Fred Fish disk 125

Fred Fish Disk 125, released in 1988, is best remembered for featuring the classic Amiga animation ElGato—a stunning early demonstration of the computer's multimedia prowess. The demo presents a charming animated cat flipping within a panel while simultaneously playing sampled music, showcasing the Amiga's true multitasking ability by running separate applications for sound and visuals in perfect sync. ElGato not only highlighted the Amiga's advanced graphics and audio capabilities for its time but also captured the imagination of users and developers alike, inspiring many to explore the creative potential of the Commodore Amiga platform. Often regarded as one of the era's killer demos, this disk remains a milestone in the evolution of home computer entertainment and demo scene artistry.

Commodore Amiga Public Domain Software

ElGato

This animation is Kevin's entry to the Badge Killer Demo Contest. It also has a background music arrangement, that requires Sonix to use.

Author: Kevin Sullivan

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Notes

1. ElGato is a multitasking animation showcase that combines synchronized music and visuals on the Amiga—a treat for demo enthusiasts. When paired with the Sonix music program and the included public-domain score YTV, it delivers a dynamic audio-visual performance that pushes the limits of the Amiga’s multitasking capabilities. Requiring extra fast RAM, this demo exemplifies the experimental spirit of the late-1980s Amiga scene, where art, music, and code merged into living motion. [Source], 1988-01-01
2. In a 2022 Facebook discussion about the ElGato demo, Amiga enthusiasts explored how the animation and music were synchronized to demonstrate true multitasking on the Amiga. Richard Bartlett explained that ElGato used Aegis Sonix to play the score "YTV" while a separate animation program displayed the cat sequence, both running simultaneously under Workbench—a remarkable feat in 1988. He noted that the C folder on the disk contained utilities such as Sonix.code and Synthesis.tech that allowed the demo to launch Sonix automatically at boot, though the user still had to manually load and play the score. The discussion also highlighted that the audio was driven by sampled instruments rather than synthesized sound, giving it a richer feel despite the hardware limits of the era. Bartlett and others reflected that this elegant pairing of animation and sound embodied the creativity of early Amiga developers, marking ElGato as one of the first truly multimedia demonstrations on the platform. [Source], 2022-09-22
3. Aegis Software was one of the pioneering Amiga developers that helped define what desktop creativity meant in the late 1980s. Based in California, Aegis produced a suite of professional-grade yet affordable graphics tools, including Aegis Animator—a groundbreaking animation package that transformed the Amiga into a home animation studio. Its companion, Aegis Images, provided painting and design features that complemented the Animator workflow, allowing users to bring vibrant motion graphics to life long before multimedia became mainstream. For an in–depth look at how Aegis Animator, the ElGato.anim demo, and software preservation efforts continue to inspire today’s retrocomputing enthusiasts, read the full article: Animating the Amiga: The Untold Story of Aegis Animator, 2025-10-12