Voyager XL!

[EricK]

I agree entirely with EM white. This is really the Voyager's answer to the MultiMoog in a way that its a rarer and expanded Micro.

It is an instant classic synth, recreating an already classic synth. We are in a nice age for analog synths, likely to be one we will look back on with pride.

But I was also interested to know about the ribbon controller, if it was tied to Midi or not or the OS. It looked at first like it was a dualing ribbon controller, divided in the center. THAT IS A FUTURE SUGGESTION THERE, MAKE THE RIBBON CONTROLLER INTO TWO SEPERATE LINERAR CONTROLLERS. At first it looked lke it had 2 seperate cv outs, but one is probably a gate. Then they said that the arrows point to Middle c.

But seriously though, to be able to patch the touchpad to the delay, the ribbon to something else, while you have the second LFOs going to other gear and you are interfacing with your other modular synth, this XL is going to be a sure fire ferrari of controllers.

And the 1500 extra is probably paying for the oak, the ribbon controller interface, and the extended keybed and aluminum.


Plua, we have only seen the prototype, they might put a new badge on there or something to finalize the historic nature of it.

I really would trade mine in for a self contained vx/cp in a heartbeat. My back might disagree though.

Being self contained is really the thing that impresses me the most, even though I realize that the synth is a super dust catcher. With those holes, even more so.



Or it would make the most awesome pencil holder ever. (Or as the Boosh woudl say...stationary management system)

Eric

[Keyboard Komuso]

Releasing this beast in the midst of one of the worst recessions the U.S. has ever experienced was probably not the wisest marketing strategy.....

[MC]

It didn't hurt sales of the T3...

[opal gann]

Just placed my order today...

[Voltor07]

Just placed my order today...

Cool! Let us know how you like it when it arrives!

[opal gann]

Just placed my order today...

Cool! Let us know how you like it when it arrives!

I will...
I just payed off my credit card...Then Moog sent the email about the XL...well, so much for that...

I spent a good week trying to justify this purchase(I'm still not sure that I have convinced myself yet)...

Well, at least I will be playing a duophonic Voyager by the year's end (gonna chain it with my Voyager EB)

[Voltor07]

Just placed my order today...

Cool! Let us know how you like it when it arrives!

I will...
I just payed off my credit card...Then Moog sent the email about the XL...well, so much for that...

I spent a good week trying to justify this purchase(I'm still not sure that I have convinced myself yet)...

Well, at least I will be playing a duophonic Voyager by the year's end (gonna chain it with my Voyager EB)

Ooh...fancy! Videos to come, yes?

[Christopher Winkels]

Releasing this beast in the midst of one of the worst recessions the U.S. has ever experienced was probably not the wisest marketing strategy.....

Ah, but the recession technically ended last year; there's actually been economic growth in the US in 2010 - albeit unevenly distrubuted, in ways not always reflected in the job numbers, and not as robust as one would like. Let's also not forget that the US is not the sole market for this instrument. Many countries in the world (Germany, Canada, Australia, etc.) had much less severe recessions and recovered sooner than the US.

There is also probably very little risk to this design, since everything has been done before successfully; it's essentially compiling together several existing units into one box, so I'd imagine the break even point is quite low - they can probably start making a profit in the low three digits.

[Pogo]

I gotta be honest I find it a bummer. While I think thats cool if people are into and and I wish moog well. I just just see
it as a repackaging of things that Moog has made years ago now. A vocoder, a sequencer, a polyphonic keyboard, an alternative
controller, a external poly-box like the one from EML with chorus ? a percussion instrument of some sort, and dare I say it maybe
even a product that is not analog .. gasp. whatever it is lets keep the torch alive and look to the future. I love Moog but I really
have to tip my hat to people like Don Buchla. Don while totally out of my price range really never seems to be interested in
repeating himself. I think Moog is in a great place with a loyal fan base, I believe those fans ( myself included ) would love to
support Moog in taking a risk at changing again what we think about music and Moog as a company.

[Voltor07]

/snip/and dare I say it maybe
even a product that is not analog .. gasp. whatever it is lets keep the torch alive and look to the future. I love Moog but I really
have to tip my hat to people like Don Buchla. Don while totally out of my price range really never seems to be interested in
repeating himself. I think Moog is in a great place with a loyal fan base, I believe those fans ( myself included ) would love to
support Moog in taking a risk at changing again what we think about music and Moog as a company.

