About horgand

horgand is a softsynth, really simple and easy to use, specially designed to produce organ sounds is also capable to generate other sound types like Electric Pianos ( Rhodes , Wurlitzer , DX E.Piano ) , Jazz Guitar , Strings , Brass , Fretless Bass, Accordion etc. using low CPU resources.

horgand is based on a FM audio synthesizer with twenty carriers (20) without modulators in a plain based algorithm.
each carrier frequency can be modified for construct complex sounds. The synthesizer incorporate also a LFO (Low frequency oscillator) for generate tremolo effects and detune effects applying LFO Pitch and Amplitude to the carrier frequency's. Some synthesizer parameters can be edited for each sound including two ADSR, (Normal and Percussion), Fine Frequency, Attenuation, Rotary Amplitude, Transpose, etc. Four DSP effects are available for obtain more complex sounds, Rotary, Chorus, Delay and Reverberation. Sounds are stored in banks of 32 organ sounds and can be changed externally with MIDI program change (1-32).

horgand use the advantages of ALSA sequencer to auto-connect your devices. OSS, ALSA and JACK are available for audio output.

horgand incorporates chord recognition to produce auto-accompaniment, (bass and drums), bass lines are editable for each rhythm, up to 20 rhythm's can be defined.

DSSI PLUGIN

The dssi plugin is now available in the holap site.

SOUND BANKS
New banks available: Bank2 , Bank3 , Bank4 , Bank5 , Bank6 , Bank7 , Bank8 , Bank9 , Bank10 , Bank11 , Bank12 , Bank13 , Bank14 , Bank15 , Bank16 , Bank17 , Bank18 , Bank19 , Bank20 , Bank21 , Bank22

Put all the sound banks in the horgand work directory located in $HOME/.horgand then you can access to all the sounds in the "More Sounds" tab located in the Bank window.

DEMOS

Old horgand version various organ sounds horgand_demo
Old horgand version various Electric Piano sounds horgand_demo2
Drums, Bass, E.Piano, Lead Synth and Jazz Guitar together horgand_demo3
Synthesizer Sounds tribute to Joe Zawinul horgand_demo4

REQUIREMENTS

ALSA
FLTK
JACK
Libsndfile
Xpm

Please share your sounds in the mailing list for release in next versions.

Important Note for old version users

File format has changed in v1.11 if you have installed v1.09 or v1.10 please copy the Default.hored released with v1.11 to your horgand work directory located at $HOME/.horgand.

horgand ChangeLog

v1.15 ( / /2009)

add optimized options in configure.
Jack MIDI.
Use jack_client_open instead of jack_client_new.
Add pid to jack client name for multiple instances.
Better Jack Exit.
Add ALSA seq client name.
Back changes to connect to jackd-0.109.2
fixed small graphic things.
Connect to jackd-0.109.1 new name of default ports.
Typo fix.
Remember loaded bank filename.
Fix <C> date.
Up to 1000 sounds.

v1.14 (26/10/2007)

Optimized Reverb, less CPU usage.
Fix bug on Delay time.
Added wave type for LFO effects.
Fix small bug initializing vars.
small changes on GUI, and ADSR range values.
Added 5 New waveforms.
Bug Fixed, reading sounds in More Sounds menu bank manager.
Added New Bank, bank file to init state for work with a empty banks.
Suggest preset name at Save File.
Back to Alsa if JACK was not started.
Optimized code, less CPU usage

v1.12 (17/09/2007)

Posibility to run without GUI.
Added Keyboard Velocity Scaling.
Fixed bug in Name display.
Added 3 waveforms more.
Added syncro speed to all the LFO effects.
Support for old file formats >=1.11.
Code optimized.
Added Click.
Added the posibility to load sounds from other banks to manage/mix banks.
sustain pedal now sustain '0' sustain sounds.
Adjust initial state settings.
Normalize Volumes.
Adjust Rotary LFO Amplitude.
Added file browser to select wav rhythm files.
Fix widget positions.
Remember last saved Bank.
Fixed bug in command line.
Fixed bug initiating ryhthms.
Default buffer 128 again.
Fixed jack crash for non-statig libxpm hints.

v1.11 (30/08/2007)

Added FLTK options on command line.
Added window icon.
Normalize volumes.
Removed Keyboard Level Scaling.
Prevent to load old format files.
Fixed Preset at first time bug.
Fixed Master Volume bug.
Added organ transpose.
Adjust linear interpolation in chorus effect.
Drawbars in stereo mode for better sound.
Preset adjust.
Bank/Sound format file changed.
Synth engine parameters can be edited and stored for each preset.
More tremolo power.

