Moog Minimoog Voyager

I believe the firmware is at version 2.1 and supposedly an update is coming out relatively soon.

The presets are quite diverse and rich. There are great basses, leads, blips, burps and percussion sounds. I have been slowly replacing the sounds and making a completely new sound set by hand, I would say editing patches is very easy as most of the parameters are on hand, and if you don't mind going through menus then most other options are less than two menus deep.

I have not bought the patch editor yet, although I keep thinking about it. It offers a few interesting options such as morphing between two patches which could create some very interesting sounds.

The manual is decent, if a little short. I would have appreciated a bit more depth and breadth for the device. As well the control processor and control voltage break out box share the same manual, so while you get a good run down of what you'll be able to do with both devices it would have been nice to have a dedicated manual for each device.

This is a one note polyphony system. The keyboard is nice and there isn't any wiggling or mushy keys.

Well it has the low pass, high pass and band pass filters. That is about as filtery as you can get, however you can hook up an instrument into it's in port and filter away and get some decent effects.

For expansions, you can get the break out voltage control box, add in the control processor or a few moogerfoogers, but in the typical expansion sense you've got what you've got.

Once you get it setup, midi is wonderful on this device. It does understand pressure sensitivity and aftertouch, so you can make patches that take advantage of these parameters in some way. Recording midi into a sequencer can be fun.

There is no on-board sequencer, although with some fancy tricks you can use LFO's to fake sequenced patterns.

If you want an analogue sound you cannot get any more realistic than this. However I did pick up the Moog Modular V before this and I will say that if you need an inexpensive alternative the analogue emulations are getting there. Still they are not perfect, but the differences between them are getting fewer. This is also one of the best synths to learn synth programming and patch creation in my mind. It is so simple and you have all the controls in front of you. Having learned patch creation on soft synths with way too many parameters and never quite knowing what I was doing, it was refreshing to come to this system and be able to wrap my brain around the instrument.

I don't gig...

Moog support was a joy for me. I had a few specific and very bizarre/technical questions that weren't covered in the manual and I received an email back that answered everything for me. Apparently nobody had asked before and nobody had all of the details, but they did the leg work for me to get me the answers.

If it was lost, stolen or broken I would probably replace it. On the other hand it was such a huge investment that I'd probably need to give it some thought as I am not a performing musician and I currently don't make any money from music.

I own way too much other gear...

It definitely helps me make music, and for crazy chunky bass lines for songs this beast can really tear it up. Having owned a Virus, I am really surprised how much this thing can punch, kick and scream it's way into a mix. The Virus can certain fit well into a mix as well, it just comes through a bit differently.

Relatively easy; a little more difficult than an older synth to use because there are more options to learn.

Comprehensive for a mono synth.

I think if depends on the context:
-In relation to anything currently or recently made, it rules. Only in comparison with a Minimoog can anyone question it's sound.

Conclusion: excellent; only a few Mini owners can even question it's brilliance.

No problems.

The only minor criticisms are related to comparisons to an original Mini, and even then, the differences aren't great IMO. For anyone else, including some Mini owners, superb and far beyond anything other than the few relatively obscure top-end modular systems on the market.

As far as value, depends on your perspective. If you want the best, it's worth it. If a decent facsimilie will suffice, there are better options. The new rack mount mitigates some of the price pain.

If you already know how to program a synth it will be quite easy to use...

Possiblities are endless in my opinion ;)

Really analog! I have owned lots of VAs but noone sounded like this!
Preset sounds are good but the real deal is in programming!

It never broke until now...

Never had problems until now..

The best musical instrument I have ever owned, apart from my steinway grand piano ;)
To the anonymous who is bashing the voyager: I understand that You think that the original is better, but You have to understand that it is not easy to find one actually... at least for me. More, I've never heard an original Moog and I have tried lots of VAs but noone sounds like the Voyager! I feel sorry when I read Your opinion since I really love the Minimoog Voyager. Bye.

I'm currently using os 2.1 and will be upgrading to the new os that is being released with the electric blue version of the Voyager. I'm really impressed with the current system. Previous to purchasing the Voyager all my synths(with the exception of my first)have been pre-midi analog keyboards so, I don't have quite alot of background with midi oriented gear. That being said, I've find the operating system and patch editing quite easy. The user's manual is well written and serves as great reference when a question arises. The presets are ok to just reference basic patches and doesn't serve the Voyager much justice.

