I want to fulfill my dream and buy a new Voyager in the next weeks. So, there are still some question to you as experienced users or “insiders”:
Is the Voyager a reliable synthesizer? How old are your devices and were there any problems? Are there any weak points, what should I watch?
Of course with a new device, I have a 3-year warranty, but I’d appreciate your experience with the reliability of hardware and software.
And: Do you expect a (major?) update or a new version of the voyager in the near future? After all, it’s already 12 years in production…
Yes the Voyager is very reliable. It is an analog instrument with over 800 components, so there have been issues here and there like any other instrument, but Moog’s customer service is great.
There may very well still be different versions of the Voyager, though I don’t really see how they can do anything else since they pretty much put the icing on the cake with the XL. Maybe an all acrylic chassis/cabinet. Who knows? There haven’t been any major software updates in awhile now, and there probably won’t be, since they already have that about as perfect as it can be.
I mean, I wish they would add a sequencer/arpeggiator, make every knob (or at least the modulation amounts) assignable via pot mapping, and make some sort of panel based filter pole selection. Maybe they will, but I’m not holding my breath.
Plus the question of knowing whteher an update will come soon is not relevant. If a Voyager gives you joy, a new Voyager won’t make your old Voyager give you less joy. Buy it for what it is, not for what it might become.
I will second that - XL is hands down one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Bought a refurb a few months ago and have had zero problems and many happy evenings creating sounds!
Asking this question is like asking: are airplanes safe to fly on ? Yes, of course. But that doesn’t mean a crash is impossible, although relatively rare.
If you’ve been dreaming of owning a genuine Moog Voyager, here’s your chance to fulfill that dream ! Who could resist ? Not me.
And combine that with a 3 year warranty, what have you got to loose ? Nothing.
So, like Chris, Stiiiiiiive, and EricK wrote: go for it man!
I’ve played the Voyager, the Little Phatty and the Sub Phatty in the Shop and thought: Wow, only 1 Osc of the Voyager sounded more powerful than the 2 (+sub) of the both “brothers”.
And probably the new Sub 37 will rather sound like the Sub Phatty than like the Voyager. Am I right with both?
But in the end: OK, OK, you have convinced me (or you have dispelled my doubts)!
Right after my holiday I will check the stock in the shops and I will give you a feedback about my final choice.
I have a Signature Voyager. It has been upgraded to nearly the new spec. (Still need to do the aftertouch mod) It needs occasional maintenance and could use a trip to the factory every lustrum or so for a recalibration. I’ve got the latest OS and wish for a new one to meet my percieved needs, but it is good and stable as it stands. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.
The Voyager is a bit thicker and warmer sounding while the Sub yields more of a tighter focused in your face focused sound. Another way to look at this is that the Voyager sounds somewhat muted compared to the Sub Phatty unless you have the filters wide open.
The Sub 37 appears to be very similar to the Sub but the new Filter Feedback circuit can yield some differences…either way neither will sound like a Voyager.
I run my Voyager RME and Sub Phatty through Focal Twin BE6 monitors and the difference in sound is immediately apparent.
Hi, no problems with the Voyager since I bought it in april 2012…I’m not a musician so it doesn’t work hard. I’m still reading the manuals,I always
let the machine heat for at least 15-20 minutes before doing anything. When I shut it down, I always turn down every knobs on the mixer first, then I switch off all oscillators, noise source…I let it “cooldown” for a while then “off”.I could say that the machine is “on” for about 10-15 hours a week.The trick is in the reading, little help from the Moog staff and the forum community like here ! It’s a fabulous soundship !
Do you really have to do that, or is it just playing safe? I turn mine on every morning or when I get home from work in the afternoon and then turn it of when getting to sleep. I don’t turn anything down when cutting the power on the “wall of sound” I have (2x2,5 meters with Voyager, foogers, Elektrons and mixer/speakers), just the output of the mixer (not Voyager-mixer). I turn everything of by pulling the cord from the wall.
Turning down all the oscillator volumes before switching out seems playing very safe. The oscillators are running free anyway. Only the envelope stop them. Whether the mix knobs are set to 0 or not does not change anything in this case. Anyone, correct me.
On the contrary, I would advice not to switch off by unplugging from the wall, especially for amps and synths with an integrated PSU. Sometimes, the PSU has a “ramp up” system that allows the current to establish progressively (we are talking about 10-100 ms values here). Switching off is ok, but when you plug again, the switch of your Voyager is already letting the current in and the current coming from the wall enters it quicker.
My advice:
for anything with an embedded PSU, turn on and off yourself; for stomboxes, it’s ok to have a switch equiped lead or to unplug
The 15-20 minute warmup is for the electronics to stabilize to temperature so that the VCOs play in tune, that’s all. You won’t hurt anything by playing it right away, just that the VCOs may not be in tune.
When I shut it down, I always turn down every knobs on the mixer first, then I switch off all oscillators, noise source…I let it “cooldown” for a while then “off”.
Not necessary. All you need to do is make sure the speakers are turned off. Sometimes there’s a short period they are still producing sound after you turn them off. So I usually make noise on something until the sound cuts out, then I turn off everything. I have my entire system on a master on/off switch.
Power on: speakers last.
Power off: speakers first.
When gear is powered cycled there are very brief noise transients in the audio, can be loud pops. Only the speakers are vulnerable to damage. This will not damage the mixer, the synth, etc.
