Moog Music Forum

Related: A comparison test between a Model D, a Voyager (not an Old School) and a CreamWare Minimax (VA) was done last year. The test was called "Vintage, Voyager or Virtual". The writeup and audio files were posted on MoogSpace:

https://www.moogmusic.com/members/?sect ... &cat_id=49

HB3 wrote:

calvinistsandlutherans wrote: I use midi sequences all of the time to drive Moogerfoogers in time with my music

Whoa....how do you do that?

Midi to CV converter

Are there digital elements (besides the controls) that interact with the actual analog signal path within the Voyager?

No.
Just the control voltages for all the adjustable parameters are controlled via some D/A converters. The actual sound generation is done analog.

Is the mixer of the OS active or passive? If it was passive (unlike the classic voyagers and like the model D) this may be a reason for a different sound.

I have a soviet made Minimoog clone (they cloned the rev. a vco boards!!!) and it sounds indeed different than my Voyager (select). It sounds very much like an old model D and the pure tone of a single VCO is super rich. The phasing of multiple VCOs sounds "cutting thru, in your face", sometimes silky, sometimes just massive.

In a full arrangement the Voyager mixes very smooth. Even without a compressor the level is always steady-going. The "classic" Minimoog tone sounds very impressive alone but often needs more tweaking in tha mix. When I multitrack a poly sound out of the soviet mini clone it sounds sooo full and fat! But then there is absolutely no space left for more instruments But a 1 VCO Voyager bass may still fit in there

As a moog fan I love the combination of old and new minimoog-style synths They sound indeed different.

I assume very much, that it is an active mixer. But there are no schematics available for people like us. So we have to ask Moog Music or do reverse engineering.

Alisa,

Man it seems like the truest synth fanatics in the world are from Germany!

Das fuh Deutchland!

Voltor07 wrote:Oh, man! I just configured the most killer synth on that site, too! Dig this: The basic beginner's setup, PLUS 2-Q106CRS's, the Q150 Moog filter clone instead of the Q107, a Q960, Q961, and Q963 AND the keyboard, all for the low introductory price of $2741! Mix in a Voyager RME and Old School, a Little Phatty, and the rest of my gear, and you have the most dangerous rig since Keith Emerson!

Chuck Norris has a more dangerous rig. Without a Q119 you can't do anything.

I really love my OS. I didn't have a need or desire to have all the other extras. If you see yourself using any of those extra features down the road, do not get the OS.

I was originally going to get an OS and then found a used Select on eBay for $500 less than what I would have paid for the OS new. Incredibly glad I went with the Select. The touch pad is amazing and allows for such a range of glitchy fx and organic variations in drones that just can't be achieved through turning knobs. The ability to save your presets is also huge for me, especially for live performing.

Though I'm sure I would have been happy with the OS, I'm REALLY glad I got the Select.

As you may know (or not) my Old School is out for repair and I got an Electric Blue to replace it for the time it takes to do so.

So I had my OS for about 2 months and now the EB for about 3 weeks.

The following reflects only MY personal preference, and is in no way intended to put down any of the two models, as they're both outstanding instruments.

Things I like on the EB: slightly better quality keyboard (as far as the plastic keys are concerned), more modulations possibilities without requiring a VX-351, the MIDI capabilities, and the lighted blue mod wheels.

Things I really don't like about the EB: the (too) small LCD display, the awful menu driven software, the low resolution of the value displayed for a given parameter, the lack of super-fine digital resolution for some critical parameters like the frequency knobs or filter cutoff (just have the filter self-oscillate and tweak the cutoff veeeery slowly and listen to the very slight audible steps), the annoying whining of the back light (this is an early version EB), the "all or nothing" after-touch (again early version EB), the (over) price.

Things I love about my OS: immediacy of the knobs, extreme precision of the knobs (pure analog), the keyboard after-touch sensitivity and range, the more straightforward (albeit restricted) modulation busses, the classy look of natural wood.

Things I miss on the OS: MIDI, programmability of the pitch bend range (although it can be changed by opening the synth ), the lighted mod wheels.

Oh, I almost forgot, as for the sound quality? They're IDENTICAL. But that doesn't mean there are no differences in the resulting sound for identical pot values. To obtain the exact same sound out of a patch done on the OS, the knob values needed to be tweaked (sometimes quite a bit) to obtain the same result on the EB. But once that was done with care the result was, as I mentioned, identical.

So there you have it. I am obviously biased towards the OS, but then again I've always been an old school kind of guy... To each his own I guess.

Buy the one who suits you the most , im buying a Voyager ,not the Performer.
Personally ,presets,MIDI,touchpad,backlight,software.....are just unnecessary/redundant features on my opinion ,plus just by adding this features the moog synth get much more expensive and for a young musician on rescecion days a cheaper Voyager synth makes a lot of logical sence .
Voyager Old School hands down.

I was in the same position as you about a month ago. I'm the sort of person that prefers simpler things whenever possible. I spend a good amount of time with a performer edition and it made my decision clear. The Voyager OS was definitely the model for me. I ordered it the next day from my dealer and now that I've had it a couple of weeks, I'm thrilled with my decision. I'm sure you will be happy either way, but I highly recommend going with an Old School. Besides, they won't be available much longer.

I tell you what...if the old school had the touchpad I think id be really tempted to trade mine in for that.

I used to be of the mentality that I didn't want to document presets. But having very quickly ran out of memory for original presets Im wondering why I want to keep every single little patch creation.

And since my theremin upgrade, I notice the zippering more often.

Eric