Voyager/Old School: your best of all time?

[EMwhite]

Well, let me rephrase that.

For those of you that have Voyager's and even more to the point, Old School owners, do you find your VOS your fav, desert island, best thing you ever owned if not most often played keyboard?

If you feel this way, what else do you have? I know a few blokes with a Rhodes, maybe a Poly of some type, then their VOS or Voyager. And their life is complete.

Well, I have a modular that is busting at the seams, 3 voices of SEM, blah blah blah (just check my sig below) and I'm considering parting with my pimped out VOS and the matching Walking Stick Ribbon, and the matching (white end cheeks) 104M delay as a package so that I can buy another row of MOS-LAB, this time, based on 901 Oscillators along with other goodies.

Will I be kicking myself? (maybe) Will I be thrilled with the move and never look back (possibly).

I can tell you that I have new appreciation for my Little Phatty as a modular controller. yeah, it does NOT have as many CV outs, not even close and yeah, the keyboard is toy-like in comparison. But the LFO/Modulation output via CV as powered by the Advanced options, Midi sync'd, high speed frequency modulation, and push of a button mode switching has it's own really useful and unique charm.

The market seems flooded with Voyagers however those of you that purchased a black one, or the red/white/blue edition that I recently saw and was WoW-d by might feel as I do, that if you ever parted with yours, you'd never be the same.

Somebody told me "why don't you sell it and if you ever wanted back in, buy a Model D"... Not a bad idea.

If I could ONLY have one keyboard, seeing as I do NOT have an OBX and I don't have an Oberheim 8 voice like SoMe people here, it would be my VOS; but I'm spoiled rotten because I'm at the point in my life where I have 'some' disposable income for more ... but unfortunately do not have unlimited space and some of this modular stuff is somewhat pricey!

Comments;suggestions;scolding... anything you've got, I'm eager to hear.

[thealien666]

Everyone is different, and everyone thinks differently.

But I had no problem getting rid of my Voyager Old School, which had broken down and had to be repaired twice under warranty, in order to get my hands (much later on) on a 1975 Minimoog D.

I still had to fix it in order to get it back in top shape, but now that it is I will never, ever part with it. Sure it offers a lot less possibilities, but what it lacks in that area it more than makes up in sound.

Bill Hemsath, Jim Scott, Chad Hunt, and of course Bob Moog got it right, over fourty years ago !

Edit: I must point out, in all fairness, that I bought my Model D over 2 years ago, when prices weren't so crazy, and I got a fair price also because it was in need of some TLC.

[metron]

I've been thinking about letting my Old School go as well but only for either a Voyager Performer or Model D. I've been dying to try a midi'd Voyager but then... theres the sound of the Model D but then... there's the price of Model D's these days... I don't know. Did that help?

[ColorForm2113]

Voyager will most likely be my only synth soon (an xl) I have a blofeld keyboard and micromoog. Had a Roland jx3p, Casio cz5000, korg poly 800 and various drum machine/groove boxes over the years and the voyager has been the most gratifying piece of gear I've owned and one of the top I've played (probably being tied for first with the minimoog)

I don't think I could ever let it go, and honestly I've considered getting a couple rack mounts after I trade up to the xl (and lots of saving)

[EricK]

If you had a Voyager Performer and Vx351 I would scoff at the notion of selling it and using the Phatty as a modular controller, but since you have an Old School it is just an addendum to your already superior modular.

You decided to throw in the 104M also? Man you must be aching for some MosLab.

Trade the Voyager for the Binson Echorec!

Eric

[stiiiiiiive]

So... one year later... what did you do, EMwhite?

[EMwhite]

My, does time fly.

I keep my signature fairly up to date as far as my gear list is concerned. No I don't have a tractor or a gaggle of polo ponies but I'm thankful for what I do have, sometimes I wonder why I have so much.

