Maybe a stupid question but…
I already have a Voyager which I love. I’d like to pick up a second analog synth and have been looking at the Little Phatty. My question is would the Little Phatty give me anything the Voyager can’t or are they pretty much the same soundwise?
Thanks for your opinions!
In many ways the Little Phatty is a scaled-down Voyager - two oscillators instead of three and limited modulation options - but otherwise it shares similar circuitry and features, and a similar sound as a result. One thing the LP has that the Voyager doesn’t is that lovely Overload circuit in the filter section, which allows the LP to get sounds that the Voyager can’t without external processing.
I guess the answer really depends on whether you’d want to create complementary sounds (a Voyager and an LP MIDI’d together would be a cool paring for layered analog timbres) or something that would provide you with more contrasting sounds (a Voyager and a ROMpler synth, for example).
My 0.02.
Greg
I think that GregAE makes a great point, and you would be well to put some thought into what he says.
I LOVE Moog synths, and thus I have a Source, a Mini D, and an LP (and someday in the near future a Voyager). While they all sound different from one another, they have that characteristic Mooginess. Many days I just turn on the LP and let the others relax. The LP can come close to the sound of the others. If I want to play contrasting lines, then I turn them all on.
My only other true analog is an Alesis Andromeda, and while I like many of the sounds and the polyphony, the multiple menues are a drag and I have never really grown to love it. It does sound cool when played with the Moogs however.
Many purpose driven studios try to purchase synths that make contrasting sounds. I have heard from many that a Moog and the DSI PEK or MEK are great combinations that complement each other well. I also like the analog simulating Nordlead 2. It sounds great and is not very expensive–I will be picking up one of those in the not too distant future as well.
For me, however, the Nord and the DSI products are not very intuitive to operate (and certainly the Andromeda is not). When I get my hands on a Moog, I know just what to do but, to be honest, the Moogs are a bit simpler as far as their features, and I have been bashing about with Minimoogs for decades, so I can operate similar Moogs in my sleep.
It is all in what you are looking to do, my friend. If you plan to continue adding synths to your collection, by all means buy a Moog and support our friends in Ashville. This is also the choice if you plan to play contrapuntal compositions and want each line to complement each other.
If you are looking for just ONE more synth to buy and want the maximum sound palate and features possible, I would highly recommend that you check out the options that I mention above.
Hmm. Let’s just say that there are sounds that the LP can do that the Voyager can’t.
I just typed a really lengthy reply and the **** forum dumped me… 
I have a lot of gear I don’t really need or use. Long story short I’m looking to streamline my setup. I’d like to cut it down to 2 analog monosynths, a guitar and a drum machine. Don’t ask why…I just fee that that would work best for me. I’m really happy with the sound and build quality of my Voyager. It’s the nicest piece of gear I’ve ever owned. Moog sound aside I really like the design of the LP (I’m a designer and tend to make decisions based on design…it’s a quirk of mine). My other choice is the MEK. I’ll most likely go the way of DSI simply for the sound contrast but was wondering if there was anything about the LP that would make it stand out from the Voyager enough to warrant having both. From the demos I’ve heard they sound very similar…I just wasn’t sure if that was a case of Moog’s marketing it as ‘Voyager Lite’ or not.
The LP sounds quite different to the voyager to me. The filter is voiced differently to the voyagers for a start, ie its response sounds slightly different. It opens up a little more than the voyagers in the top end so it sounds a bit brighter. The overload control adds a dimension that the voyager just cant do;its def got a more aggressive sound even with the overload at zero.
Yes they both have the moog character and feel but i see the LP as the perfect immediate raw, portable and cheeky moog that works in pretty much every musical situation and the voyager more as a studio/sound design very deep instrument that can be used live of course but is a little more complex to get to grips with in terms of its interface
For me the lp has enough of its own character to justify owning both. 
If only I had the money. I’d have a Voyager, a LP and a MEK.
This decision has been harder to make than I thought. The problem I had was I couldn’t find any place local that stocked Moog products or more specifically the LP so I’ve been going mostly on mp3s I’ve heard online. I found a place that has both a MEK and an LP in stock so I’m going to go give them a test drive. If the LP is different enough from the Voyager maybe I’ll pick it up.
Thanks for the help.
Think of it like this:
Lp is more like the source in terms of sound and architecture; ie raw, and in your face.
The voyager is more like the minimoog but a little smoother sounding.
However they are both very versatile!!
You need to hear both in person…true!
I think the Voyager is much better than the Phatty
another neat thing that i like about the lp is the fact that you can change filter poles…which can change the whole sound more than you might think, don’t know if the voyager can do this as i never looked through the menu on the ones i’ve played. Because of the ability to change the poles you can get rawer sounding (to me at least) filter sweeps and more clean ones like the voyager.
Yes, you can change filter poles on the voyager.Its in the menus.
To kemkeris, you should stop spamming and tell us all why you think the voyager is so much better!
Otherwise get yourself outta here …
well to me something is better if it has more features..I don’t see how lesser features can be better, but that’s my opinion..
the lp stage is small, dark, and cute. it’s the gothic lolita of synthesizers.
the voyager is heavy-duty, powerful and knows it, like an arizona cop.
I don’t like your tone, goldphinga, Putting a link in my signature makes me a spammer or because I don’t agree with your view?
Well I got the Little Phatty yesterday…#318 I think. I went with a limited edition when I saw the stage had the plastic ends and wasn’t much cheaper. It’s not quite as thick sounding as my Voyager but they make a nice pair. Overall I’m happy with the purchase.
i dont like your tone either. this is a moog forum not an opportunity to link to dubious businesses.
why would you link to such rubbish if you arent a spammer?
The more I play around with the LP the more I like it. One complaint though…for something this expensive the keys are awfully crooked. I can get a $20 Casio with straight keys I would expect a little better for something that cost me $1375.
Is this something fixable under warranty or is it ‘normal’?
Jon: email me at work [amos at moogmusic dot com] and if possible send me pics of the keys… chances are it’s fixable.
Congrats on the purchase jon_kull. I hope that you enjoy your purchase as much as I have enjoyed mine. I will bet you anything that you will end up with a DSI product as well. Another nice synth, just not a Moog.
For me, however, I don’t know if I will ever buy one. I was at the local music store yesterday and fooled around with a PEK (for around the 12th time) for about 10 minutes. I just can’t seem to grow attached to that instrument. I have heard many people make great stuff with it, but I just don’t seem to get it. I guess I need to sit down with somebody who really knows one so that I can figure it out…
i know what you mean. really, the PEK would be an enormous modular if every part was intuitively easy to reach at i think. 16 oscs, tons and tons of modulation, sequencing, etc etc. Even the Evolver on it’s own can be a handful. I think if you get a chance to try out programming with the software editor you’ll fall in love with it. ..otherwise try out a MEK. as opposed to the poly, it’s really pretty well laid out. I use just a single evolver (not exactly a programming dream without the editor), but the sounds that come out of that thing are as legendary as moog’s. SID chip sounds, wavetable synth sounds, mini-like basses, pretty decent tb-303 emulation, to full blown drum machine programming. i’ll stop talking like a DSI advertisement now, but just wanted to share that, as I’ve enjoyed the Moog (i have an LP, mf-101/mf-102 x2/mf-103/mf-104z/mf-105/cp-251 x2) + DSI synth combo.