Going modular with the Minimoog Voyager?

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Popski
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Post by Popski »

CZ Rider wrote: There are a few that may or may not be an issue for your application.

First the CV out from the keyboard, although it is 1v/oct, the F equals 0 volts, while some manufactures would have C as 0 volt. Depending on the oscillator used this may be no big deal.
yeah, probably won't be an issue with the AFG, Model 15s and few A111/110s. Although I've also been using the mono/poly in patches a lot, so it'll be interesting to see how the M/P responds, tuning knob on the MP is pretty narrow
CZ Rider wrote:

The keyboard CV out from the vx351 is not buffered properly. A simple fix, but you would think for the price of the vx351, it would be designed better. Some users noticed with dot com oscillators that as more oscillators were added, the voltage would droop, requiring re-tuning. I tried controlling a Q960 sequencer running at audio speed as an oscillator. The vx351 didn't have enough juce to properly get 1 v/oct., it needed to be run through a buffer like a MOTM 820 to drive the Q960 oscillator. So the keyboard CV is anemic at best. If you plan on using the Voyager oscillators from and external CV source, you may have problems since they are not 1v/oct. So a CV sequencer with quantized outs set for 1v/oct. won't be in tune. (Just use MIDI)
hmmm.. interesting.. I was hoping to make the voyager the heart of the whole set-up.. using the vx CV outs in place of the Mono/poly or sh101 to control, while having a midi controller for some aux rack gear. I guess it probably won't affect me much since I'm using the Euro stuff for more nebulous sonic fun and not precise v/oct stuff.. .

so.. what the hell.. the VOyager Oscs don't track v/oct? are they Hz/V? what the hell? that seems bizarre. I couldn't find anything on the moog site about this kind of thing. COuldn't find any documentation about the voyager's operational voltages either..
CZ Rider wrote:

The rest of the CV outs do a good enough job, and controlling a modular from the touch pad is a blast. The noise source is typical Moog and only about 2 or so volts out. The vx351 has little in the way of circutry, and the average DIY'er could design a similar interface. Only has a tl082 for the kbd. scale, no buffer, all the other jacks are simply unbuffered and directly connected to the multi pin socket. Moog never officially released the pin out for either in/out multi-pin socket, but it would be easy to make and wouldn't cost $295, even with a custom panel in your favorite format. :tu:
Image
Inside the vx351. One LM2940, a TL082, trimmer, 3 caps, 2 resistors, 2 pots, 33 jacks. Not very complex?
I'm just getting into the DIY side of things.. Have a few Ken Stone PCB's part way populated awaiting my return in the basement... This seems like something I could feasibly wrap my brain around.. fairly simple
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Robert Moob
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Post by Robert Moob »

i'm just trying a similar thing... building a DIY VX-352 in eurorack/doepfer format style (with a 12TE frontplate and mini jacks), so i can integrate the voyager RME into my modular system...

does anybody here have experience in this? is there a layout of the voyager RME accessory port's pins available somewhere?


:sb:
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jonkull
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Post by jonkull »

This is in order of pin number for the VX351. I don't know if it would be the same as the VX-352:

1 Ground
2 Floating 0
3 Floating 0 (not sure)
4 Velocity
5 KB gate
6 Mod 2
7 Mod Wheel
8 Mod Bus 2
9 Volume Env
10 LFO square
11LFO triangle
12 5v supply
13 -15v supply
14 Floating 0
15 Floating 0
16 Pitch
17 Pressure
18 Mod 1
19 Pitch wheel
20 Mod Bus 1
21 Filter Env
22 SH smooth
23 SH step
24 Noise
25 15v supply
If only someone would invent a synth that would allow the end user to determine the functionality. You could pick which functions were important to you in 'modules'. A 'modular', if you will. - Stretta
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zomgw00t
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Post by zomgw00t »

Welcome BTByrd!

I've just started putting together my own MOTM modular and thought I would throw in my own couple of cents. I haven't had a chance to play with these yet, but I've heard good things...

One SynthTech module yet to be mentioned is the MOTM-120 Sub-Octave Multiplexer. I'll be building one of these in the next couple weeks!

And if you are not opposed to DIY, check out some of the Tellun Corp. modules, particularly the TLN-156 Neural Agonizer and the TLN-712 Doomsday Machine. Front panels for both of those -- and many more modules -- are available at Bridechamber .

