You might have heard about the Moog Voyager XL a few days ago someplace – but Moog Music has officially announced it today.
The Minimoog Voyager XL is a 40th anniversary salute to the Minimoog – one of the most influential synths of all time.
And if you’ve got $5k to drop – you can order one of these monster synths today.
Here’s what Moog has to say about the new Minimoog Voyager XL:
Designed in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Minimoog, the Minimoog Voyager XL is a sonic powerhouse that pays homage to important milestones in the Moog synthesizer legacy. It starts with the heart of a Minimoog Model D. Fat oscillators and warm Moog filters give it that unmistakable Moog sound and the rugged construction and intuitive user interface design immediately tells you that you’re playing a high-quality musical instrument.
From the current Voyager lineage, the XL inherits a 100% analog signal path with stable oscillators, patch storage, touch surface, pot mapping and extensive MIDI control functionality. To all this, add a ribbon controller and 61 note keyboard and you have a monster analog monosynth built on a 40 year legacy of sonic exploration.
In other words – it’s five thousand dollars of synthgasmic beauty, it’s real and it’s here now.
Check it out and let us know what you think of Moog’s latest monster synth!
Full specs below.
100% Analog Sound Engine
The MINIMOOG VOYAGER XL Synthesizer is a monophonic analog performance and production synthesizer. Based on the Minimoog Voyager sound engine, it incorporates virtually all of the sound resources and functions of the original Minimoog Model D and Voyager, with the addition of a number of exciting features from Moog’s modular synthesizer legacy.
Keyboard
61-Note Velocity Sensitive Keyboard with after-pressure. Identical to the Voyager 44-note keyboard.
Ribbon Controller
A 500mm Ribbon Controller is located on the middle wooden rail of the Voyager XL. It’s center-point is lined up with ‘middle-C’ of the 61-note Keyboard. Outputs are sampled and available as CV-OUT (-5V to +5V) and GATE-OUT (0V to +5V).
(20) Control Voltage output
- Keyboard Pitch (w/ internal trim to calibrate to 1 V/Octave)
- Keyboard Velocity
- Keyboard Afterpressure
- Touch Surface X
- Touch Surface Y
- Touch Surface A (area)
- Pitch Bend Wheel
- Mod Wheel
- MOD 1 signal (signal at MOD 1 input)
- MOD 2 signal (signal at MOD 2 input)
- LFO triangle wave
- LFO square wave
- Mod Wheel Mod Buss output
- Pedal/On Mod Buss output
- Filter Envelope
- Volume envelope
- Sample and Hold Step
- Sample and Hold Smooth
- Noise
- Ribbon Controller CV Output (-5V to +5V)
(3) Gate outputs
- Keyboard Gate
- Touch Surface Gate
- Ribbon Controller Gate Output
(3) 4-way Mults (top jack is ring-powered)
(10) Control Voltage Inputs
- Envelope Rate CV (-5V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- OSC Pitch CV (adj. to 1V/Octave) (-5V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- OSC Wave CV (all three osc. affected) ( 0V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- FILTER Cutoff CV (-5V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- VCA Volume CV ( 0V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- VCA Pan CV (-2.5V to +2.5V) Ring-Powered
- LFO Rate CV (-5V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- MOD Mod1 CV ( 0V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- MOD Mod2 CV ( 0V to +5V) Ring-Powered
- S&H CV (-5V to +5V) Ring-Powered
(4) Gate Inputs
- ENV Release ON/OFF (0V OFF, +5V ON)
- ENV Gate Input (0V OFF, +5V ON)
- LFO Sync ON/OFF (0V OFF, +5V ON)
- S&H Gate Input (0V OFF, +5V ON) No footswitch input
(2) Active Attenuators
Active Attenuators are identical to the VX-352 attenuators with the following difference:
CHANNEL 1 is normalled to LFO 2 output. So, if nothing is connected to the Channel 1 input jack, the output of Channel 1 will be the attenuated version of the LFO 2 output.
CHANNEL 2 is normalled to RIBBON output. So, if nothing is connected to the Channel 2 input jack, the output of Channel 2 will be the attenuated version of the RIBBON controller.
EXPRESSION PEDALS can be connected to the Attenuator inputs (i.e. they are ring-powered inputs).
