Making An Aluminum Minimoog Voyager

Saturday Synth Porn: This video, via Moog Music Inc, takes a behind the scenes look at the making of their Aluminum Minimoog Voyager.

The Aluminum Minimoog Voyager is a 100 piece, limited run of the Minimoog Voyager, housed in a machined, all aluminum cabinet that has been weight relieved for portability. The cabinet features a clear anodized finish with industrial fixtures securing an electric blue backlit panel with electric blue LEDs, all black switches and nuts, and electric blue pitch & mod wheels.

See the Moog site for details.

24 thoughts on “Making An Aluminum Minimoog Voyager

      1. Over 8 percent of the planet is aluminum by weight. It’s not something that has to be sourced from a heavily guarded mine in Namibia.

        1. Unlike tantalum (used in almost all electronic devices) which is rare, found mostly in Tanzania and sometimes funds terrorism.

          1. – except that there is no such thing as “terrorism”, as that is just a buzzword being used to make you do what they want you to do!

            the other things you wrote may all be sad but true :/

    1. Name one square foot of this planet that has never known bloodshed. Besides, aluminum is everywhere. Wood is full of aluminum. It’s like the fifth most common element in the planet.

      1. Aluminum is made by refining bauxite ore.
        While there may be trace elements in trees and even you and I, extracting it is too costly. Therefore, forget wood as a source of aluminum.
        Nice try though.

        1. I didn’t say it was a source for extraction. Light a wooden match, and if you see a little jet of flame come out the side, that is a speck of alumina burning. Beavers eat wood because the alumina makes it taste sweet. In the aftermath of World War II, in the Pacific, collectors went looking for wreckage of rare aircraft like the Black Widow for museums. They never found any, because every bit of aluminum of the wrecks had been eaten by local rodents were were drawn to the sweet taste of it. Stop reading things into what other people say, be less patronizing and less smug and maybe people would like you more.

          1. I wasn’t being smug nor patronizing, I was being pragmatic.
            Just because trees have aluminum in them doesn’t mean it’s a good source for obtaining it.
            Scientists predict a water shortage in many countries soon and water is the MOST abundant thing on Earth.
            Like the trees, the problem is getting it to where it’s needed in great quantities.

            So please don’t make assumptions or projections about me.
            If people don’t like my comments so much, how come your comment has 3 negs and 0 positives, while mine has 3 positives and only one negative and that one might have come from you?

      2. interesting to get so many dislikes… consumerism and synthesizer “technology” go hand-in-hand… and consumerism and apathy also go hand-in-hand. so i guess that can only mean synthesizer consumption and apathy go hand-in-hand. which explains all of the dislikes.

  1. Glad to see the ‘techs getting some recognition in this video. I’m constantly amazed by the skill of our workshop staff and the things that they can do on the CNC’s, they rarely get the appreciation they deserve!

    1. These parts are made on some pretty dodgy, dated CNC milling machines. CNC machines will be found in the scrap yard in a few years time, as 3D metal printing is almost as affordable, if not cheaper.

      1. You are clearly a child with no experience of metalwork, real CNC or milling.
        Regardless of that, this is about craftsmanship.

  2. All this is is yet another repackaging of the same product by a company supposedly known for their innovation and creativity.
    Now we’ve got signature editions, tribute editions, this wood/that wood, backlit versions… on and on.
    But ask Moog to make modules for the common man and instead you get $95K clones of Keith Emerson’s synth. I’d call this Fanfare for the common man, but it’d be inappropriate.
    All I do know is that they’re taking money on pre-orders, then delaying them to make these KE’s effigy synths for rich, retired blokes who always wanted to be Emerson, but were too lazy to learn how to play; too scared to take a chance becoming successful.
    Moog has lost a lot of respect in the synth world and while they repackage their goods every which way possible, many other companies are truly innovating.
    They don’t even pay their employees all that well.
    Moog is just a name now. Buy products instead by passionate creators, not uncreative types resting on the laurels of the name “Moog.”

    1. I’m unclear how in your worldview someone who never learned to play keyboards as well as Keith Emerson, never took a chance on a musical carrier but instead invested in a different skill set that allowed them to bank a shed load of money and eventually buy a Moog modular is a loser? It appears the winners in your scenario are the rich retiree, who better invested his labor, and Moog Music.

      1. I never said the word “loser.”
        Please try to comment on things actually said.
        For all you know, I might work at Moog and actually have some inside info.

          1. You’re right, I don’t work at Moog Music any longer.
            But that doesn’t mean I haven’t continued to stay connected with some of their employees.

    2. Not sure why you think you speak for the “synth world”, but Moog’s got a bigger lineup of well-respected synths than they ever have, priced starting at $25 for Animoog. They’ve also got more affordable hardware synths than they ever have had before – like the Sub Phatty

      If you can’t afford a Moog, you’ve got no excuses.

    1. Here is a list of dealers who have units

      US DEALERS
      Alto Music
      Crazy Dave’s Music
      The MIDI Store
      Foxtone Music
      Kraft Music
      Lunchbox Audio
      MAS Studios
      Midwest Pro Sound
      Noise Bug
      Nova Musik
      Rock N Roll Vintage
      Studio 637
      Sweetwater Sound
      Three Wave Music
      Washington Music Center

      INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS
      EMC
      Gearlounge (South Korea)
      AMPTEC (Benelux countries)
      Prolyd AS (Norway)
      MIDIware SRL (Italy)
      Audio Chocolate (Australia)
      KID (Japan)
      Fitzpatrick Import Group (Sweden)

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