The Voyager is monophonic and the action is smooth with low and high note priority and is both velocity/pressure sensitve. The features are vast and many. I could write a lengthy page on the features but I feel that has already been covered in objective reviews elsewhere submitted on this page. But I can't resist in saying the three dedicated oscillators, the dedicated lfo, two mod busses, dual lp and hp/lp filters,fm mod,touchpad and more really smoke the old minis! Between the midi capabilities,the vast features of the os and the new front panel features along with the expansion capabilities definitely decided this purchase for me!

It's a Moog and It's Analog so, from an analog standpoint the expressiveness/sounds are otherworldly!!! To answer the question "are some of intruments very realistic?" NO,THEY ARE NOT AND IF I WANTED SOME KIND OF PSEUDO REALISM, I'D BUY THE NEWEST OF THE NEWEST SOON TO BE OUTDATED DIGITAL PIECE OF CRAP OR SOME GOSH AWFUL VA OR PLUGIN!!! I've already gone that route many years ago. I feel that the Voyager fits well with many genres rock,jazz,classical,goth,electronica however this isn't a push and play type of machine so I'm not going to say it fits with every and all types of musical genres.

I've owned my voyager for about seven months and it appears to be very reliable and I'm confident I can depend on it. Very well built, I'd say it's built rock solid. I usually don't inject personality into my instruments but, She sounds just as beautiful as she looks and would use it with out a back up with out thinking twice.

I haven't had to deal with Moog Music for warranty or customer support. But did deal with them about general inquiries and warranty registration and they promptly replied and were most friendly. I have no concerns should a question or concern arise. The Voyager forum at their website is very helpful as well.

Overall rating I must give it a resounding 10!!! If it were lost/stolen God help thief if caught and would replace at all cost. It's well worth the money and is the best synth in it's class. I own other analogs/keyboards Polymoog 203a+280A,Arp Odyssey,Farfisa combo compact deluxe,Multimoog,Liberation,Opus 3. My first synth was digital and hated it. It was too expensive and was replaced not even two years after it was released. Since then I consumed older gear and analog synths at the time were cheap, powerful and easy to use. I remember buying a Moog Rogue for$80.00 bucks and seen a mini for under $300.00 at the guitar shops in the early to mid 90's. The sound of these keyboards are trademark and will continue to be so. It's frustrating to see what older gear is going for and all the hype that accompanies it. It seems like the young'ins are trying to emulate their idols and the elders reliving the past. I don't know maybe I stand in the middle but, the preceding were not reasons for purchasing the Voyager. I waited, researched and decided to try before I buy. When I did try I tested a model d and a voyager they basically had to cut the time short. 15/30/60 minutes is more than enough to demo a synth to them. model d was figured out.similar to multimoog, But my Multimoog had more routing capabilities plus aftertouch. The Voyager had both velocity and aftertouch and much more. Try before you buy and see! Ignore the benign subjective reviews here and see for yourself. The model d and all the hype that goes with it is unfounded! all the negative posted bull*&^ posted here belongs to the realm of myth,fantasy,folklore,airheads,hobbyists and nostalgists!!!!!!!! YOURS TRULY AND MOST SINCERELY!!!

There is one crucial thing that has only recently come to my attention that every Voyager owner or prospective owner should know.

Before I was making most of my patches in dual filter low pass mode. Some of my patches, when using modulation, or the touch pad (which amounts to the same thing) were sounding not to my liking. I then switched to the low pass/high pass series mode (a simple flick of a switch!) and it was like a REVELATION! It turns out that the low pass mode when performing heavy modulations and affects, due to the dual filters, can cause phase cancellation and such, thinning out the sound. (I tried my all discrete Technosaurus as a control and the same thing happened. NOW, these patches are like those I had dreamed of; rich squealy resonant tones, sizzly sparkling highs in a backdrop of resounding mids and lows. Just thought you should know.

Lately there have been a few who express disatisfaction with the fact that the Voyager's oscillators are not fully discrete. I too began to have a complex about this and got into the habit of plugging my Technosaurus into the filter in order for it to sound like an Omega 8 or some other imagined Holy Grail of Synthesizers. Subsequent listening has shown this to be folly. It does not improve upon, and if anything intrudes upon, the delicate yet resounding sonority that is unmatched by any other synth, (including the modulars), except the original Mini itself. And the Mini is not better, but brasher, and buzzier, attributes that make it more difficult to integrate into a modern mix. Furthermore, discrete is not necessarily better, and in fact most of the original Minis used Integrated Chips, and they are considered fatter than the earlier discrete Minis.

