Freelog 6/Freelog006.iso/Logs/Musique/Orangator/READTHIS.TXT

Text File | 1998-02-10 | 11KB | 253 lines

       ..Orangator was supposed to be a..
       ..program that mixes two drumloops..
       ..I could not imagine that it would..
       ..grow so much!..


 Orangator 2.0 Documentation.
 ============================

 Contents:
 ---------
 1.What is Orangator?
 2.How does the Orangator work?
 3.Creating sound with Orangator.
 4.Tips.
 5.Real-time mode.
 6.What's new.
 7.Disclaimer.
 8.Visual Orangator?
 9.Contacts.
 10.Sponsoring.
 11.Greets.


 1. What is Orangator:

  Orangator is a program that lets you create sounds without sampling, it is
very useful for people who want to make their own samples, but don't have an
analogue synthesizer or a professional sampler. With Orangator you can make all
types of techno 303-like sounds, synth-strings, sweeps, 808-like drums and
even some acoustic-like bells and organs. Orangator features some cool effects
like resonance (of course!), phaser and delay. Sorry - no hall or room are
implemented due to the lack of hardware speed. Reverb available only in
non-real-time mode.

  Main features:
     - 10 independend oscillators.
     - Amplitude, frequency, shape modulation.
     - Waveforms : sin, |sin|, even sin, square, triangle, saw, double saw
       noise, light noise, custom, 2 samples.
     - 16-band harmonics generator with detune.
     - Ring modulation, Sync, linear FM synthesis.
     - Resonance, high/low-pass cutoff, 2 average filters.
     - 32-bit Reverb, flanger & chorus with linear interpolation,
       feedback with cycle feature.
     - Realtime effects: feedback & flanger.
     - Chord generator.
     - Sequencer with 32 notes, portamento, sustain.
     - 3 envelope generators, 2 lfo's, noise generator, custom
       graphic envelope.
     - Pre/Post overdrive, wrap overdrive.
     - Automatic fat sound generator.
     - Realtime MIDI input.
     - MIDI ADSR envelope.
     - Perfect MIDI timing independing on sound card accuracy.

 2. How does the Orangator work:

  Simply, it has some mathematical formules inside, controlled with envelopes,
processed with filters and then saved on disk as a sample or played in
real time.


 3. Creating sound with Orangator:

  To create a sound you have to begin with "Mixer" menu. There choose the
length and frequency of playing, you may load two 16-bit samples (can be useful
for drum-loops) in file menu, and set leght to Sample 1, Sample 2 or custom.
I do not recommend you to set long length (more than 20-30k) for the first time
because you should wait too much while computer renders the sound. The sample's
frequency can be controlled separately with frequency slider, envelopes, LFO
(Low Frequency Oscillator) and anything you select.
  After selecting some length and frequency you should go to "Oscillators" menu.
Oscillator is a thing that generates sound. There are 10 oscillators, to
activate one of them simply select "active". You can choose different waveforms,
noice or samples as a sound source. The frequency, relative frequency, shape
and volume are controlled with sliders, envelopes and anything you select.
Also you may want to make some more complex and rich sound - then you should
use "Harmonics", a panel that looks like a very big equalizer and acts like this.
  Selecting a "Custom" waveform in oscillator lets you draw it yourself. Do it
in "Waveform" menu with mouse.
  If you want to generate some melody or bassline with your sound you should go
to "Sequencer" menu. There is some kind of tracker ;). Set the needed pattern
length and enter some notes. Edit the "Sequencer Envelope" - it is kinda
instrument's settings - attack, decay and sustain, while editing it is very
helpful to look at the WaveGraphic showing "SeqEnv". After tracking the cool
progression of notes go to "Oscillators" menu, set the "Frequency" slider
to base note and select it to be controlled by "Seq" (sequencer), also you
need to hang volume controller on "SEnv" (Sequencer Envelope) to have your
notes' volumes sound properly. Also you are able to transpose note sequence by
changing oscillators frequency. This can be used as a arpegiator function.
If you want to make a chord, in 2.0 version you don't have to turn on more
oscillators. Just go to sequencer menu, check the chord box and write
the notes you wish to have.
  After choosing waveform and entering notes you have to visit the "Filters"
menu (it will take effect only if "filter" is selected in "Oscillatiors").
Here you can find the mighty "Resonance", not very useful "Average Filter",
"Average Resonance Filter" and "Cut Off".
Resonance is the main thing that lets your buzz sound like cool 303, hang it
on LFO (don't forget to set big Amplitude in "LFO" menu), envelope or Graphic
Envelope which is very useful thing in this way.
  If you want to add some echo, reverb, overdrive or just adjust the main
volume - go to "Amplifiers" menu. To make a cool echo turn "FeedBack" active,
lower its volume to 50-70% and set the legth of delay to some hundreds of
milliseconds, also you may add silence to make the echo smooth coming down
to zero and turn on "Cyclic" to make cyclic echoes in arpegio or bassline
grooves.
  After creating such a wonderful sound you may want to save it ;). I hope you
are clever enough to press "Save" button for that.

