How the detuning works on the Voyager

The Moog Forum Minimoog Forum
1

Hi all,

I have what appears to be a slight problem with the detuning on my Voyager. Let’s say you want to detune VCO2 relative to VCO1 so that you can get this slightly chorush sound. So, I start turning slowly VCO2 frequency clockwise (or counter clock-wise) and once it goes to +3 it’s already detuned enough. :confused: So I emailed Moog and Amos got back to me with this email:

My email:

Hi,

I have a Select Series (#224) Voyager and I have noticed that it is difficult to get tiny amounts of detuning! In the “0” settings the VCOs lock to each other but when I try to detune the second or third oscillator (frequency knob set to -3), I can’t get that warm detuning (it seems too out of tune for such a small setting). I am very interested in getting the inbetween values.

Do you think this can be fixed in a future OS update. Maybe an increased resolution can fix this?

Thanks a lot.
Yannis

Yannis

Amos’ answer:

Hi Yannis,

Two things may help you. One is an understanding of the technique by which the Voyager scans the panel knobs: If a knob is stationary, there is a small range of movement which is ignored, to prevent noise and jitter coming from tiny changes in the pot voltage. Only when you make a bigger change than this, is it “noticed” by the Voyager digital board. This will make a small jump in the parameter value. So, to get a very slight detuning one must turn the Frequency knob more than intended, and then slowly but with a continuous motion turn the knob to the desired position. If you keep your motion slow and continuous, you will be able to achieve finer resolution of the knob movement.

The second possibility is to use the Voyager Editor/Librarian software. With this software it is already possible to make very fine numerical adjustments at 14-bit resolution, which would allow you to specify exactly the amount of fine detuning between oscillators.

Kind regards,

Amos Gaynes
Applications Engineer

Moog Music Inc.
ANOTHER DIMENSION

So, there you have it. You need a wide spin so that the OS detects a change in the frequency and once it does then you can start moving slowly towards the setting you want.

I have to be honest here: I don’t like this method. I have a patch on the Arturia Minimoog V where I detune OSC2 and it creates a huge sound - I replicated this sound on the Voyager with the purpose it of using live - including the detuning, (which is followed by a frenzy sequence) but … no luck. :cry: :cry:

I was wondering maybe by pressing a knob while rotating the frequency knob simultaneously, the Voyager could get in ultra fine tune mode instantenously, thus bypassing the necessity for a wide spin before the final adjustment. You know, like Shift works in some cases.

What do you guys think? I know this is not too much to ask, is it?

2

To me the tuning is working fine.
And the little jump you have to do, is not that big. It is just one digit on the display or so. Of cause it is not really like a full analogue synth. But that’s what the Voyager Old School is for.

3

Perhaps with that particular appplication you could consider pot mapping or something to substitute…perhaps the mod wheel or something like that for that particular preset that you have going. Maybe the mod wheel will give you the amount that you are looking for without necessarily activating the OS persay.

Theres usually ALWAYS a way around something.

EricK

4

Ok,

I know I might be tiresome - I apologize for this… but can we perhaps have a greater resolution by pressing a certain pre-programmed key and tweaking a knob? Something like the “Shift” function on a keyboard? Maybe on a future OS upgrade?


Please? :unamused:

5

How about pot mapping the mod wheel to the OSC2 or OSC3 or both frequencies. I tried this with the amounts set to %25 and found the results to work better than using the pots directly for small adjustments of this nature.

I don’t think the MOD Wheel is digitally scanned but I may be wrong about this.

Just and Idea :bulb:

Cheers,
theglyph

6

Of cause it is scanned for sending out midi controller data. And why not using this digital data just like other knobs.

7

Yannis,

Try turning off PARAMETER DISPLAY in PANEL mode, and COMPARE TO PRESET in EDIT mode. I find that with these two parameters turned off, the knobs seem to respond more readily to small movements.

Give it a shot. :smiley: