I know this is a sort of cliche thread/question, but there are many tiers when it comes to ‘moog snobs’. We know the Mini is the end-all, but is it still now with the brand new Voyager available? I personally love the sound and look of the mini, but i also love the voyagers patch storage.
The only tiny thing that turns me off of the Voyager is it doesn’t look like a traditional moog. The back moog logo is replaced with a giant voyager logo thats half-hidden with jacks, and it has that digital display screen. I wish they had kept it a little more traditional looking. Afterall, I think that’s definately part of the appeal when going with a moog. Atleast it’s still wood and big knobs
haha! i cant afford either of them anyway. i think the patch storage is reason enough though if i could. is there a difference in sound? one better than the other? this is what i’ve heard some people say.
Voyager can definitely sound like the Minimoog, and I found that it cops a good Taurus pedal too. But Voyager can do so much more - just this weekend I stumbled on really good saxophone patches (alto, tenor, and baritone) while messing around with filter env to waveshape modulation. Add some expression and it sounds great. Saxophones are really hard to emulate on analog, tried it on the Andromeda but Voyager does a better job. The modulation options and dual filters go a long way to extending the palette beyond Minimoog sounds.
right on… i guess what i’m getting at is the sound ‘quality’ of each. i’ve actually heard (from what i believed to be a snob) say “I swear that new Voyager doesn’t even have oscillators in it… Sounds soooo much thinner than a mini”. Then I’ve also heard (in the mini world) that there are only “certain serial numbers” that are even worth getting. You guys seem pretty genuine on here… so I was curious to hear you takes. cool
I’m not sure if there’s any truth in that - there may be. But it’s worth saying that some synth snobs use this kind of thing as an excuse when they say the Mini is better than X other synth and then can ‘t tell which is which from sound alone. They wriggle out of that by saying `it must have been a bad mini, then.’
So even if it’s true, there’s every chance it’s also exaggerated.
I have two Minimoogs, and I swear that they sound exactly the same when dialed up to the same settings. That is not really supposed to happen, but I do have a pretty good ear. It is uncanny how alike these two sound, and they are 4000 units apart in serial numbers.
I have read that Rick Wakeman (who had 8 or 9 Mini’s) could listen to any of his units while blindfolded and could tell you which one was being played. Wow!
I, too, have heard some that just did not sound very good, so I imagine that there are some stinkers out there, but by and large I think that most Minimoogs were great sounding instruments.
I have never heard any of the later models. Bob Moog stated that these actually sounded better, but most people think that they sound worse. This is supposed to be because the oscillators were more precise so they did not sound as fat due to tuning instability. All I know on that is that the newer ones do not command as good of a price on ebay.
It depends on what you’re looking for.
I would say if you want a modern synthesizer which you have the ability to say “hey, it’s analog!” about… maybe you should consider the voyager… it is, as they say, brimming with functionality. (but, then again, so is a softsynth)
I can’t deny the convenience of patch storage, an LFO, etc… but when I wanted to buy a 3 osc Moog synth, I was looking specifically for the sound of a Mini. Sure, the Voyager is very functional, sounds cool and everything… but it doesn’t have the rough drifty noisy sound of a Mini… which is what I sought.
There really is no “which one should I choose,” as they are very different, and really used in different ways. If you want a modern function-filled synth that sounds good and has the Moog name, the Voyager is the perfect choice. If you want a Mini… with all of the sound, flaws, and history… welll, there you go. : )
Sure, each Mini sounds different… but their difference falls under a more general “sameness,” or no one would ever be able to identify the sound of a Mini, right? After having my Mini one day, I could totally recognize the “Mini sound” in recordings. They have a sound, even if they might vary individually.
FWIW, a while ago someone posted a sound clip comparing a mini with an andromeda on analogue heaven (which contains more than its fair share of synth snobs). A number of people posted their opinions but very few (if any) correctly identified which clip went with which synth. Sure it’s just one test, but this seems to be a common theme whenever blind testing is employed: people are much less adept at actually hearing those differences than they are at commenting on them.
Any opinion as to which sounds better is, in any event, entirely subjective: there is no better or worse, only a personal preference. So, go with the one that you prefer, it’s as simple as that.
Yes, it’s very possible to make some very UN-Mini sounding patches on a Mini, just like it’s possible to make some very MINI sounding patches on… well, most synthesizers. It’s easy to fool people… even veterans… because they are looking for a standard sound… now if you took the standard Mini sound… a definitive sound… an oft-used and appreciated sort of sound and made it with both, I daresay many would be able to tell the difference. In that case, you’re comparing more objectively, instead of trying to mock those who, rightfully so, know there is a definitive Mini sound.
Face it… most people buy any synthesizer for what it’s capable of… instead of its own unique sound… the glaring exception is the Mini… the synth that is often bought not just for brand or renown, but because it specifically has a definitive and attractive sound.