Product specs
| Available since | July 2023 |
| Single/Bundle article | Los artikel |
| Akustik Keys/Pianos | No |
| Beat production / Drum machines | No |
| Wind Instruments | No |
| Cinematic / Effects | No |
| Chorus / Vocals | No |
| Drums / Percussion | No |
| E-Pianos | No |
| Ethno / Folk | No |
| Guitars/plucked instruments | No |
| Loops/Construction-Kits | No |
| Orchestra Instruments | No |
| Organs | No |
| String Bass | No |
| Sampler | No |
| String Instruments | No |
| Synthesizer | Yes |
| Vintage Instrument | Yes |
| Hardware Controller | No |
| Download | 1 |
FAQs
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Is the Cherry Audio Octave CAT synthesizer monophonic or polyphonic?
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The Cherry Audio Octave CAT offers monophonic, duophonic, and polyphonic modes, supporting up to 16 voices for versatile sound creation.
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What type of filter does the Cherry Audio Octave CAT use?
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The Octave CAT features a vintage-correct four-pole 24 dB/oct filter, providing rich and classic analog filtering capabilities.
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Does the Cherry Audio Octave CAT support MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE)?
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Yes, the Octave CAT supports MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), allowing for more expressive performances with compatible controllers through pitch, channel pressure, and timbre modulation.
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What are some of the integrated effects available on the Cherry Audio Octave CAT?
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The Octave CAT includes studio-quality effects such as distortion with tube and fuzz options, phaser, flanger/chorus, multiple delay types, and five reverb types for extensive sound shaping.
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Can the Octave CAT be used as a standalone virtual instrument?
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Yes, the Cherry Audio Octave CAT can function as both a standalone virtual instrument and a plug-in, providing flexibility for different production setups.
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How many presets are available on the Cherry Audio Octave CAT?
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The Cherry Audio Octave CAT comes with over 300 presets, offering a wide range of sounds right out of the box.
Videos
GForce Software
Octave CAT
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Octave CAT.
Build quality
Setup and maintenance
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Users have encountered issues with the keyboard action, with some keys becoming unresponsive, requiring recalibration or repairs.
Source
Features and functionality
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The Octave CAT is reported to have low note priority, which affects how notes are triggered in poly mode.
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Users highlight the ability to use the filter as an oscillator with key tracking, as well as utilizing VCO 1 as a drone at a fixed frequency.
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The CAT's audio-rate filter FM and VCO cross-modulation, using a mix of waveforms, provides a wide variety of tones, distinct from the Odyssey's features.
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The CAT's sub-mixer within the VCO output sections offers fine timbre blending, although it lacks the ability to abruptly mute oscillators, except for VCO 1.
Source
User experience
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Owners have experienced issues with phase-y distortion when recording due to compression, recommending uncompressed formats to improve audio quality.
Source
Comparisons
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The Octave CAT allows blending of multiple waveforms from each VCO, unlike the Odyssey, which enhances its sonic weight despite having only two VCOs.
Source
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 3 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
The Octave Cat Synth can be seen to the right of the Ableton Push, in the right hand corner of Bonobo's Instagram Photo.
In this short clip of Adult Swim's Squidbillies, Ty can be seen using his Octave The Cat synthesizer at 0:10.
In an interview on Kreativ Sound, The Chemical Brothers' Tom Rowlands discusses their pursuit of unique sounds and mentions using the Octave CAT synthesizer in their studio work.
Bits of Jenkinson's gear can be seen in the cover of his 2006 album "Hello Everything". The synth at the left is the Octave CAT Synth. Other confirmed examples of his gear present in this image include the Yamaha QY700 Sequencer (middle top) and his custom six-string Zoot bass (top right).
I recently picked up a [Roland] Juno- 106, but I have yet to record with it. I also have an Octave Cat that I started to record with when I was done with the last tour.
Norwegian EDM duo Röyksopp features a lesser-known ARP Odyssey clone from the late 70s: Octave's 37-key, polyphonic (2-voice) "The Cat," first seen played by RYXP 9000 at 0:48 in their 2016 retro-funk hit "Never Ever" with Susanne Sundfør.
While only the upper part of the "Octave" wordmark is visible on the backplate, it is easily identifiable by the placement of the Transient Generator slider group in the upper left corner, the Pitch and Glide controllers in the lower left, and the VCO1 (five knobs), VCO2 (three knobs), and VCF (three knobs) groups arranged from left-to-right. The Main Power switch resides in the upper right corner, with Bypass, VCA (Volume), and the master Noise Level slider consecutively grouped below.
Additional supporting documentation:
- http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/octavecat.php
- http://www.cyborgstudio.com/synthmp3s/octave/cat/manual/catownersmanual.pdf (specifically, the control layout schematic on p. 10)
In a YouTube video, Mark Mothersbaugh is seen using the Octave CAT synthesizer, a model known for its similarities to the ARP Odyssey, which led to legal action by ARP Synthesizers.
In this YouTube video of French 79 performing at La Conservation du Patrimoine des Musées, 5:47 of the video
What was your first synth and is it still part of your armoury?
The first synth I ever bought was an Octave Cat mono synth for £30. I sold it for £40 to buy a Moog Prodigy which I sold for £60 to buy something else, I think it was a Yamaha CS40M. That was pretty much the last synth I sold.
"After we bought the CS10, we started borrowing a lot of instruments off people we knew, and we didn't buy anything else until we got a Cat mono-synth. After that we had a Roland SH2 and then, when we signed to Virgin, we got our first polysynth, a Korg Polysix. The main reason we chose that was simply the fact that it made the best sounds, plus the fact that it seemed relatively cheap at the time."
Album Usage
The Octave CAT has been featured on the following albums:
Spectrum (Special Request Mixes)
Erol Alkan (2020)
Spectrum / Silver Echoes (Matrixxman and Machine Woman Remixes)
Erol Alkan (2019)
Joshua
French 79 (2019)
Spectrum / Silver Echoes
Erol Alkan (2018)
Never Ever
Röyksopp & Röyksopp (2016)
Hello Everything
Squarepusher (2006)
True Colours
Split Enz (1980)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Octave CAT, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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