Orz

The Orz was developed to be a VST plugin synthesizer for Windows. Orz accepts MIDI note information through the host or from your computer's keyboard. Orz features four envelopes, four oscillators, four delay units, four filters, four LFOs, four noise generators, two ring modulators, two step functions (also known as bitcrushers and amplitude quantizers), two sample-and-hold units, and four phase modulators.

Orz envelopes are simple ADSRs. (ADSR stands for attack-decay-sustain-release.) There is a control for the amplitude of each envelope breakpoint and for the time interval for each envelope segment.

Envelope 1 determines when a note ends. The note does not end exactly when you release a key -- Envelope 1 must then also reach zero.

The oscillators in Orz represent new technology called TRAMS -- Tuned Recursive Amplitude Modulation Synthesis. This synthesis technique allows Orz's oscillators to produce band-limited digital waveforms with rich, complex spectra.

The nine sliders that control timbre might remind you of a graphic equalizer. The sliders' function bears rough similarity to that of an equalizer, but they don't control specific regions of the spectrum. Rather, each slider affects all partials in its own separate way. The best way to understand how the oscillators work is to play with the sliders and listen.

The Brightness (BRT) and Contrast (CST) controls are meta-controls that affect the regular controls altogether. Brightness sets their average level; contrast adjusts the width of their spread (the standard deviation).