FYI:
Moog has posted the editor/librarian for the Voyager on the website. Currently, the software is PC only. A Mac version will be available in October.
What’s up with the $80 price tag?
I spend $3500 for my Signature model. That’s a lot of dough. The editor should be either free or maybe $10 to cover S&H.
This is a bit insulting.
Worse, the software is based on SoundTower which is a well known as a buggy, hacked together software program.
what a ripoff.
- cedub
I would’ve liked to see SoundDiver (Emagic) support. Then again I don’t really see the point to these editors except for patch management. And the voyager only has 1 bank in this regards. Patch managment is more useful here for say the Access Virus, where you can store up to 1024 patches. Plus, the last thing I want to do is edit patches on my computer screen. Don’t think I’ll purchase it.
I can see this program being useful, but £80 is a bit steep! I would get it if I had the money, and somebody with a card to pay for it.
Here, here, monads. For a machine like the Voyager, a software editor is completely pointless.
Actually I think the a lib/editor is a great idea because it makes it easier to backup/restore and to be able to easily build up libraries.
But the real reason I want it is so I can “see” what a patch looks like. I’m still learning this insturment and it would be really instructional for me to be able to study all the available patches.
So, I do want it. I just don’t think its fair to make us pay a primium price for it. Especially since the developer has such a bad reputation. This alone is very troubling.
- cedub
looks cheesey
It’s really easy to backup/restore if you use SysEx Librarian for the Mac. I know there’s a PC equivalent.
You can download some free softsynths or purchase one if you want to see on screen how patches are created/what certain parameters do. Better would just be to pick up some books or search the internet for “subtractive synthesis”. The fundamentals haven’t changed in this regards and you can apply this knowledge to any analog synth based on this type of synthesis. I personally find the old school books (out of print) are much better than the new ones released today.
Yeah, you are right. I have some of those books and they are helpful. I have a good grasp of subtractive synthesys but I’m specifically talking about learning this instument. There are all kinds of subtle and not so subtle things about the voyager and I’m interested in seeing how others do what they do.
I’m guessing I’m in the minority in this regard.
- chris
OK. I admit, we had a… This spring we released program for Mac OX that turned to be a lemon. That project was too ambitious and we released it to soon. We’ve got hammered for it and righteously so, but this was the only one mailing list and one time blunder. You may check other lists:: Multiple Korg, Roland, Waldorf and other mailing lists, even blind musicians chat rooms… They will all tell you a different story that Soundtower editors are superior to anything else. Moog does not deserve anything less.
Anyway, I like to join this forum to help and to make you a part of the Voyager’s editor project. Together with Moog engineers, we invested our time and made a great effort to extend support, show commitment by creating additional tool to enhance your synth. We modified Voyager’s OS software to smoothly communicate with midi on a machine level. Steve, Rudi and others mercilessly paid attention to the smallest details, to render the precise 16bit editing for creating perfect unisons and etc. and to have an easy access to all Voyager parameters.
It is true, the Voyager has only one Preset bank but this is enough in my opinion for any gig or concert. The editor will help you to prepare for it. It will store and organize 1000’s of patches in categories so you can have them at your disposal with a click of your mouse and drag them to Moog’s bank. Rudi added edit buffer - now you will be able to audition and play presets without sending them to the bank or replacing existing ones.
The Voyager has knobs and it may seem not logical to use mouse to adjust them but… they are not motorized, they do not show their “real” position when you recall a patch from a patch bank. Of course, you can still use knobs as you would - the editor will update itself automatically. I am sure none of us are drinking so we do not have a problem with adjusting them to the exact value we want in a 16 bit resolution.
With the software, you can copy/paste groups of parameters at once like Pot Maps or Touch Surface to tightly match your playing style throughout your patches. How else practically could you do that? The Moog Voyager is an analog synth, the perfect environment for a precise morphing of one sound to the other. There is a nanoM utility that does that in a intelligent way. You can hear it and see it how it morphs in steps! There is a Patch Generator called “Genetics” that creates sounds that otherwise one would never come of with. I hope it is not over. If you come up with even more ideas, the Voyager editor is not a closed concept. We will try to add them to the program and you will not have to wait a year to use them. I would like to make you a part of the Voyager’s editor project.
Best,
Soundtower Guy.
Is there a mechanism for users to submit bug reports ?
I’m only trying the demo at the moment - and it isn’t even connected to my Voyager - but I have had various ‘subscript’ errors and crashes.
One thing that I believe I have mentioned in the past on this forum is the idea of manipulating Voyager ‘voices’ as ‘banks’ of 16 contiguous ‘presets’, a concept that many modern instruments subscribe to.
A librarian/patch organiser that worked at this level (as well as at a single voice/full dump level as at present) would be very usable. The Voyager OS would obviously need to support such an organisation but I can’t believe that this would pose a problem.
Hi,
There should be no bugs that exist in registered version. The demo has one that I found after uploading it yesterday “Can’t show modally” - the “DEMO” mode message window is called twice while it is already displayed. To report any misbehavior please write me at moog@soundtower.com. If you just just me and I will send you a fix right away.
