Moog Satellite

[Kenneth]

A friend of mine mentioned having an old Satellite in his basement. Just recently he told me I could keep it if I got it fixed. It's got a couple loose solder points but Im in contact with someone who is able to repair it. I have never played a Satellite before, but the article on VSE makes it out to be a bit of a waste of time. If any of you have experienced this synth firsthand, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on it.

[MC]

They don't come any worse than the Satellite

Single oscillator

12dB filter (*not* the famed 24dB filter)

preset only, zero tweakability

*NO* CV/Trigger interfaces *NO* filter audio input

Thinnest sounding moog synth

It was Bob's least favorite design and the ONLY reason they got built is because the top dog (Bob wasn't in charge back then) secured a ridiculous royalty rate for Thomas Organ to build them into their home organs. Back then "people went apeshit" over synthesizers and Thomas wanted a gimmick to put in their organs.

OK there is a worse one: the Minitmoog (that's NOT a misspelled minimoog). Same as the Satellite with 2nd oscillator and aftertouch, made for only ONE year (1975-6). The 2nd oscillator failed to give it the beef of the minimoog. The AT element suffered self-degradation from a chemical reaction in the assembly. If you find one with a toasted AT, you're screwed.

[tript]

I was kinda hoping I would see this when opening this thread:

[Kevin Lightner]

The AT element suffered self-degradation from a chemical reaction in the assembly. If you find one with a toasted AT, you're screwed.

I've had good success rebuilding them with foam window stripping and either wire or copper tape.
When the AT is working well it's an amazingly expressive instrument too.

[LivePsy]

I am really enjoying the "What's the worst Moog ever?" thread...

[Kenneth]

I do find it quite interesting that they used additive syntheis to design the Satellite. I don't have it working yet, but I am excited to hear how it's sound quality differs from the typical "Moog sound". I resoldered a wire and replaced a capacitor today. No sound yet, but I'm not about to give up!

[Kenneth]

Okay so here's a tech question: I'm working on restoring the Satellite myself since it's probably not worth dumping a lot of money into. I've resoldered a couple loose wires and replaced a capacitor. I have it to the point where I can hear the synth playing notes if I get real close to the amp. The sound is very quiet, almost inaudible, no matter how high I set the volume, and I'm also getting some crunchy white noise. It must be a problem with the satellite's internal amp, but nothing is visibly wrong (that I have noticed) when I open it up. Does anyone know what the issue could be? I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

[nick braithwaite]

Ref tript and his picture / expectations, there is a company called Moog inc who are indeed involved in aerospace technology....so your idea is not actually as far-fetched as you might think. I stumbled on their web-site some years ago when looking for Moog Music - I just checked & they're still there. Just a thought! Nick.

[Trigger]

Ref tript and his picture / expectations, there is a company called Moog inc who are indeed involved in aerospace technology....so your idea is not actually as far-fetched as you might think. I stumbled on their web-site some years ago when looking for Moog Music - I just checked & they're still there. Just a thought! Nick.

Here's an office of theirs a few blocks away from my studio:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23461646@N ... 4699980833

(unable to post image)

[Kenneth]

Okay guys, it's super awesome that there is an aeronautics company called Moog, but I posted this topic in the hopes of getting some help with a project I'm working on. Does anyone have any pertinent information for me?
Thanks,
Kenny

[Kevin Lightner]

I think Bob's brother worked for that Moog. (?)

Kenneth, in order to help you, we need to know some things.
Do you have the service manual?
Are you an experienced technician?
Do you have the parts and test equipment necessary to perform troubleshooting?

My best guesses would be a problem with gating, the env, VCA or main volume slider.
But it could be other things as well.
There's just no easy way to suggest help without knowing if you have diagrams we can both reference to or the knowledge and test gear to locate the problems yourself after some suggestions.

What you're hearing may indicate your VCO and keyboard CV are working correctly, but there's no way we can know if gating is happening, the filter shorted, the VCA bad or whatever.

[Kenneth]

Kevin, thanks for the reply. I do have the service manual, and have been referencing it for the work I've been doing on the unit. I've got all the necessary tools and a decent workspace. I figured there would a disconnected wire or something if the sort, but other than being incredibly dirty, I can't find anything wrong with it.

[moogrifier]

Give up? Ever get it working?

IC22 is the audio amp. Replace it.
b20 is the molex cable/pin to audio out. I know wiggling mine changes the volume.