Minimoog Voyager

Design

Like the original Minimoog, the Voyager has six sound sources. Five of these (three voltage-controlled oscillators 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 and a voltage-controlled amplifier, each of which has its own ADSR (Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release) envelope generator. The voltage-controlled filter can itself be made to oscillate, thus comprising the Voyager's sixth sound source.

In addition to features from the original Minimoog, the Voyager was designed to have a memory bank capable of storing 128 presets, a touch pad modulation control, dedicated low-frequency oscillator (LFO), two modulation 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 paths in the Voyager are analog. The three oscillators are designed for high tuning 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 re-trigger with each pressed note or they can be set not to re-trigger until all notes are lifted and the next note is played.

History

In November 2001, 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 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.

In September 2015, Moog Music announced that after 13 years of production and over 14,000 units sold, sales of the Voyager would be discontinued. However, the XL version of the Voyager remains in production.

Models

The first 600 units could be preordered at the price of US$3495 and featured Bob Moog's autograph. 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, cherry or maple.

For 2004, Moog Music released a limited 50th Anniversary Edition Voyager. The wood cabinet was painted black and the control panel was backlit using electroluminescent technology. 2005 marked the end of production of these units, while 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 features of the non-backlit models but sell for US$3295. Since 2006 they had offered 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. The model has all of the features of other Voyagers except the touch panel control and keyboard. The RME is designed to be controlled via MIDI. Up to 16 RME Voyagers can be combined to achieve polyphony.

In 2008, Moog Music released the Minimoog Voyager Old School (Voyager OS). The Voyager OS has enhanced 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 one wood panelling option, "traditional ash". However, a few limited edition models were housed in white wash cabinets. The Voyager Old School was discontinued in 2009.

In 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, a patch bay on the far left of the instrument—providing a similar modular functionality to the VX-series products.