vx351 & cp251

[martin]

hi,

sorry if this has been asked before...

i am thinking of buying the vx351 & cp251 but i'm not sure what these guys can do. do they really add a lot to the sonic possibilities of the voyager?

i listened to the sound samples on this site but don't think they're so hot...
i would like to make crazy effects or add some new modulation possibilities to the voyager sounds. (plus i like the idea of non-storable, unique sounds...).

also, is it very hard to build the shlabotnik adapter thing of the vx 351 into the voyager? is the discombobulation easy? i don't want to break anything.

are any of you using these as interface between the voyager and modular systems? does it work well with a dotcom system?

thanks for any input.

[suthnear]

The vx351 definitely adds a lot to the voyager, but since its purpose is to provide CV outs, it is much more useful as a modular synth controller than for expanding the voyager's sonic capabilities (although there are some neat tricks you can do with the vx351 and the voyager by routing its CV outputs back into itself). As for installing it, if you can use a screwdriver you're golden.

I don't have a cp251 because I have a doepfer/ana.sys/blacet/wiard rig that I use extensively with the voyager (I ultimately chose the voyager because of its power as a controller, although it does sound quite nice, too ). The touchpad's outs, particularly, seem to get heavily used, but I also use the keyboard pitch and gate outs a lot to set up quick and playable modular patches. Since you seem interested in going the modular route, I think that it would be better to get modules that perform the same functions as the cp251 - you'll definitely get more bang for your buck.

Don't know the dotcom but people speak very highly of it.

[chris allert]

I don't have a cp251 because I have a doepfer/ana.sys/blacet/wiard rig that I use extensively with the voyager (I ultimately chose the voyager because of its power as a controller, although it does sound quite nice, too ). The touchpad's outs, particularly, seem to get heavily used, but I also use the keyboard pitch and gate outs a lot to set up quick and playable modular patches. Since you seem interested in going the modular route, I think that it would be better to get modules that perform the same functions as the cp251 - you'll definitely get more bang for your buck.

i would disagree with this assessment of the cp251. i think you would have trouble getting a sample/hold + slew limiter + lfo + mixer + multiple + 4 pedal interfaces for under $350 in a modular system, and you definitely won't get all this in the small amount of space the cp251 uses. even if you only want about half the features of the cp251, you would still be hard pressed to recrate them with modules for less money.

i would agree that if you don't have a modular synthesizer, the vx351 is much less useful, though having the voyager's s/h and lfo outs to use in conjunction with the cp251 would be handy. if i were to put together an essential voyager accessory kit, i would reccommend cp251 + vx351 + mf102 + mf103. this will give you a very useful basic semi-modular synthesizer. i don't know what i would do without my 2 cp251s that i use with a 6-oscillator synthesizers.com system and a set of mf101,102,103. i started with just one cp251 that i bought mainly because the syntesizers.com pedal interface wasn't availbe yet in early 2001. a few months later i could see how much better life would be with two. now, a few years later i have finally ordered two more of them.