Minimoog Model D vs Moog Voyager Comparison
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- We got our hands on both a Voyager and Model D and decided to set them up together to discover how they sound.
See sound-guru.com/mg for some Sampler Instruments made from these instruments (EXS24 & Kontakt).
Recorded at Blackdown Studio (blackdownstudio...). HD recommended for better audio.
Also, apologies for my incorrect pronunciation of "Moog". It's how I've always said it, and it's hard to get out of the habit.
Regarding the pronunciation of Moog, Bob once said that his father (and other family members) used and preferred the anglicized pronunciation of Moog (as in "Moo" cow) pronunciation. So in his early years, his name was actually pronounced this way, . However, later in his life, Bob discovered that the Germanic pronunciation for the name Moog rhymes with "rogue" and he once said that he felt that this pronunciation was more dignified that the "cow's moo" pronunciation. Although he might have preferred the Germanic pronunciation, technically speaking, neither pronunciation for the name Moog is "right" or "wrong". It just boils down to personal preference.
In fact, during the 60's, 70's, and 80's, most everyone in the USA, including myself, used the Moog (as in Moo cow) pronunciation. Nevertheless, in honor of the late, great Bob Moog, I try my best to use the "rogue-sounding" pronunciation these days. However, there are occasions where I still accidentally let a "Moo" slip out because old habits are hard to overcome. :)
Bob once said that the pronunciation of his name was really "unimportant" to him. I have no reason to doubt him because much of his family favored the anglicized (Moo Cow) pronunciation over the Germanic pronunciation and he has used both throughout his life. Having said that, there is a persistent rumor that the reason why Bob decided to ditch the "Moo Cow" pronunciation for the "Rogue" pronunciation was due to the urging of his first wife. Shirleigh (pronounced Shirley), who was a Grammar School teacher.
According to the rumor, some of her students persistently teased her about her name. Being a bit of a prankster when I was in grade school, I can just imagine some of her students "Moo-ing in class" or perhaps over emphasizing her name as in "Mrs. Moo ooo ooog". (I can also see some of them them teasing her for not knowing how to spell "Shirley" correctly). So I have no doubt that some of her students found her entire name to be a source of amusement. On the other hand, it is also very conceivable that somebody could have found out about his first wife being an elementary school teacher, and then surmising this whole story. Can anybody substantiate this rumor?
Basically, people use English rules for non English words.
REO’s roadies and my warmup band argued the pronunciation once before a performance. I bought my Moog directly from Bob over the phone, so I pronounced it as he did then. (But don’t argue with the headliners, their minds are made up!)
I guess it all depends on your mood (mogue).
According to a video clip where Moog talked about his name, in Dutch it actually rhymes, or approximately rhymes, with the way Scottish people pronounce "loch."
The Model D is brighter, and seems more aggressive. The Voyager has really nice modulation possibilities. I guess I need them both!
I have something in between. th-cam.com/video/z_lQwuRtSb4/w-d-xo.html
This was a fascinating comparison... Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I've heard this powerful instrument being used from dozens of R&B artists in 100's of songs as a kid. Logically, I have a soft spot for the Model D. The futuristic almost angelic sound of 'MOOG Mallet' (@11:46) is so relaxing it could put me to sleep in minutes... What an iconic piece of history.
Amazing enough I just found your channel & this video by accident; TH-cam was open and I grabbed my phone from my pocket after shoveling snow in a blizzard... This video started playing...
It was meant to be! This video STILL stands up almost a decade later as well!
Subscribed with all notifications. Cheers!
The Voyager is my pick because of all the modern midi functions and patch storage. I have no need to go back in time.
Thanks for replying back. Just got off the phone with Moog - they are going to do the mod while they build it, provided it's not built and shipped yet - should find out shortly! It's very exciting because I easily prefer the modded sound to the "classic" Voyager sound. It's a wonder they don't provide it as a standard option. Now I'm even more excited to get my Voyager!