Finally, most criticisms of the Voyager seem to be inconsistent, and fall into the trap of comparing it to the MiniMoog, a synth that differs from one to another. I hear some say it is better than the Mini in the high end, and inferior in the low, and others vice versa. Moog Music is partly responsible for this in that they marketed as a Mini for the 21st Century. It has the same unique sonority, but is its own instrument.

But enough of talk. Hear for yourself; check out the demo below. The leads are made with the Voyager (DRY! i.e. no effects).

http://analoguediehard.home.att.net/

James Socorro

If ever a synth deserved full marks its this one. For those who whine about the cost, think about what a Mini would cost in real dollars in 1975.

Secondly, think about the money shelled out for VAs only to be forgotten about in a year's time by the next digital attempt to reach the unreachable goal of the 'aliveness' of true analogue. Factor in the price of a computer every 2 or 3 years in order to keep up with the RAM and processing speed the CPU hungry soft synths require to approach their unreachable goal.

James Socorro

Great to see some honest appraisals of the Voyager rather than more saccharine praise. However, on the sonic shortcomings and as a Mini owner, I would love nothing more than to believe that there are significant sonic differences with an original Mini. However, except for those overly-cynical, long-winded and nit-picky reviewers below (one or two under different pseudonyms most likely) I have a feeling that most will find it very much like a Mini, with the added and substantial luxuries of patch memory, midi and enhanced expressivity. I don't think for a momement that "discrete" Macbeths, Studio Electronics or Omegas are closer to a Mini than this BTW, they all have their own distinct (and different) sounds. Those claiming otherwise are revealing their synth-head proclivities.

That said, let's hope Moog's listening and will include the missing discrete components in an eventual rack mount..

Patch memory, midi and expressivity..

I'm a long-time violin/mandolin/guitarist who felt like expanding, so I started looking for synths and decided to go with the Voyager. So I don't have the old vs. new thing going on and hopefully can offer a different perspective.

As far as ease of use, this thing is a piece of cake. It's really plug and play. The presets are there, but there's so much more when you get in control of the thing in manual mode. Granted, to get the most out of it, you should study sound synthesis (i.e., understand how the filters, envelopes, etc work), but I spent days of happy tweaking blindly turning knobs before I got serious. When I finally did take the time to understand it, it really opened up! Moreover, running other instruments through its audio-in is also an easy way to turn other instruments around.

The modulation buses are really nice. You get two, and everytime I work with them I come up with something new. Another nice feature of them is the ability to change their souces and destinations to even more combinations via the software's edit mode.

Then there are the pot-mappings, which allow you to control multiple pots via a single source (the manual suggests, for example, having the pitch wheel control both pitch and filter cutoff).

There's also the midi interface. This will make your software sequencer very happy. I use both Reason and Cubase with it so that I can play things my fingers can't do. Plus, you can tweak as you record. I understand that you can also save/export presets with a couple of different software apps (midiox and other that Moog is pushing), but have yet to try these. And speaking of user presets, this option is great, because coming up with a really interesting sound is one thing, trying to recreate it is another.

Lastly, I always run my guitar and bass through the audio-in. You only get the filter, but the mod busses make it possible to get the LFO in as well (and the third oscillator as well, which can also act as an LFO). This can make for some really unique sounds - great vibrato, panning etc...

I can't compare this to other analog synths. What I can say is that this sound impressed me enough to shell out $2700! I paid alot more to get a really good violin sound - and that offers only one type of sound!

I was afraid that synth playing would be too robotic, but this has not been the case with the Voyager. Many of the sounds I've gotten from it seem organic - I don't know how to describe it. Imagine anything from liquid being sloshed in a container, bubbles popping, wind in trees - it's not that it sounds exactly like these things, it' s more that it can immitate these things in a natural sounding way.

I've read of others having problems, but mine's been ok so far. I read another review here that mentioned hiss, I can't reproduce this on mine, it's very quiet.

Moog has been really good about answering emails (have yet to speak with anyone in person, no need). In addition, they have a nice community forum in which you can post questions etc. Apparently, their employees also browse this forum and chime in.

Overall I give this instrument a 10. This may simply be my naive view of it, but I've played music my entire life, and this thing has quickly become one of my favorites (considering I normally play guitars, basses, violins, mandolins).

The price is a factor. $2700 isn't chump change. But go shopping for a Gibson mandolin (~$3000), or a Fender Strat with a Twin combo amp (ouch!). True, these things are apples and oranges, but what they have in common is a great sound and qualtiy workmanship.

If you really _need_ a synth and are on a budget, of course you should shop. I may well have been just as content with a Nord or some other synth, so all I can comment on is this particular variety. I could afford to try it out, but I was in no way dissappointed.

