Moog VOYAGER ELECTRIC BLUE User Manual

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING – When using electric products, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following:

1) Read all the instructions before using the product.

2) Do not use this product near water – for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, or near a
swimming pool or the like.

3) This product should be used only with a cart or stand that is recommended by the manufacturer.

4) This product, in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of producing sound
levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume level or at a
level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in your ears, you should consult an audiologist.

5) The product should be located so that its location does not interfere with its proper ventilation.

6) The product should be located away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, or other products that produce
heat.

7) The product should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in the operating instructions or as
marked on the product.

8) The power-supply cord of the product should be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of time.

9) Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

10) The product should be serviced by qualified personnel when:
a) The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or
b) Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled onto the product; or
c) The product has been exposed to rain; or
d) The product does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in
performance; or
e) The product has been dropped or the enclosure damaged.

11) Do not attempt to service the product beyond that described in the user-maintenance instructions. All other servicing
should be referred to qualified service personnel.

DANGER: INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO RISK OF FIRE, ELECTRIC SHOCK, OR INJURY TO PERSONS: Do not open the chassis.
There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer all servicing to qualified personnel only.

GROUNDING INSTRUCTIONS:
This product must be grounded. If it should malfunction or breakdown, grounding provides a path of least resistance for
electrical current to reduce the risk of electric shock. This product is equipped with a cord having an equipment grounding
connector and a grounding plug. The plug must be plugged into an appropriate outlet that is properly installed and
grounded in accordance with all local codes and ordinances.

DANGER – Improper connection of the equipment-grounding connector can result in a risk of electric shock. Check with a
qualified electrician or serviceman if you are in doubt as to whether the product is properly grounded. Do not modify the
plug provided with this product – if it will not fit in the outlet, have a proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

USER’s MANUAL for the

ELECTRIC BLUE

By R. Stephen Dunnington

Here it is

a designer of electronic musical instruments. It is no small feat that today he is still creating new and
bold designs, using his vast knowledge of musical interaction with electronic circuits. By purchasing one
of Moog Music’s Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue analog synthesizers, you are not only tapping into a
deep tradition of electronic music creation, but you are embarking on the latest voyage in synthesizer
design. We have taken the classic Minimoog Synthesizer and brought it into the 21
have added a new, jaw dropping blue backlit panel and a mind-blowing operating system. Voyager
operating system 2.5 offers a wealth of new features – transforming the best analog synth on the market
into a new breed of workhorse.

Acknowledgements – Thanks to Bob Moog for designing yet another fantastic music making
machine! Thanks are also due to the Moog Music Team, Rudi Linhard of Lintronics for his amazing
software, and all the great folks who contributed design ideas, and of course, you – the Moog
Music customer.

– the Minimoog Voyager® Electric Blue. Over fifty years ago, Robert Moog began a career as

st

century. Now we

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I. Getting Started……………………………………………………... 3
II. The Basics of Analog Synthesis…………………………………… 6
III. The Voyager’s features…………………………………………… 13
IV. The Voyager’s Components
A. Mixer……………………………………………………………... 17
B. Oscillators……………………………………………………….. 19
C. Filters…………………………………………………………….. 22
D. Envelope Generators………………………………………….. 26
E. Main Output…………………………………………………….. 29
F. Mod Busses……………………………………………………... 30
G. LFO/ Sample and Hold………………………………………… 33
H. Keyboard and Left Hand Control Panel ……………………… 35
I. The Touch Surface Controller …………………………………… 36
J. The Back Panel …………………………………………………. 37
K. The User Interface/Voyager Software version 2.5…………… 38

1. The Interface…………………………………………… 38

2. Master Mode…………………………………………... 39

3. Edit Mode………………………………………………. 45

4. Panel Mode……………………………………………. 58

5. MIDI………………………………………………………. 60
Appendix A: Caring for your Voyager………………………………. 63
Appendix B: Service and Technical Support Information…………. 63
Appendix C: MIDI Implementation Chart…………………………… 64
Appendix D: VX-351 User’s Guide……………………………………. 65

Note: Specifications subject to change without notice.