Folks, just wanted to let you know, now after performing the slew rate modification to my Old School Voyager, it sounds as bright as a Mini when the filter is fully opened. This mods adds a lot of extra to the high end that was missing in the stock Voyager. It's a pity they didn't made it stock that way, so ppl need to take it to official service, which kinda sucks for the wallet.
oh come on Don, from a fellow g.s. member, you're not supposed to say a voyager comes close haha!
Yo ! Great video, what's the music in background ? thhx !
Great demo ! I have a Model D and a Voyager as well... but my Voyager has the Rudi Linhard slew-rate modification. It makes the oscillators sound closer to the Model D's oscillators. I might make a demo also ;-)
Question: are the sounds at the end at 12:00-12:41 part of your set of samples? They sound great poly sounds.
From what I could hear of the filter on the two Minimoogs:
0% resounance
filter 1 Voyager nice
nicer than Model D?
50% res
less self oscillation on D at 50%
one as nice as the other
80% res
can hear stepping down in freqency filter as comes down
model D miles nicer at 80% and smoother and richer on the way down
At 7:00 they sound exactly the same
Sometimes the Voyager sounds a bit dry but I heard it sound more flui on other demos.
In the bit at 7:30, they sound like the bass and treble clefs of the same instrument.
8:12 the Model D is the real deal and9.07, sounds so organic.
Your polyhonic 'Sweet Slow' at 10:50-11:00 sounds like my Rev 2.0 very early Prophet-5 sounded. I love that kind of patch. (Except my P-5 is silent now because it's broken - can yu recommend a good engineer to repair and service analogue synthesizers?)
Personally, I would buy a Voyager to get the extra features
@jgk381 Yes, the Voyager is just overall a *much* more expressive instrument, but we were trying here to mainly compare tone. You're right though, expression will also affect the perception of the tone.
Model D definitely. Although the Voyager has a sonic spectrum suitable for today's needs.
400% agreed ;-),
awesome demo of these two amazing synths. one of the best ive seen yet. great sound quality as well. thanks so much. cheers
They did the mod today to my Voyager, which will be done being assembled by next week! So excited!
I thought that square riff sounded good on the voyager until I heard it on the D - so much more emotional with all those bright harmonics
The filter on the model D takes my heart
Cheers for the reply, I've been using the model D all week putting a track together and all your observations are spot on, I was curious to see a hear a voyager now I'm accustomed to the D, it really is close. It's like you said, it's just something....the instability..the organic sound, just something that the D has that no other synth can replicate....or put such a smile on your face:) thanks again!
This review-comparison is awesomemely made. Well done guise!
Well, we at Moog Music Inc in Cheektowaga, NY always used the “rouge” way.
@AlainHubert Yes, it's been in storage for many years.It cost us £450 just to get it working at all, so cosmetic improvements will have to wait a little while!
Great demonstration, thank you. I was fortunate enough to get a Mini Moog reissue around 2010. All the analog parts / guts, etc of the original with an added midi out. So excellent. It has such bite. Was looking to add a polyphonic with a sequencer - any ideas?
That Voyager resonance sounded very nice - more pronouced especially at 80%
@soundsLogical Yes, especially considering that only to replace all those knobs would already cost around another £70 !
Anyway, it sounds really great and that's the most important thing. Who did the electronic restoration, if I may ask?
Wow, what a small world. I watched this video ages ago and now you pop up on Muffs with the excellent The Mangle. Nice video BTW.
There's something wrong with your voyager. I have the voyager AE and it does not have the problem with the amount to filter knob. The filter is as open as it can be, when the the cutoff knob is at 100% open. I've tried also another Voyager PE and same thing with that one. But anyways, thank you very much for this video! I love this kind of comparison. And I really have to get that plug-in in some point.
I think the point was, u have to turn the env-filter-amount first to +5 then its full open...same on my voyager.
