Moog Music Forum

Hi.

The subject line pretty much says it all. I'm completely in love with this synth, but I can't believe why Bob Moog included a master octave switch on the voyager (like master fine tune). I really miss this function when playing solos, but other than using the pitchwheel for jumping the pitch up/down an octave, is there any other way to assign a master octave control to a single switch/knob on the panel? (using modulation, pot mapping etc.) I've tried to come up with a solution for myself, but no-go so far...
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

You could build a master octave switch that would use the rear panel PITCH jack.

How about switching between presets?

Like patch 100... patch 101 would be the same but with the octave(s) up or down one.

But I'm interested in the idea of building a octave switch. There are some in the world of modular synths... Do you know how to do this?

I think sir_dss has the right answer on this. While this solution limits you to having two identical presets next to each other, it is the most immediate way to achieve the octave switching effect you're looking for.

MC's solution would also probably work, but would require a voltage source (battery) and a way to adjust the voltage accurately (trimpot) for the Voyager's 1 V/oct requirement. Of course, if you have a CP-251, you have the adjustable voltage source, but are still lacking a switch.

While considering this question, my initial thought was to use the Voyager's built-in MIDI transpose feature along with a simple MIDI ON/OFF switch box. Route the Voyager MIDI OUT through the switch box and back to the Voyager MIDI IN. Set the Voyager's MIDI pitch transpose to +12, and use the MIDI switch to activate. The Voyager should respond to the MIDI In and transose the pitch up an ocatve. Since I haven't actually tried it, I can't say if this works.

Building a MIDI ON/OFF swicth box would be very simple: a few parts from your local Radio Shack (small project box, switch) and a MIDI cable would be all that is needed. If you're handy with a soldering iron you should be able to construct one in less than an hour. I built one a few years ago and will experiment with it later to see if this approach is a viable solution.

Bottom line - I agree with you that the Voyager needs this capability. Perhaps there is a way to implement this feature into the next OS update. What about it Moog folks?

Greg

GregAE, the rear panel CV inputs include a 5VDC source on the ring of the TRS jacks. They were designed for passive CV pedals but a voltage divider (IE octave switch) could be built for this.

Or use sir_dss idea, adjacent programs with different octaves.

GregAE wrote:...MC's solution would also probably work, but would require a voltage source (battery) and a way to adjust the voltage accurately (trimpot) for the Voyager's 1 V/oct requirement. ...

And this would need a regualry new trim pot scalling as the battery voltage fades away during livespan. Not a great idea. But the voltage of the pedals input is very constant over time.

Thanks for some interesting replies.

The midi-switch solution seems pretty do-able. I have a friend who's very good at soldering and putting together stuff like that, so maybe I'll bother him with this. Still, having to plug external stuff into my voyager is a bit of a hassle, and shouldn't be necessary.
Anyway, I'm sure MoogMusic could faily easily make this work with an OS tweak. For intstance, a setting for the osc1 octave pitch switch that could either be "osc1" or "master". Or use the cursor button to enter "master octave mode" and then the +/- buttons to jump up/down octaves.
Hmm, I think I'll bug moogmusic about this..
Thanks for the help!

Tritonus -

Good news! The MIDI switch idea works! I was able to set the Voyager MIDI transpose value to +12 semitones and change the octave 'on the fly'. Of course, the transposition would work for any value (fourths, fifths, etc.) that the MIDI transpose was set to.

A few caviats here:

1. The Voyager gets confused if the MIDI transpose value is set to the same value as the Keyboard Transpose. I experienced this and had to cycle the Voyager's power in order to reset the machine. For this reason, I'd recommend adjusting the MIDI transpose value BEFORE connecting the MIDI switch (or be sure to have the MIDI switch set to OFF).

2. If you should turn the MIDI switch ON while holding a key down, the 'MIDI Note Off" message for that note doesn't get sent and you end up with a stuck note. You'll have to be careful with this in a live performance setting. The stuck note can be turned off by switching the MIDI switch to 'OFF' and hitting the offending note. Otherwise, you'll have to cycle the power (losing the MIDI Transpose setting in the process) or use a sequencer/MIDI interface that has an "All Notes Off" command.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

gregae

Thanks Greg! I really appreciate your help.
I will definately try this out, and hopefully MoogMusic will release a OS fix sometime soon for this rather obvious shortcoming.
Thanks again.

You could just use a 88 note keyboard controller via midi... There are several inexpensive ones, or you may use anothe keyboard in your own rig... I have a Yamaha EX5 with 76 key, it also has an octave up and down switch which can go up or down by 2 Octaves.
Seems like the easiest solution

Sunsinger