I have a few questions about Moogs and synths in general and I hope (and am sure) you guys can help me.
Im a fairly new keyboard/synth player but have been playing piano for a long time. I recently joined a band as a keyboard player and currently I play a Korg Triton LE 88. I was thinking about adding one more synth to the deal, and thats where my questions come in.
There are two Im sort of considering but my lack of knowledge on the more technical aspects of these rigs are making my decisions harder.
First and foremost I am looking at the moog voyager. So here are my questions about this thing.
They say its mono phonic or in some cases poly phonic, or sometimes polysix or something like that…so what does all that mean? Does it mean that you only press ONE key at a time to make the sounds? And polyphonic means you can press more than one key?
Lastly how comprehensive is the sound mixing and playing with moogs? As you may know by now Im not incredibly technically minded and an overly complex instruction manual or user interface would have a large influence on my decision.
I would really appreaciate if you guys could give me the run down on these that I have mentioned and tell me if they are mono phonic or poly and if they need computer support.
Okay, the Voyager is monophonic, which means it can only play one note at once - no chords.
The Voyager can most definitely be used to gig with!
The Arturia and Korg legacy synths are computer software emulations and do indeed require a computer and a controller keyboard. Dedicated controllers have no sounds of their own and are specifically designed to use with soft-synths. However, you could use your Korg Triton to control them.
Once again, you can gig with soft-synths, if you can handle the logistics involved.
As an interesting aside, you could use a Voyager to control soft-synths and in this instance you could play chords, as the Voyager is able to transmit polyphonic MIDI data. Hope you’re not too confused!
Regarding the Micro Korg, I have never used one, but one important consideration here is that it features mini keys, which are much smaller than the full size ones you are used to - might be a bit fiddly?
Sound creation with the Voyager is a joy - you don’t need to be a rocket scientist, and the manual is pretty comprehensive if you get confused as to what the various sections do.
They say its mono phonic or in some cases poly phonic, or sometimes polysix or something like that…so what does all that mean? Does it mean that you only press ONE key at a time to make the sounds? And polyphonic means you can press more than one key?
It means that only one note will sound at a time. You can’t play chords on it. The PolySix is a vintage synth by Korg.
You only need a computer to back up/send presets to the Voyager and to update the operating system. The Arturia Minimoog will need a computer to run on, but then you have the advantage of polyphony. You can gig with both, but you’ll need a midi controller, or a synth with midi out to control the software synth.
Lastly how comprehensive is the sound mixing and playing with moogs? As you may know by now Im not incredibly technically minded and an overly complex instruction manual or user interface would have a large influence on my decision.
Its fairly simple to use actually. The controls are well laid out. You can’t go wrong with analogue!
The MicroKorg is quite portable, it all depends if you can put up with the tiny keys or not. It is polyphonic. The Korg Legacy will require a computer to use, and the replica MS20 controller it comes with can be used to control it.
The Voyager is monophonic, meaning you can only play one note at a time. If you were to buy multiple Voyagers, then you could chain them together to play more than one note at a time (i.e. one note per Voyager). That would be very expensive, though!
Of course you can gig with the Voyager! No computer needed.
The Arturia Minimoog V, however, is a software synth. It is a computer program, so it needs a computer and a MIDI controller to play it.
Lastly how comprehensive is the sound mixing and playing with moogs? As you may know by now Im not incredibly technically minded and an overly complex instruction manual or user interface would have a large influence on my decision.
In my opinion, if you are going to spend $2500+ on anything, you better damn know how to use it. The concepts behind synthesis are very simple, but you need to know them, Don’t expect instant gratification.
As for the Korg stuff, you really need to decide what you want and how much you want to spend. There is a big difference between a $500 Korg and a $2500 Moog, price being a big one! Choose a price range first.
Man you guys are awesome! I really appreaciate the replies. Its hard to find a helpful group of people online, and since you guys seem to be I hope you dont mind if I pick your brains alittle more and learn some things about synths and moogs. So dont worry OysterRock I have a few more for ya lol. Now I have a question for The Unknown.
You mentioned earlier, my good sir, that its possible to control the Arturia and the legacy through my Triton. This has intrigued me a great deal could a oblige you to go into alittle more detail about that? What would be involved in setting that up (if you know). As it is the Triton is complex machine and Im still trying to figure it all out.
Also, how is the memory for the voyager stored? On the device itself, or on those MIDI cards.
Btw I agree with you OysterRock, I want to make sure I know how to use the voyager if I spend the cash, or at least be certain that I could learn correctly and progressivly.
That way I see things at this point is I can go with the voyager and spend 2500+ on it…or I can spend a lot less on an Arturia or a MS-20 and learn how to use it on my triton or a laptop. I have to say Im leaning toward the Arturia or the MS-20…
You mentioned earlier, my good sir, that its possible to control the Arturia and the legacy through my Triton. This has intrigued me a great deal could a oblige you to go into alittle more detail about that? What would be involved in setting that up (if you know). As it is the Triton is complex machine and Im still trying to figure it all out.
Also, how is the memory for the voyager stored? On the device itself, or on those MIDI cards
All you need is a midi cable, and a sound card with a midi port. Connect the Midi Out on the Triton to the Midi In on the cable, then set the midi out channel on the Triton and match it with the midi in on the softsynth.
You need a computer running a sequencer (Cubase or Logic for example). along with the Legacy, which would be used as a plug-in within the sequencer. This simply means that you can call upon the Legacy from within Cubase et al, as opposed to running it as a stand-alone instrument. You also need a MIDI interface, which is used to connect you Triton to the computer. You are then in a position to use the Triton to control the software.
The second option, is to use the Legacy as a stand-alone instrument, but you will probably need a USB interface to do so (controller keyboards work this way). From a computer perspective, most machines have them these days, but the Triton will also need to be USB enabled. Does the keyboard feature a USB interface?
Keep in mind that you will need a top of the line laptop if you really want to use the software synths. I have a G4 powerbook 1.33 GHz, 512MB RAM that I bought new last summer and I still couldn’t get more that 3 or 4 notes polyphony out of the Arturia without my processor freaking out.
I say if you have an extra $2500 laying around get the Voyager! You might as well start with the best!
Oh, and you two… I believe that question was for me as the title of this thread is “question for the experts”
Absolutely. That was the point I was making with regard to logistics, when gigging with soft-synths. I also have a PowerBook G4 (1 Ghz), and it is difficult when you start using complex synth emulations.
I personally would go for a Voyager, if you have the money, as it would be far easier to use live.
I’m sure that the G5 powerbook will be in production soon as they already have the G5 iMac so your laptop problems will be solved as far as soft synths once it hits the shelves. There won’t be another laptop that comes close to that monster.
It might be a while yet, but the XServes are also G5 based and they are pretty slim, so the PowerBook should hopefully arrive by next year. I imagine it will feature a liquid cooling system similar to the G5 tower, but much smaller. I am waiting eagerly…
Damn you all! You beat me to it! 