Voyager TNT (Tips & Tricks) - Oscilllator 3 Out Of The Box
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:52 pm
Ever wish you could access the Voyager’s oscillators individually as separate outputs? While it isn’t possible to do this, there is a cool little technique that gets one of them (Oscillator 3) out of the box on a separate output. If you have a Voyager with a VX-351 CV Expander, you already have everything you need to set this up, and if you happen to have a lot of effects pedals and/or rack-mount effects lying around, you have a lot you can experiment with! To learn more, read on…
BACKGROUND
The VX-351 CV Expander is essentially a ‘breakout box’ for the Voyager’s control signals, providing outputs on ¼” jacks for all of the Voyager’s internally generated Control Voltages (CV’s) and Gates.
Because it’s called a “CV Expander”, you might think that signals from the VX-351 can only be used as voltages to control other parameters. While this is true of most signals from the VX-351, one exception is the signal that comes from the VX-351 BUSS jack when the Voyager’s Modulation Buss SOURCE knob is set to ‘OSC3’, and Oscillator 3 is configured for audio instead of modulation (i.e. when the 3 FREQ switch on the Voyager panel is set to ‘HI’.). This is the basic idea behind getting Oscillator 3 ‘out of the box’.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED
1. This technique ties up the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON modulation buss, so any patch that makes use of this buss may sound different as a result.
2. Warning – High Signal Levels Present!
Since it is intended to be used is as a control voltage, the maximum output of OSC3 from the VX-351 is about 9V peak to peak - almost the same level as a Moog Modular Oscillator (see Note 1 below). While this level is quite normal in the modular world (modular circuitry is designed to handle large signals), it’s way too big to be used with ordinary line-level devices and stompbox pedals. We need to reduce the signal to a level that’s compatible with the gear that we’ll be connecting to.
3. Taming levels - doing it right
Since we will be taking the OSC3 signal from the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON buss, you might think you could just reduce the level simply by turning down the AMOUNT knob on the Voyager front panel. While that approach would work, it's really not the best way to do it, because you would only be changing the level for the current patch and not others. The risk you face with that approach is that if you change the patch on the Voyager (either intentionally or accidentally), the output from the PEDAL/ON buss could suddenly change to a large CV signal that’s incompatible with (and potentially harmful to) whatever you’ve got connected. Not a good situation. A better method is to leave the AMOUNT knob set to “10”, connect the VX-351 PEDAL BUSS output to one of the VX-351 attenuators, and then adjust the attenuator to the 9 o’clock position before making any other connections:
VX351 PEDAL BUSS out > ATTENUATOR In > ATTENUATOR Out > your gear
By running the PEDAL BUSS output through an attenuator, you globally reduce the level of any signal coming from the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON buss, regardless of the setting of the AMOUNT knob. This will keep your levels in a safe volume range and provide some protection for any connected equipment.
MAKING THE ‘OUT OF THE BOX’ SETUP ON THE VOYAGER
Select a patch, and then make the following settings on the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON Modulation Buss:
Source: OSC3
Destination: LFO/PGM
Shaping: ON/PGM
Amount: 10
In the EDIT screen:
PGM Pedal Source (SRC): Noise
PGM Pedal Destination (Dest.): LFO Rate
(These settings will keep OSC3 at a consistent, maximum level)
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, connect a patch cord from the VX-351 PEDAL Buss output to an attenuator input as described above in the 'Taming the Levels' section. Set the attenuator knob to the 9 o’clock position. The attenuator output is now a line-level signal, and you're ready for the next step.
At this point, you may wish to name and save the patch so that you can return to it later, or just forge ahead...
Let the experiments commence!
WHAT TO CONNECT TO?
Anything and everything! All manner of effects pedals and/or rack effects are fair game for experimentation. Using effects singly or in any combination, try what you have and see what works.
HOW TO CONFIGURE?
I came up with three basic configurations for using OSC3 out of the box: as a drone, as an individually processed oscillator, and as a modulator. The three configurations are illustrated below.
