Gimmicky techniques such as upside-down and multiple discs are obvious, and hence pretty boring. As far as disc manipulation goes, I like to take two copies of the same disc and tape them together bac
How do you pronounce “Optigan?”
Well, the most common way is “Optigon,” hence the frequent misspelling. But if you want to be a complete purist, you’ll pronouce it just the way it’s spelled (ie pronounce “-gan” as in “organ”). The o
Has the Optigan® appeared on any commercially available albums?
Yes. Many. They are listed on the Optigan® Discography page.
What’s the best way to record an Optigan?
Plugging a stereo 1/4″ cable into the headphone output is the easiest way to get a decent recording of an Optigan®, though you have to be careful to set the volume pedal so as not to get alot of disto
Can I get copies of the Optigan® Master Reels?
At this time, I have not made the complete, unedited contents of the Optigan® Master Reels available. You can, however, purchase a selection of loops culled from the reels here.
Do the master tapes for the Optigan® discs still exist?
Yes and no. All of the original 8 and 16 track masters are gone, but fortunately Mike held on to the 1/4″ stereo mix-down masters. These are probably the most useful tapes to have anyway. I am the cur
Are there any rare prototype Optigans still out there?
The earliest design concept for the Optigan® was a small organ containing something like an Edison Cylinder. When the keys were pressed, they would push down needles onto the audio tracks. This proved
Are there any rare prototype discs available?
Yes, a few have surfaced, most notably “Mod Rock,” which reached the point of having an official catalog number and label art, but was mysteriously never put into production. Two copies came from Stan
Was there ever a “Sitar” disc made?
Not in the original Optigan® production period of the early 1970s. There were never even any studio recordings of sitar. Apparently the word “sitar” was put on the cover of the owner’s manual because