 Moog Music Inc. 2002, 2003 All rights reserved.

I. Getting Started

For those of you who can’t wait to read the manual (perfectly understandable
when you have a brand new synthesizer…), the following are the important steps to
get you going with your new Voyager. Once the adrenaline subsides a bit, you will
find this manual to be an excellent guide to exploring the outer reaches of your
minimoog Voyager.

- Check the contents in the shipping carton
The Voyager comes in a carton with a removable lid, and contains the following:
The minimoog Voyager itself, a power cord, and the bag that contains the manual
and warranty registration card.

- What you will need
In addition to the Voyager and its provided accessories, you will need:

- A keyboard stand or table that will hold the Voyager,

- (1) ¼” instrument cable for connecting in mono, or (2) ¼” instrument cables for
connecting in stereo,

- an amplifier, or headphones,

- a properly wired AC outlet.

- Warranty registration
Before you get started with your Voyager, please fill out your warranty registration
card and send it to Moog Music Inc. This will activate your warranty and is a vital
piece of information for us to provide you with the best service.

- Remove the Voyager from the carton
Before you remove the Voyager from the carton, make sure you have a space in
mind to set it up. Keep in mind that you will need a keyboard stand or table that
will support a 40 lb. analog synthesizer and will not topple if you play hard. The
Voyager weighs about 40 lbs., so use caution when lifting it out of the carton. Make
sure to save the packaging in case you need to ship the Voyager for any reason.

- Set tilt of panel
The Voyager’s front panel can be tilted for comfortable adjustment of the panel
controls while you play the keyboard. Once the Voyager is on a stand, the
Voyager’s panel can be lifted by the handle on the back of the instrument and set
to one of 5 angles. Pull the front panel forward and lift the hinged support for the
panel and insert the tab into the appropriate slot on the back panel for your desired
front panel angle. CAUTION: Do not over-tilt the front panel when pulling it forward.
Make sure the support bracket is properly seated into the slots on the back panel
before playing.

-Connect to source of AC
Connect the Voyager’s power receptacle to a wall outlet with the supplied AC
cordset (see figure 1). The Voyager will operate with a power source from 100 to 240
Volts.

-Power up
Turn the power on. You will see the screen light up and display: “Moog Voyager”.
After about 5 seconds the Power-On screen disappears and you will see the current
active preset. The LED labeled “PANEL” will be lit. The buttons labeled “PANEL”, “EDIT”,
and “MASTER” access the 3 operating modes of the Voyager. PANEL is the Mode for
playing the Voyager’s Presets.

-Check out the Blue Backlit Panel
The knob next to the highest C on the keyboard is the intensity control for the Blue
Backlit Panel. When it is all the way counter-clockwise, the panel light is OFF. When
the intensity control is all the way clockwise the panel light is all the way ON. Moog
Music recommends running this at 33% intensity when in use, and turning the lamp
OFF when not in use. A small amount of high-pitched acoustic noise is transmitted
from both the power supply and the lamps themselves when the lamps are driven
hard. This sound doesn’t appear at the Voyager’s outputs. Reducing the brightness
of the lamps reduces the transmission of the sound from the power supply and
lamps.

-Connect to Amplifier

Connect your Voyager to headphones or an amplifier (figure1). For a mono
connection, use the jack labeled “left/mono”. To connect the Voyager to a stereo
amplifier, use the left/mono and right audio outputs to connect to the left and right
inputs of your amplifier. To get a sound, play the keyboard. Adjust the amplifier level
until it is at a comfortable level for listening.

-Start Playing!

The quickest way to hear what the Voyager has to offer is to listen to the presets.
Pressing the +1 or –1 buttons will access a new preset. If the sound does not change,
then “Quick mode” is not active – simply press ENTER to load the new sound. Presets 001
– 128 are loaded with sounds from the factory. There are a total of 128 locations in
memory for presets – all are user programmable. Note that once a preset is called up,
you can tweak the parameters to your liking. If you make changes to a preset and want
to return to the original sound, press ENTER. If you want to save your changes – refer to
the section on Saving Presets on p. 57. Any changes made to a preset will be gone if
they are not saved.

