not to stir up trouble, but...

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diddi_jo
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by diddi_jo » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:47 am

This may well be a nonsensical debate as has already been pointed out.
I used to have vintage synths when they were considered state of the art. They were lovely instruments and I certainly wouldn't mind still having some of those. Now, owning a couple of modern day analog synths along with some acoustic and electric instruments, I can't say that I look back. Just enjoy making the music and fiddling with the knobs.
All the best - Sid
Voyager OS, Prophet 08, Rhodes MkI 73, NordLead2 and more...

moogslob
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by moogslob » Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:04 pm

These kind of threads pepper all sorts of forums and can cover anything from cars to cameras to xylophones probably...
Exactly- I have a vintage Gretsch guitar, and was considering a new one, so asked if the tone was there- You'd have thought I asked if Hitler was a nice guy :roll: Well, I bought one anyway, and it sounded just like the '63- So I quit that forum- When I ask purchase advice, I need to listen to my OWN ears... Some of you may think it's "madness" to compare synths, but why on earth wouldn't I, if I'm looking for a particular sound, but needing modern conveniences?
And on that note, I'm out of here- Every moment wasted on here is one in which I could be making music, and that's what it's all about, at least to ME
Voyager Old School, Etherwave Theremin, Wurlitzer 200A, MS2000, Gretsch Anni, dinged up surfboard x 2

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unfiltered37
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by unfiltered37 » Wed Nov 02, 2011 4:36 pm

[quote="diddi_jo"]I used to have vintage synths when they were considered state of the art. They were lovely instruments /quote]

Yes, but did you have a model D? Nothing compares.

diddi_jo
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by diddi_jo » Wed Nov 02, 2011 7:23 pm

unfiltered37 wrote:Yes, but did you have a model D? Nothing compares.
My last affair with a Model D was during recording an album in 1995. I loved it.
Voyager OS, Prophet 08, Rhodes MkI 73, NordLead2 and more...

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museslave
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by museslave » Wed Nov 02, 2011 7:56 pm

Yes, it's true. Every forum has its share of comparison between old and new.
And, while there are always people who say old is better, sometimes old is better.
And, while there are always people who say new is bleep, sometimes new is better.
And, while there are always people who say one thing is better than the other, there are always people who say they can't hear any difference.
And, there are always people who suggest that there is some status conspiracy in regard to superlative instruments.
And, there are always people who say one thing is better when they really have no idea, but are parroting people they respect.
And, there are always people who say they can't hear a difference when in actuality it is simply that they are not capable of discerning the difference.
And, there are always people who say they don't care about differences, they just like to make music.
And, there are always people who point out that it's not about instruments, it's about the music. (usually on a forum whose focus is instruments)
And last, but not least, there is always someone who scolds anyone for talking about anything when they could be making music.
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unfiltered37
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by unfiltered37 » Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:28 am

This isn't about old vs. new in my opinion. If the Model D were made today in its original form with original components, it would still be the best ever by far. Yes it has a "vintage" sound and feel, but its one of the few pieces that is timeless and never sounds dated, except in the 80's and 90's, but that's over, thank the f*ck christ.

Sir Nose
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by Sir Nose » Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:46 pm

And, don't forgot, the person who points out all the things all things that someone might give as a response.
museslave wrote:Yes, it's true. Every forum has its share of comparison between old and new.
And, while there are always people who say old is better, sometimes old is better.
And, while there are always people who say new is bleep, sometimes new is better.
And, while there are always people who say one thing is better than the other, there are always people who say they can't hear any difference.
And, there are always people who suggest that there is some status conspiracy in regard to superlative instruments.
And, there are always people who say one thing is better when they really have no idea, but are parroting people they respect.
And, there are always people who say they can't hear a difference when in actuality it is simply that they are not capable of discerning the difference.
And, there are always people who say they don't care about differences, they just like to make music.
And, there are always people who point out that it's not about instruments, it's about the music. (usually on a forum whose focus is instruments)
And last, but not least, there is always someone who scolds anyone for talking about anything when they could be making music.

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museslave
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by museslave » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:38 pm

Sir Nose wrote:And, don't forgot, the person who points out all the things all things that someone might give as a response.
museslave wrote:Yes, it's true. Every forum has its share of comparison between old and new.
And, while there are always people who say old is better, sometimes old is better.
And, while there are always people who say new is bleep, sometimes new is better.
And, while there are always people who say one thing is better than the other, there are always people who say they can't hear any difference.
And, there are always people who suggest that there is some status conspiracy in regard to superlative instruments.
And, there are always people who say one thing is better when they really have no idea, but are parroting people they respect.
And, there are always people who say they can't hear a difference when in actuality it is simply that they are not capable of discerning the difference.
And, there are always people who say they don't care about differences, they just like to make music.
And, there are always people who point out that it's not about instruments, it's about the music. (usually on a forum whose focus is instruments)
And last, but not least, there is always someone who scolds anyone for talking about anything when they could be making music.
And the person who points out the pointing out. :)
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sunny pedaal
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by sunny pedaal » Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:06 am

having both
i prefer the mini-d, but for practical reasons mostly play the voyager.
different instruments like all moog synth's ( and some other brands too ).