Good luck! :goo:

~Chappie
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Robert Moob
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Post by Robert Moob »

jonkull wrote:This is in order of pin number for the VX351. I don't know if it would be the same as the VX-352:

1 Ground
2 Floating 0
3 Floating 0 (not sure)
4 Velocity
5 KB gate
6 Mod 2
7 Mod Wheel
8 Mod Bus 2
9 Volume Env
10 LFO square
11LFO triangle
12 5v supply
13 -15v supply
14 Floating 0
15 Floating 0
16 Pitch
17 Pressure
18 Mod 1
19 Pitch wheel
20 Mod Bus 1
21 Filter Env
22 SH smooth
23 SH step
24 Noise
25 15v supply

thanks a lot for that info! where you got that from? (is there more? :hyper: ) but of course this is already a great help. thanks. :)
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jonkull
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Post by jonkull »

Someone on the Moog forum built a DIY VX-351 and posted the pin-outs.
If only someone would invent a synth that would allow the end user to determine the functionality. You could pick which functions were important to you in 'modules'. A 'modular', if you will. - Stretta
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Post by Popski »

I just got an M5n and it sits right behind my voyager. The vx-351 and CP-251 work really well with it. I also use it both with my Euro modular..
I love the Voyager.. my favourite mono and controller.
my 5U system consists of 2 non-working modules.. a woggle and LPG..

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Popski
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Post by Popski »

CZ Rider wrote: First the CV out from the keyboard, although it is 1v/oct, the F equals 0 volts, while some manufactures would have C as 0 volt. Depending on the oscillator used this may be no big deal. But for instance, Roland 100M oscillators need the fine tune knob turned way down to compensate. And if you plan on controlling a self contained mono-synth, the fine tune may not have a wide enough range to compensate. The reason behind the 0 volt equals F, I guess is because the F is the lowest key? The voltage is transposeable plus or minus 2 octaves, but in normal position the lowest F is at -1 volt.

The keyboard CV out from the vx351 is not buffered properly. A simple fix, but you would think for the price of the vx351, it would be designed better. Some users noticed with dot com oscillators that as more oscillators were added, the voltage would droop, requiring re-tuning. I tried controlling a Q960 sequencer running at audio speed as an oscillator. The vx351 didn't have enough juce to properly get 1 v/oct., it needed to be run through a buffer like a MOTM 820 to drive the Q960 oscillator. So the keyboard CV is anemic at best.

If you plan on using the Voyager oscillators from and external CV source, you may have problems since they are not 1v/oct. So a CV sequencer with quantized outs set for 1v/oct. won't be in tune. (Just use MIDI)

The rest of the CV outs do a good enough job, and controlling a modular from the touch pad is a blast. The noise source is typical Moog and only about 2 or so volts out. The vx351 has little in the way of circutry, and the average DIY'er could design a similar interface. Only has a tl082 for the kbd. scale, no buffer, all the other jacks are simply unbuffered and directly connected to the multi pin socket. Moog never officially released the pin out for either in/out multi-pin socket, but it would be easy to make and wouldn't cost $295, even with a custom panel in your favorite format. :tu:
I totally forgot all about this post until someone zombified this thread..
I obviously got the voyager I was talking about and it does exhibit some strange behaviour sometimes. The whole F = 0v made driving my Mono/poly from the cv outs impractical. Still have to use a midi/cv converter for that. I wish I had remembered this thread.. it would have saved me some headache time..

likewise, the non-buffered cv out on the vx-251.. it totally sags. Again, if I had re-read this one post it would have saved me from an hour and a half of modular rage. I've also noticed the LFO on the CP-251 is offset and makes the Voyager pitch sag noticeably when used together..
ahh well.. still love this set-up.
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Robert Moob
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Post by Robert Moob »

btw... i found the pin-out on the voyager's side for the VX-352 (not the VX-352 itself, it's the voyager PCB):

01 GND
02 Y (IN)
03 G (IN)
04 PAN_CONTROL
05 WAVE_CONTROL
06 PEDAL_2 (IN)
07 PITCH_CONTROL
08 ENV_RATE_CONTROL
09 RELEASE
10 LFO_SYNC
11 SQUARE
12 +5V
13 -15V
14 X (IN)
15 Z (IN)
16 VOLUME_CONTROL
17 FILTER_CONTROL
18 PEDAL_1 (IN)
19 S&H_IN
20 LFO_RATE_CONTROL
21 ENV_GATE
22 S&H_GATE
23 RED_NOISE_OUT
24 TURN_OFF_DEFAULTS
25 +15V

but i also found a used VX-352... so i'm not working on a DIY-version anymore right now..... but it's not totally discarded... :guinness:

my VX-352 was bought new in december 2010 and its serial number is handwritten and under 200.... so it seems, that most voyager users aren't even slightly interested in using CV? crazy, can't understand that, i need another guinness :guinness: :guinness: :guinness: :hihi:
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Popski
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Post by Popski »

my vx-351 is #1316, bought new about one year ago..
still seems low

:despair:
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Robert Moob
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Post by Robert Moob »

yeah, but i was talking about the VX-352, which is only for use with the voyager RME.... but i would have thought, that people, who avoid keyboards, like i do, would maybe prefer to patch more, so to go modular, like i do, but no, seems not to be like that....

the VX-351 is of course more sold, because it's usable for all voyager versions.... but still a low number, you're right...


