Moog Voyager XL: Is it worth £4K?

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

I have mixed feelings about the new generation of Moogs (mostly about the cost v functionality) - but I must admit that the new Voyager XL looks the part -
beautiful design even though its semi modular panel reminds me of the MS20...style over substance perhaps? £4000 could buy a powerful modular, a touch controller and a MIDI keyboard, but I guess that's not the point.
I know there are passionate Voyagerists on the forum, but is the XL a bridge too far? Confused

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v-un-v · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 6:17 am Post subject:

That's an obscene amount of money. Go for it! Very Happy

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

with a mortgage from a UK bank maybe....then again maybe not!! Laughing

EdisonRex · Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:37 am Post subject:

Oh, I see what they did there. They added the CP251 and VX351 and added an extra £1000 for it.

I'm happy enough with mine as it is.

LektroiD · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:06 am Post subject:

When the Waldorf Wave came out, that was like £7K (for a digital synth?)! Before that you had the synclavier, which was an FM synth which went for something like £20K. However, there are very few mainstream companies producing analogue gear these days to compare it with.

I personally wouldn't pay that for it, not when I can build a whole modular for far less.

v-un-v · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 8:46 am Post subject:

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

mosc · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:15 am Post subject:

Not worth it, IMHO. Get a G2X. It's a better instrument by far. If you like pretty things, get the G2X and with the money you save buy some art or a really nice watch, or give the money to charity. Or donate it to electro- music.com so we can have a festival-meeting in the UK.

Smile

seraph · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:21 am Post subject:

v-un-v · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:36 am Post subject:

Yey!

LektroiD · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 11:49 am Post subject:

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

a uk based electro-music festival would be great. Maybe we should have a whip round from potential voyager xl buyers, as they obviously have a bit of spare cash..
Seriously though, I'd contribute something towards such an event.....there! and that's from a Scotsman Cool

v-un-v · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:09 pm Post subject:

Andy and I both agreed that Bexhill-on Sea would be a great place to hold such an event. (In the De La Warr pavilion)

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

Or, how about Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, to echo Cheltenham (mk2) in the USA? Wink

Sorry for the crap image, the only one I could find! It seems people can't take indoor pix without a tripod anymore Rolling Eyes

v-un-v · Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:12 pm Post subject:

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:33 am Post subject:

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:35 am Post subject:

P.S. Bexhill-On-Sea seems a good place for a meet and its nothing to do with the fact I live there Wink

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

BobTheDog · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 4:49 am Post subject:

abstraktor · Joined: Apr 27, 2009 Posts: 190 Location: glasgow, scotland

I'll pack my bucket and spade now!

kkissinger · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:01 am Post subject:

I think to compare the Voyager with a modular is a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. The Voyager is really designed to be a live-performance synthesizer -- and the control interface adds another "invisible" level of technology.

The Voyager is more of a fly-by-wire concept -- that is, the switches and knobs control the computer and the computer, in turn, controls the synthesizer. If one wanted an analog synthesizer with a computer/midi interface that can store and recall patches -- plus a keyboard and an x-y touch pad -- by the time one spent the time and money to design and develop the software support for this the high price tag might not look so high anymore. (The computer interface stores and recalls the position of every knob and switch -- thus all the pots, etc.. are digital in nature.)

If you don't need to save and retrieve patches via a computer memory, then a "traditional" synthesizer -- or a DIY modular is going to deliver more bang-for-the buck.

LektroiD · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:21 am Post subject:

A few queries about this (I wasn't aware this had full computer integration). Does the computer recall patch bay activity (akin to the MS20ic controller), and also, the original voyager had its patch sockets at the top, have these been 'moved' to the left panel, or are they additional which can be patched from the top patch sockets to the left patch bay?

And now for my personal opinion; it should not be marketed as a "MINI-Moog", since there's nothing 'mini' about it, not when it's their biggest ever standalone synth under the 55

Antimon · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:31 pm Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:54 am Post subject:

Having the integrated ribbon controller plus the VX-351 and CP modules looks nice - especially if one can be found on eBay in about a year. Wink

I got my Voyager on eBay. Cool

I must admit, I'm tempted by the Walking Stick ribbon controller as an add-on for my Voyager...