What mic did you record the dialog with? Sounds really good, not too bright. I like it alot.
it will be interesting to see how the voyager ages... i can't imagine the Model D sounds exactly the same as it did nearly 40 years ago
I think this is a great video, my Voyagers coming in soon I'm excited
if you don't mind me asking, where did you have it done? i just ordered one and was wondering if I should ask Moog to do the mod (if they do it). Otherwise, do I need to to send it to Germany? Thanks! :)
Checking the Voyager on a spectrum analyser the filter opened all the way to the Nyquist frequency of the highest note (45kHz).
i really love the minimoog synthesizer because the sounds are so gorgeous that makes me want the instrument
Model D just sounds more like "warm peanut butter" and the Voyager sounds like "glossy wood" to me. Both are indeed great but the Model D just seems to have this extra excitement in the sound, like any second its going to blow up. The Voyager sounds safer. id pick the D hands down
I wonder how much of the difference is due to sheer age; like, did the Model D sound the same when it was new as it does now?
Good guess.. the tone is different because the Minimoog D had a production 'error' in which the filter was overdriven. Perhaps sending the osc out, and louder back in the filter it'll come closer to the original
This is a really nice video review. Interestng product that you have made, too. At least you made good use of your time having both of these lovely machines side by side to create a new product that ight make you a bit of money and be of great use to people on a moderate budget!
There was one instance where the old Model D completely blew away the Voyager - on the rest they merely had slightly different feel. I wonder if you could guarantee thatall the settings were the same because I guess the Voyager has menus and many additional options and settings.
One question: about the re-triggering of notes on the Voyager:
The old Sequential Pro-One had a really nice retrig function switch where a note you were holding would the retrigger if you had subsequently pressed another note but then let it go - it would return to the first note automatically. It made for really nice trills, much easier to play than it you had to keep pumping two notes up and down in sequence. I am guessing the old Mini might not have had that function - does the Voyager have it?
Second question:
Also I love the sound of the ARP Pro-Soloist and the ARP Quadra in mono mode, maybe the Odyssey too but I have never heard it knowingly. The Quadra and possibly the Pro-Solloist were duophonic if I am correct, inthe sense that in the event you pressed 2 notes at once, one oscillator moved to the new note and the other one stayed onthe old note until you let it go. I guess that's how it woked. I think that is another great idea that merely takes imaginative assignment of the existing oscillatros rather than any fancy stuff. Soes th eVoyager have this?
Best regards,
Dave (synth_chap on ebay, though I never sold a synth or bought one on it).
FYI, my previous comment, to which you are referring to, was posted nearly a year ago. And at the time, the crawl, as you call it, did not include such a statement and was added later on...
Interesting video. Both synthesizer have a great sound. I own a Voyager Signature model. And although it doesn't sound a bright as the original model D, it doesn't have the issue that the filter isn't all the way open when you turn the cutoff all the way up. Changing the "amount to filter" knob has no effect when the cutoff is up (as it should be). So it might be a calibration thing on the one in the video. Or maybe it's Bob's personal touch on mine.... ;)
@WolfRayStar It's a Rode NT1-A, recorded through an Apogee Duet.
@Lorenzo763 No it's analog but with a digital control surface. This gives you possibility to make lot's of presets of recalls on the voyager.
@soundsLogical I have been looking for a good set of virtual Moog sounds to run in Kontakt. I have a few questions - is this set of sounds downloadable (after I would pay, of course) or do they have to be shipped with a box and disc? And if they must be shipped, do you ship to the USA? Thanks. I'd love to get one of these synths myself, but unfortunately I can't come close to affording either of them.
Hey! I really like the Voyager and want to buy it, but which version is this? Is it the performer-edition? Thanks
Compared the Minimoog from the video with an AJH MiniMod (Eurorack) while watching the video. It's incredible how close they sound.
SUPERB demonstration guys !! One of the best and most helpful for sure !!
What a beautiful narrator voice, and nice phrasing !
I have to go for the model D.....
9:08 exactly why I love the ms-20. It's extremely unique, whatever organic sound you try to emulate sounds like either a toy or a train running over your head if you mess too much with the overdrive, yet it just sounds so...I don't know. Like nostalgic and sad in a "all those memories" way. Even though I'm 18 and I have the ms-20 mini, no memories, just the only way I can describe how it makes me feel. Even the harsher overdriven sounds have that melancholy feel to them.
What does this have to do with anything??
James Reeno
it has to do with what was writen at the bottom at 9:08. What's your point?