To operate exclusively from the Front Panel and not from the Presets, the actual panel
parameters must be loaded. This is done by pressing the EDIT button to enter EDIT mode;
then use the +1 button to highlight REAL PANEL CONTROL. Press ENTER, and you will see
the prompt: ” Load actual panel parameter? Yes/No”. Use CURSOR to select Yes and
press ENTER. The sound produced by the Voyager is now determined by the settings of
the front panel independently of preset memory.

When working with the Voyager, keep in mind that many of the controls are
interactive, so there is frequently more than one way to control a single parameter.
For instance, if the sustain level of the Volume Envelope is all the way down, and the
attack and decay times are at zero, there will be no output. It is really important to
understand the workings of all the controls and how they interact in order to
understand how a sound (or lack thereof) is produced. The best way to accomplish
this is to start with a simple patch, such as the Default Program, shown on p. 55 of
this manual. It can be accessed by the Initialize Parameters function in Edit Mode.
With this Preset active, a single Oscillator (Osc.1) is the sound source. Try the controls
right of the mixer first – one at a time – and notice how they affect the sound. Then
try combining different tones with the mixer and Oscillators 2 and 3. Finally
experiment with the Mod Busses to see how different types of Modulation affect the
sound. To find out how the factory presets are programmed – try the “Parameter
Display” function – if you need to turn it on, refer to p.58 of this manual. Go through
each control and change it, then see what the stored value is – you will start to get
a picture of how that preset is put together.

For a thorough understanding of the Voyager and it’s workings, continue on with this
manual…

II. THE BASICS OF ANALOG SYNTHESIS

For those getting started in the world of electronic music, let’s take a few
moments to go through the basics of sound and synthesis. This will help you
understand what the front panel controls do.

In order to understand synthesis, one must have a basic working knowledge of
the characteristics of sound. There are a few key terms that cover the basics:

Sound – audible vibrations of air pressure. Electronic sounds are delivered to the air
through loudspeakers. (figure 2)

Frequency– The rate of vibration in sound measured in Hertz (Hz or cycles/second)
(figure 3). Our ears can hear from 20 to 20,000 Hz. Frequency corresponds to the
musical term, pitch. A low frequency corresponds to a low-pitched sound such as
a bass; a high frequency sound corresponds to a high pitched sound such as a
piccolo. In music, a change in pitch of one octave higher equals a doubling of the
frequency.

Amplitude – The strength of a sound’s vibration measured in Decibels (dB). This
corresponds to the musical term Loudness (figure 4).

Harmonic Content – A sound is made up of simple vibrations at many different
frequencies (called harmonics) which give a sound its particular character. This
corresponds to the musical term timbre or tone color. A harmonic sound, such as a
vibrating string, is one in which the harmonics are mathematically related by what is
called the harmonic series. These sounds are typically pleasing to the ear and
generally the consecutive vibrations have the same characteristic shape or
waveform. An inharmonic sound, such as a crash cymbal, is one in which the
harmonics are not mathematically related. Their waveforms look chaotic. White
noise is an inharmonic sound that contains equal amounts of all frequencies. A
frequency spectrum is a graph of harmonics vs. their amplitude; a waveform is a
graph of the amplitude of a sound vs. time (figure 5).

In general, “synthesis” refers to the generation of sound through a group of
amplified circuits over which the programmer/performer has power to change
volume, pitch, timbre and articulation. The Minimoog Voyager is based on what is
called “subtractive synthesis”. This method of synthesis employs a harmonically rich
(think bright-sounding) source material, and then removes frequency components
to create the desired sound. The basic components of subtractive synthesis and
their definitions follow:

Oscillator: A circuit that electronically “vibrates”. When used as a sound source, an
oscillator is the electronic equivalent of a vibrating reed, or string. When amplified,
an oscillator produces a pitched sound whose frequency is determined by one or
more control voltages (see below for more info). Changes to these voltages
correspond to changes in pitch. An oscillator’s vibration can have different shapes
or waveforms, which are described below. The Voyager has three oscillators used
as sound sources.