1. Drone:
With OSC3’s keyboard control (3 KB CONT) switched OFF and frequency control [3 FREQ] set to HI, you have a drone. By itself, however, the sound of the drone oscillator is pretty static and uninteresting, so it’s shown routed through an effect before going to a mixer/amplifier. The Voyager’s output is fed into a second mixer/amplifier channel, allowing you to riff away with the drone all day long…
2. Processed Separately:
With OSC3 keyboard control switched ON, this configuration routes OSC3 through an effect before returning it to the Voyager via the External Input, where it is mixed with the other (unaffected) oscillators and noise source, and then gets processed through the Voyager Filter and VCA.
3. Modulator:
The ‘Modulator’ configuration uses OSC3 as the carrier signal for a Moogerfooger Ring Modulator. With OSC3 keyboard control switched ON, the ring modulator signal (with the MIX knob at max.) will track the keyboard, and the oscillator panel controls can be used to create a wide range of tonal effects, all playable in tune. Tubular bells, anyone?
---
FINALE
Want to hear what this can sound like? A few brief audio demos of the configurations described above can be heard here:
https://soundcloud.com/greg-kist/voyager-tnt-osc3-ootb
Recorded without overdubs and accompanied by a narrative that explains what I'm doing, these simple demos are intended to provide some examples of the real-time results you can achieve with this technique. The result is a class of sounds that you simply can't get from just the Voyager alone.
So now it’s your turn to take OSC3 Out Of The Box. Enjoy!
- Greg
---
NOTES:
1. If you own a modular synth, this is a great jumping off point to integrate the Voyager with the rest of your gear. Processing OSC3 with other (non-Moog) filters, modulators, wave folders, etc., can take the the Voyager into some great new sonic directions.
2. An observation: Poking around with an oscilloscope revealed something that I didn’t know about the Voyager: the oscillator’s sawtooth wave is really a ramp, not a sawtooth. The direction of the waveform slope is the opposite of the legend pictured on the WAVE knob. The oscillator wave starts at the lowest level and ramps up, not the other way around. Harmonically, there is no difference in sound between a sawtooth and a ramp wave, but when the oscillator is used as a modulation source, the affected result can be like night and day. So what to do when you need a sawtooth modulation wave instead of a ramp? Well, it turns out that the OSC3 signal from the VX-351 is inverted, so the ramp wave gets flipped and becomes a sawtooth! Neat, huh? This means you have both waves at your disposal. I should also mention that the inversion has no effect on the triangle wave, but the pulse wave reverses from being mostly positive to mostly negative. Whether or not this was an intentional design decision from Bob and the guys at Moog, I certainly can't say, but it’s always nice to have more modulation options!
BACKGROUND
The VX-351 CV Expander is essentially a ‘breakout box’ for the Voyager’s control signals, providing outputs on ¼” jacks for all of the Voyager’s internally generated Control Voltages (CV’s) and Gates.
Because it’s called a “CV Expander”, you might think that signals from the VX-351 can only be used as voltages to control other parameters. While this is true of most signals from the VX-351, one exception is the signal that comes from the VX-351 BUSS jack when the Voyager’s Modulation Buss SOURCE knob is set to ‘OSC3’, and Oscillator 3 is configured for audio instead of modulation (i.e. when the 3 FREQ switch on the Voyager panel is set to ‘HI’.). This is the basic idea behind getting Oscillator 3 ‘out of the box’.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED
1. This technique ties up the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON modulation buss, so any patch that makes use of this buss may sound different as a result.
2. Warning – High Signal Levels Present!
Since it is intended to be used is as a control voltage, the maximum output of OSC3 from the VX-351 is about 9V peak to peak - almost the same level as a Moog Modular Oscillator (see Note 1 below). While this level is quite normal in the modular world (modular circuitry is designed to handle large signals), it’s way too big to be used with ordinary line-level devices and stompbox pedals. We need to reduce the signal to a level that’s compatible with the gear that we’ll be connecting to.
