iOPTIGAN
Now you can play the legendary Optigan® on your iPad or iPhone!
The Optigan®, short for Optical Organ, was a chord organ from the early 70’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. iOptigan® truthfully recreates that lo-fi sound.
The sound quality was quite low, even according to the standards of the 70’s. We did nothing to polish up on this, so if you’re looking for a clean, crisp instrument, look elsewhere.
But if you’re ready for some audible patina, iOptigan® is the right choice for you!