Waveform: The shape of an oscillator’s vibration. This determines its timbre.
Commonly used waveforms in subtractive synthesis are sawtooth, triangle, square,
or rectangular. Different waveforms have different timbres. A sawtooth has the
greatest number of harmonics, and sounds bright and buzzy. A square wave has
only odd harmonics, and sounds bright, but hollow, like a clarinet. A rectangular
wave can vary in shape, but typically has a bright but thin sound, and a triangle
wave’s harmonics are so low in amplitude that it sounds muted and flutelike (figure

6).

Mixer: A circuit for combining multiple sound sources or signals. The Voyager’s Mixer
allows you to select and set the level for up to 5 different sound sources.

Filter: A circuit that removes some frequencies and allows other frequencies to pass
through the circuit.
A filter has a cutoff frequency that determines the point at which frequencies begin
to be removed.
A lowpass filter is one in which frequencies above the cutoff frequency are removed
and all frequencies below the cutoff are passed through.
A highpass filter is one in which frequencies below the cutoff frequency are
removed and frequencies above the cutoff are passed through.
A bandpass filter has two cutoff frequencies that define a frequency band, outside
of which the frequencies are removed (figure 7).

Control Voltage - Control voltages (also called CVs) are used in analog synthesizers
to affect changes in the sound. In the case of pitch, pressing a key on the
keyboard sends a control voltage that determines the pitch of the oscillators. The
pitch can also be changed by a voltage provided from a panel control, such as an
oscillator tuning control. Every panel control on the Voyager produces a control
voltage that is routed to the circuit that the knob or slider is designed to change. An
oscillator with pitch varied by the voltage from the keyboard or tuning control is a
Voltage Controlled Oscillator, or VCO. A filter whose cutoff frequency is determined
by a voltage provided from the cutoff control is a Voltage Controlled Filter, or VCF.
An amplifier whose amplification is determined by a CV is a Voltage Controlled
Amplifier, or VCA.
To illustrate the idea of control voltages, let’s look at a theoretical voltage
controlled synth with a VCO, VCF (lowpass) and VCA. Let’s suppose that the VCO
frequency and VCF cutoff frequency change one octave for every volt applied to
their control inputs. Let’s also suppose that the VCA output level is at 100% when +5
Volts is supplied to the control input, and is at 0% when 0 Volts is applied. In figure
8a, The VCO oscillates at 500 Hz with a +1 V CV, the VCF has a cutoff frequency of
16 kHz with a +5 V CV, and the VCA produces 100% output with a +5 V. In figure
8b, we reduce the VCO CV to 0 V, a change of 1 Volt. Notice that the frequency is
halved – a change of one octave. The VCF CV is dropped 6 volts to –1 V. Notice
that the cutoff frequency then drops 6 octaves, and at 250 Hz, only allows the
fundamental tone through. Finally, the VCA CV is reduced by 3 Volts. Notice the
amplification is reduced to 40% of the maximum level.

Modulation - Modulation is the use of a CV to affect a voltage-controlled circuit.
Modulation has a source, destination, and amount. This could be as simple as the
filter cutoff of a VCF (a modulation destination) being changed by the front panel
cutoff control (the source), or as complex as mixing multiple CVs together to

modulate filter cutoff. Modulation is used in synthesis to create complex sounds
and add variation.

