The Old School’s Enhanced Mod Bus is stated to have more mod options that appear on the front panel.
Are these all the same modulations that appear in the previous Voyager’s menus?
Or did the Old School gain something brand new?
It looks like you can now select OSC 1 and 2 as mod sources, and the mod wheel, MOD1 and volume envelope were added to the shaping knob.
if i’m not mistaken, the std voyager can do the same modulation arrangements via the programmable setting on the buses, right? so the std can do the same the os does, it just doesn’t have it on the front panel.
yeah crs.one that’s pretty much what i’m thinking too.
i’m just curious if there’s any small detail we’re overlooking.
Yeah, now that i’ve checked, you can do those things through the software. Hmm.
there is one small thing,
The Shaping knob is not really Shaping anymore. It is Modulation Sources.
So, with this knob you select whether a bus is tied to the mod wheel, or velocity, or aftertouch… and in all cases the modulation source completely controls the level of modulation from zero to maximum (100% of the modulation depth set by the Amount knob). This means for an easy example that you can tie a vibrato LFO to Aftertouch, so that there is no vibrato at all until you engage it with aftertouch. This is difficult if not impossible on the standard Voyager as a Shaping selection only multiplies the amount of modulation, a Shaper cannot set the amount of modulation to zero.
I haven’t really spent the time to confirm all new unique possibilities of the new mod bus configuration but this is certainly one of them. It’s pretty fun live.
Here’s the lowdown on the Old School Mod Busses:
On the regular Voyager, one mod bus is controlled by the Mod Wheel (The Mod Wheel Mod Bus) and the other is controlled by the MOD1 input, which is normalled to +5V, or ON (The Pedal/ON Mod Bus). Each Mod Bus has a Source, Destination and Shaping selector switch.
On the Old School, We changed these to Mod Bus 1 and Mod Bus 2, and replaced the SHAPING selector with a 6-position selector called CONTROLLER. This means that the Mod Busses have lost their Shaping feature, but gained open-ended control. Each Mod Bus can be controlled from the Mod Wheel, MOD1 Input (normalled to +5), Velocity, KB Pressure, Filter EGR or Volume EGR. It means that both Mod busses can be controlled by the mod wheel at a turn of a switch. In the regular Voyager you do this with a preset’s pot mapping.
Another change is the replacement of the LFO Sync Selector with a LFO Waveform selector (You still have the LFO Sync input if you want to Sync the LFO to KB Gate). On the Mod Bus Sources, the first choice is LFO and the waveform is determined by the LFO Waveform selector. Other mod sources are the Oscillators, Noise and the MOD2 input (normalled to +5). That’s also different from the regular Voyager but nice for some modulations that you would need to use a preset’s PGM Mod Sources.
Hope that explains it a little.
SD
Ok to hijack my own thread:
For people who know:
If 2 knobs (like Spacing and Cutoff) are being tweaked simultaneously,
does the Old School make for an even smoother sound because there’s no DSP?
(2 front panel knobs, NOT pedals or CV)
I believe the original Voyager displays 7-bit, but actually processes tweaks as 14-bit. You can get the full resolution when using the Software. 14-bit is still quite “smooth”. Ask me to turn a knob to 16000-odd different positions and I’m sure I’ll have trouble.
Question:
Why did Moog not release a RAC Voyager? Sure, it would be more expensive, but I thought the LP was supposed to be the budget Moog synth.
There was and no Moog Music synth ever with DSP.
There is a modern version of the Z80 processor inside. This is nothing like a DSP at all. A DSP (Digital Signal Processor) is mainly used to generate or manipulate audio data. The sound of the Voyager is generated 100% analog. The digital part just controls and memorizes the settings of the knobs and menue functions.
All the parameters of the sound are then generated analog by using real VC controlled parameters. So there is are (for example) two fully VC controllable envelope generators in the Voyager. No other Moog (except modular synths) ever got so many VCed parameters.
My mistake regarding using the term DSP.
What I meant:
On current Voyagers, if I use the front panel only,
as I manually tweak the SPACING knob and then sweep CUTOFF,
i don’t get a completely smooth filter sweep sound. Little artifacts.
If I use CV pedals instead to do the same, I DO get smooth sweep sound.