The Minimoog sounds like the the mids have been scooped out because the lows are so powerful and it has strong highs.
The Voyager is more consistent across the spectrum. The Minimoog would crush the Voyager in regards to bass but when you have to cut the lows for leads etc then the Voyager would prevail.
Overall the Voyager wins with versatility because it will fit in the mix better than the Mini could, outside of bass.
As for the "Voyager filter doesn't open all the way", that reminds me of how the Roland D-series required you to apply the envelope to open the filter more.
Thanks for doing this! I've always wondered about the similarities.
Love that your using a Oxygen 8 at the end of the vid. Would be great to have a vid about basic keyboard keys and chords.This is what I need help with. Really like your vids. Always a pleasure to see one come up in my Subscriptions list. Cheers.
Amazing video i just bought a little phatty was thinking of buying a voyager rack
@mcrkid22
....NOT.
Robert A. Moog himself said it many many times, it's pronounced as in "rogue", not as in "root".
Superb demo and comparison of the two synths - really interesting, thanks!
Mind you, when it comes to completely bonkers fun, we recommend the ARP Odyssey.
I sold my old ones for the Voyager XL, what a monster!
Really cool. Is the voyager fully digital?
Well done. What synths are playing at the very end during the credits?
Nice video. Could you make same comparison to VST emulations of them - Arturia Mini V, MiniMonsta, etc
Really excellent side by side!
The BEST comparative video on the web.
thank you very much.
For me it's the OLD MINIMOOG FOR EVER.
Actually it wasn't, there's no way to change a youtube video once it's uploaded, except to use TH-cam's own annotation system. But it's cool, it's pretty easy to miss. I should just have pronounced it correctly in the first place.
What is the melody you play at 8:35 ? it remember me at something but i don't know from what ... please help :))))
Sorry for my english
the cut off env.amount does have an effect on the overall filter frequency ..when you are adjsuting the filter sustain stage
He never said the "Amount to Filter" knob doesn't have an effect on the cutoff frequency...he said it "shouldn't" have an effect on it. The center position (default) of "Amount to Filter" means the envelope has no effect on the filter. When you turn it up, it is supposed to shape the filter based on the filter envelope. In this instance when he was demonstrating raw oscillators, it produced the effect of brightening the filter even further... even though it strictly SHOULDN'T do that. If you own a Model D, think of it more like the "Amount of Contour" knob. It shapes the amount of filter envelope action actually gets sent to the filter to modulate it.
Great comparison!
Which is the best ... and i dont think anybody can say this. As u say, its a question of Personal Taste.
Could u explain how to program the Patch at 6:05 ?
Great video. tbh I think the Moog Mother32 has been one of the better products from Moog in a long time. Both in price/performance and tone. I wish that they kept the Moog Voyager Select Series though. They were so damn pretty.
Voyager does a good Job. But NOTHING COMPARES to the Warmth, Earthiness, Sound, and tone as the model D....For me I would record with the Model D and tour with the Voyager.... No Problem. "Nuff Said
+skyprop With it's presets the Voyager is ready to tour......But for studio work with rich sound textures go to the D
Good demo but why using a reverb !?!?!?
The Voyager's waveforms sound a little tamer because they are more accurate. There is something called a Slew Rate Modification that can be done which will give the Oscillators more of a Raspy character like the Model D but you have to decide for certain if you want it. You can't take it in and out with a switch. The Model D actually gets louder as you play higher on the keyboard. You can recreate this on the Voyager by sending about 50% Keyboard CV to the Volume through Pot Mapping.
Oh man, great, great video. It's such a treat to be subscribed to your channel.
Fantastic video! Thanks! How in the world did you manage to get that sort of ring modulator like sound at 8m00s ( th-cam.com/video/8cTZo0qUlK8/w-d-xo.html ) ?
Nice work guys. Really great approach to the comparison.
Excellent and well thought out demo, thanks! I actually liked the little bit of reverb:)
I would like to see more. Thanks for the efforts!
I cheer you up Tom, amazing video
What do you think about the Behringer Poly D?
