Voyager Ed/Lib available

GregAE · Post by **GregAE** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:35 am

FYI:

Moog has posted the editor/librarian for the Voyager on the website. Currently, the software is PC only. A Mac version will be available in October.

cwalcott · Post by **cwalcott** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:44 pm

What's up with the $80 price tag?

I spend $3500 for my Signature model. That's a lot of dough. The editor should be either free or maybe $10 to cover S&H.

This is a bit insulting.

Worse, the software is based on SoundTower which is a well known as a buggy, hacked together software program.

what a ripoff.

- cedub

monads · Post by **monads** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 5:17 pm

I would've liked to see SoundDiver (Emagic) support. Then again I don't really see the point to these editors except for patch management. And the voyager only has 1 bank in this regards. Patch managment is more useful here for say the Access Virus, where you can store up to 1024 patches. Plus, the last thing I want to do is edit patches on my computer screen. Don't think I'll purchase it.

Boeing 737-400 · Post by **Boeing 737-400** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 5:20 pm

I can see this program being useful, but £80 is a bit steep! I would get it if I had the money, and somebody with a card to pay for it.

The Unknown · Post by **The Unknown** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 5:21 pm

Here, here, monads. For a machine like the Voyager, a software editor is completely pointless.

cwalcott · Post by **cwalcott** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:18 pm

Actually I think the a lib/editor is a great idea because it makes it easier to backup/restore and to be able to easily build up libraries.

But the real reason I want it is so I can "see" what a patch looks like. I'm still learning this insturment and it would be really instructional for me to be able to study all the available patches.

So, I do want it. I just don't think its fair to make us pay a primium price for it. Especially since the developer has such a bad reputation. This alone is very troubling.

- cedub

TonyR · Post by **TonyR** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 11:05 pm

looks cheesey

monads · Post by **monads** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 3:13 am

cwalcott wrote:Actually I think the a lib/editor is a great idea because it makes it easier to backup/restore and to be able to easily build up libraries.

It's really easy to backup/restore if you use SysEx Librarian for the Mac. I know there's a PC equivalent.

cwalcott wrote:But the real reason I want it is so I can "see" what a patch looks like. I'm still learning this insturment and it would be really instructional for me to be able to study all the available patches.

You can download some free softsynths or purchase one if you want to see on screen how patches are created/what certain parameters do. Better would just be to pick up some books or search the internet for "subtractive synthesis". The fundamentals haven't changed in this regards and you can apply this knowledge to any analog synth based on this type of synthesis. I personally find the old school books (out of print) are much better than the new ones released today.

cwalcott · Post by **cwalcott** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 2:40 pm

Yeah, you are right. I have some of those books and they are helpful. I have a good grasp of subtractive synthesys but I'm specifically talking about learning *this* instument. There are all kinds of subtle and not so subtle things about the voyager and I'm interested in seeing how others do what they do.

I'm guessing I'm in the minority in this regard.

- chris

soundt · Post by **soundt** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 3:03 pm

OK. I admit, we had a... This spring we released program for Mac OX that turned to be a lemon. That project was too ambitious and we released it to soon. We've got hammered for it and righteously so, but this was the only one mailing list and one time blunder. You may check other lists:: Multiple Korg, Roland, Waldorf and other mailing lists, even blind musicians chat rooms... They will all tell you a different story that Soundtower editors are superior to anything else. Moog does not deserve anything less.

Anyway, I like to join this forum to help and to make you a part of the Voyager's editor project. Together with Moog engineers, we invested our time and made a great effort to extend support, show commitment by creating additional tool to enhance your synth. We modified Voyager's OS software to smoothly communicate with midi on a machine level. Steve, Rudi and others mercilessly paid attention to the smallest details, to render the precise 16bit editing for creating perfect unisons and etc. and to have an easy access to all Voyager parameters.
It is true, the Voyager has only one Preset bank but this is enough in my opinion for any gig or concert. The editor will help you to prepare for it. It will store and organize 1000's of patches in categories so you can have them at your disposal with a click of your mouse and drag them to Moog's bank. Rudi added edit buffer - now you will be able to audition and play presets without sending them to the bank or replacing existing ones.
The Voyager has knobs and it may seem not logical to use mouse to adjust them but... they are not motorized, they do not show their "real" position when you recall a patch from a patch bank. Of course, you can still use knobs as you would - the editor will update itself automatically. I am sure none of us are drinking so we do not have a problem with adjusting them to the exact value we want in a 16 bit resolution.
With the software, you can copy/paste groups of parameters at once like Pot Maps or Touch Surface to tightly match your playing style throughout your patches. How else practically could you do that? The Moog Voyager is an analog synth, the perfect environment for a precise morphing of one sound to the other. There is a nanoM utility that does that in a intelligent way. You can hear it and see it how it morphs in steps! There is a Patch Generator called "Genetics" that creates sounds that otherwise one would never come of with. I hope it is not over. If you come up with even more ideas, the Voyager editor is not a closed concept. We will try to add them to the program and you will not have to wait a year to use them. I would like to make you a part of the Voyager's editor project.
Best,
Soundtower Guy.

