Aeolus is a virtual emulation of a pipe organ, created using digital synthesis techniques. It accurately mimics the sound and behavior of traditional pipe organs, making it a powerful tool for musicians and composers looking to bring classical music into the digital age.
First presented at the 2nd LAD conference in Karlsruhe in April 2004, Aeolus's default instrument includes three manuals and one pedal, five different temperaments, variable tuning, and MIDI control. It also offers stereo, surround, or Ambisonics output, as well as flexible audio controls like Church reverb. With minimal CPU usage, it should run smoothly on a 1GHz, 256Mb machine.
Version 0.6.6 is a significant improvement over the previous official release (0.3.1), featuring better looks, a more flexible instrument structure, and a host of other enhancements. Many users have contributed to its development, making it an excellent choice for those who want to simulate pipe organ sounds.
Aeolus supports GNU Linux systems (x86 and AMD64) and runs on top of ALSA or the JACK low-latency soundserver (recommended). Its synthesized sound is very realistic, and it can emulate baroque instruments accurately, although users can switch to other instrument styles if they prefer. The user interface is simple to use, making it easy to get started with this software.
To install Aeolus, users will need to have the correct libraries installed (libclalsadrv.so.1.1.0, libclthreads.so.2.2.0, and libclxclient.so.3.3.0). The default Makefile installs the Aeolus binary in /usr/bin and the user interface plugins in /usr/lib (or /usr/lib64 on 64-bit systems). Editing the PREFIX definition in the Makefile allows for customization but moving plugins without recompilation isn't possible.
To install, users must CD to the directory containing the source files, use 'make' and then execute 'make install' as root. After installation, users may do a 'make clean' if desired.
Version 0.8.2: N/A