Moog Voyager

[Mohoyoho]

I didn't quite know where to post this, because there isn't a general instrument topic in the Instrument section of the forum. So this is sort of a review, but I only spent 30 to 45 minutes with the Voyager so please keep that in mind. Having never owned an analogue synth, I was interested in seeing for myself the difference between analogue and digital. I own a Waldorf Q, Microwave XT and an Alesis Ion as well as a plethora of soft synths. I love the sounds I get with them. Usually you hear the rants and raves of analogue guys talking aout the differences. So here's a digital guy's first impressions of the analogue world:

Having recently downloaded the demo of Arturia's Mood Modular V, I was interested hearing what a real Moog sounds like. I went to one of our local music stores which carries Moog and sat down for about 30 to 45 minutes with the Voyager. I didn't go through its presets. I just started
from scratch. I am not an expert at sound design, but I know the basics.
The first thing that struck me was an amazing bass. The low end was staggering. I can't get that sound from any of my synths. The mids and highs were impressive, but I felt my digital boys could come close to that spectrum. The leads and basses were fantastic, and I suspect they could easily cut though any mix. However, I never felt I could get a decent pad. I tried tuning the oscilators in various configurations, tweaked the amp and filter EG, but never got a satisfying pad. Perhaps the fault is from my ignorance.

Being strictly a mono synth I think is a bit limiting. Another feature that the Voyager lacked was the ability to layer patches. Perhaps that feature is there, but I couldn't find it.

The layout was logical and the knobs were beefy. The small keyboard had good action. With the additional module you can add another LFO and really start modulating different parameters. The store manager told me that Moog was going to introduce another module at the upcoming Jan. NAMM. I would love to see a step sequencer.

Overall, I thought the Voyager was marvelous, and would be a great complement to my current setup. I don't think I would want it as my only synth, due to the lack of some features mentioned above. The sound is incredible, and I don't think my digital instruments could emulate that lowend. If they added a reasonably priced fully featured step sequencer, then I would probably want to get one. I am a bit curious regarding maintenance. Do these synths need to be sent back for tuneups from time to time? That would be annoying.

On another thread Howard mentioned that he felt the G2 could sound very close to his Moog Modular setup. I wish there was a G2 around here I could try out. I would like to see if it could produce that lowend.

[elektro80]

I think I have commented on the Moog Voyager in some thread here... somewhere.
It looks nice, and it is very nice,, but I think it is far too expensive. One of my main complaints was probably why it had presets. I could not see the point.

What did you plug the Voyager into? An analog synth can produce some serious and low bass but unless you are playing around with very insanely mad patches.. most good virtual synths can produce pretty much the same in the useable range of 30-250 hz. You could try to plug your computer into some serious amp/PA and use something like the Arturia Minimog softclone or the Arp Odyssey softclone. They will sound very convincing. You should also know that the bass from the NM1 is simply stunning.

The term pad is a newish synth term that I never really understood until you guys here explained it to me. I guess no monophonic analog synth will not deliver a decent pad. You can make wonderful sounds though, but they are not playable pads like what you expect from a modern Korg or a Yamaha. In order to create padlike sounds you would have to patch up each componoent of such a complex signal using many monophonic synths and / or modules.

I hope Robert Moog will get rich building that Voyager and that he will manage to design a lot of new products too. Personally I think the Voyager is a great product, but not really that interesting. I never liked the Minimoog layout and of this specific kind of analog monophonic synth I guess I prefer the Octave Instruments Cat2 and the Arp Odyssey.

You might be able to get pads out of the CS-80 clone.. That one is fab! and the Korg Legacy Collection MS-20 is amazing! ..And the bass is awsome! Just don´t´use headphones.. plug it into a PA.

[Mohoyoho]

The Voyager was plugged into a small keyboard amp in Mono. I can't remember what amp it was, but nothing out of the ordinary. I use my soft synths and digital gear frequently in live performance through Barbettas and I have had them through other PA gear, but they never had a bass quite like that Voyager. I'm very interested in trying out a G2, and I might make a trip to Nashville to try one out. But then again, I might just end up buying the Arturia Moog Modular software and be satisfied.

I've been trying to emulate the MMV's sound with my Q and Ion, and have got to say I have been able to get mighty close. They have some pretty cool presets that come with the demo, and it has been enlightening to see the thinking that went into the patches. One of the things that the MMV has that makes it tough to copy on other machines is that fixed filter bank. With the Qs step sequencer and my RM1X sequencer, I can really come mighty close with the MMVs sequences.

[ian-s]

I had a play with the Voyager a few weeks ago, don’t think I lasted more than 20 minutes, fixed architecture synthesisers don’t hold my attention very much anymore.
It was amplified by a Roland keyboard amp which sat under the keyboard stand. This bad positioning may have coloured my perception but I was very disappointed in the sound. It was dull and far too much IM distortion for my current tastes. What was most disconcerting was the odd disconnection between the knobs and the sound, sort of like driving a poor handling car. You sort of expect this with VA but not a real Analogue. And they spring loaded the wheel! Why mess with a near perfect design? At just under NZ$8000 I will be very surprised if it sells at all.
As far as the tuning goes, I don’t know about the Voyager but the Minimoog has 9 (or is it wholes in the back of the case for calibration, it can be done with no special equipment and does not take very long. How often depend on the model but every 6 to 18 months would probably cover it. It may seem like a pain but it is sort of a nice ritual, develops a good relationship between you and your instrument. I would recommend a second hand Mini with MIDI retrofit over the Voyager. It doesn’t have presets but hey, you only use a Minimoog for that one bass sound right?
I hear some Voyager owners play with a dummy plug to defeat the second filter, just to sound more like a Mini.

[mosc]

[elektro80]

True, Howard nearly destroyed that room. The bass kinda went silent, and then the room started to shake. He almost literally took out the entire bar. Pure art!

[elektro80]

If an analog Minimoog is what you want I guess any of those brit minimoog clones will do just fine . They cost far less too.
That virtual Minimoog thingie is also pretty good.

My main problem with the Voyager is the presets. Why? It is pretty much useless because the switchess and pots and stuff are of course not motorized. The actual benefit of this is pretty limited.

[elektro80]

[elektro80]

Artura has announced the Arp 2600 V


It comes complete with the Arp sequencer.

The original could make some nice sounds. It was not a bad synt, but in my opinion it was not that excellent either. If we consider the maintenance problems of that one.. and it was not really that stable when it was factory new.. I guess the Arturia softclone can be far better than the original Arp 2600 ever was.

[Mohoyoho]

[elektro80]

The Arturia MMV is $329.00. Check ebay for second hand NM1s and micros.

[Mohoyoho]

The MMV can be had for $199. I'll look into the NM1.

[seraph]

[peter ripa]

the voyager bass and i suppose the original mini has a certain quality to it and its in my ears not only that it goes deep, cause even if i use a hp-eq at 40-50 hz the moog still sound alot bassier than any of my other synths at the same volume. its not just sound coming from the speaker but a slab of warm meat. this is noticable at mid and hi notes as well

[djfoxyfox]