Korg Volca series

  On 6/4/2014 at 10:55 PM, modey said:

Thanks!

 

edit: oh wait, you mean actually exporting to DAW track? I haven't tried that.. Not sure if it's possible to dump sequences to MIDI file via usb; I have a feeling that it would need to be manually recorded.

Sorry wait - what I mean is lets say you've just made a tasty sequence on the beatstep - surely you can 'record' that midi data into a DAW via the USB or MIDI ports, right? Ok, so what I want to know is (if you've tested it that is) how accurate that MIDI data is when re-trigging the same instrument via the DAW that you recorded the sequence into........I hope that made sense?

Ah right, well it has standard MIDI as well as USB MIDI, so I can't see why not. As for how accurate it is, I haven't quite tested it; melodically it'd be accurate, of course, but I did notice that timing-wise Renoise didn't go very well when acting as a slave so it might be *slightly* inaccurate. Again, not a big deal for me since I probably won't be using it for composing tracks (I prefer to meticulously program everything in Renoise); I bought it solely for live improvisation.

nah, volcas do not transmit midi out (without a mod) they just respond to midi in note data and midi clock. so no way to transmit your sequence out of a volca to a daw (without a mod).

 

also, non of the volcas have a usb port for midi or anything else. just a midi in DIN connection and a sync in and sync out (5v) connection.

Edited June 5, 2014 by BCM

  On 6/5/2014 at 12:14 PM, BCM said:

nah, volcas do not transmit midi out (without a mod) they just respond to midi in note data and midi clock. so no way to transmit your sequence out of a volca to a daw (without a mod).

 

also, non of the volcas have a usb port for midi or anything else. just a midi in DIN connection and a sync in and sync out (5v) connection.

yea, sorry for confusion but the thread got temporarily derailed into Beatstep discussion!

ah I see! makes more sense now...

So I listened to your tip and I bought the last Volca Bass in the store! This thing is crazy, I guess you really can't get a lot of different sounds from it but it really is good at what it does. It doesn't quite do metallic but the LFO is pretty fast so you can get some almost FM-sounding harsh sounds. Quite good!

Edited June 5, 2014 by poblequadrat

yeah, it's pretty limited in terms of sounds....you can get more range from it by hooking up to various effects if you have them...the keys is much more versatile though imo

  On 6/5/2014 at 8:38 PM, BCM said:

yeah, it's pretty limited in terms of sounds....you can get more range from it by hooking up to various effects if you have them...the keys is much more versatile though imo

Yeah I've really been exploring mine in the last few days. It really does excel when put through external effects. Sounds LUSH through a ton of reverb.

definitely!

  On 6/5/2014 at 8:38 PM, BCM said:

yeah, it's pretty limited in terms of sounds....you can get more range from it by hooking up to various effects if you have them...the keys is much more versatile though imo

 

I'll have to check the Keys out, there weren't any left at the store though...

The sequencer is pretty brilliant too, extremely limited but having three sequences on at once is awesome. Chords sound very good, especially since it's good at plucky sounds. It's a shame you can't individually control the level of each oscillator, though.

 

Re effects, what's a decent multi-fx processor that's on the cheap side? I'm using my computer right now, but something like the Kaoss Pad looks like it might be fun, now that we're talking about Korg...

Behringer Virtualizer Pro has one of the best reverbs I've ever heard—almost Quadraverb-like in terms of lushness—and also a really awesome vocoder. I bought mine second hand for $100 but I would have gladly paid $200 for it.

 

It has other effects, but I mostly use it for the reverb/vocoder.

Oh, it's got a vocoder too? Neat, I have to check that out!

nice jams in here guys...

 

i think sooner or later i will get a bass or a keys to go with my electribe er-1

After a couple of days tinkering with the bass I'm really suprised at its capabilities. It's limited, but since the LFO is fast enough for pseudo-FM sounds, you can get some unexpected stuff out of it. It does timpani and steel drums surprisingly well (!?). Having three oscillators helps, especially since you can detune them two octaves apart and also sequence them separately (but if you do this you're constrained to the 16 step sequencer... is there a way to control each voice through midi?). Such a brilliant little box!