v1.10 (20/08/2007)

Normalize Volumes.
Solve bug on Compare.
Adjust presets.
Small visual changes.
Each drawbar can be managed as percussion.
Visual and program settings saved and restored.
Optimized some $prefix things.
New Tremolo.
Rottary and Chorus now can coexist.
New Chorus and new buffer for variable delay Effects
Small code optimization.
More code changes to prevent crashes with RT-Kernels.
Better Jack support reducing CPU usage.

v1.09 (05/08/2007)

Code optimized.
Presets modified.
Improved some compile options.
Upgraded to Make Tools 1.7
Maintain split status on program change.
Bass type is selected when program starts ( Krzysztof Foltman).
Fixed FLTK search on Make Tools scripts (Krzysztof Foltman).
Fixed crash on RT-Kernels.
Less memory ( 8 Mb) usage.
DSP Effects Improved.
New ADSR.
Attack removed.
Marimba removed.
Sound engine improved.
Krzysztof Foltman <krzysztof@foltman.com> involved into the project.
Small DSP Changes.
Small changes in envelope.
Fixed Rotary Clicks.
Changed Reverb Presets

v1.07 (23/06/2004)

Sound Engine Changed (10 Carriers), +/- same sound than 20 carriers and half CPU usage
Recognizes MIDI Control Reverb depth message.
Recognizes MIDI Control Chorus depth message.
Fixed bug cleaning reverb.
Default Bank modified.
Improved speed.
Improved Envelope.
Changed FIFO schedule priority, now works on kernel 2.6.
Velocity Sensitivity modified.
Fixed bug in bass tune when jackd changes the default samplerate.
Clean code.
removed realtime priority.
Changed schedule priority.
Default Bank modified.
Improved Reverb.
Improved Rotary effect.
Auto adjust internal sample rate to jackd sample rate.

v1.06 (13/02/2004)

Modified sounds.
Added Volume for organ section.
Master Volume now control the whole organ.
Update jack-process
Fixed bug in change programs.
Added more sounds.
Improved Tremolo Speed.
Added drawbar conversion to marimba
Improved ADSR.
Man File updated.
Fixed bug in command line.
Split source code for future development.
File format changed, new default bank released.
Improved Detune for stereo effect.
Sound engine changed (20 Carriers) (10x2)(stereo)

v1.05 (19/01/2004)

Added GPL headers in sources.
Fixed bug in auto-connect, now connect into the specified port.
Improved Menus.
Fixed Bug in compare and Load functions.
Fixed Bug in Undo/Redo.
Fixed Bug in new function.
Optimized for low graphic resolutions
Rotary improved.
Changes programs without stop rhythm.
Added Change program in main window.
Small Changes in look.
Added and Changed Default Sound Bank.
Fixed Bug in Start/Stop
Fixed bug in bar led.
Select Rhythm 1 at start.
Load Bank 1 at start if command line provides.
Optimized code to fix format strings.
Drastically reduced the amount of memory needed.
Main window re-sizable.
Added memory lock.
Added FIFO real-time priority.
Improved Graphic Speed.

v1.04 (20/12/2003)

Solved bug in compilation.
Solved bug in compilation scripts.
Removed warnings in compilation.
Solved bug in tempo led
Load default bank at start.
Solved bug "flash" in command line.
Settings changed, Added default bank
Removed unused variables.
Debugged memory usage.
Solved bug in refresh labels adding output value widget replacing labels.

v1.03 (11/12/2003)

Solved small bugs.
Solved bug now horgand read the configuration rhythm file from the installed directory.
Re-write GNU-Autotools scripts, now better.
Re-write alsa detection for compatibility with alsa 1.0 pre1.
Re-write jack support for compatibility with jack 0.80.

v1.02 (24/06/2003)

Bass file pattern editor.
Possibility to load-save your rhythm patterns.
New command line option.
Added more chords to recognition.
Bug in +7 chord resolved.

v1.01 (21/06/2003)

Fixed Bass frequency's, now are tuned :-)
Master Transpose transposes the bass line too.
Master MasterTune tunes the bass line too.
Added more chords to recognition.
Fixed small bugs in split, chords ...

v1.00 (19/06/2003)

Added small auto-accompaniment, Looped Drums and a Bass line in a wave table way.
Added chord recognition
Some free drum loops and bass samples.
Bugs solved in DSP effects, now more stereo, minus noises :-)

v0.92 (13/06/2003)

Added Reverb at this moment only presets available.
All the sliders and dials widget response in real-time.
Solved bug in keyboard level scaling, that reduced noises, unfortunately sound changes a little bit.
Small look changes and other minor bugs solved.