Minimoog Voyager
Encyclopedia
The Minimoog Voyager or Voyager is a monophonic analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...

, designed by Robert Moog
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...

 and released in 2002 by Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...

. The Voyager was modeled after the classic Minimoog
Minimoog
The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...

 synthesizer that was popular in the 1970s, and is meant to be a successor to that instrument.

Design

Like the original Minimoog, the Voyager has six sound sources. Five of these (three voltage-controlled oscillator
Voltage-controlled oscillator
A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in oscillation frequency by a voltage input. The frequency of oscillation is varied by the applied DC voltage, while modulating signals may also be fed into the VCO to cause frequency modulation or phase...

s with switchable waveforms, a noise generator, and an external line input) pass to a mixer with independent level controls. The mixed output of the sources is then passed through the voltage-controlled filter
Voltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter is a filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs...

 and a voltage-controlled amplifier, each of which has its own ADSR envelope generator. The voltage-controlled filter can itself be made to oscillate, thus comprising the Voyager's sixth sound source.

In addition to similar features of the original Minimoog, the Voyager was designed to have a memory bank capable of storing 128 presets, a touch pad modulation control, dedicated LFO
LFO
LFO may refer to:* LFO , an English techno act* LFO , an American three-man pop/rap group** LFO , an album released by the American pop group LFO* Light Finding Operation, a form of mecha from the anime TV series Eureka Seven...

, two modulation
Modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...

 busses (one controllable via the modulation wheel and the other with a foot pedal), two ADSR envelopes for filter and amplifier control, a pressure-sensitive keyboard, 14 voltage-control inputs, and MIDI input/output.

Unlike the original Minimoog, the Voyager's modulation busses can be set to affect almost any parameter of the sound, not just the filters. Although the synthesizer features MIDI control and advanced patch storage, all audio
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...

 paths in the Voyager are analog with the sound originating from any of three oscillators designed for high tuning
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...

 stability, as the original Minimoog oscillators tended to slightly shift out of tune while playing.

With the Voyager, certain parameters that were fixed on the original Minimoog can be programmed to suit the player's preference. This includes selection between low-note, high-note or last-note priority. Also, the envelope generators can be set to retrigger with each pressed note or they can be set not to retrigger until all notes are lifted and the next note is played.

History

In November 2001, Moog Music
Moog Music
Moog Music is an American company based in Asheville, North Carolina which manufactures electronic musical instruments. The current Moog Music is the second company to trade under that name.-R.A. Moog Co. and the original Moog Music:...

 (then Big Briar) announced that they planned to release an updated version of the Minimoog. The new synthesizer promised to have modern features, yet continue to be authentic to the original sound quality. The company offered a new synthesizer to the customer who could come up with a name for the project. Early in 2002, they announced that the synthesizer would be named the "Minimoog Voyager".

Late in the summer of 2002, Moog Music began shipping the new Voyagers. Occasionally a new system software
System software
System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software.The most basic types of system software are:...

 release is made available, which can be downloaded from Moog Music's website and sent to the Voyager via MIDI. Recent software versions allow complex internal patching of control voltages, a very powerful and convenient feature for the user. Also available is the VX-351 Voyager Expander, an external box that is wired to the Voyager featuring 25 control-voltage outputs for physical CV patching.

Recent versions of the Voyager software expand the original 128-patch memory to 896 patches by implementing seven selectable banks, A to G, with 128 patches each. The current model (2007) has most of the patches pre-programmed in groups corresponding to earlier software releases.

Models

The first 600 units could be preordered at the price of US$3495 and featured Bob Moog's personal autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...

. The standard edition continues to sell for US$2995. Apart from the signature and price, the models are identical. Wood finish on the models is offered in walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...

, cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

 or maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...

.
For 2004, Moog Music released a limited 50th Anniversary Edition Voyager (AE). The wood cabinet was painted black and the control panel was backlit using electroluminescent technology. 2005 marked the end of production of these units, however Moog Music continues to sell a backlit model called the Electric Blue that features an iridescent blue cabinet finish. Both of these models have the same sound features of the non-backlit models but sell for US$3295. They now offer a customizable version of the Electric Blue named the Select Series, in which the customer can choose between mahogany, electric blue, traditional ash, white wash, maple, black, cherry, and walnut cabinets with red, blue, white, orange, green, or purple backlighting. Their retail price is the same as that of the Electric Blue model.

In 2005, Moog Music released the Voyager Rack Mount Edition (RME), a synthesizer based on the Voyager. The RME was designed to occupy 5 spaces in a 19-inch rack
19-inch rack
A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.-Overview and history:Equipment designed...

. The model has all of the features of other Voyagers but does not include a touch panel control and is sold without a keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...

. The RME is designed to be controlled via MIDI. Up to 16 RME Voyagers can be combined to achieve polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....