I agree with this...except for the non analog part. O_o I DO NOT WANT a digital Moog offering. Just want SOMETHING that is analog, has a market, is profitable, and is everything Moog. A polysynth would be great, a sequencer would be great, hell...ANYTHING but this would be great! If it does have the Minimoog oscillators then may God strike me with a lightning bolt. Otherwise, this is indeed a synth I will not buy.

[EricK]

Pogo,
Consider that we expect Mog to continue to innovate. If they are profiting off of the XL by a signifigant margin then don't you think that will fund things that we have been clamoring for for all these years?

They don't have much investment in repackaging the vx/cp units, just a litle time designing the chassis, thats about it.

So really, the money that they will make off of this thing, I imagine will go right back into the next great thing we will al be drooling over.

Eric

[alainhubert]

Nice, but simply an overpriced Voyager with a CP251, and VX351 and a ribbon controller. Nothing really new. Bob Moog himself would not have been too impressed by this, I think. Mike Adams (the big boss at Moog Music) has little clue as to what musicians want, or need.

We want a POLYPHONIC Moog!!! Not another mono synth for $5000 !

And come to think of it, how with this eXtra Large Voyager, may I ask, will you store a patch in memory if it was created including patch cords ????

[BrianK]

They don't have much investment in repackaging the vx/cp units, just a litle time designing the chassis, thats about it.

So really, the money that they will make off of this thing, I imagine will go right back into the next great thing we will al be drooling over.

Exactly - it's obviously a product made simply for the 40th Anniversary of the Minimoog. And without having 2 years to design something new, they found a way to make a better Minimoog for very little R&D and time.

It's obvious what this is - and it does combine several existing elements into a cool package. I can see how it's easy to get your new Moog product on the foldout cover of Keyboard when the Minimoog's 40th Anniversary was going to happen anyway. Imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars worth of "ad space" that would cost otherwise?

[Keyboard Komuso]

Nice, but simply an overpriced Voyager with a CP251, and VX351 and a ribbon controller. Nothing really new. Bob Moog himself would not have been too impressed by this, I think. Mike Adams (the big boss at Moog Music) has little clue as to what musicians want, or need.

We want a POLYPHONIC Moog!!! Not another mono synth for $5000 !

And come to think of it, how with this eXtra Large Voyager, may I ask, will you store a patch in memory if it was created including patch cords ????

Good point on the patch cords. Yes, I agree. We want a new POLYMOOG!!! Unfortunately it would probably cost $10,000 and have a silly name like "The Jolly Poly"!

[EMwhite]

Nice, but simply an overpriced Voyager with a CP251, and VX351 and a ribbon controller. Nothing really new. Bob Moog himself would not have been too impressed by this, I think. Mike Adams (the big boss at Moog Music) has little clue as to what musicians want, or need.

We want a POLYPHONIC Moog!!! Not another mono synth for $5000 !

And come to think of it, how with this eXtra Large Voyager, may I ask, will you store a patch in memory if it was created including patch cords ????

Good point on the patch cords. Yes, I agree. We want a new POLYMOOG!!! Unfortunately it would probably cost $10,000 and have a silly name like "The Jolly Poly"!

No different than having a Voyager with those bits outbound today (or any other MoogerFooger for that matter) but still a novel combination.

Would it have been as appealing to have integrated an "Old School" into the packaging? (am sure it was considered but likely not chosen as it wouldn't have been the 'modern incarnation' of MiniMoog). At least this way, it will tempt any potential Voyager suitors.

As for current thoughts on the Poly, it would seem that a keyboard packaged in XL clothing (cabinet, Fatar keybed, etc.) if build on what we know to be the mono Mini of today WILL be > 5k and that will be appealing to next to none of us (I suppose I could sell my car and then stay home all day long... hmmmm).

More than likely it will be either reduced to something with a different OSC architecture (more affordable), certainly will require different and additional modulation options, and also will need to be competitive with what DSI has done and beat the latest VAs from a sound quality perspective. Can you picture such a product... (I'm would like to but am having a difficult time doing so) If not well executed, it will break Moog right about the time when they are at their modern peak.

Conservative approach leveraging mix & match modules basis with an arbitrator (key dispatch module) and Phatty rack mount a possible option for those of us that can do with a 4 voice, 6 voice or 8 voice? Could serve multiple markets. Time will tell.