AMOUNT controls gain of -1 (CCW) to 1 (CW). Thus, the attenuators can create an inverted version of the waveform.
OFFSET control allows you to add a DC voltage of -5V to +5V to the input signal. The Attenuator output will be clipped to approximately +/-10V.
Four-Input Mixer
– Inputs 1 and 2 can be attenuated via front-panel knobs
– Inputs 1 and 3 can be controlled by Expression Pedals (i.e. ring-powered)
– Two output CV’s (+) and (-)
– DC offset can be added to signal via OFFSET knob
– Overall output of MIXER can be adjusted via the MASTER knob
Lag Processor
RISE and FALL time constants are adjustable from 1 millisecond to 1 second (middle is 100 millisecond).
LFO 2
A MIDI-syncable second LFO source has been added to the Voyager XL. The default frequency range is 0.02Hz (50 seconds) to 20Hz (0.05 seconds). This range was made to augment the current Voyager LFO which does not go slow-enough for some very slow modulations.
INPUTS: LFO 2 can be
- Free-running (adjusted by the RATE knob on the front panel)
- MIDI SYNC from external MIDI clock
- Directly CLOCKED from a GATE CV via the front panel CLOCK jack
- Controlled via external CV or Expression Pedal via the front panel RATE CV jack
OUTPUTS: LFO 2 has two complementary LFO outputs labeled (+) and (-). In default mode, these are the same waveform 180 degrees out of phase.
WAVEFORMS
Available front-panel waveforms:
- TRIANGLE
- SQUARE
- RAMP
- SAW
- S&H
- S&H SMOOTH
Power
Power input accepts a standard power cable. The Minimoog Voyager XL works from 100-250 VAC, 50-60 Hz.
Completely out of my price range but looks incredible.
no sine wave 🙁
It’s time for a Memory Moog to emerge.
That's ~$2K more than what I'd normally consider high-end pricing. Looks nice though.
WANT!!!1
I can dream!
Argh. It's so sexy. Another reason why I need to win the lottery.
Wow! What beautiful and oxymoronic creation. I'd love to have one, although I might feel intimidated having it hanging around, but WHY? ON? EARTH? didn't they make a memorymoog for the new millenium, that is, six of these voices? It's just a megalomaniac project anyway, so why not make it the best analog synhesizer ever ever? That would be so cool, just knowing such a synth existed… C'mon moog people, I know you wanna! If studio electronics can do it, then surely you can!
Think they could succeed where other analog synth manufacturers have failed?
I 100% agree that reissuing the memorymoog would be an excellent decision. Though I'm psyched about a semi-modular version of the Voyager coming out, I think it's time they bring back some of their polyphonic instruments.
No MIDI? No Chorus, No Reverb, No Polyphony, No thanks
I just got one of these slightly used for a huge discounted price. The thing is really nice but I would never pay the full price for one. I have a 1972 minimoog model D that I love and I can honestly say that both the Voyager XL and the minimoog D compliment each other and both sound different. I fell in love with the idea of aftertouch after restoring some multimoogs but I also liked the idea of have a new instrument, (for once have something I did not have to restore before using it, haha). If you are looking for a gritty tone, it is still good…just got to change the poles of the VCF to 1 in the menu. Basically if you are into modular synths it is really nice, I interface my XL with my dotcom modular as well as my model D and all I can say is WOW! Bottom line is that if you want something similar, just buy a Voyager and the VX-351, not exactly the same but will get you close to what this is.
I do agree with some of you as well, I really wish moog would introduce a new polysynth, I have had the privilege of restoring memorymoogs and polymoogs and the technology used in the memorymoog if brought to todays world would be epic, I am thinking that even if they used the Phatty oscillator design rather than curtis oscillators that would be great. I know it would be way out of my price range but still would be something fresh.
Just bought an XL to compliment my Moog Modular 1C from 1970. Great as a keyboard controller as well as
an addition to the modular system. I have a 951 keyboard but the XL has much more functionality plus it is like adding a complete 1C to the mix. Love the ribbon and the touch screen control. The patch bay works perfectly with the Modular 1C. Had to build a couple of S-trig to Gate and Gate to S-trig convertors but that was easy and
solved the s-trig issue. Old meets new is a great combo.
Polyphony? Or is it mono?