Pricing and availability
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Reviews
Price
Average Price: $453
Budget/Beginner
$500
$1501+
Price Tier
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 end of the 1970s saw a huge rise in the development of synthesisers, and in making traditional instruments like pianos and organs more transportable and able to be amplified well. In the early days Split Enz always used to need an acoustic piano at every gig, which was a pain for us (amplification without feedback was always an issue) and promoters alike, but with the advent of Yamaha’s CP-70, that all changed. Synthesisers had also become polyphonic and memory space to store your own sounds was also a new development. The 'space capsule', as the guys called it, was seven or eight different keyboards, including a CP-80 Yamaha (full 88-note piano), a CS-80 and Prophet 5 (both early polysynths), a CP-30 electric piano, a Mellotron for 'real' string and choir sounds, a string synth, and a monophonic synth such as an EML 500 or Cat Octave … Oh, and I bought the first Korg Vocoder to arrive in New Zealand, which was fun! As you can imagine, transporting the sheer weight and volume of all this gear became prohibitive, so we replicated the setup in the US. Unsure what happened to all that gear when the band broke up!"
Included in list of Stuart Kershaw's equipment published in a 1993 issue of Future Music.
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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Add recommendation1 alternative for Octave CAT, curated by the Equipboard community.
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Fairly close clone in a Simi-modular/Eurorack style with modern connectivity
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