Kevin Bowden · Post by **Kevin Bowden** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 4:55 pm

Is there a mechanism for users to submit bug reports ?

I'm only trying the demo at the moment - and it isn't even connected to my Voyager - but I have had various 'subscript' errors and crashes.

One thing that I believe I have mentioned in the past on this forum is the idea of manipulating Voyager 'voices' as 'banks' of 16 contiguous 'presets', a concept that many modern instruments subscribe to.

A librarian/patch organiser that worked at this level (as well as at a single voice/full dump level as at present) would be very usable. The Voyager OS would obviously need to support such an organisation but I can't believe that this would pose a problem.

soundt · Post by **soundt** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 8:06 pm

Hi,
There should be no bugs that exist in registered version. The demo has one that I found after uploading it yesterday "Can't show modally" - the "DEMO" mode message window is called twice while it is already displayed. To report any misbehavior please write me at moog@soundtower.com. If you just just me and I will send you a fix right away.

Re: 16 presets. The Voyager is not a multitimbral synth. I will have to know more of what you mean.

monads · Post by **monads** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 9:08 pm

soundt,

I hear what your saying. And you're right 1 bank is enough for the gigging musician. But what about us studio musicians? Memory is cheap these days and it's been noted on Voyager reviews. At least give me/others access to overwrite the crap ROM patches!

Genetics sounds interesting. Interesting enough that perhaps is could've been included in a new feature to a Voyager OS update.

Also, it's not clear from the page, but if we purchase it does that give us universal platform access (MAC/PC editor versions)? or do we have to pay twice?

Editors can be good, depending on your style of working. I just don't feel it for the Voyager. Now if you were to offer one for the Yamaha Motif...then I would surely jump because navigating through that instruments OS is a pain.

Marzzz · Post by **Marzzz** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:32 pm

soundt wrote:OK. I admit, we had a... This spring we released program for Mac OX that turned to be a lemon. That project was too ambitious and we released it to soon. We've got hammered for it and righteously so, but this was the only one mailing list and one time blunder. You may check other lists:: Multiple Korg, Roland, Waldorf and other mailing lists, even blind musicians chat rooms... They will all tell you a different story that Soundtower editors are superior to anything else. Moog does not deserve anything less.

And Dave Smith does? Please note that the "one time blunder" remains unresolved going on six months. I am truly sorry to mention it here, but there has been very little response in the more appropriate forums.....

soundt · Post by **soundt** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 2:38 am

And there will not be. I do not subscribe to unmoderated forums and I am not going to. Specially when all criticism there is anything but insulting. I also regret mentioning Dave here. He is a great person with a great vision. He has his own forum (not a Yahoo one) that he attends well. For those who are intrigued by bringing this issue here, I should probably shed some light. As for other subscribers, I apologize for taking a bandwidth here. The problem started when we released Mac OX version of the Evolver program. It passed tests on our systems but it turned out to be too heavy when released to other Mac users. It suffered from the same problem as many other software releases including beloved Cubase. The OX's double buffering display turned out to be a killer for the application that had a hundred some controls (Sliders, labels and etc) in its editing windows making it useable but very sluggish. It was not a ripoff. There was a demo that anybody could download and try it. Those who bought it anyway but could not use it were refunded. What else we could do? We do not have $$$$$ to throw on this problem to fix it right away just because someone sets a flame on Yahoo forum. Everybody in the software development sector knows how hard this is how labor intensive it is. Please go visit soundtower.com and see how many programs we support and yes, this was a one time blunder. Anyway, this application is being rebuilt from scratch and it is near its completion. But this is it. Olimpics are over - no point to pass a flame. I am not longer going to explain myself here. I would like to respond to your comments or suggestions about the Voyager editor. The demo is out. Please check it out and judge it for yourself if oyu wish.