Apart from the test discs, the discs that were produced under Opsonar are the hardest to get ahold of. These are: Guitar Boogie Champagne Music Gospel Rock Swing It! Vox Humana Cathedral Organ Polka!
Was there ever a portable model made?
No, although it is possible to convert an standard Optigan® into a more “portable” instrument.
How many different models are there?
In the USA, there were six different versions of the Optigan. Essentially they were the same machine, the cabinet design being the primary variant. There was also a variation that only appeared in Eur
How many different discs were made?
In total, 42 discs made it into production, including the two diagnostic test discs, which were only available to service technicians.
What kinds of instruments were used for the keyboard scales?
Mostly Hammond B3s, Vox Continentals, Gibson and Yamaha Organs.
Who wrote the musical arrangements for the discs?
Most of the arrangements weren’t “written” per se, but were improvised by the session guys based on certain guidelines laid down by Johnny, Mike and Marshall. The earliest sessions were very haphazard
Who played the instruments encoded on the discs?
Over the years, a wide variety of session musicians played for Optigan. The earliest sessions were produced in Cologne, Germany, and constitute the bulk of material that was actually released as discs
How were the discs made?
Click here to see a photo essay of the disc-making process.
Who produced the discs?
The core production team for the Optigan® discs was Mike LeDoux and Marshall Pearlman. Marshall really oversaw the project as a whole, and Mike was largely responsible for actually creating the discs
Why are Optigans so unreliable?
The design team for the Optigan® largely came from a toy manufacturing background, and consequently most of the engineers thought purely in mechanical terms. There were many elements of the Optigan’s