Envelope Generator - An envelope describes the contours that affect the
characteristics of a sound as it evolves in time from its start to its finish. Take a
plucked string for example: when a string is plucked, its amplitude is suddenly very
loud, then dies out gradually. The initial part of the sound is very bright but then the
brightness fades away. The frequency of the sound goes slightly higher and then
drops slightly as the note fades. These kinds of changes in a sound over time can
be applied to oscillators, filters or the amplitude of an electronically generated
sound by an envelope generator. The envelope generator creates a CV that
describes the contours of a sound. Attack, measured in time, specifies the onset or
transient of a sound. With Volume for instance, the sound might start suddenly as
does a plucked string sound, or fade in slowly like a bowed string crescendo.
Decay is also measured in time and specifies how quickly the onset of a sound
fades into the sustained portion. Sustain is the level at which a sound sustains after
the initial transient. Release is measured in time and determines how long a sound
takes to fade away after a note is released. These four components make up an
ADSR envelope generator. An envelope control signal has to be started and
stopped. The start and stop is triggered by what is called a gate signal. A gate
signal is either on or off. When it goes on, the Envelope generator is started, when
the gate goes off, the release segment of the envelope begins. (figure 9)

Low Frequency Oscillator - Also called an LFO, this is a special type of voltage
controlled oscillator that oscillates primarily below the range of human hearing.
LFOs are typically used as a source of modulation.

For instance - an LFO with a triangle waveform at about 6 Hz modulating the pitch
of a VCO sounds like vibrato. The same LFO with a square wave will sound like a trill
(figure 10). An LFO modulating a voltage controlled amplifier will sound like a
tremolo.

Sample and Hold - This is a circuit with an input for a control voltage and an input
for a trigger. Each time the trigger is fired, the circuit takes the voltage that appears
at the input and holds it at the output until the next time the circuit is triggered.
An LFO is a common way to trigger a sample and hold (or S&H) circuit. When an
LFO is applied to the trigger input, and a random signal such as white noise is
applied to the CV input, a random stepped voltage will appear at the output in
time with the each cycle of the LFO. (figure 11)

Glide - Also called portamento, is the slowing down of pitch changes as you play
different notes on the keyboard. In synthesizers, a rate is specified that determines
how fast the glide between notes is.

These terms are basic to understanding analog subtractive synthesis. Should you
choose to pursue a more in depth study of the subject, recommended is the book
Analog Synthesis

by Reinhard Smitz, available from Wizoo Publications

(www.wizoo.com).

III. The Voyager’s Features

The minimoog Voyager is a monophonic analog synthesizer that is a descendant of
the classic minimoog. Its sound sources are an external audio input, a noise source,
and three analog, variable waveform oscillators. The Voyager has front panel
controls for real time control of its parameters (figure 12).

The back panel offers the many connections available, including the power, MIDI,
CV, and audio connections (figure 13). For the Control Inputs, a blue nut indicates a

gate/footswitch input and a red nut indicates a CV/ expression pedal input.

- The Oscillator section includes controls for choosing the octave, the tuning of the
second and third oscillators, the oscillators’ waveforms, and switches for oscillator
sync, linear FM, and oscillator 3’s frequency range and keyboard control.

- The sound sources are selected and their levels are set in the Mixer section.
The output of the Mixer section goes to the Filter section. An effect can be inserted
between the Mixer and Filters by means of the Mix Out/ Filter In jack.

- The Filter section contains two filters that work together in two different modes. Dual
Lowpass mode features two lowpass filters in parallel and Highpass-Lowpass mode
features a lowpass and highpass filter in series. The Cutoff control affects both filters’
cutoff frequencies, and the Spacing control sets a difference between the two
filters’ cutoff frequencies. The outputs of the Filters are passed on to the Output
VCAs.

- The Envelopes section contains one ADSR envelope generator for the Filters, and
one ADSR envelope generator for the Output VCAs. The audio path is illustrated in
figure 14.

- When a key is pressed, A Gate and Pitch CV are produced by the keyboard. The
Gate signal is used to trigger both the Filter and Volume Envelopes. The Pitch CV is
used to determine the pitch of the Oscillators and can be applied to a varying
degree to the Filters through the Keyboard Control Amount knob (fig 15).

