Moog Voyager vs Studio Electronics SE-1X. Well, maybe not quite "vs" like "Spy vs. Spy". Just another happy Friday side-by-side comparison: this time between these analog 3-oscillator monophonic synthesizers.
This post was inspired by numerous forum messages. It seems like every so often someone will start asking again about the difference between these two synths. I'm sure there's enough technical info online already, so I thought I'd contribute another way.
I recorded these 12 audio clips in an attempt to capture what I feel is each unit's strengths. This is not a scientific test - no sawtooth waves shall be compared or viewed by an oscilloscope. Instead, I simply played 6 clips in realtime on each instrument - no effects, straight into Logic. The original WAV files sound much better than the streaming mp3's here, and they are available for download provided you can view the Soundcloud player.
Here's what's happening in the clips.
SE-1X #1: 24db filter used here. Saw and triangle wave ON for all oscillators.
SE-1X #2: Bank 1, preset 1 of this unit. Simple. One of my absolute faves!
SE-1X #3: 24db filter. Pulse, pulse and saw. Used the multiple LFO's and envelopes.
SE-1X #4: 12db filter. Saw and pulse waves ON for all oscillators.
SE-1X #5: 24db filter. Oscillators 1 & 2 are triangle, sync ON. Oscillator 3 is pulse.
SE-1X Sweep: The all important, "how does the filter sweep sound like?" preset.
Moog 1: I'm trying to make a simpler sound here. I love how aftertouch controls vibrato.
Moog 2: IMO, this is a very wholesome Voyager patch. Large and gooey.
Moog 3: My preset "Pensive Pad". Very hands-on. I'm manually adjusting LFO rate.
Moog 4: Simple sound, very short and rhythmic.
Moog 5: I called this one the Spacebug - it sounds great through a delay. FM in middle of clip.
Moog 6: My preset "Mindchanger". Rhythmic. Definitely can make a song with this.
The Studio Electronics SE-1X is more of a thick sounding tone-module for me. It doesn't have audio-rate modulation of anything, but its craaazy intense bass sound rules. The Voyager has many more modulation possibilities: even without the expanders, I can get oscillator 2 to modulate 3 to modulate 1 all within the unit. Also, the Voyager is incredibly hands-on and feels like a true instrument. Tweaking the SE-1X is sometimes a bit tedious, especially when its parameters have a tendency to jump to nearby values. All in all, both sound fantastic!
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