My name is Casey, and I’m new here. Not new to synthesizers though, got my first synthesizer when I was 15. Was into them even before then, but had to make due with a Yamaha PSR in my formative years as a keys player. I absolutely love synthesizers, analogue or digital. Analogue is my true love though. I’ve always dreamed of owning a Moog, MiniMoog in particular. Moog is what you think when you think synthesizer, it’s as synonymous as Gibson or Fender is with guitars. Which leads me to my question. In particular this has to do with the MiniMoog D and MiniMoog Voyager(NO, this is not a vs thread), but can apply to any Moog instrument. Do you feel that Moogs live up to the expectations that are often placed upon them? From how everyone talks they’re this magical thing, the end all of all synths. I’ve always wanted one, but alas they’re expensive. I guess this question would be geared to the, eh, less financially able individuals. Do you feel it’s worth it? For what even a Voyager costs you can get many other synths, whether it be one or many. Does it really sound that much better than the Roland/Korg/Yamaha etc… analogues? In order to get the money for a Moog, it’ll require me selling my project car. I know this is a purely subjective question, and it’s all based on individual perspective. I want to have a better understanding on this. Something more than, “I’ve always wanted one, I’d love to have one.” So before I go an do something that can’t be undone, I want to make sure this is what I really want. I know that’s something only I can decide, but maybe those that have had similar experiences can shed some light on this for me. Thanks for your time, and any insight that you can give me.
The best piece of advice I can give you is: try one.
I know, sorry But it’s the best way to determine wether it’s worth. You are asking some Moog fan boys, so you might get some “hell yeah!!” all over the thread
I learn more and more about the subtleties of this sentient instrument with each day.
Her beauty unfolds slowly unlocking fields of creativity inside me that may not have existed before.
It’s called a Voyager for a reason. Control Voltage creates a resonate language.
A harmonic living form in connection, communication and motion.
The Moog will become your teacher.
I agree with Stiiiiiiive: go try one. Or better yet, rent one for a weekend or a week, if possible. When I was younger, and wanted to make sure the little money I had would be well spent, that’s what I used to do.
I remember very well that afternoon, when I decided to skip school and went to my local Radio-Shack store, and played with their MG-1 on display with headphones on for litteraly an hour, back in 1982 !
At the end of which, the salesman came to me and said: So, you’re gonna take one? But at $699 it was outside my allowance range, to say the least. So I had to wait a couple of years before I could afford a used one. But at least I had tried one before and I knew I wanted it. That was my first Moog (in disguise).
I also agree with what soukouss says. I have a Minimoog D, and got it at a relatively low price because it was in need of a lot of TLC. But I’m a long time electronics hobbyist, with some technical background, and knew I would be able to get it back in shape. But doing that successfully is not something anyone can do.
What kind of compositions do you want to do?
Are you going to be satisfied with Monophonics?
Do you want to maintain a vintage instrument?
Id hate to see you part with a car only to find out that you need MORE than what a fine monophonic instrument will do.
Maybe you can tell us about your goals, and the other instruments at your disposal.
I too had a highly romantisized view of Moog products, and I own quite a few from the current company, and a couple of pieces from the original company as well. Bob isn’t with us anymore unfortunately, and the company he left behind is thriving but doing things a little differently. Some things I’m very pleased with and excited about and some things I think they could improve upon. They seem to be steasfast in their transition.
Is it awesome?
I’ll put it like this. When I turn the Moog on (Voyager), I know I won’t be displeased with the sound, and the quality of the sound is on par with professional television productions. My compositions on the other hand…well thats a different story lol
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I’d love to try one, but I’ve tried contacting every local music store. None of them have one, and to bring one in would require a 25% deposit. Disparaging to say the least. What I get for living in the middle of Redneck Hell I guess.
As far as compositions, I’m all over the place. Everything from Classical up to the 1980’s. Depeche Mode is my favourite group currently, so anything along that genre including groups like a-ha, Alphaville, and Jean Michel Jarre. Rick Wakeman and Jordan Rudess are my synth heroes, so of course into progressive. Classic rock is also another genre I’m into: Styx, Van Halen, Journey, Steve Miller Band, etc… Those are my main performing genres, and the styles of music my own compositions follow suit to.
I’ve always have been under the presumption that a single monophonic synth voice, will always be better than a single polyphonic synth voice. Always wondered how that’d be so. Would use for bass lines, lead work, or sound effects; typical mono work. Many times I find my self hitting the “solo” or “mono” setting on my poly synths, so it’d come natural I’d think.