- Modulation is performed through the Modulation Busses. There are two separate
Mod busses. One is controlled by the Mod Wheel, while the other is controlled by
the MOD1 CV input. If nothing is plugged into the MOD1 CV Input, then the
PEDAL/ON bus is on at the level determined by the Amount control. In each Mod
Bus, a Modulation Source, Shaping signal and Destination are selected. An overall
maximum modulation amount can be set with the Amount control. The Modulation
CV paths are illustrated in figure 16.

- The LFO is assigned through the MOD Busses. It features a triangle and square
wave. It is also used to trigger the Sample and Hold.

- The touch surface controller can generate three continuous control signals (X,Y,A)
simultaneously, and a gate is produced when the surface is touched. The position
of a finger on the touch pad generates a control voltage for horizontal (X) position
and a control voltage for vertical (Y) position. Pressing on the touch surface causes
a CV based on the area (A) of the fingertip. A light touch causes less of your
fingertip to touch the pad, a heavy touch causes more contact with the touch
surface.

IV. The Voyager’s Components
A.

MIXER

The Mixer combines the main sound sources of the Voyager. It’s the place to
start when creating a new sound from scratch, or figuring out how a sound is put
together. All the sound sources can be turned on or off, and their levels can be
adjusted. The sound sources available are:

- External Audio Input

- Oscillator 1

- Oscillator 2

- Oscillator 3

- Noise Source

Each sound source has both an on/off switch and a level control. When working
with the Voyager, it is important to keep track of which sound sources are on and
which are off.

The audio output of the mixer goes to the filter. There is an insert jack on the
back of the unit where an external effect can be inserted in between the mixer and
the filter. This can also be used as direct output of the Mixer. Note that this output is
before the Volume envelope. If an Oscillator is selected and its level is above zero –
its sound will be there regardless of playing the keyboard.

OSCILLATORS 1 to 3:
The controls for the Oscillators on the mixer are simple: on/off and level. When

the levels of the Oscillators are set high, the output from the mixer gently overdrives
the filter section. This was one of the important features in the original minimoog that
gave it its characteristic “fat” sound.

NOISE:
The Noise source is a white/pink hybrid, and can be used as a sound source or a

modulation source. Noise is great for making ocean wave sounds, explosions, wind
sounds or using as a subtle coloration to a sound.

EXTERNAL AUDIO IN:
The External Audio in allows an external audio source to be routed into the mixer,

where it can be mixed with the VCOs and Noise source, then passed to the filters
and the out put. The LED above the External input begins to light up as the Input
signal to overdrives the Mixer input. When the light is faint, a small amount of soft
clipping is occurring. When the LED is bright, the signal is really strongly overdriven.
Judicious use of overdrive can really fatten up a sound. The external audio input
can accept a signal from instrument level to line level.

MIX-OUT LOOP:
The jack on the back labeled “mix out/filter in” is an insert point between the

Mixer output and the filter input. Using a standard insert cable an effect such as a
moogerfooger MF-102 Ring Modulator can be inserted to add effects to the
oscillator, noise source, and external audio in prior to the filter stage. The Mixer
output signal send appears at the tip of the jack. The return signal appears at the
ring of the jack. A cable plugged into the jack breaks the connection between the
mixer and the filter, Unless the Return signal is sent to the ring of the jack, no signal
will pass through to the filter. The level settings in the mixer affect the output level, so
keep this in mind as you try different devices in this loop. This insert point is a great
spot to insert a distortion or waveshaping device, a phaser, ring modulator, or delay
effects (figure 17).

