I’m dreaming of getting a Voyager, which would my first synth. Currently I’m using a Doepfer PK 88 Masterkeyboard with a Roland XV 2020 for jamming and on stage. The XV has cool presets, but you can’t really touch the sound when you play (solos). Thats one of the reasons i want to have a voyager.
How behave the Parameters of the Voyager’s modules after loading a preset, which sets a parameter’s value that differentiates from the actuall knob position?
Do they jump? Or is there anything that compensates this (like the feature that the little phatty has)?
Sorry for such a dumb question, i have never seen a moog in the real life, i just know videos that show moogs and i tried the software emulation(s) of the minimog.
The Voyager knobs do jump to the actual value when turned - I thought I read something once about them looking at making a more graduated option (like the LP) but I’ve yet to hear any more about that.
Having said that…the Voyager knobs are very solid and I can’t say I’ve ever “accidentally” moved one during performance. The display shows the actual value in memory vs the knob position once you move one so you can quickly get back to where you need to be.
So…in performance, if you plan on tweaking the filter, just move the filter knob to get it in sync with the memory value before you start playing.
The Voyager is much more than the sum of it’s parts and this little issue isn’t much to worry about really - it’s all good.
At first the jump is annoying. After a short while you learn to work with it, and it no longer seems like an annoyance. In a performance I go through several presets and never seem to notice.
Well for instance if you have your filter open all the way and you change to a preset that has the filter barely open then there is a bit of jump because once you move the knob the max rate is 255 whereas the preset rate might be 60. So the filter will “slam” open so to speak but I think if you are playing a note you will develop your ear to the point when you can tell when the filter is really open or closed so you can accomodate for that.
Now keep in mind that the knobs don’t physically move when changing presets.
Also keep in mind that since you are dealing with a digital interface that some people have complained that if they are trying to adjust say the frequency of an oscillator by the very slightest…it takes a little bit to actually engage the digital brain. Like you may be looking for some detuning effects that are very subtle. So you just barely barely turn the knob and the digital brain doesn’t kick in to change it from the value of 0 to negative 1 until you move it a certian amount. So some users have complained about this. Now on the Old School there is a bit of play between 0 and -1 that will have an effect on the phase cancellation of the detuned Oscs.
But personally, this has never been an issue with me. I don’t really change presets during a recording session. I don’t play live either. I think any of the values changing you coudl compensate for easily…except there are simply so many knobs, if the preset is complicated youd have to actively adjust the envelopes and the resonance and the octaves and everything.
I just love creating myown signature leads and basses and sticking to those. WHen Im doing something new I program a sound and go from there rather than using the presets.
Damn dude! I followed the link to your myspace the other day and that stuff would go OFF live!!! It’d be awesome to see!!! But I understand being an electronic musician, transferring music in the studio to music on a stage is a bit more complicated than for a simple guitarist. All the same though, you’re stuff would be a lot of fun live.
Its definately easier to overdub 15 instruments when you are just 2 people but trying to make a show out of that poses challenges, especially when Im not willing to pay more than 3 people to play lol.
You should try a looper pedal, they are perfekt for very small bands. We, the “Junge Virtuosen auf dem Weg zum Ruhm” (german for “young virtousos on their way to fame” ), are three musicians and 2 digitech jamman
Or, you could get them in the band, on your permissions, that way they know who is the boss. Then you could split the concert fee, so you wouldn´t have to hire them. The bigger the concerts, the more musicians will join you on stage.
Or you could play some of your recordings from a computer, and have the drummer play to a click track. Thats what we do i January Jaunt. But we also have a live keyboard player, so it doesn´t become to mecanical. It´s a fine line.
Btw, you must be dying to get your music onstage, I know I would if it was me.
You know, its sort of a duality. On one hand I want to get on stage but the thought of taking vintage instruments on the road (Or brand new $3,000 instrments) is not too appealing.
But on the other hand I understand that its pointless to make albums and have domain names and to get a lot of folks interested in my music if I don’t ever plan on performing it. THen I have to ask myself why Im spending thousands of dollars on instruments.
Its kind of like Ill buy a rifle or something and then never want to shoot it. So Ill go out and buy a crappy antique rifle to shoot and then not want to shoot that. Id buy a phatty to take the Voyager’s place on the road then not want to take the phatty out. lol
Plus, Im in school and ill be in school for a few years, then Ill get a licence to be a Physical Therapist, hopefully to get my PhD. Then Ill be able to really be in a position where I can balance my career with my music and in the meantime My collection of instruments will keep growing.
Believe me, I have plans for making the transition to the stage. Im also trying to build my chops and always experimenting in the studio.
But then of corse as soon as that happens ill probably have a few kids to deal with lol. THen its all about them.
But hey, when its my time it will make itself aparent. And its starting to let me know already that its apparent!
I can´t wait to get my Voyager, and get it on stage! I think it´s there it really belongs. It´s really cool to noodle around at home on a Moog, and it´s great to record a Moog, but nothing beats the feeling of being on stage with a Moog. If you are afraid of it get stolen, get an insurance, it really pays off.
But I can understand the balance of being in a job, and moonlight as a musician. You need that job to paying the bills, but you need to play music to stay alive.
I know the feeling of getting it right in the studio, we used two years to complete our debut album. Afterward´s it was a strange feeling, it´s finally done, but we all as musicians has moved towards a new expression. It´s a fine line.
I think that you really don’t experience synths like these until you play on an arena PA system.
I saw NIN a couple of years ago and they had one of those EAR Modulars on stage, and just a sawtooth wave over those loudspeakers was going to saw everyones ears off. It was intense.
Its Physics. Its crazy. Those waves become weapons on PA systems like that. I was wondering if my head was going to get sawed off.
), are three musicians and 2 digitech jamman