 4. Tips.

 - Custom envelope and custom waveform:
 To delete a point drag it out of window.

 - Ring modulator:
 When RingMod box checked, the oscillator modulates all the previous
oscillators by amplitude.

 - Calming dependence:
 Than higher value, than less resonance on higher frequencies. Make it higher
if you get whistles on high resonance frequencies.

 - Clicks:
 Check the attack and decay length, if they are too short, there can
be clicks. Usually 1% is enough to avoid them. Also if you use samples,
try changing it's start position.

 - Sequencer:
 If you can't put notes, make sure your keyboard driver is english. To put
notes, use your keyboard like in tracker (Q is C note), P - portamento,
S - sustain.

 - If you have long delay in realtime.
 If you have gus, try changing gus playback buffer length in GUS settings
to lower value (512bytes is ok).

 5. Real-time mode:

  By turning real-time mode on you can use orangator as a real analogue
monophonic synthesizer. That means that it doesn't render samples anymore,
now it renders all the time, and if your CPU fast enough, you won't
notify that. The reason of real-time mode is: now you can produce real
analogue sound, but not it's sampled variant. You can play it with midi
keyboard and (after long efforts by me) delay won't be too long. Also
you may write something in sequencer and using midi loopback drivers
(like HUBI's ones) listen for it through orangator.


 6. What's new.

 version 1.0
           First release version (previous 20 ones were not released).

 version 1.1
         - Reverb.
         - Progress bar.
         - Graphic Envelope quality improved.
         - 2xSaw waveform implemented.
         - LFO accuracy is now 4-times better.
         - Bug with file length change fixed.
         - Scrolling in zoomed view.

 version 2.0
         - Real-time mode.
         - Much improved midi input.
         - ADSR midi envelope.
         - Two midi controllers.
         - Improved sequencer.
         - Harmonics functions added.
         - ESS midi in / wave out bug fixed.
         - Ini file.
         - Utilities buttons.
         - Triangle LFO shape.
         - LFO phase.
         - Normalize tool.
         - Fat sound generation wizard. =)
         - Transposing sequencer (can be used as arpegiator).
         - Chord generator.
         - 32-bit reverb.
         - Flanger with linear interpolation.
         - Bug with 'p' key fixed.
         - Extremly fine chorus with linear interpolation.
         - Flanger is realtime now.
         - Ring modulator.
         - Some crossing features removed.
         - Background rendering! You can change whatever you want
           without problems, and at last it will render it all.
         - FM synthesis.
         - Unlimited sample length.
         - Harmonic detune.
         - Phase modulation.
         - Even sine waveform implemented.


 7. Disclaimer

  This program is to be distributed freely and widely. But it cannot be sold
and used in any commercial way. If you are interested in commercial use of
this program, first off contact us & get our approval. It is freeware but only
for non-commercial use. If you write music with it, you must send it to me
to my e-mail. If you make new presets, you should also send them to me.
We're also not responsible for any kind of hardware or mind damage caused
to you by this program. Use it on your risk. :) If you use this program,
send greets to us, 'cause it's not only a freeware, but it's also a GREETWARE.
:)


 8. Visual Orangator?

  Visual Orangator is a next generation of Orangator, and the reason of it is
that Orangator have fixed number of Filters, Oscillators and Envelopers.
It means that you can't use different resonance filters for different
oscillators, or you can't use one oscillator as a frequency modulator
of another one. Visual Orangator breaks all this limitations and with it you
can use as many oscillators, as you want, and connect them however you want!
You don't have anymore to search for unused envelope! Now you're able to
write complete song only in orangator (but will anyone dare?). =) So, for
now it works any have all the basic units (oscillators, envelopers, mixer,
iterator and something else). Wait for release!


 9. Contacts:

  If you have any suggestions, want to became a beta-tester, can give me
some interesting ORPs, VOPs or just modules, contact me [Agent Orange]:

    - 2:5020/[e-mail] / [e-mail]
    - Phone: [phone] (ask for Oleg)
    - Russia, Moscow, Tashkentskaya street, 15/22, apt 277
      Sharonov Oleg Yurievich


 10. Sponsoring:

  I'm tired of doing things for free, so if you think you are able to
    - Pay for Orangator ($30, or whatever you can);
    - Make a commercial project of it;
    - Just send me some money/samples/CDs/ORPs/synthesizers
then contact me and we'll talk of it.

 11. Greets:

 Contributors:
   Pirj
   Alexander Cherkashin



 Text written by:
 Tangerine//trx//lkr
 Agent Orange // trx