.

In April, 2008, Moog Music released the Minimoog Voyager Old School
Moog old school
The Moog "Old School" is an analog subtractive synthesizer designed to be a direct placement for the Minimoog Model D. It was first introduced in April, 2008 and as of January 15th, 2009, has been discontinued...

 (Voyager OS). The Voyager OS has enhanced modulation busses, which are just modulation busses with more sources on the panel to compensate for the lack of software and an operating system. The Voyager OS also does not have a touch pad or MIDI inputs and outputs. Unlike other Voyagers, it features a keyboard pitch CV out and keyboard gate CV out, without the aid of the VX-351. The Voyager OS's pitch bender is set to +/- 7 semitones, and can be modified by an internal jumper. The OS is sold with only one wood panelling option, "traditional ash". However, a few limited edition models were housed in white wash cabinets. As of January 15, 2009, the Voyager Old School has been discontinued.

In late 2010, for the 40th anniversary of the Minimoog Model D, Moog Music released the Minimoog Voyager XL model. It is an expanded Voyager that includes, in addition to the original Voyager features, a larger 61-note keyboard, a ribbon controller, an additional LFO/modulation bus, and most notably, an analog patch bay on the far left of the instrument—providing a similar modular functionality to the VX-series products.

Links to Artists/Albums/Songs featuring Voyager

  • The Truth In Me solo album by Roger O'Donnell
    Roger O'Donnell
    Roger O'Donnell is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in the Psychedelic Furs, the Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.- Background :...

    ... realized exclusively with Minimoog Voyager.
  • End Of The World
    End of the World (The Cure song)
    "The End of the World" is a song by British alternative rock band The Cure. It was the first single to be taken from their 2004 album The Cure...

    ... The Cure
    The Cure
    The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...

     song featuring Minimoog Voyager solo in bridge section.
  • All Moog Space Exploration with Jordan Rudess
    Jordan Rudess
    Jordan Rudess is an American keyboardist best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.-Biography:...

     of Dream Theater
    Dream Theater
    Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

    . Periodic live streaming web jams featuring Vintage MiniMoog
    Minimoog
    The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...

    , a modern Minimoog Voyager, Arturia
    Arturia
    Arturia is a software company located in Grenoble, France and founded in 1999 by Frédéric Brun and Gilles Pommereuil, both INPG-qualified engineers. The company's focus is on the development of electronic music software and tools - primarily emulation of vintage analog synthesizers...

     Moog Modular V software, and a Moog Etherwave Theremin
    Theremin
    The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...

    .
  • Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf
    The Album Leaf
    The Album Leaf is an American solo musical project founded in San Diego, California in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer and Rhodes piano...

     uses the Minimoog Voyager as well as many other Moog synthesizers. The Minimoog Voyager can be heard primarily on his track "Wherever I Go" from his latest release "Into the Blue Again" on Sub Pop records.
  • David Scott Stone
    David Scott Stone
    David Scott Stone is a musician who has recorded and toured with artists like The Melvins, Unwound, Fantômas, The Locust, Jello Biafra, Keiji Haino, Mike Patton, Adam Jones , Merzbow, Masonna, Big Business, No Age, Joe Lally and others. He is currently a member of LCD Soundsystem...

     has used the Minimoog Voyager quite a bit with The Melvins on tracks from Pigs Of The Roman Empire
    Pigs of the Roman Empire
    Pigs of the Roman Empire is an album by Melvins and Lustmord, which was released in 2004 through Ipecac Recordings. There are two untitled songs on track 9.-Track listing:#"III" – 3:00#"The Bloated Pope" – 3:45#"Toadi Acceleratio" – 3:25...

     as well as with Big Business
    Big Business (band)
    Big Business is a stoner metal/sludge metal band from Seattle who are currently signed to Gold Metal Records.-History:Big Business started as a two piece band composed of Jared Warren of Karp and The Tight Bros From Way Back When, and Coady Willis of Murder City Devils...

     on their track "Another Beautiful Day in the Pacific Northwest".
  • Incubus
    Incubus (band)
    Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...

    's Chris Kilmore
    Chris Kilmore
    Chris Kilmore is an American DJ. He is the turntablist and keyboardist of the rock band Incubus.-References:*...

     uses the Voyager in the band's sixth album Light Grenades
    Light Grenades
    -Singles:*"Anna Molly" - was briefly available online on September 20. It was slated for release on October 16, and debuted at #19 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Anna Molly peaked at #1 on the Modern Rock Chart, at #4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100...

