Which one to buy?

The Moog Forum Minimoog Forum
1

After several years of “thinking about it,” I’m ready to add a Moog Voyager to my rack. The question I have is which one? In the 80s, I used 2 Memorymoogs and a Minimoog on stage along with a number of other vintage boards. Now I have a Yamaha Motif XF8, Roland RD700-GX, Alesis QX 6.1 and Roland Lucina AX-09 (no laughing, please.) So you can see I NEED a great machine to produce FAT SYTH sounds. I toyed with the idea of just picking up a classic Minimoog on Ebay but I think I’d get more out of one of the new units.

My main use would be in home playing with my family and friends. We have a full stage setup including PA and DMX lighting. There is a possibility that in the future, I may decide to play gigs but that’s not my current focus. Also - no recording. I just enjoy playing live music - mostly from the 80s and always keyboard based.

The music stores in San Antonio are both chains and their keyboard departments are abysmal. The knowledge of their staff isn’t much better. I’m told that I can ORDER a Moog if I want one since they don’t stock them. Not much help…

It seems there are at least 5 Voyager’s available. XL, Electric Blue, Select, Old School and Performer. There is no “COMPARE” option on the Moog website that will allow me to determine what the main differences are between each.

Any help with my decision?

Thanks,

Gregory

2

Well, you mentioned adding a Voyager to your rack, so your first decision is to decide if you want the keyboard version or the RME. That is entirely up to you. If you use CV gear though, you’ll need the Vx351/2 units to get the CV ins and outs.

Once you have made that decision and are looking at the keyboard range, the next question will be do you want to spend the money on an XL? I saw where noisebug.net had a demo unit for 3700. If you really want to go that route (who wouldn’t) then you get an extended keyboard, a ribbon controller and an extra multi-waveform LFO in addition to having the CP251 and Vx351 built into it. It is likely going to be considered one of the best Monosynths ever built.

If you decided against the XL, then you decide how important Midi and preset memory are to you, and if you are willing to accept a used Voyager. This will tell you if the Old School is right for you, since they don’t have the touchpad or Midi or patch storage and can only really be found used unless I’m mistaken and someone has a new one somewhere (check Big City Music). BCM also has older Voyagers like the Anniversary Edition or Signature editions.

Then you decide if you really want backlighting. The Electric Blue and Selects all have backlit panels. Frankly this is cool, but after a limited number of hours (either 1000 or 3000 i really don’t remember) they will need to be replaced. Other than being able to choose your cabinetry and backlghting color on the Select Series, there is virtually no difference from that version and the performer. The Electric Blue has blue backlighting and a special finish on the cabinets.


If my mention of Signature and Anniversary edition Voyagers spawned more questions, then they are Performer Edition Voyagers with a different kind of wood and either features Bob Moog’s signature or a gold logo badge on the side (anniversary). These are much older Voyagers which might only contain 128 presets as opposed to the 896, but that can be remedied with a trip to the factory for hardware upgrades (Filter Glide, Aftertouch, and Extended Memory, separate upgrades).


I should note that if you are considering a Model D, then don’t take that off the table either. A Voyager is a different animal though.


You have some decisions to make!

Eric

3

Voyager Old School: discontinued (limited production run), but still can be found in online, and some regular, stores. It doesn’t have MIDI, doesn’t have any patch memory, and has much more limited modulation possibilities. Ideal for replacing an original Minimoog D, for less money.

Voyager (Electric Blue, Select, Performer) are all essentially the same Voyager synthesizer, except for external visual goodies (lighted mod wheels, panel backlight) and wood finish. They all have MIDI and extended modulation possibilities through onboard software.

Voyager RME (rack mount edition) is a keyboardless Voyager, and without the mod wheels also (although it’s possible to use the headphones volume knob to act as one). It has all the same features as a regular Voyager except for external inputs and outputs of CV voltages .

Voyager XL: it’s basically a regular Voyager with a longer keybed, a “finger board”, an additional control voltage section to add more modulation possibilities outside of onboard software. It is essentially a Voyager with CP251 and VX351 integrated. Cost almost twice as much as a standard Voyager (performer).



If you don’t want to spend too much money, but still want all the sonic possibilities of a Voyager, you can go with the no-frills “basic” Performer edition. If you can play from a MIDI controller and want to save even more money and space, go with the RME. If you want to impress your family and friends visually, you can go for an Electric Blue. If you want a custom combination of color, wood type, and mod wheels you can go with the Select model and choosing your own design.

If you want to experiment with a semi-modular Voyager (à la Korg MS-20 style, but with an immensely improved sound), and can afford to spend the price of a used car, you can go with the XL.

If you simply want to play a modern version of a Minimoog D and have the same “hands-on” experience, and want to save a bundle, then go try and find an unsold (or better yet a used) Old School.

Or…you could do what I did: get the unequaled real thing.

My take on it.
TIFWIW.