iOptigan

This is the Optigan for iOS.

The Optigan, short for Optical Organ, was a chord organ from the early 1970’s. It is remembered today for its unique system of sound reproduction using optical discs. These LP-sized film discs were optically encoded with 57 concentric tracks, which contained loops of musical combos playing chord patterns in different styles. Each disc contained a specific style of music (Bossa Nova, Big Band etc) which the user could control by pressing the chord buttons. Changing the discs was as simple as putting a new record on your turntable. Think of it as the 1971 version of GarageBand.

Despite this novel technology, the scratchy sound of the Optigan left a lot to be desired.

The iOptigan we present here truthfully recreates that lo-fi sound.

25 of the original 40 discs are included, the remaining 15 can be purchased individually or all together in the Complete Pak.

Specifications and Features:

• Disc loading rigth-side-up or upside-down

• Spring Reverb (virtual)

• Optical Metronome

• Audio Demo for each Disc

• MIDI in/out

• MIDI chord detection

• MIDI File Import

• Sequencer with Record and Playback

• Sharing for songs as Audio and MIDI File

• iTunes File Sharing

• Inter-App Audio

• Smart background audio

• Help overlay

• Headphone optimised stereo (optional)

• Radio Mode for Chord Buttons or Keyboard

• Comfortable speed control in semitones or BPM