Audio Fusion Bureau offers Bongo Cat Band, a FREE instrument for macOS and Windows.
Some of you reading this may be thinking, OK, what’s with this guy? He’s talking about a bin with a speaker, and now he’s telling us about something called Bongo Cat Band. I assure you it’s not a made-up name, Bongo Cat Band is here, and it’s free to download.
Audio Fusion Bureau is the developer behind this weird and whimsical instrument. If you’ve seen the silliness of the Bongo Cat YouTube channel (or the Bongo Cat website), you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Anyone who hasn’t yet seen/heard Bongo Cat covers of Uptown Funk or Adele’s Easy On Me, you’re in for a kitty treat.
Bongo Cat Band comes with everything that any good cat band should. It features a Piano, Guitar, Bongo drum, Trumpet, Marimba, and a cat’s Meow sound.
The expression “the cat’s meow” was coined by a cartoonist (Thomas A. Dorgan) around a century ago, and it means the thing in question is especially good or appealing. For example, free plugins are the cat’s meow.
I’m not sure how often you will use the instruments included in the Bongo Cat Band for their individual quality when so many great freebies are available. So, while one of the voices literally is the cat’s meow, I can’t tell you that the instruments, for serious music-making, are the cat’s meow (I know I’m venturing down a cat’s meow rabbit-hole, but I can’t turn back now).
However, if you get some free time and want something fun to do, thinking of a cover song that will sound utterly ridiculous using the Bongo Cat Band could be the cat’s meow.
If it weren’t for Dustbin, I’d say Bongo Cat Band takes the cake for the craziest plugin we’ve seen in a while.
I want to point out that “Takes the Cake” is also the title of an early 80s Garfield comic, which concludes my cat-related trivia/humor. If you stayed with me the whole time, you’re crazy, but thank you.
Jokes aside, Bongo Cat Band is meant to be fun, and I’m pretty sure it delivers on that front. As long as you know when it stops being funny and starts annoying people around you, like when I said cat’s meow for the second or third time.
Bongo Cat Band is available in AU, VST, and VST3 formats for macOS (10.13 upwards) and Windows (8.1 upwards).
A standalone version is available for macOS.
Download: Bongo Cat Band (cat’s meow)
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25 Comments
Jamie M.
onThis. I like this. We need more plugins that don’t take themselves seriously.
Me
onI disagree. The plug-in format is becoming diluted by a mass amounts of joke plugins and cheap junk.
TORLEY
onI take it you think that Dustbin plugin is rubbish, eh?
Me
onI’m tired of garbage plugins!! 😡
Jamie M.
onI still disagree with you. I think the increasing of joke plugins doesn’t necessarily take away from the quality plugins that we all use. I don’t really see why it would take away from or dilute the industry. Also, I think an increase in these light-hearted joke plugins also marks an increase in more budding developers and hobbyists who may likely become proper industry developers in the future. It also helps that this particular developer has a number of other more practical plugins, and this one in particular seems to be more of a funny side-project. I’d be interested to see more of your opinions though.
Me
onThe audio plug-in format is starting to remind me of the App Store. Just more junk to sift through to get to the good stuff.
Mike
onI don’t know about you, but I’ve never had to “sift through” junk plugins to get to good ones. I find joke plugins every now and then and it gives me a little laugh inside and brightens my day a bit. I’d say I come across one every month or two at the very most, but usually every 3-4 months.
mx
onit is with cats! everybody likes cats!
but serious: i think one can criticise/discuss about bad plugins that are sold as magic or about technical rubbish that is just made for making money, things that try to blind with the interface or marketing but are actually not good and so on, rather that is the stuff you talk about actually.
but this is just fun and doesnt want to be serious. it made my day yesterday when i got the audiofb newsletter, though i knew i would never really use it. it was so nice to see the little sweeties play their instruments!
p.s. i also like dustbin, really serious. meow.
James N
onGreat comment, MX
Cheers!
Me
onI’m talking about all plugins that exploit us or the format.
This plug-in should have just been a sample pack. I would have most likely downloaded and used it then.
I believe there are also plugins that are literally games and have nothing to do with audio. That’s also the crap I’m talking about.
mx
onthe sounds of this plugin are quite generic, you will find something like this if you need it, it is likely that you already have sounds like that in your repertoire…
the plugin is not about its sound, it is about the bongo cats.
complainig about this seems a bit like complainig about the internet or complainig about the world in general.
just let the people do their thing, there is a reason for many of the things you might not like or understand.
Me
onThat is EXACTLY my point. Thank you.
You get a bunch of generic sounds and the point of the plug-in is “cats”?
People are just exploiting audio plugins for purposes outside of audio now. If I wanted cats I would search the internet or download an app.
So it’s not like complaining about the internet. The internet is not a music creation platform.
mx
onso much music is not about the music, but for many people it is about the scene or the culture behind it, just as an example.
your definition of what making music means or what music is or what plugins have to be or what a music platform can be is only one point of view.
people are creative and use things for their purpose, and as long as this purpose is not selfish, everybody should be able and allowed to do so.
nobody wanted to offend you with this plugin. it should rather be good fun for everybody who likes it.
if you dont like it you can just ignore it and all other plugins that you find too much. you can just buy the fabfilter suite and be happy, so you never have to bother about anything anymore.
Jamie M.
onif you don’t like it, ignore it. if you want to keep things professional, do that – there’s is nothing forcing you to try and utilise this plugin specifically. After all, these experimental cats are few and far between (though you seem to imply other wise). why shouldn’t someone have the option to have a cat plugin in their DAW? isn’t every developer free to make whatever plugin they want, regardless of its utility? it’s all in good fun! everyone else here is enjoying this and you’re just bogging it down. making music isn’t just about making music, it’s about having fun doing it (as corny as it sounds, it’s true), so if you’re feel that music and fun shouldn’t intergrate, no one is forcing you. just maybe you aren’t music-ing right…
Jamie M.
on*there is, *experimental cat plugins
Jamie M.
onalso exploiting? it’s free! no one should be getting twisted over this!
mx
onoh yes, there are indeed a couple of games available in the plugin format too, and also notepads and plugins for saving fotos on your daw-tracks.
but you dont have to use it if you dont like it.
in the end i am sure that there are 1000000 more emulations of the 1176 out there than all fun plugins and unusual tools like i mentioned before all together, i dont know if thats a point for you?
isnt that more exploitation and dilusion of the kind you talk about?
James N
onIt’s good to remember music should be fun, whether it’s a hobby or a job. Sometimes plugins like this one are a nice little distraction when you want to clear your mind.
TORLEY
onJamie, this writeup is utterly adorable to read, and you fully committed to going all the way with it. Thank you for priming me for such a purrty delight!
James N
onYou’ve got cat jokes, I love it haha.
Darryl Lim
onNot a good plugin, that cat can’t sing, it’s out of tune, yucks! ;P
Where did you find this stray cat James? Was it sitting in the dumpster you were wading through recently? ^.^
(My rubbish attempt at a joke, sorry.)
James N
onHow dare you, Darryl! I’ll have you know that Fergie only joined The Black Eyed Peas because that cat turned it down!
(Keep the jokes coming)
Cheers!
mx
on:3
Pacapaca
onWe do not recommend asking BongoCat for more information.
Enjoying it is our wish, not our duty.
Michael Jackson
onI am a big fan of BongoCat on YouTube. Sure, it might get old after awhile but, with all the cr@p on social media, I find it refreshing. Haven’t used the plugin yet but I will. Hopefully can add some meowness as backing vocals. Sorry guys but I really like the concept.