I’m considering a trade right now. My Performer for an Old School. I know I’ll be losing midi, patch storage and the touch screen but want to know what other differences there are. Like things that are handled by the operating system that will be absent in the Old School. On the flip side does the OS have any additions not found on the Performer. For example I just noticed that it has gate and pitch CV outputs. Is there anything else?
well, i know i am excited about the modulation possibilities of the OS. although i know they can do a lot of routing via software.
but i will tell you why i want the old school more (i have a little phatty now, and have always wanted a voyager):
1.) i like the fact there is no software - one less thing to go bad (memory, operating system, communication, etc). and i hate constant udates (i have the LP tribute edition, and i think i am not going to get the software upgrade any time soon as the synth is what i bought it for). but i constantly see people, here on the forums, wanting more from a synth they bought because they think everything can be programmed in. so they are not happy with the hardware they bought and expect miracles: sequencers, expanded patches, effects, polyphony, etc. with the old school, you get what you get.
2.) i like being intimately connected with the circuit. turn a knob and affect the voltage directly - no encoders.
3.) the old school has direct pitch and gate CV outs plus a few more CV outs that i dont think are on the other voyagers (with out the CP-351)
4.) there are a very limited quantity being produced - although i know first hand moog plays on our collectors edition side. for example: limited edition MF104’s, limited edition little phatty tribute edition, limited edition voyager signature series, limited production taurus, and probably some more that i am forgetting. i still feel there is a lot of value in the limited quantity products that moog puts out. its evident in the price they command (even on vintage stuff that had tens of thousands produced).
5.) true synthesizer learning - what i mean by that is with the old school, you have to patch it yourself and there is value in that. i know people will say that the other voyagers you can patch yourself too, but i know first hand with the little phatty that its easier to just dial in a patch that is similar to what you are looking for and dial in the details. while it is convenient to do so, there is more value in actually creating the patch yourself from scratch. it opens a whole new creative process and forces you into being less lazy.
maybe i am crazy, but know there are a few of us out there that really think the old school was the coolest thing moog could have put out. but from reading other internet posts about it, it seems that most people want forward progression with digital control, DSP, computers, patch memory…and while all of this has its place in my home studio, its not entirely for me. there is something about pure analog and physical interactions for me. the old school appeals to a limited few i think. and they arent all old minimoog guys, i am only 27 but have dabbled in diy analog synths and modulars.
This is something I’ve seen people say but no one is ever really specific about what those possibilities are and what the OS can do that the ‘digital’ (for lack of a better word) Voyager can’t. Does it have an additional LFO? Are there more mod sources or destinations? Is it the CV ins/out on the back panel? To me they seem like the exact same synth.
This is one of the things that appealed to me as well. I had a Tribute edition for a year and thought it was fine as it was and never understood peoples desire for constant upgrades.
Ditto…
Outside of pitch/gate do you know what they are? I just skimmed the manual but couldn’t find anything. The pitch/gate outs are appealing to me because it’ll allow me to use the Voyager to control my modular.
Eh…I’m not a collector I care more about function rather than whether it may be worth something 20 years from now.
I agree with you about the OS being one of the cooler things Moog has put out. It’s funny but I started out on digital synths in the late 80s and over the last few years have moved away from all that toward simpler analog. I don’t care about DSP, memory, built in effects, 128 note polyphony, thousands of presets, etc. I just want things that are simple and immediate with knob per function interfaces. I got into modulars a few months back and at first I thought that having no patch memory would suck but I actually prefer it now. The patch becomes part of the creative process. Like mixing paints and preparing a canvas before painting.
Hmmm, long post!
The main difference is in the modulation section:
(these images from moogmusic.com, sweetwater.com 
)
Notice you don’t have a shaping control any more, it’s called “Controller”. There’s a video of Amos (Analog Suicide?) doing “insane FM stuff” somewhere, where the oscillators are modulating each other and the like.
You can’t quite see it in that pic, but the LFO sync knob has gone. You can select ramp LFOs in the OS, along with smooth sample and hold.
With the OS, you lose the touchscreen.
You don’t have additional Mod Sources (though the extra positions + controller can make up for that).
You also cannot assign Mod Destinations to any other place.
No Pot Mapping.
No Filter Pole selection (1, 2, 3 or 4).
No selectable Pitch Wheel amount (individually assignable for each direction).
The OS has CV pitch/gate out (which was added in production); this means you don’t need a VX-351 for controlling (probably still useful, though).
I prefer to use the Voyager as an all-in one controller/synth. It’s ability to be controlled over MIDI is great for me. If I want “real” (non-digital) control, I have a few other synths to use. I still find the knobs very smooth. Each to their own, though.