So I guess my question is:
Since the OLD SCHOOL has no ‘modern z80 processor’ in it at all,
does that mean even those front panel knob tweaks will be perfectly smooth?
how does the old school (or std voyager for that matter) output the mod busses through the VX 351?
does it just send the mod source straight out on it’s own, or is the output effected by the “controller” (shaping) and amount knobs?
i’m asking to see if it’s possible to send out VCO 2 and 3 straight out of the vx into the mf102 and back through the mixer without effecting anything else? making the mixer controls for vco 2,3 and ext in, into ring mod controls all on the synth itself.
if this is not possible then maybe the touch pad outputs should be changed to vco outs. what will they be used for on the old school btw?
great synth guys, as much as i love and adore my little phatty this is really the synth i’ve been waiting for you guys to make for years now. i find it hilarious that people are actually complaining about it for not having midi or presets, how long has the voyager performer been out now? i would have thought they’d have noticed the midi preset version by now.
This is what I’m wondering also. Is the OS completely analog? Or did they just remove part of the digital control/memory.
I can’t wait to try it out.
RE: Z80 processor, etc… As Till said, everything on the Voyager is Analog -even the envelope generators and LFO. I’m not hearing any “digital artifacts” on my Sig Series at all. Even if I change two knobs at once. Are you also complaining about how digital a Prophet Five sounds? Besides as Moog’s own hype machine puts it:
Moog Music presents the Minimoog Voyager Signature Edition, an all analog performance synthesizer incorporating virtually all of the functions of the original minimoog synthesizer, produced from 1971 to 1984, and a number of new features that bring the minimoog into the 21st Century and beyond. 
-andrew bunny
Bunnyman:
I could be wrong but to me,
manually tweaking SPACING and CUTOFF with front panel knobs
sound different than if I got some EP-2’s involved for tweaking
This is, IMO, the reason such a big deal was made with the LP’s RAC (Real Analog Control). In this system, each knob has a dual function per parameter: adjusting the variable in the voltage controlled component, and identifying the digital value to be stored as a preset.
Yes, all of the modular components in the Voyager are voltage controlled, but perhaps the system of tweaking is different; i.e. each parameter has quantized values (e.g. 14-bit).
So, perhaps the Old School was designed to enhance the musician’s “connectivity” with his(her) instrument.
This is what I’d prefer from the Voyager. Just a straight forward analog engine and control circuitry. Without the processors, and patch storage, ect.
I’m very curious to know if this is indeed what they have released with the OS Voyager.
I don’t agree that it’s a step backward or just a reversion to the Model D. It will be much more than a Model D, even without the digital elements. I would think it will even improve the overall feel and sound if you can directly access the controls without the processor intermediating. This, IMO, is part of why many people prefer the Model D to the standard Voyager. The feel and sound of the instrument are closely linked.
I think I might even be tempted to trade in my model D for such an instrument.
Now that the Old School’s are coming out,
I’m reviving this thread.
I’d like to find out more about what I previously posted,
in regards to the 14bit processing, RAC, tweaking 2 knobs at once, etc.
Anyone with an Old School can comment?
cl15, yes you can tweak any and all panel controls at once on the OS with total smoothness. The artifacts you have noticed are related to the scanning of controls on the standard Voyager.
HOWEVER!
Rudi has fixed this for the regular Voyager in OS 3.4 which will be released very soon… as long as you turn off Parameter Display, you will be able to turn Cutoff and Spacing at the same time with no artifacts.
This is kind of a shame for me, as I have used that little-stepping effect on purpose in one of my songs which I perform live… I guess I’ll just have to leave Display Parameters turned on to get this effect! 
So maybe it’s time for me to revive a previous post of mine:
Here’s a segment from an interview with Jim Scott, one of the three who designed the original minimoog:
/////
“Another contribution to the cleanliness of the instrument is the absence of any microprocessor circuitry on
board to control the analog sound chain. Very high frequency digital clock pulses have a nasty habit of
sneaking around at low levels and finding their way into the audio circuitry, where they can induce subtle
effects to muddy the sound. This is exemplified in the MicroMoog, a cut down version of the Mini, which I
designed using an ultrasonic clock as part of the keyboard in order to develop triggers for the envelope
generators. Tom Rhea reports that this instrument sounds markedly better if it is played from an external old
style Modular keyboard, with the MicroMoog keyboard circuitry shut off.”
Jim Scott, May 1999.
The Audities Foundation
Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.
/////
Well, if I knew that this opinion was being said by another person, I would thought that is just analog-anorak-hardcore
talk, but since he’s is the man that contributed in the creation of minimoog,micromoog and crumar spirit (together with Bob Moog and Tom Rhea in this one also) his opinion carries A LOT of weight I think.
So, could we say that the OS goes for this purity?
In this respect, would be interesting if someone’s do some tests with Voyager standard (presets,midi,digital control) and a Voyager OS side by side.
Thanks, sorry for the bad English:D
Peace 
Nick_the_space_nerd
-Greece