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Voyager Owners - Slew Rate Mod


Phil Aiken

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While I have never had complaints about the sound of my Voyager, I came across a discussion of the "Slew Rate Mod". Essentially, it brings the behavior of the oscillators somewhat closer to those of the Model D, without "erasing" its character as a Voyager.

 

After watching some videos, reading reports from people who had it done, and as I was shipping another piece offer to Moog anyway, I decided to go for it.

 

It returned today, and in a nutshell ( hard to be definitive as I am partially working from memory) it is a wonderful mod. It is most noticeable in "buzzier", brighter patches, but it also seems to give the filter a little bit more to "chew" on. It is not a completely new instrument, but it is like my Voyager has gotten a tonal facelift, for relatively short money ($149). I would highly recommend it for anyone who uses their Voyager a fair amount, and just wants it a little bit more vintage sounding.

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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It was developed by Rudi Linhard, who does the mods himself in Europe, but Moog does it as well in Asheville, NC. You just need to get an RMA, and ship it in. It was a very quick process, either same day turn around or close to it once they received the Voyager.

 

I had not heard of it until last week, either!!!!

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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Hey, is that the same Rudi Mark visited in Germany a few weeks ago?

 

it's a small world..

 

That I can't answer, but he was directly involved with working on the Voyager, and I think he has actually showed up here at some point in the past.

Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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This makes me wish I had asked Moog about the aftertouch mod as well....

 

The aftertouch mod performed by Moog is not the same one performed by Rudi.

 

I own an early RA Moog Minimoog, and a signature Voyager since I bought it new in 2003. This summer I had the slew rate mod installed and the Voyager now gets that vintage high end sheen like the old Minimoogs. Well worth it.

 

For some reason the slew rate mod isn't listed on Moog's website but when I inquired they still can install it.

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This makes me wish I had asked Moog about the aftertouch mod as well....

 

The aftertouch mod performed by Moog is not the same one performed by Rudi.

 

Very true. Rudi told me he tried to convince Moog management to use his new circuit. They kept trying to get him to mod the software but he responded that software wouldn't fix the problem. The needed exponential response couldn't be derived from the transistor based configuration on the original board - it needed diodes.

 

Eventually he persuaded them but they insisted on doing it with SMT components. I believe he said they eventually had boards built but by the time they were ready their focus was elsewhere and they never provided the mod. I may have some of the detail wrong here but you get the idea.

 

BTW I had Moog's AT mod done with the 3.0 upgrade years ago. It hardly made a difference :mad:

 

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That LH control board SEEMS like it would be a user-friendly installation. If so, I wonder if I could get one shipped.....
Moog The One, VV 64 EP, Wurlies 200A 140 7300, Forte 7, Mojo 61, OB-6, Prophet 6, Polaris, Hammond A100, Farfisa VIP, ,Young Chang 6', Voyager, E7 Clav, Midiboard, Linnstrument, Seaboard
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That LH control board SEEMS like it would be a user-friendly installation. If so, I wonder if I could get one shipped.....

 

Send him an email - tell him the tall guy and his non-German speaking wife from America sent you :laugh:

 

Rudi Linhard

E-mail: info@lintronics.de

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Do you have to return the entire keyboard or just the synth section?

 

You might even be able to send in just the Analog Board. You'll need an RMA so I suggest you ask them when you set it up.

 

I didn't send in anything. Moog just shipped a new LH panel assembly with the new AT circuit, which never made much difference to me either :mad:

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What a business...

 

An organization or economic system where goods and services are exchanged for one another or for money.

 

Every business requires some form of investment and enough customers to whom its output can be sold on a consistent basis in order to make a profit.

 

Businesses can be privately owned, not-for-profit or state-owned. An example of a corporate business is PepsiCo, while a mom-and-pop catering business is a private enterprise.

 

Let us know if you have any more questions Theo. :wave:

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Cool. Now all I need is a Voyager...

 

LOL ... touché !

 

I own a vintage Minimoog D and always wanted a Voyager in addition because of it´s advanced synth architecture and user programmable preset system existing,- if there weren´t all these comments on tone when compared to the vintage Mini (and complains on "zipper noise" when being controlled via MIDI).

I also dunno if all this I´ve read somewhere was/is true, but who knows ?

 

Now these mods are coming up ...

 

Is it worth buying one when getting Rudi Linhard´s AT-mod and that (by MOOG or Rudi ?) slew rate mod installed and will that be any really great improvement in tone vs. a stock Voyager and vs. the old Minimoog D (or the re-issue) ?

 

A.C.

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Thanks for posting. I'm kind of a fan of accepting instruments more or less the way they are, as they are designed as systems and thus changing one thing can lead to and endless path of other changes (especially with guitars), but it's good to know about this mod.

 

The Voyager is the only synth I use much anymore. I no longer seem to care that it isn't quite a Vintage D. I might use a soft synth instead, when I do care. But I'll think about this mod some more, and which patches would be affected, as I mostly use my own patches.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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... I no longer seem to care that it isn't quite a Vintage D.

 

I tell ya why I cared aways ...

 

I owned 3 (three) vintage Minis,- 2 as 1st owner ...

I always loved ´em as lead and bass synths and even I owned a Taurus I (one) too ...

But technology moved on and there came MIDI, which I was able to compensate halfway via a Roland MPU-101 MIDI/CV interface, and there came "better" keyboard actions incl. MIDI-channel aftertouch.

I´d say, for a piece of vintage hardware when you don´t want to get rid of it, MIDI w/ velocity for VCA and VCF and mono AT ( for a monophonic synth) is some great improvement in expressivity.

 

I might use a soft synth instead,...

 

Well,- there´s almost NO softsynth out there covering at least a vintage Minimoog D 100%,- and I´m not a picky user and think practically ...

But there´s no software replacing a real good piece of hardware even we all wish it did.

It might do in a recording/playback depending on the sound you dial in and the style of tune,- but not always.

And don´t tell me you´ll get the playing experience of the real deal from any plugin being controlled by whatever (generic) controller keyboard.

You don´t !

I tried ´em all incl. Minimax on DSP and it doesn´t happen and it´s the same w/ the Voyager, which for itself, is a cool monophonic analog synth,- and it still is, even I´d like to compare it to the vintage Mini.

 

... as I mostly use my own patches.

 

:like:

 

A.C.

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I think I'm going to leave mine alone. I did the patch memory upgrade years back along with the filter glide mod, then replaced the analog board in 2014 along with the AT mod. As Mark said, I'm inclined to accept an instrument as it's offered to me. (A throwback, I think, to playing classical organ where you had to coax music out of any instrument you encountered.)

9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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