In considering the purchase of a Voyager with the backlit control panel, the issue of a hum produced by the backlighting system has come to my attention. Does it indeed exist and is it a potential distraction or annoyance? What’s involved in replacing/maintaining the backlighting in the event of failure? To summarize…is it really worth getting?
Thanks for your input!
Bill
The squeal doesn’t go through the audio output if you are worried about that. It WON’T come through you’re speakers. That said, in my opinion it is very loud, loud to the point that I never have them on in the studio. BUT, it is not an issue on a stage because it is drown out. I would only have it on during a live performance anyway.
The lights do have a finite life span, but it is a looooong time. As long as you don’t run them at 100% capacity all the time, they should last a lifetime.
In the end, I’m glad I have the lights even though they squeal, because they look BADASS.
The blue backlights make this synth at least twice as good to play!!! It’s just a little something special; if you don’t belive me, go an play one in a pitch dark room.
Peace
I only get the humming sound when I turn the lights up past 80% or more, and when gigging you’ll never hear it as per the above post.
Hmmm, maybe mine is just particularly loud because mine squeals like a bastard at even the lowest settings. Oh well, I don’t mind.
The humming is there at low settings but much more apparent at higher settings. Honeslty I can’t even tell at low settings unless I put my ear next to the panel 
But my auditory senses could be masked by the whisper of my G4.
I think the blue light definitely adds some magic !
Even Brian Kehew told me that he was thinking (at one time) about selling his serial number-less Voyager (prototype) to get one, but would never do it of course. But it is that cool !
The hum is never too bad even at full intensity (on mine), but it is mos def audible…
I usually keep mine around 70% (on stage)..
Last gig I played up by Humboldt State University, there was a huge bay window behind the stage. There were a bunch of people out there just get a better view of the Voyager in action (or maybe just to get away from my ear piercing Model D patch)…
In other words THE BACK LIT PANEL IS FO SHEEZY !!! Opt for it…
I think they should come out with a special edition Moogerfooger with a backlit panel. Just thought though, lets not start a debate about it or anything.. 
Thanks for your insights, everybody, I appreciate the feedback and encouragement!
A bit silly but imagine if you could modulate the backlight with the LFO! Anybody want to chip in ideas as to how to hack this together?
That would probably make you pretty nauseous…or might even make you and those around you have a seizure. Imagine the lawsuits…“Band sued by hundreds after entire crowd goes into epileptic shock!”