B. OSCILLATORS

The Oscillators are the main sound source of the Voyager. The oscillators in the
Voyager are all analog Voltage Controlled Oscillators, or VCOs. They feature a
temperature regulation circuit that provides them with excellent tuning stability. The
VCOs can produce a total musical range of 8 ½ octaves! In addition, the
frequency of oscillator 3 can be set to sub-audio (<20Hz) vibrations for use as a
second LFO.
Oscillator One performs as a master oscillator to which Oscillator 2 and 3 are
tuned. The timbres of the oscillators are adjusted by their variable Waveform
controls. In addition, there are switches for Oscillator 2 sync to 1; Linear Frequency
modulation of oscillator 1 by 3; Oscillator 3 keyboard control on/off; and Oscillator 3
Lo or Hi frequency range. The frequencies of the Oscillators are controlled by a
number of sources. The main source is the keyboard. The keyboard outputs a
voltage that allows the oscillators to be played in an equal tempered scale. The
glide circuit can be switched in between the Keyboard CV and the oscillators to
slow the changes between notes. The Keyboard CV is mixed with the Octave
switch CV, the Frequency control (oscillators 2 and 3), the Pitch Bend Wheel, the
Pitch CV In (on the back panel), the fine tune control, and the output of the Mod
Busses when the “Pitch” destination is selected.

OCTAVE: Oscillator Octave switch (6 positions)
Each Oscillator has a switch labeled Octave that selects the relative frequency
range. To hear how it works, turn off oscillators 2 and 3 with the mixer. Turn Oscillator
1 on and set its level to 5. Play a note on the keyboard and rotate the Oscillator 1
octave switch clockwise one click – the note will rise an octave. You can use this
control to change the frequency range that the keyboard controls. The markings 32’
up to 1’ are octave standards based on organ stops. On the 16’ setting the highest
A on the keyboard should be A440.

FREQUENCY: Oscillator 2 and 3 Frequency control
Oscillators 2 and 3 have a Frequency control. When the control is in the center
position, the oscillators should be in tune with the frequency of Oscillator 1 (when the
octave switches for all three oscillators are in the same position). The frequency
control can change the pitch of oscillator 2 or 3 a total of + or – 7 semitones

relative to Osc. 1. This allows more than one frequency to be played when a key is
pressed, or to get a very swirly sound when the oscillators are slightly out of tune.
Oscillator 1 does not have a frequency control because it is designed to serve as a
reference oscillator for the other 2 oscillators.

FINE TUNE:
Fine tune control can be used to tune the Voyager’s oscillators + or – 2
semitones for matching an external reference pitch.

WAVE: Oscillator waveform control
The VCOs of the Voyager feature a continuously variable waveform control. The
legend on the front panel shows the pure waveforms that are available. They are
triangle, sawtooth, square, and rectangular. The waveform is morphed gradually
from one to another as the waveform control is rotated. Because the waveform is
voltage controlled, this can be modulated. This allows generation of some very
interesting timbral changes. By limiting the modulation between the square and
skinny pulse waveform, you can get pulse width modulation. Although the
waveforms can be set from the front panel individually for each oscillator,
modulation is applied to all three waveform controls simultaneously. When using
modulation, it is possible to make the width of the rectangular wave so skinny that it
becomes silent.

3 KB CONT: Oscillator 3 Keyboard Control On/Off
The 3 KB Control switch, located below the oscillators disables keyboard control
of oscillator 3’s pitch when in the off position. By disabling the keyboard control of
Osc. 3, you can use it as a drone, or as a modulation source whose frequency
doesn’t change with the key played.

In addition to turning off the keyboard
control of Oscillator 3, switching this to OFF increases the amount the
Oscillator 3 FREQUENCY control changes Oscillator 3’s frequency.

3 FREQ: Oscillator 3 Frequency range switch Lo/Hi
This selects Oscillator 3’s frequency range. When in the Lo position, Osc. 3
operates as a subaudio sound source (clicks) or as a modulation source (LFO).
When in the Hi position, Osc. 3 operates with the same available frequency range
as Osc. 2.

1 Æ 2 SYNC: Oscillator 2 Synced to Oscillator 1
Oscillator Sync is an effect caused by resetting an oscillator waveform’s start
point with another oscillator (figure 18). The effect is noticeable if The Synced
Oscillator is a higher frequency than the Reset Oscillator. The main frequency heard
is that of the reset oscillator. As the frequency of the synced oscillator is swept, it
reinforces the harmonics of the reset oscillator. Depending on how applied, the
effect can be aggressive or warm and vocal. This effect is much more dramatic
when Oscillator 2 is set to a higher octave than Oscillator 1.

