9 thoughts on “Minimoog Model D vs Moog Minimoog Voyager

  1. I bought the sample sets from these guys and they are really good. So are they tutorials. I fully recommend them, in case anyone was on the fence.

  2. Aw, c’mon, comparing MiniMoogs AGAIN? I owned a Trumansburg Mini years ago and I’ve heard most of the software emulations. You know what? Bob is IN all of them. The minute differences in translation are too small to debate, in my view. They all have the legendary beef. Focus on what they can do, not some subjective and transitory filter-maybes. If you own MiniMogue, Creamware’s Mini or MiniMonsta, you still have the heart at your fingertips.

    1. I agree. I have a ’74 Minimoog and the software Minimonsta and the Arturia Minimoog and they’re all similar while at the same time they’re all different. Some sounds are better on the software than on the hardware and vice versa and in a mix ‘nobody’ can tell which is which. Even I forget later when asked “is that the real moog?”

  3. Sigh, how I want Voyager.

    They are surprisingly different and yet so similar at the same time. Couldn’t say which I like more. Some cases Voyager and some cases classic. The filters still have lively, virulent, lusty, desirable character, that the static digital approximations lack. The XL version gives me boner every time I see it and hearing it gives me…hnnnnggghh. Polyphonic Voyager XL would probably cost a million, but…hhnnnnngghhh.

  4. Having both owned a Voyager and a Model D within the last year, I found myself selling the Voyager and keeping the Model D.

    On paper (and, to be fair, in the middle of a busy mix where a lot of other things are taking place) the Voyager is likely going to be the winner. It boasts a better spec sheet, is well built, has nice things like MIDI, memory locations, the touchpad, etc. You can do sync and PWM and all those other wonderful things the original Mini was incapable of. It also stays in tune. Which is a huge boon for playing live.

    But on its own, played through a pair of nice headphones, the Model D has that je ne sais quoi. It just flat out sounds that bit better. I don’t know why, it just does. It’s one of the few vintage instruments for me where the hype matches the reality.

  5. Instability of OSC, Noise, signal path all add to the character of that model D. It makes lovely sex to your ears. I own a voyager but the D is a more musical instrument to my ears.

    I dont understand why we have to buy second hand broken down synths when the maker can reproduce them for us. Its sad that these machines will eventually become no more when they finally wear out.

  6. I hate the “in the mix you cannot tell the difference” argument. Everything makes a difference in sound and I think if your mix is full of “you can’t tell in the mix” compromises, eventually you hear or feel a difference. I have liked a lot of bands even before I knew that it was because they were using analog synths. It was the overall feel of their music. Something that is hard to put a finger on.

    Maybe if you are a reverb cranker you can’t tell the difference between a Casio and a Moog in your music anyway.

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