 

So, I'm wondering, what does the Keys do that the Bass can't? I guess a proper sustain setting is better for leads, and ring mod is really cool, but other than that as far as I can see they offer just about the same parameters. So is the filter very different or something?

Edited June 9, 2014 by poblequadrat

I love my Keys, I prefer it to the Bass actually, much more versatile imo...works great when hooked up to a midi keyboard for chords... I think it has a much different sound to the Bass generally and is more "useful" when making tracks in my experience.

Lol, to be honest I think I'm just asking the same question over and over. I'll have to check the Keys out in person, but there weren't any left at the store last time I went there, so I'll have to wait (and will keep asking the same question over and over, lol). No, but I'm really interested in your experience with the Keys.

Deeper synthesis abilities, wider sound range, built in delay fx, paraphonic and a more "musical" tone to my ears. I usually start with some riffs done with the Keys then augment that with some overlaid Bass patterns... I don't use the onboard sequencer though, do all my sequencing on all the Volcas using Numerology.

so i'm seriously thinking about buying the keys or the bass to go with my old electribe er-1 drum machine. it's more for fooling around while DJing than serious producing. maybe you guys can help me out...

 

1.) i think the keys is better suited as it has motion sequence and more control about the parameters - am i right? who can tell me which one is more fun?

 

2.) are there any real alternatives in the prince range < 200 euro? i also consider old stuff via ebay. a sequencer must be included as my electribe has no note data for the voices.

get the keys is my advice

  On 6/27/2014 at 2:05 PM, tokn said:

2.) are there any real alternatives in the prince range < 200 euro? i also consider old stuff via ebay. a sequencer must be included as my electribe has no note data for the voices.

 

http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/rm1x.php

re volca beats.

 

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2014/05/03/korg-volca-beats-snare-distortion-a-manufacturing-problem/

 

The Bass is awesome. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Bass.

  On 7/3/2014 at 2:59 PM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

yknow for an analogue synth the bass is capable of a lot more than some of y'all are suggesting. it's actually kind of hard to find analogue synths with 3 oscs...especially for the price

 

I initially thought it was very limited, but I've discovered it does some unexpected stuff well, yes. If only you could individually set oscillator output, but it's still a brilliant little artifact!

My only gripe is perhaps that the pulse wave is not too versatile. I mean, it sounds very good, but it doesn't do glassy bleeps (I don't know how to describe typical square wave sounds but you know what I mean.)

  On 7/3/2014 at 4:04 PM, poblequadrat said:

 

  On 7/3/2014 at 2:59 PM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

yknow for an analogue synth the bass is capable of a lot more than some of y'all are suggesting. it's actually kind of hard to find analogue synths with 3 oscs...especially for the price

 

I initially thought it was very limited, but I've discovered it does some unexpected stuff well, yes. If only you could individually set oscillator output, but it's still a brilliant little artifact!

My only gripe is perhaps that the pulse wave is not too versatile. I mean, it sounds very good, but it doesn't do glassy bleeps (I don't know how to describe typical square wave sounds but you know what I mean.)

 

 

I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean (I tend to think 'glassy' to be more sine than square?), but did you try playing with the Amp EG and Sustain to try to get an approximate? I find it can give some interesting different sounds that way.

  On 7/3/2014 at 4:54 PM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

kinda like video game arps, quadrat? I guess its quite an aggressive synth, more subdued tones are going to require the filter but when you crank the resonance to the peak it deliberately overdrives the sound

 

Yeah, that's the kind of sound I meant!

 

@para: I'm going to try fiddling with the envelopes to see what I get, but the basic tone of it is already quite different, it's... bassy and gruff. But it's a bass synth after all, so I'm not complaining!

 

By the way, one thing I like about the filter is how detune interference creates some rather extreme resonance wobbling. I guess sometimes you might not want that happening but it allows for some pretty unexpected sounds!