Yes, I have been for awhile now. Everything that goes wrong I’ve been able to fix myself. So working on old electronics is something I’m ok with. Mainly because I’m too cheap to pay someone, that’s if I could find anyone around here anyway.
Goals. Well, I’m wanting to go to college for music composition or commercial music. Really I just play for myself, have only performed in public a few times over the years. Would like to get back into live performance though. Instruments I currently have include a Roland JX-8P, Roland Juno 2, Yamaha SY-77, and a Roland Fantom X6.
That’s about the jest of things here, country music mainly. I do feel special being the only person that knows what a synthesizer is though. Sorry taking so long to reply, having to wait on mods to approve all my posts apparently. Guess could always make a trip out to Atlanta or Nashville one day. I’ve listened to a million demos, just isn’t the same though. Would like to have a Model D, can’t afford one now. Will be doing good to buy a Voyager. Maybe if I go to Atlanta and pick up some lotto tickets.
Checked the dealership locator; one in Atlanta and another in Nashville, both are Guitar Centers. Why can’t my local Guitar Center just comply, I’ll never know… I would opt for a Little Phatty to get me into Moog, but the lack of noise is terribly bothersome. Was thinking possibly a Source or MultiMoog to start with, but for what those sometimes go for you’re not too far from a Voyager. Guess I have some thinking to do.
If you’re wanting to get back into live performance, and thus would be hauling your synth around town, etc., I don’t if I’d recommend a D- Too valuable in my opinion- If you love synthesis, the Source might get on your nerves with its lack of knobs to tweak- Save up for a Voyager, that’s my advice, or get a D, and make it a permanent fixture in your studio… The LP does sound great though… Sorry, can’t comment on the Multi, as I’ve never even seen one, let alone played with one…
One of the problems with Moog is that the stuff is so expensive, noone wants to stock it. So you’ll deive to nashville or atlanta and they won’t have anything.
So your next best bet is to just drive to Asheville and visie Mecca and se their entire product line while you are there.
I’m so used to membranes and buttons for editing it wouldn’t bother me, but I do want something with hands on control for once. Guess will just save up for a Voyager. I remember seeing the Voyager OS, and how great that’d be since it was a few hundred cheaper. Now you can’t find them, and when you do people are asking more than the original sale price.
Would love to visit Asheville! Afraid I’d never leave though.
I don’t disagree with this statement, but I think it’s a personal opinion on how many features one needs, as opposed to how many features one wants. I have had my LP for nearly five years now, and have utilized most of the features it has to offer. Do I have a need for 800+ presets? Not really. Do I need all the OTHER features the Voyager has to offer? Not particularly. I like my overload just fine, thanks. But that’s my opinion. It is your opinion that everyone absolutely must have a Voyager, no matter what.
There’s noise as a control source just not as an audio source, from what I’ve read everywhere anyway. I like to use noise in the background for flute type patches for example, among other types of sounds. Unless the Stage II fixed that, but I saw a review on the Slim Phatty and it didn’t have noise as an audio source either. If it wasn’t for that I’d run out a get one without hesitation.
So, who will be the one to tell me to save up for a Moog 55 modular system?
On the subject of white or pink noise as a sound source, I don’t know if you’re aware that in some old models from Moog, mainly during the Norlin era, they used a digital chip known as the infamous MM5837. Its main caveat was that the loop of pseudorandom digital values was very short (around 1 second), creating a very recognizable and audible pattern in the noise.
The models that use this chip are: The Source, The Rogue, Realistic MG-1, Liberation, Micromoog, Multimoog, Memorymoog.
Models before those, (such as the 903 and 903a modules, Minimoog and Sonic Six) as well as all the currents models that offer noise as a sound source, use a purely analog and completely random noise source known as transistor reversed bias.
This chip was so bad, that when Korg came out with their Mono/Poly synthesizer model back in late 1981 they made only a few tens of units, then stopped production for a week to redesign and replace it with a conventional analog source, before resuming production.
Edit: other synth manufacturers of that era also used this chip in some of their models, notably Sequential Circuit Prophet 5, Oberheim OB-X, and maybe others too I don’t remember them all…
But it’s the best way to determine wether it’s worth. You are asking some Moog fan boys, so you might get some “hell yeah!!” all over the thread 
I would opt for a Little Phatty to get me into Moog, but the lack of noise is terribly bothersome. Was thinking possibly a Source or MultiMoog to start with, but for what those sometimes go for you’re not too far from a Voyager. Guess I have some thinking to do.