Interview with Amos

MarkM · Post by **MarkM** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:30 am

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/122 ... 22cd0e8/62

Prime NL · Post by **Prime NL** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:29 am

Interesting article...tx for sharing...

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:11 am

Very nice article.

I think we can look forward to a Voyager upgrade did he say, or Musikmeese and the Stage II, was that OS 3.4 he was referring to?

All of those polls on the forums they obviously look at lol.

This just makes me proud to be a Mooger. Thats what I truly love about Moog, they are right there with us. Every one of us is a beta tester in a sence.

Thanks, Moog!

Eric

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:57 am

Funny, how old is that article... It's dated February 2009 but mentions those April 2008 things and the Taurus as a "possibility".

I think the Voyager update referred to must be the 3.4 update.

What I do wonder though, is if the Voyager will be in line to get USB MIDI. It's getting harder to get outright MIDI interfaces with up to date support; the Midex8 and Unitor/AMT8s are no longer in production and the drivers are out of date for the Midex - only Apple's ownership of Emagic keeps those ones supported for the Mac I expect (and even then you need to delve into Logic upgrades to find the updated driver).

How about a high-end Moog MIDI 8x8 interface with some CV functionality too - maybe switch MIDI port 8 over to (ambitious) 16 channels of CV on TRS breakouts (realistic) a couple of CV channels and gate. With a hardware switch. On the rear, MIDI ports, on the ash and black metal front, some activity LEDs, CV connections, and Moog logo. I'd buy that for a couple of hundred dollars (pounds, even).

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:59 am

How about bluetooth lol

LeRoi · Post by **LeRoi** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:18 pm

RichardK wrote:How about a high-end Moog MIDI 8x8 interface with some CV functionality too - maybe switch MIDI port 8 over to (ambitious) 16 channels of CV on TRS breakouts (realistic) a couple of CV channels and gate. With a hardware switch. On the rear, MIDI ports, on the ash and black metal front, some activity LEDs, CV connections, and Moog logo. I'd buy that for a couple of hundred dollars (pounds, even).

Holy crap! Talk about amazing integration! I'd loooovvve to see something like that.

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:47 pm

Imagine being able to control 16 channels of CV in/out (basically for the sake of convenience shoving one CV i/o per MIDI channel, so you could make an automation track or similar) for modifying foogers, modulation - the lot - from a sequencer or other MIDI devices (one controller per channel so you can just use CC04 for foot pedal or similar). plus note on/off/bend (which will be assigned to the first CV i/o port).

Surely it would be possible to do this. I can picture the finished product in my head... each CV port being TRS so you hook up a CV in and CV out per channel (and then can route the MIDI from those elsewhere)... the only "smart" thing I'm not sure how to implement would be if you just wanted to hook up a control pedal to a port so needed voltage. Or am I overthinking that bit and the fact that there IS a CV out would provide that anyway?

I wish I could draw. The way I see it in my head is black metal rack ears, ash front with a black metal insert, a row of 8 x 2 jack sockets above which are 4 LEDs per pair - upper two indicate MIDI in and out activity, lower two indicate CV activity. Then a backlit Moog logo and a USB activity light. Possibly front mounted ports for MIDI 8 in and out. Big red switch to switch from MIDI to CV operation for port 8. And... for a killer feature - a rotary dial marked in 1 through 1/32 increments... that will allow a designated CV output (this can be hardwired to a particular one) to act as an LFO in synch with an incoming clock source from MIDI.

griffin avid · Post by **griffin avid** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:02 pm

It's a few interviews/conversations spliced together between the first meeting and the end of last year. There's even more...

Next issue has another feature, which is more programming related.
And we have another segment in progress as we speak- so we are definately behind the curve, but catching up quickly!

An issue was skipped so there was a lag.
Thanks!

latigid on · Post by **latigid on** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:49 pm

RichardK wrote:Funny, how old is that article... It's dated February 2009 but mentions those April 2008 things and the Taurus as a "possibility".

I think the Voyager update referred to must be the 3.4 update.

What I do wonder though, is if the Voyager will be in line to get USB MIDI. It's getting harder to get outright MIDI interfaces with up to date support; the Midex8 and Unitor/AMT8s are no longer in production and the drivers are out of date for the Midex - only Apple's ownership of Emagic keeps those ones supported for the Mac I expect (and even then you need to delve into Logic upgrades to find the updated driver).

How about a high-end Moog MIDI 8x8 interface with some CV functionality too - maybe switch MIDI port 8 over to (ambitious) 16 channels of CV on TRS breakouts (realistic) a couple of CV channels and gate. With a hardware switch. On the rear, MIDI ports, on the ash and black metal front, some activity LEDs, CV connections, and Moog logo. I'd buy that for a couple of hundred dollars (pounds, even).

Richard, if you can solder, there's a DIY option at ucapps.de -- look at MIDIbox CV.

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:49 pm

I've had MIDI-CV solutions before; the important thing for me is a new, current, OS X and Windows (and Linux, let's not be mean) supported complete MIDI interface, rather than MIDI to CV. The existing devices are losing support; Moog has the experience of continued software support for products over a long period and I feel if they did produce such an interface, they would give it a longer lifespan.

Steinberg's Midex8 had a four-year product lifespan. No active software development after 2003. The Emagic products fared little better. The more I think about it, whilst my idea needs refinement (I think that for people advanced enough to use such a solution merely assigning CC#s to each of the CV I/O ports would be enough), the more I can see a market for the sort of units Moog will produce for a run, maybe 1-2,000 initially.

I think that the MTC or Midi Clock to an LFO CV output would be an absolutely killer feature to have. You could sync foogers to MIDI.

MC · Post by MC » Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:42 pm

Got a non-Flash page?

I refuse to use Flash.

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:47 am

I like how on the last page Amos says, "we've had a lot of requests for a polyphonic synth...this would be a long-term project, but one I am excited to consider..." That's the best part of the whole article.

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:10 am

Can you imagine something with 8 of the analogue boards from an OS? That's how they used to do this sort of thing (well, that would be 8-part multitimbral, but I don't know how you would remove the voicing from the sound shaping).

Rackmount unit. 16 card slots. Umbilical cord to something like an OS or Voyager "console".

I doubt I'd be able to afford it, but the TX816 way of doing things (perhaps with better MIDI behaviour) could allow users to start with a single Moog Expedition (made up of several Voyagers, see...) with perhaps 1 or 2 voice cards, then buy more cards as their needs grow. The cards could have CV sockets on and be sold as a single Moogerfooger 3-oscillator and filter module too...

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:05 pm

Expensive? Sure. But if Dave Smith can do poly for under three grand, Moog can do it for under 8 grand.

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:39 pm

For a rackunit and controller with two voices, I'd pay £2,500. Well, it'd probably be more now, but "about £500 more than you pay for a Voyager now".

And I'd probably expect extra voice cards to be about £500/£600 when cased up for use as a "Fooger" type module.

So, 16-voice poly, £8K, sure. Maybe discounts if you buy a preconfigured module, perhaps a cost of £300 per module if you're buying an 8-16 voice right out. Personally I doubt many people would need more than four, but they get to enjoy a big empty space in the rack unit where those modules COULD be fitted, and that'll make 'em spend.

Steal a trick from CD makers and make it so the modules come with a sticker, so when it's fully populated it spells something like M O O G (so four modules, you got your "moog" logo) and then " Polyphonic".

That way on the stage, people see "Moog Polyphonic" when it's in the big rackcase, and more people want one.

Then, a Little Phatter comes out, with four voices built in for £1200.

Why 16 voices? One per MIDI channel. And it's a good number, 8 notes and 8 decaying voices.