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till
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by till » Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:25 am

If you can hear a difference from a Bechstein and a Bösendorfer grand piano, you will hear the difference of a Voyager to the minimoog model D as well.
I own both synths for some years. Using the very same speakers. And they do not sound alike 100%. But you can hear also differences from one minimoog D with the old oscillators to a newer one.

And my late minimoog is a pitch stabil as my Voyager.
keep on turning these Moog knobs

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Prodigy * minimoog '79 * Voyager * MF102 * MF103 * MF104z * MP201 * Taurus 3 * Minitaur * Sub Phatty * MF105 * Minimoog 2017+ MUSE * One 16

torinkrell
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by torinkrell » Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:11 pm

Although I was sceptical at first and tried a variety of monosynths live and in my studio, I eventually realized how special the Minimoog Model D is. However after owning and selling a few Minimoog Ds I can say with certainty that they do not all sound the same - which can account for the varying opinions here. I owned a 1975, 1978 and now have a 1973 Mini D which to me sounds the best of the three. I am not saying that all older Mini Ds sound better, but for me my 1973 model is richer than my 1975 & 1978 and is also more stable than its 1975 vintage sibling. How much of the Mini Ds variation in sound is due to aging / maintenance or original manufacturing changes is a question I will leave to those who know far more than me about these issues.
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thealien666
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by thealien666 » Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:37 pm

Personally, now that I finally got my hands on a Minimoog, I can tell what all the fuss is about. It's a lot of little things that make a Minimoog a synth unlike any other synths, including other...Minimoogs !
All the little imprecision in tuning, the slight slow drift of its oscillators, the curve of its sawtooth slope, the snappiness of the sawtooth waveform that adds sizzle to it, the smooth action of it keyboard, its 440 reference (very useful and missing from the Old School), the "feedback trick" effect that results in unpredictable results at high settings, etc etc...

I've had an Old School a couple of years ago, and sold it. I didn't like the continually variable waveforms of its oscillators (making it difficult to obtain an exact sawtooth without an oscilloscope). And although is sounded really great, it didn't appeal that much to me. True that it has much more versatile modulation capabilities, and a dedicated LFO, but the "perfectness" of its tuning and its lack of drift, combined with "squeaky clean", although still beefy, sound made it seem somewhat less appealing to me.
And moreover, its keyboard action feels "cheap" when compared to the silky smooth Pratt-Read of the Minimoog. The Electric Blue Voyager as a better quality keyboard than the Old School, but still not quite there.

Don't get me wrong. The Old School, and other Voyagers, are still a great successors to the original Mini, having corrected most of the "bugs" out of it and added a lot of functionality. But I prefer a synth with an attitude, a mind all it's own, and one that you must work with continually to get the most out of it or just to keep it in tune. I guess it could be compared to a guitarist wanting to keep playing an old beat-up Strat that might have become hard to maintain and to keep in tune, instead of getting a brand new one, because he loves it and couldn't find another guitar that sounded like that. Stevie Ray Vaughan comes to mind...

My two cents on it.

Al.
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unfiltered37
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by unfiltered37 » Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:59 am

The model D just feels like an instrument in your hands, like a violin or something. When I had the voyager, I felt more of a disconnect between myself and the instrument, like hitting a key was more like pressing a button, while with the model D it's to me more like plucking a string. And the process of firing it up and the way it makes you wait for it, and how using the tune knob is like turning a tuning peg on a stringed instrument, all these things though maybe seen as unnecessary annoyances to some, are to me part of the experience. And there's something to be said about using every feature of an instrument almost every time you play it, there is a certain satisfaction to it, whereas with the voyager I was sometimes not quite content that I was not using everything, it always seemed like I wasn't using it to its full potential. With the D, its simple layout lets you dial in a great patch, alter the sound with a few knobs and the wheels here and there, but still feel a sense of pushing it to it's boundaries while still being able to concentrate on playing music. To me music is first and synthesis is second, but that's just me.

dan thacker
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by dan thacker » Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:11 pm

I wish i lived on the same planet as people who can drop four grand on a synth with no warranty.I'm from planet "making monthly payments!"

unfiltered37
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Re: not to stir up trouble, but...

Post by unfiltered37 » Fri Nov 18, 2011 1:52 pm

Got mine for $2300 on ebay about 2 years ago. Has been totally problem free except for a worn pitch wheel detent, but just flipped it around. Worth every penny. I realize though that it is made for a keyboard player specifically. If you're more of a music programmer, the voyager is a better choice.

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