3. Taming levels - doing it right
Since we will be taking the OSC3 signal from the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON buss, you might think you could just reduce the level simply by turning down the AMOUNT knob on the Voyager front panel. While that approach would work, it's really not the best way to do it, because you would only be changing the level for the current patch and not others. The risk you face with that approach is that if you change the patch on the Voyager (either intentionally or accidentally), the output from the PEDAL/ON buss could suddenly change to a large CV signal that’s incompatible with (and potentially harmful to) whatever you’ve got connected. Not a good situation. A better method is to leave the AMOUNT knob set to “10”, connect the VX-351 PEDAL BUSS output to one of the VX-351 attenuators, and then adjust the attenuator to the 9 o’clock position before making any other connections:
VX351 PEDAL BUSS out > ATTENUATOR In > ATTENUATOR Out > your gear
By running the PEDAL BUSS output through an attenuator, you globally reduce the level of any signal coming from the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON buss, regardless of the setting of the AMOUNT knob. This will keep your levels in a safe volume range and provide some protection for any connected equipment.
MAKING THE ‘OUT OF THE BOX’ SETUP ON THE VOYAGER
Select a patch, and then make the following settings on the Voyager’s PEDAL/ON Modulation Buss:
Source: OSC3
Destination: LFO/PGM
Shaping: ON/PGM
Amount: 10
In the EDIT screen:
PGM Pedal Source (SRC): Noise
PGM Pedal Destination (Dest.): LFO Rate
(These settings will keep OSC3 at a consistent, maximum level)
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, connect a patch cord from the VX-351 PEDAL Buss output to an attenuator input as described above in the 'Taming the Levels' section. Set the attenuator knob to the 9 o’clock position. The attenuator output is now a line-level signal, and you're ready for the next step.
At this point, you may wish to name and save the patch so that you can return to it later, or just forge ahead...
Let the experiments commence!
WHAT TO CONNECT TO?
Anything and everything! All manner of effects pedals and/or rack effects are fair game for experimentation. Using effects singly or in any combination, try what you have and see what works.
HOW TO CONFIGURE?
I came up with three basic configurations for using OSC3 out of the box: as a drone, as an individually processed oscillator, and as a modulator. The three configurations are illustrated below.
1. Drone:
2. Processed Separately:
3. Modulator:
---
FINALE
Want to hear what this can sound like? A few brief audio demos of the configurations described above can be heard here:
https://soundcloud.com/greg-kist/voyager-tnt-osc3-ootb
Recorded without overdubs and accompanied by a narrative that explains what I'm doing, these simple demos are intended to provide some examples of the real-time results you can achieve with this technique. The result is a class of sounds that you simply can't get from just the Voyager alone.
So now it’s your turn to take OSC3 Out Of The Box. Enjoy!
- Greg
---
NOTES:
1. If you own a modular synth, this is a great jumping off point to integrate the Voyager with the rest of your gear. Processing OSC3 with other (non-Moog) filters, modulators, wave folders, etc., can take the the Voyager into some great new sonic directions.
2. An observation: Poking around with an oscilloscope revealed something that I didn’t know about the Voyager: the oscillator’s sawtooth wave is really a ramp, not a sawtooth. The direction of the waveform slope is the opposite of the legend pictured on the WAVE knob. The oscillator wave starts at the lowest level and ramps up, not the other way around. Harmonically, there is no difference in sound between a sawtooth and a ramp wave, but when the oscillator is used as a modulation source, the affected result can be like night and day. So what to do when you need a sawtooth modulation wave instead of a ramp? Well, it turns out that the OSC3 signal from the VX-351 is inverted, so the ramp wave gets flipped and becomes a sawtooth! Neat, huh? This means you have both waves at your disposal. I should also mention that the inversion has no effect on the triangle wave, but the pulse wave reverses from being mostly positive to mostly negative. Whether or not this was an intentional design decision from Bob and the guys at Moog, I certainly can't say, but it’s always nice to have more modulation options!