But yes, the Old School is long gone, replaced by a new'ish Voyager Select edition that I bought because I needed that Midi controller in my studio. But then Roger (synthesizers.com) come out with a new line of keyboards for Modular or Midi use and I dumped around $1,200 on one of those. Too much money but ooooooooooh that Fatar keyed is devine.

Then after sometime of NOT playing the Voyager, I was yearning for my Old School back so I went ahead and went all the way back and bought a '76 Minimoog; lovely, beat up, but lovely.

I've been stuck on the fence about whether or not I should sell the Voyager (again neglected), or keep it for my Modular and I think the latter approach has won out. The combination of a multi-function LFO with phase reset, two env gens, the touch pad etc. etc. just adds too much value to my modular and too much in such a small package [that being a 3 space CP format panel].

So in short, I have too much gear that I cannot part with and I would have been happy with the Old School again but that Minimoog Model D itch just had to be scratched.

I'm not as bad as the guy on Muff's that has a Model D, a Voyager, and a XL but it's starting to look similar!

Oh, right, the Little Phatty Tribute went also but I miss it [also].

[stiiiiiiive]

Héhé... bitter laugh... I feel the same, at my level though. I don't have as much gear as you, but I feel better in simple, not overcrowded, environment. I always feel I have too much and it kind of kills my creaticity, sometimes. So I tell myself "well, let's part with some of these guys..." and then each of them has a good reason to stay.
Of course, many others make me drool

Anyway, I bought a Little Phatty to a guy once; he was in the process of getting money for recovering a unexpected expanse/debt. He told me "well you know, gear... it comes, it goes... nevermind".

I'm glad you could try out some other instruments; in the end of the day, no matter what you decide to keep, you'll have made your culture and -overall- taken some pleasure.

[snowcrash]

For those of you that have Voyager's and even more to the point, Old School owners, do you find your VOS your fav, desert island, best thing you ever owned if not most often played keyboard?

Yes.

From the very first moment I got it, I knew it was a keeper. No other synth in my collection has that status. I'd never trade it for a regular Voyager and actually like to not having patches as it's very hands on anyway. I always have a MF-102 Ring Mod in the mixer-insert, working both as a booster and to add ringmodulation/tremolo when needed. I love the extensibility provided by the VX-351 and CP-251. The only thing I sometimes would like to have would be individual OSC output on the VX-351. (e.g. through the unused touchpad outputs).

But anyway, for me it's the perfect mono-synth, sound-wise and feature-wise, very clear concept, inspires me each time I turn it on.

[jimkost2002]

I agree with snowcrash....love love love the OS..... Although I am waiting for a Sub 37 with great anticipation as I am planning for that to be my gig machine. Also want to run Animoog with it through iconnect midi for the 3rd oscillator....
Bur back to the os ---i have not had such an immediate connection to a synth since the Model D

[Kenneth]

The Voyager OS is my favorite instrument of all I have ever owned, or even played. I have never connected with an instrument this deeply. I have gotten comfortable with it, and for a while that did stop me using it, or I'd try to use other synths first, to come up with new sounds. I have since learned to force myself out of that space with the Voyager, and every time I start to feel to comfortable with it, or that I am orbiting between using one or two patches over and over, I'll bring it upstairs and just sit with it for hours. No pedals, no other gear. Just me and the Voyager. It's a beautiful instrument.

MINIMOOG OWNERS: please do not take offense to this. I love you.

I have never played a Minimoog, but I think the prices people are paying for them these days is ridiculous. People pretend that it's not about the name and the prestige of owning a Minimoog, but I have a hard time believing that. Maybe one day I'll play one and prove myself wrong, but I currently believe that there are plenty of vintage options that sound just as good, provide more functionality, and cost less.

[ColorForm2113]

I've played a minimoog (unfortunately don't own one) and I have to say it is much more complex than how it looks on paper. But not nearly as complex as the Voyager.

[thealien666]

I have never played a Minimoog, but I think the prices people are paying for them these days is ridiculous... I currently believe that there are plenty of vintage options that sound just as good...

Three words: yes, and no.