:zombie:
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eef
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Post by eef »

I have three moogerfoogers that I like to use with my eurorack and blacet gear. Of course it is possible to use 1/4 -> 1/8 inch patch cables, but occasionally I have the crazy idea of using the space around the bypass switch to drill holes and mount 1/8 in jacks, replacing the 1/4 inch on the back. That way I could rack them in the panel I have, and use them more easily with my other equipment.

As it is they are always the last bit of processing (which is fine) but it would be more natural to put them between things if they had the same jacks.

Am I crazy? Wait, I already know the answer to that one. Has anyone else done this?

Not sure this is the right thread for this question, but it seemed close ..
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Re: Going modular with the Minimoog Voyager?

Post by jl »

BTByrd wrote:As it stands, I'm leaning toward getting a 10 space flight case/rack and starting to stock it with a couple MOTM filters and maybe the dotcom instrument interface and one or two "utilitarian" modules (like mixers).

Any comments or help would be appreciated.
I just added a (not quite finished) dotcom 22 space cabinet to my voyager setup. I had a friend who builds speaker cabs build me the little rack you see here:

Image
Picture file




worked out great and its easy to patch back and forth.
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BTByrd
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Post by BTByrd »

I didn't realize this thread was still alive... "zombified" indeed!

For what it's worth, here's what I ended up getting:

Image

Image

Image

I definitely exceeded my original budget of $1200. :mrgreen:

I used MOTM rails & PSU in a (very) blue Nice-Racks.com 17 space cabinet. I got matching 5 and 7-space blanks to close up the back of the cabinet, which look nice along side the Pro-Modular.com panel I got made.

The Modcan Row: 01b Osc, VCDO, Quad EG, Dual FS, Quad VCA
The MOTM/Oakley/STG Row: Diode Superladder, 480, uMix, 440, Mankato.

As you can see, I also couldn't resist the allure of Euro.

An awesome and inspiring setup all around... it took me about 3 months to plan the system, and over a year to actually get it built. Thanks to everyone on the forum who helped make it possible!
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rezzn8r
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Post by rezzn8r »

BTByrd wrote:I didn't realize this thread was still alive... "zombified" indeed!

For what it's worth, here's what I ended up getting:

Image

Image

Image

I definitely exceeded my original budget of $1200. :mrgreen:

I used MOTM rails & PSU in a (very) blue Nice-Racks.com 17 space cabinet. I got matching 5 and 7-space blanks to close up the back of the cabinet, which look nice along side the Pro-Modular.com panel I got made.

The Modcan Row: 01b Osc, VCDO, Quad EG, Dual FS, Quad VCA
The MOTM/Oakley/STG Row: Diode Superladder, 480, uMix, 440, Mankato.

As you can see, I also couldn't resist the allure of Euro.

An awesome and inspiring setup all around... it took me about 3 months to plan the system, and over a year to actually get it built. Thanks to everyone on the forum who helped make it possible!
:party: :guinness: :goo: :sb: :cloud:
nice looking setup, but I don't see the Voyager in the pics :hihi:
curious how much it gets used with all that lovely Euro and 5U at your finger tips.
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Post by Popski »

BTByrd wrote:
I definitely exceeded my original budget of $1200. :mrgreen:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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analogueheart
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Post by analogueheart »

I have a voyager running 2.5 and then
Purchased a dark energy. Have the
Vx 351, cp251,mf delay phase and low pass
To boot. Just purchased a euro rack
Starter kit and have a full on fever for the
Euro rack stuff. I plan on using my voyager
And dark energy as osc for now with
The maths, moddemix, format jumbler
And some malleko modules I just got.
I personally love the voyager, and am hoping to
Get some great results with the eoru rack
Set up. The format jumbler can do
Both cv and audio signals, I can't wait
To post some audio and see what you
Guys think.
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analogueheart
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Post by analogueheart »

Sorry I forgot to mention I'm new here
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