3 Æ 1 FM: Direct Linear Frequency Modulation of Osc. 1 by Osc. 3
When an Oscillator is used as a CV source for another VCO, it is called
Frequency modulation. Frequency Modulation effects can vary from vibrato or trill
effects to clangorous inharmonic sounds to rich timbres that evoke acoustic
sounds. Linear FM is the kind of Frequency Modulation used in classic FM synths.

GLIDE:
Glide enables a glissando effect between notes. There is a switch on the left

hand controller panel that enables this effect. The knob labeled glide adjusts the
rate of glide. The glide can vary from a very fast to a very slow glide.

CONTROL INPUTS FOR THE OSCILLATOR SECTION:
There are two inputs on the back panel that accept CVs or expression pedals

that affect the oscillator section. They are labeled Pitch, and Wave. The Pitch input
controls the frequencies of all three oscillators. A one volt change of this voltage will
change the pitch by approximately one octave. The Waveform input controls the
waveforms of all three oscillators. A 5 Volt Change of this voltage will sweep the
oscillator waveforms through their entire range. Plugging in an expression pedal like
the moogerfooger EP-1 (ring = +5.5 supply to the pedal, tip =variable CV return)
produces control voltages from 0 V to +5 V at either control input.

C. FILTERS

Ahh… the Moog filter – the sound that started it all… Filters are used for
transforming the character of an audio signal. Filters modify a sound by stopping
some frequencies and allowing others to pass through. An important term regarding
filters to understand is “Cutoff Frequency”. This is a frequency at which frequencies
begin to be rejected. There are different types of filters. Some of the most common
and most musically useful are lowpass, highpass, and bandpass. A lowpass filter
behaves as its name indicates: it allows low frequencies through and rejects high
frequencies. A highpass is filter does the opposite. It passes all frequencies above
the cutoff and rejects the frequencies below the cutoff.
A bandpass comes from a lowpass and highpass filter put together. The lowpass
filter defines a maximum frequency that will pass through, and the highpass filter
defines a minimum frequency that will pass through. What’s left is a band of
frequencies that will pass through the filters, hence the name, bandpass.
Another aspect of filters is their cutoff slope. This refers to how many dB per
octave frequencies are rolled off beyond the cutoff frequency. The number of
“poles” in a filter determines the cutoff slope. Each pole adds 6dB to the cutoff
slope. Therefore a 1-pole filter rolls off frequencies at 6db/octave, a 2-pole filter has
a 12dB/octave cutoff slope, 3 poles makes for a 18dB/octave cutoff slope, and a 4
pole filter has a 24dB/octave cutoff slope. The classic Moog filter is a 24dB/octave
lowpass filter.
With the Resonance control, a peak is created at the cutoff frequency (fig. 19).

When the resonant peaks of the lowpass filters pass through the overtones of the
sound being filtered, those overtones are reinforced. This gives the filter a nice
character that sounds vocal, quacky, or zappy, depending on how it’s used. When
the resonance is turned up past 8, the filters begin to self-oscillate at the cutoff
frequency, producing a sine wave tone. The Keyboard Control Amount control sets
how much the filters’ cutoff frequencies track the keyboard note that is played. As
you play higher on the keyboard, the cutoff frequency goes higher, too.

The Voyager features two filter modes: Dual Lowpass and Highpass/Lowpass

DUAL LOWPASS MODE:
The Voyager’s dual Lowpass filter mode features two lowpass filters which are
routed to the left or right audio output. The Cutoff knob controls the frequency
cutoffs of both filters. The filters can be set to the same cutoff frequency, or different
cutoff frequencies with the Spacing control (figure 20). When the two filters are set
at different cutoff frequencies and routed to two different speakers, what you hear is
a fantastically swirly and vocal sound – halfway between a phaser and a lowpass
filter.