Hello, can you please make a video of your Minimoog Model D related to envelope generators? as settings and performance. I liked the Moog Minimoog Model D vs Voyager Comparison and conclusions. Thanks
nice work what samples did you use for the soundtrack at the begining?
Yes I got into the saying moog habit. That rounded bass is incredible as are the overloaded saws. I am quite a fan of minimonsta vst actually. Would be good to have them in ableton live format too. Why reverb on the test?
Both the intro and outro music were made purely with the sampler instruments made from the two moots (except drums).
That intro song is great, did you ever made it to a real song?
If I had the mula, I would own them both, especially now that there's a limited-edition re-release of the Model D. I'm fortunate just that I was able at one juncture to get a Voyager Electric Blue.
Oh, to have a polysynth version of either model in a 2-manual configuration with eight-note polyphony per keyboard, plus a duophonic 25-pedal bass section. It would likely be more costly to build something like that than to build a System 50 modular.
It's the age for one thing... Like the MS20 vs the MS20 mini... People get all confused and bothered by it, but it's just the fact that the oscillators are drifting more, components are worn out, etc. Of course, in the case of Voyager vs. Model D, there's more than that... they aren't supposed to be *exactly* the same, AFAIK... Oh, and pretty much any fully analog synths sounds different from unit to unit, so that's another important point.
"we strongly recommend you watch in HD" uploads video at 720... technically hd, but come on
@DIV1NITAL You're from 2011
The Model D does have grittier sounding oscillators, with more high frequency content. The Voyager has tons of modulation features that the Model D doesn't have. The only logical conclusion is to have both, they really would complement each other perfectly.
yeah I'm the same, when i was young i always said it like a cow because i didn't know any better I was a big Numan fan and he always said it the cow way so i just followed by example.
I now say it with correct pronunciation
but it comes a cropper when the fooger is involved :)
Many thanks for this, v helpful in considering this 'investment' ...and the Soft options !
There is a weird noise at 2:01 which I get with my BassStation as well. I thought it was aliasing but if the Moog does it it cant be. Its like a down saw lfo at about 2hz which you can hear as a high pitched sweep that sounds a bit like sync. I would love to know what this is called. Its been bugging me for years!
Not to insult your intelligence, but I believe it IS pronounced "Moog". I watched a documentary on the synthesizers, and the creator of the company even pronounced it that way, so the way you said it in the video is correct.
loved the model d it is there more , and the mallet sample sounds very good
Thankfully Moog has started to reissue the model D
I would be happy with any one of there moog tbh no cap i like of both of them ngl
Definitely the best of the best!
There's an emulator called Bristol that emulates, among other synths, both the Minimoog and the Moog Voyager XL if I remember. Only available for Linux, although it's open source, so theoretically someone could port it. Maybe it works in Cygwin too, I don't know. Or you could always install Linux on a (virtual or physical) computer.
Thanks guys!
I've played both. I'd rather not have either one since I like to play chords, but would take a new one over the moldy old one.
Oh dear.
Nothing can beat Minimoog D, it's truly organic live sound and imperfection in tuning and even drifting etc makes this synth alive.
It's true that the old stuff can't be matched. But gear heads generally simplify when there's more to it...FIRST THING there are a few exceptions in today's equipment that get close. These pieces aren't widely heard in today's music, are a little outside of the realm of most producers. It's the rare producer who will be willing to bend over backwards to get something better when ok will do. Some of the new modulars and some of the MacBeth racks come to mind. SECONDLY, programming something that sounds good like the Voyager can be more important than the extra advantage of a Mini, in the right hands. Gear heads worth their salt should think of that but rarely acknowledge this truth. LASTLY, while the older stuff can have some sonic advantages in tone, the newer stuff usually has different, tighter envelopes that give them advantages in certain sounds that can give them advantages in contemporary productions, in which the older gear can sometimes sound dated.
very well explained in a simple way, thanks.
which Stevie Wonder's song is that?
Very informativ - thanks for sharing this informations and make a great video about it!
Is that the dude from "boyinaband"?
Best Promo Video for a sample Library Ever;)
Use the retro sine wave at 9 minutes put it to the fauxbrass from the Voyager. I love both those sounds.