The Minimoog Voyager - A Modern Classic in Analog Synth Sound

[@evanglicanism]

JP 6, Voyager, nice to see some overlooked gems here on the channel.

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Thank you, I am trying to showcase synths that have gone by the wayside lately.

[@Bryan198026]

As a totally blind aspiring musician I had quite a few people recommend the Voyager Old School years back as one that might be reasonably easy to use without sight if you could learn the control panel layout. Never had the chance to find out whether that assessment would have been accurate because I never had the funds to buy one though.

[@supercompooper]

I love my voyager

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

I do too. I also have a Voyager XL.. amazing synth.. very overlooked nowadays

[@gnthr7992]

100% I love my Voyager RME !!!

[@Zaccyonline]

The Voyager XL is my favorite monosynth, truly deserving of the Minimoog title. The evolution from the Model D was tasteful, and unlocked a lifetime of sound exploration for me. Paired with MoogerFoogers, it’s a force of nature.

[@imothy]

Honestly, its not about the synth, its about the player. This is why i just play what I can afford to play.

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Amen to that! I used an 80s yamaha portsaound though an eventide for a song once!

[@jaysgood10]

yreah, got my mcdonalds straw and duck tape fidler.

[@imothy]

@@RolandPerez-p7i There was a german punk / noise band called ec8or at 930 club DC in 1997, that used an old aminga500 through an eventide, my ears were ringing for 2 weeks. Really great show though!

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

@@imothy NICE! Sounds wicked.

[@jonathanmauch4090]

Thanks! Great video! Now I need one...

[@spiralminus]

I made mine sound like the motorcycle on Eddie Grant’s Electric Avenue once and couldn’t figure out how to recreate it because I forgot to save the patch.

[@kvmoore1]

Studio Electronics also made great Minimoog-inspired synthesizers back in the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's and they still do today, although they are rackmounts units without a keyboard attached. I used to own an SE-1X. Today, I have a Matriarch and I can see some similarities in features between that and the Voyager, like plenty of modulation options as well as the spacing knob. However one main difference is the Matriarch has two separate filters that can work together in stereo to get nice stereo filter sweeps. This is great for big wide bass sounds. On the otherhand, moving the "Spacing" knob around on the Voyager can also give you a nice wide stereo sweep as well, I suppose. On the Voyager, can the "Spacing" knob be modulated using an LFO as the source? If so, that is really nice. I've never had the opportunity to touch a Voyager. However, one feature I do like about it is the fact it has preset memory. With that said, I have played around with the new Minimoog Model D reissue and although it doesn't have presets, that does not hinder it at all because it is so simple and easy to instantly dial up a sound that it doesn't really need to have preset memory. The Voyager, on the otherhand, benefits from having preset memory because it's a far more complex machine with all the extra knobs and modulation options in comparison to the original Minimoog Model D.

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

YES! SE made a great Mini type rack synth. It was a must have in the early 2000's. I found the envelope to be slightly faster and tighter than the voyager, but the voyager beats it a bit in tone.

[@kvmoore1]

@RolandPerez-p7i Cool! Interesting. I'm glad you've had a chance to actually compare the two first-hand.

[@SRDhain]

I've had my current moog voyager for over a decade. It was brand new and I had to ring moog to get this one as the dealer unit i bought new, was faulty. This is my 5th voyager, as 3 of the others had issues with them (the RME - rack mount edition- was sweet as a nut, but no keyboard). In short, as you've alredy said, whilst it isn't a minimoog (the oscillators & filter, are very different sounding), it's a really good synth & I've used it on a ton of tracks / jobs, and live too. There's a lot of depth due to the hidden menu stuff ( e.g pot mapping,) back panel c/v in out, touch pad, oscillator sync, and brilliant dual filter configuration that makes it a worthy addition to your set up. I did think about doing a series of videos on it (ive already done a load of videos on my Roland system 100) , but the hidden depths due to pot mapping and the resultant modulation stuff would mean it'd take me months to do anywhere near the justice it deserves. So thank you for the wonderful video you've presented here.🌅

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Thank you so much for the support and kind words. I agree, its a, now, underrated synth. Best to you my friend! I will be sure to check out those System 100 videos.. thats another fav of mine!

[@rkharper]

Do it, I'll subscribe immediately!

[@The_Sonic_Oasis]

Hey Roland, whatever happened to the "synths that time forgot" series?

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Still on the agenda.. in a way though, this voyager is one of those.

[@mrkeeny]

Love my voyager, but does sound like filter wont open up enough

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Completely agree, but if you know its limited and push past it, the Voyager can be a GREAT synth.

[@gnthr7992]

You need to get the slew rate modification by Rudi Linhard !

[@mrkeeny]

@@gnthr7992 it’s fine, Ive got other synth that cover that base. Embrace the smooth machine!

[@kierenmoore3236]

“… rounder … and … colder sound” These don’t sit together, in my mind … 🤷🏻‍♂️ I think the Voyager has an overall rounder, softer and ‘warmer’ sound, though it can sound very cold as demonstrated towards the end here. Not as raw, hefty, buzzy, ‘edgy’ or cutting as a Model D (which never sounds cold or thin). 🤔

[@RolandPerez-p7i]

Agreed! That said, the voyagers can delve into territory that an original Mini cant do : )

[@85ba]

Tonewise a very girthy synth. It has the heft