    .
  • Andy Tillison of progressive rock
    Progressive rock
    Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

     group The Tangent
    The Tangent
    -Formation:Originally formed by keyboardists Andy Tillison and Sam Baine of Parallel or 90 Degrees and The Flower Kings guitarist Roine Stolt, bassist Jonas Reingold, and drummer Zoltan Csörsz. The septet was completed by renowned saxophonist David Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator and...

     has utilised the Minimoog Voyager on all of the band's albums and live on tour.
  • Patch #127 in the Minimoog Voyager "Bass for E. Vonallen" named after Synthpop
    Synthpop
    Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

    /Industrial artist Ehron VonAllen
    Ehron VonAllen
    Ehron VonAllen is a dark style synth-pop act based in Dallas, Texas. Born Aaron Christopher Allen in 1980, VonAllen began music in a small town of 4,000 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas during the mid 1990s. Delving deep into the gothic scene, VonAllen tried to emulate his favorite music such as Depeche...

    . Sound is featured as the notable melody in VonAllen's song "Die For Me" from the album Your Only Friend
    Your Only Friend
    Your Only Friend is the second studio album by Ehron VonAllen. Released on Hydrology Records on July 4, 2005, it was the firsttime VonAllen had produced his album independently. There were no specific singles pushed from the album. It was marketed as a whole work and not broken up into different...

    .
  • Todd Marriott of British synth-pop duo I Was A Cub Scout
    I Was a Cub Scout
    I Was a Cub Scout was a two-man synth-pop/indie rock band from Long Bennington and Collingham, England, consisting of William Bowerman and Todd Marriott. They were formed in 2006, and split on 5 June 2008.-New Bands:...

     uses a Minimoog Voyager, among other synths, controlled from a series of MIDI-synced Korg Electribe sequencers.
  • Daft Punk
    Daft Punk
    Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...

     use four Minimoog Voyager Rack Mount Editions in their live tour-2 divided between Thomas Bangalter
    Thomas Bangalter
    Thomas Bangalter is a French electronic musician best known as a member of the French house music duo Daft Punk. He has also recorded and released music as a member of the trio Stardust, the duo Together, and as a solo artist including compositions for the film Irréversible.Thomas Bangalter owns a...

     and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
    Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
    Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo; is a founding member of the French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has also produced several works from his record label Crydamoure with label co-owner Éric Chedeville. He and Chedeville formed the musical duo Le Knight...

    .
  • Franz Ferdinand
    Franz Ferdinand (band)
    Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...

     use the Voyager in their live shows as well as on their latest album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
    Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
    Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is the third album by Scottish rock group Franz Ferdinand. It was released through Domino Records on 26 January 2009 in the UK. "Ulysses" was released on the 19 January 2009 as the first single and is available for streaming on the band's Myspace page. It is a concept album...

    , most notably on the track "Lucid Dreams"
  • Manfred Mann
    Manfred Mann
    Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...

     uses Minimoog Voyager , controlled from external MIDI keyboard on tours with the last reincarnation of Manfred Mann's Earth Band
    Manfred Mann's Earth Band
    Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...

  • Rick Wakeman
    Rick Wakeman
    Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...

     uses two Voyagers on Yes
    Yes (band)
    Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...

     live tours
  • Don Airey
    Don Airey
    Donald Airey has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord...

     used the Voyager on the last Deep Purple
    Deep Purple
    Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

     tours
  • Jordan Rudess
    Jordan Rudess
    Jordan Rudess is an American keyboardist best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.-Biography:...

     used the Voyager near the end of the Dream Theater
    Dream Theater
    Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

     song "In The Presence Of Enemies, Pt. 2".
  • Luca Anzilotti of Snap!
    Snap!
    Snap! is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Frankfurt-based producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, but was most successful when fronted by rapper Turbo B, who performed on the UK number 1 singles "The Power" and...

  • Liam Howlett
    Liam Howlett
    Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett , is a member of the English band The Prodigy, occasional DJ, and a music producer.-Life and career:...

     of The Prodigy
    The Prodigy
    The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...

     uses a Voyager on live tours.
  • Morgan Page
    Morgan Page
    Morgan Page is an American progressive house and electro house DJ from Los Angeles. His most widely recognized track is "The Longest Road," featuring Lissie, which was included on his debut album Elevate, released in March 2008. The Deadmau5 remix was nominated for a Grammy...

    , a world famous DJ and producer, can be seen using the MiniMoog Voyager in his music video "The Longest Road"
  • Covenant
    Covenant (band)
    Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...

     use a Minimoog Voyager Performer Edition since the instrument first became commercially available.
  • J Dilla used the Moog voyager
  • Radiohead
    Radiohead
    Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...

     used the Voyager on their song Lotus flower
    Lotus Flower (song)
    "Lotus Flower" is a song by the English band Radiohead. It was released in 2011 on their eighth studio album The King of Limbs.A music video was released on February 18, 2011 and features black-and-white footage of lead singer Thom Yorke dancing while singing the song. It was directed by Garth...

    as a polyphonic instrument.

External links

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