Can you believe it? The Minimoog will have its 40th anniversary soon, and to kick start the celebration, Moog Music has announced the new Minimoog Voyager XL.

The new instrument pays homage to important milestones in the Moog synthesizer legacy, notes Moog Music. The Minimoog Voyager XL starts with the heart of a Minimoog Model D and features fat oscillators, warm filters, a rugged construction, and an intuitive user interface design.

The Minimoog Voyager XL incorporates just about all of the sound resources and functions of the original Minimoog Model D and Voyager. The unit boasts a 100 percent analog signal path with stable oscillators, patch storage, touch surface, pot mapping, and extensive MIDI control functionality, along with a ribbon controller and a 61-note keyboard.

Going further, the Minimoog Voyager XL features extensive front-panel patchability and a number of features previously found only on large-scale modular synthesizers. According to the manufacturer, these features, when combined with state-of-the-art analog technology, make the Minimoog Voyager XL a sound design and control dream machine. Happy 40th birthday, Minimoog.

Moog Music Minimoog Voyager XL features:

• 61-Note, Velocity-sensitive keyboard with After-Pressure
• Ribbon controller with Pitch and Gate CV outputs
• Touch surface controller with X, Y, A , and Gate outputs
• Stereo external audio input
• Effects Loop Insert
• 2 Active attenuators
• 4-Input CV Mixer
• Lag Processor
• 2nd MIDI-synced LFO
• 3 Four-way Mults
• 20 Control Voltage outputs
• 3 Gate Outputs
• 10 Control Voltage inputs
• 4 Gate inputs
• 2 Modulation busses
• Solid Oak cabinet
• Tilting control panel

About the new unit, Moog Music president Mike Adams comments, "To celebrate the 40th anniversary of a ground-breaking product like the Minimoog Model D, we knew we had to design something special. The XL draws from the Model D and the entire history of our company to create an outstanding new instrument tailored for production, performance, and sound design."

Moog Music expects to begin shipping the Minimoog Voyager XL for $4,995 in the fourth quarter of 2010. For more information and complete specifications, please visit moogmusic.com.