If it were stolen I'd replace it. I'd be tempted to try some other syths, but I've put so much time into this one that it's really familiar now.

It's all about SOUND my friend. Synth makers of the last 20 years seems to have forgotten this!

That said, sure its got lots of features but consider what's missing:
1)Sine Wave - (In other words "Buy the MOOG THEREMIN")
2)LFO Saw Tooth Wave - no submarine signals! (Buy the VX351 Box!)
3)Filter Glide- A big part of the original Mini sound. Moog users are howling about this one (One threatened on the Moog Forum to dump his
if something weren't done about it. Seems the good Doctor thought he could sell some more expansion boxes by making it impossible without them. Even then it would mean readjusting the parameters for each patch! Moog Music is scrambling for a solution before there is a large scale revolt.
4)Pitch wheel problems described below
5)Castrated oscillators due to cost cutting op-amps and such i.e. not discrete like early minis, or Studio Electronics stuff, Macbeth, or EVERY other mono synth manufacturer I can think of. Come on, if they can't give us polyphony, at least give us discrete oscillators so they live up to the legend! See below for more.
6)Basses are too bright and not bassy enough. Opamps=more money for Bob are to blame. My Waldorf Pulse puts it to shame, not to mention my Future Retro 777 which is the best in my books, though its sort of apples and oranges.

Disappointed with the general sonic density of the non discrete oscillators. With JUST ONE OSCILLATOR, my Technosaurus Microcon has more sonic density than the Voyager! (Not suprisizing as its totally discrete.) The Voyager's are too transparent, and not biting and brash like the olds ones. The tone is delicate enough to begin with, so you really need that brashness for it to cut, especially live.

One thing though, with the old minis the increase in resonance really takes the umph out of a lot of the sound, especially in the bass. The Voyager is better in this regard. Perhaps its because of the non discrete oscillators, I don't know. Though it still tends to have that digital sounding weak bright sound which I shun.

That said, the dual filters, and touch pad are very cool, and with the Technosaurus running through the line in for a needed sonic density, I get some awesomely rad sounds that I won't get elswhere short of a modular system. For this reason and this alone, I am keeping it. Its also a superb controller for a modular which I plan on getting eventually. However, compared with the original Mini's superior sound, you really don't get your money's worth. Bob gets his money though, thats for sure.

There is something psychologists refer to as "cognitive dissonance". It refers to the fact that people will judge far more favorably, something they have spent a lot of money on, than something they didn't. In other words, If they spent 3 grand on a mono synth, the majority of people will not be able to JUDGE OBJECTIVELY about how they sound in comparison to other gear. Old Moog lover or not, the Voyager just does not kick ass like the Moogs of 30 years ago, because the electrical components are not of the same quality. What does "New Sound" mean? More digital, less biting, more transparent. Thats what it sounds like to me.

i have the voyager ae,software version2.1. this is a fantastic machine.ignore the guys stuck in the past in previous reviews. i own a moog source and minimoog and the voyager is just as fat sounding, albeit with a more modern sound. i have done extensive a/b tests and use the voyager every day. its a modern day classic! the manual is fine and editing patches is a breeze. try that on a minimoog.i know its a classic but the voyager is the best current monosynth without a doubt. se 1 is a pain to use with too much hidden in menus and doesn't sound as good. all main controls are to hand and if really deep editing is needed u can plumb the depths of the extensive menus.patch editor is on its way and will help organise the presets as its pain not having a numeric keypad.

its a monosynth and a future classic. keyboard action is very well balanced and feels good quality. not sloppy or cheap feeling. no built in fx but thats a good thing. good reliable midi timing and facilities. every front panel control sends and receives midi messages. couldn't ask for more.

the voyager sounds incredible and sits great in a mix. for studio use it is way better than a minimoog. its sounds just as good but fits in a mix so much better and stays in tune. it'll still cut through any mix as well as sit in it perfectly. its warm and bright and glossy. presets are very average so make your own. pitch and mod work great, very expressive, as is the touch controller which is fantastic for getting interesting sweeps and random fx. it can be programmed to control any parameter on the fly.

very reliable

moog are very helpful and reliable, all good.

this is the best synth i've ever owned or played and thats compared to minimoog,korg ms20, studio electronics se-1, memorymoog, ems synthi,arp oddyssey. i love it.its suits both studio and live work and i regularly use it on sessions. the only things it doesn't have which i would like is octave up and down switches. its an inspirational and expressive instrument which strikes the right balance between new and old sound and feel. i don't understand how people dislike this machine.i am a harsh critic myself and its hard to find fault with. sounds and looks great.