Re: 16 presets. The Voyager is not a multitimbral synth. I will have to know more of what you mean.
soundt,
I hear what your saying. And you’re right 1 bank is enough for the gigging musician. But what about us studio musicians? Memory is cheap these days and it’s been noted on Voyager reviews. At least give me/others access to overwrite the crap ROM patches!
Genetics sounds interesting. Interesting enough that perhaps is could’ve been included in a new feature to a Voyager OS update.
Also, it’s not clear from the page, but if we purchase it does that give us universal platform access (MAC/PC editor versions)? or do we have to pay twice?
Editors can be good, depending on your style of working. I just don’t feel it for the Voyager. Now if you were to offer one for the Yamaha Motif…then I would surely jump because navigating through that instruments OS is a pain.
And Dave Smith does? Please note that the “one time blunder” remains unresolved going on six months. I am truly sorry to mention it here, but there has been very little response in the more appropriate forums…
And there will not be. I do not subscribe to unmoderated forums and I am not going to. Specially when all criticism there is anything but insulting. I also regret mentioning Dave here. He is a great person with a great vision. He has his own forum (not a Yahoo one) that he attends well. For those who are intrigued by bringing this issue here, I should probably shed some light. As for other subscribers, I apologize for taking a bandwidth here. The problem started when we released Mac OX version of the Evolver program. It passed tests on our systems but it turned out to be too heavy when released to other Mac users. It suffered from the same problem as many other software releases including beloved Cubase. The OX’s double buffering display turned out to be a killer for the application that had a hundred some controls (Sliders, labels and etc) in its editing windows making it useable but very sluggish. It was not a ripoff. There was a demo that anybody could download and try it. Those who bought it anyway but could not use it were refunded. What else we could do? We do not have $$$$$ to throw on this problem to fix it right away just because someone sets a flame on Yahoo forum. Everybody in the software development sector knows how hard this is how labor intensive it is. Please go visit soundtower.com and see how many programs we support and yes, this was a one time blunder. Anyway, this application is being rebuilt from scratch and it is near its completion. But this is it. Olimpics are over - no point to pass a flame. I am not longer going to explain myself here. I would like to respond to your comments or suggestions about the Voyager editor. The demo is out. Please check it out and judge it for yourself if oyu wish.
cwalcott wrote:
But the real reason I want it is so I can “see” what a patch looks like. I’m still learning this insturment and it would be really instructional for me to be able to study all the available patches.
Since I have no midi link at present and no midi experience this is something that appeals to me too, but the demo doesn’t seem to allow you to see the patch for the preset selected and although all the panel controls are active, none affect the sound selected.
Will someone knowledgeable post a reply letting me know whether this is a deliberate (understandable) limitation of the demo or if I have missed something?
I hear what your saying. And you’re right 1 bank is enough for the gigging musician. But what about us studio musicians? Memory is cheap these days and it’s been noted on Voyager reviews. At least give me/others access to overwrite the crap ROM patches!
What ROM patches are you talking about? I wasn’t aware that the Voyager had any ROM patches.
Hi JHY,
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ARE:
Midi Interface
MOOG Voyager OS software 2.5
For the editor to display Presets from Voyager’s bank your Voyager has to be connected to your computer via Mid using both Midi In and Midi Out connections. The Midi interface has to be installed on your computer along with it’s midi drivers. If one likes to use a Midi Interface that is bundled on computer’s motherboard then a special Midi cable is needed that connects to a PC’s joystick port. In this case, the proper settings also have to be made in computer’s BIOS. Soundcards with a bundled Midi ports can also be used. Of course the best is to have a external USB midi interface or similar. If you do not have one, I recommend to check MidiSport at www.midiman.com .
The editor has to know which Midi port your Voyager is connected to so after starting the program you need to go to Midi Setup located under Midi menu. For complete editor’s instructions please visit:
http://www.soundtower.com/moog/help/
There is also a help file included with the editor. To display it simply press F1 key.
In the demo mode you can freely edit all Voyager’s parameters in both 8 bit (corresponding to Voyager’s LCD parameter display) or true 16 bit modes. There are no limitations in the Demo regarding preset parameter change. All controls: sliders, switches will work. However, saving and loading files, writing and transmitting presets to Voyager is disabled. Also sending Presets made by Patch Generators, placed to libraries, dragged from banks and etc. is limited to 5 per session and practically disabled. The editing session is limited to 10 minutes and the program has to be restarted.
At least give me/others access to overwrite the crap ROM patches!
Access granted! You can press EDIT button on Voyager, scroll to “Save Preset” and press ENTER. Of course you can also use the software to do it fast.
Also, it’s not clear from the page, but if we purchase it does that give us universal platform access (MAC/PC editor versions)? or do we have to pay twice
Myself, I cannot really answer this question but I imagine that the registration covers both versions.
I have the evolver editor for PC and I think its amazing , I havent come across a problem in 6 months with heavy useage. So I will say good job there soundtower guy. Also I stopped going to the evolver yahoo forums due to the fact nothing of use was ever stated there, just thousands of “sucktower” posts and nothing that could help anyone who actually needed it. Personally for me I use software interfaces for more complex synths that require alot of “menu diving” , for me I dont see the need to get one for the voyager as it is quite straight forward and I enjoy the knobwerk. I will check out the demo to see the patch generators tho 
All the best with your new software.
T.R