Lanxe,
Updates:
I think that if something is going to be living, it must evolve. WHen the Voyager came out it had 128 presets. Now it has 896. Its been improved. Its aftertouch and filter glide has been improved. THe select edition backlinghting was noisey and this is an improvement. They will probably add an arpeggiator and this will be an improvement. In a few years there might be more memory and more improvements and I personally think this is welcome.
I did theorize that the OS would probably outlast the performer because of the digitality of the interface.
But as long as people like us are around we will support the last voyager OS to comeout should something happen like Moog explodes or gets bought out or something.
I don’t think a memory stifles the learning process. Its up to the user. But having No memory makes the OS one helluva cliff to dive off of should they not have any experience at all. But really, theres no difference between a patch sheet and a programmed preset.
I do think that it has some sources and destinations in place of the ones that are programmable on the performer editions.
If they made an OS with a touchscreen and backlighting Id trade in my select.
Eric
what if they made one with backlighting, and a MF-106 touchscreen?
i am by no means bashing the voyager’s digital interface. i have lusted for a voyager for years. but i finally dove in because of the old school.
all i am saying is different strokes for different folks. in fact, i am sure most of us have been labeled dorks because of synthesizers. i know the old school isnt for everybody, but that too makes it even more appealing to me.
some time ago i dove right in building a modular not knowing a thing about synths other than the very basics. i got flamed by many people that it wasnt the right decision. but looking back i wouldnt change that decision (other than which modules i decided to focus on first).
what am i saying? the old school is great, all the other voyager models are great, the little phatty is great. but i think its the old school that brings me back to where i started with modulars (with a lot less patch cables involved).
i am blessed to own any of the above instruments. and i am even more blessed to be able to truly enjoy what is that flows through these synths. i think that the OS allows you to get closer to this.
some people prefer to listen to vinyl. some people say digital is better.
i have an mp3 player and a turntable and both are great. i love my ipod. there are merits to both arguments. but there is something that connects me to the vinyl. having to put the needle in the groove. having to be there to flip the record. i cant explain it, but i know some people feel the same way i do (although i suck at describing my feelings).
i hope nobody is misinterpreting what i am trying to say. digital has its place and is advancing the way we live leaps and bounds. but i still like vinyl for the same reasons is like the old school. but again, thats not to say that my ipod isnt filled with my favorite music or that my little phatty gets played with as much passion as the modular.
I was only attracted to post on this because you mentioned that people expect miracles from software updates. THats the only thing that I disagreed with.
I had to have my lit panel and memory because I grew tired of working harder to document/recall a patch than I did to create one.
If I could have my touchpad and a magic wand that would recall my patch then the OS would be for me lol.
But in spite of my wearieness of tedius patch documentation I still yearn for modular myself. So I guess Im just nutty. lol
What kind of modular did you set your heart on?
Eric
I love the new voyager Old School , and the Original Old School aswell.
You haven’t spent much time on the Little Phatty forum have you?
To be honest I think I’ll miss the touch pad and the filter pole selection. I won’t miss MIDI or patch storage. I enjoy patching before I play.
well, i had to research some of this and found out i was wrong about a few things (mainly the cv outs - the only addition is the direct pitch and gate cv outputs). here are the panel comparisons i pulled from each manual:
Note that one says “10 control inputs” and the other says “11 control inputs” but they are the same layout.
and the front:
the modulation routing looks a bit different - a few more options on the “controller” switch.
other than that they are the same synth.
THat would look awesome…an Old School RME just like the Studio Electronics MidiMoog.
Eric
GENIUS! 
An even lower cost Old School! 
I’ve bought an Old School over a Performer for a few reasons;
1- Direct control of the CV
2- Limited production run
3- A bit less expensive too
4- No menus!
5- Different modulation busses
I would have liked to get an original MiniMoog model D, but the OS is a modern equivalent in my humble opinion.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the Performer (or any other regular Voyager edition) is an amazing synth, with a lot more possibilities and appeal. But me, I’m just an Old School kind of guy.
Alain
I need to decide by today so I don’t hold the OS owner up from selling it. I really like the OS the only thing I hesitate on is the lack of filter pole selection. This to me is a strength of the original Voyager as it allows for sweet sounds as well as (in my opinion) aggressive ones. If it wasn’t for that one thing I’d have the OS in my possession already.
I wonder if this is something that can be done via modification through the addition of a switch of some sort…
Since you already are going to miss the filter pole selection I would hold on to it.
The MF 101 Filter is, essentially, another 4 pole Low Pass Filter. I’m not sure you’d get anything sonically different going than the capabilities already built in. I might suggest picking up a murf. In addition to the ‘animation’ effects, it makes for a pretty nice fixed filter bank.
dml
Dude if you already have a modular then surely theres alternate filters out there with various poles.
Get the oS!
Yes, this is true.