Voyager - first impressions

[warby]

After much deliberation (and forum lurking) I pulled the trigger on an RME. As this forum has been a great resource for me in deciding on the Voyager, I thought I would help any other potential buyers to make the right decision (and buy one).

I should probably mention that I live in the middle of nowhere, and did not have a chance to demo one.

My first couple of hours with the Voyager was almost disappointing…whilst I noticed the great sound quality immediately; I found a lot of the presets a bit cheesy. I was worried that I had just bought a 70’s lead machine. I do love that classic moog lead sound, but as I write modern dance music, I want cutting edge sounds.

Anyway, presets schmesets…it’s an analog synth. Once I got stuck into programming it soon became clear that me and the Voyager are going to get on just fine. It’s just so ridiculously easy to program the fattest most futuristic basslines, and leads that cut through a mix like nothing else. I remember seeing a clip of Deadmau5 in his studio with the RME…I love the Deadmau5 sound, and now I can get that sound.

The interface is extremely intuitive, everything is logically laid out for maximum tweaking. Even if you don’t understand exactly what is going on with the mod section, you can still just randomly twiddle to create some crazy modulation. Saying that, it doesn’t take too long to get your head around what is going on. 1 minor issue is I would have liked to have selected filter poles from the front panel, but no biggie.

I have been playing synths for over 10 years, but never manged to get my hands on an analog board. The difference is more than I expected…the oscillators sound big…the modulation sounds way more interesting than my Virus…and the filter (especially at high resonance) in my mind cannot be beaten in the digital domain.

I do find that when twiddling about it’s nice to have a bit of reverb mixed in on the monitor, I like the presets a lot more with a touch of reverb.

The Voyager is expensive, especially more so in the UK. But what you get for the money is a musical instrument that feels alive, sounds alive and one that inspires creativity. It makes my work process quicker as once I like something I record it…I only want Voyager on my tracks now. Multitracking for chords sounds amazing.

I guess this is like preaching to the converted, as most of you I’m sure are happy Voyager owners. For anyone else considering one…just buy the damn thing, I wish I had done so earlier.

[drcarver]

That's good to hear.

I've been preparing to take the plunge myself. I've played some old model Ds before, but never the Voyager. They aren't cheap, but it seems like a lifetime investment...A quality instrument should never go out of style.

Congrats.

[LivePsy]

Ditto on the reverb! Subtle amounts enhance many Voyager sounds.

So what's your view on the Slim Phatty and will you get one also?

[anoteoftruth]

Ditto on the reverb! Subtle amounts enhance many Voyager sounds.

So what's your view on the Slim Phatty and will you get one also?

you know.. I started with a LP, and had a good oppurtunity to buy a Voyager RME at a good price... So I went ahead with it... I was skeptical at first, to see what exactly I would be gaining from having a RME when I already have a LP.... but the difference to me was huge. I'm so glad I got the RME, and the Phatty.

And I will definitely be picking up a Slim Phatty at some point. The great thing about Moog gear, is the more you add, the more possibilities you have..

[warby]

Live psy...that sounds interesting. As in psy trance? I've got a psy trance project under the name Error Corrective, maybe you have heard of us?
As for the Slim Phatty....I can see it becoming massively popular. It's the perfect solution for people like me wanting to get into analog on a budget. From what i've heard the phatty has more bite than the Voyager due to the overdrive. But then again, I seem to be getting some pretty filthy sounds from my Voyager just fine!

[sunny pedaal]

all ( analog ) synth's benefit from a little reverb.
just like almost all other sounds in nature/ real life consist of basissound + enviroment-influence ( reverb )
it makes the sound come alive, gives it the 3th dimension. indeed makes you realise how good the instrument is
congratualtions with your new instrument !

[BrianK]

Try finding the older, earlier presets. I find the newer ones a bit too modern and techno-oriented. However once you can program (you said you do) there is no need for Presets from someone else. The programmable MOD busses are REALLY powerful and still rarely get used. Spend a few minutes trying some routings - there are great Sources and Destinations FAR beyond what the front panel normally gives.

And investigate using only one output (NOT the summed one) for a tighter, punchier sound. And try using some external processor (fuzz, octaver, gain boost, delays) in the Send/Return Loop before the filter. You can make many great sounds there, never possible on an old Mini.

Finally - MIDI it OUT to control a sample module with strings, choir, etc and then run that audio back into the Voyager Filter; it's not a polyphonic filter but you'll get some amazing sounds when running old modules into the Moog.