Korg Volca Bass Acid?

darenager · 2013-09-24T20:46:44.000Z

My Volca Bass should be here tomorrow, so I’ll be testing the acid-ity of it. Gut feeling is that it won’t sound anything like a 303, but should be ok for its own flavour of acid.

I’ll try to get something recorded and post a link.

darenager · 2013-09-25T19:34:47.000Z

Verdict so far - sequencing is better than A4 for acid, thanks to the slide method being more sensible, no accents though. The filter is not great though, much prefer the Monotribe filter, and for acidic sounds the Monotribe is better than the VolcaBass IMHO

Having said this the Volca Bass is great value and a fun synth, I have only played with it for 20 minutes, so will post more once I have explored it more.

RyanElektric · 2013-09-25T20:10:34.000Z

http://mutable-instruments.net/anushri

LMLMLM · 2013-09-26T15:06:43.000Z

Cheers for the update!

darenager · 2013-10-01T22:41:30.000Z

Basic acid test, info on the video, but basically just using in a 303 type way.

xmit · 2013-10-02T08:28:34.000Z

nice demo Daren.

you’re right though - this actually sounds a bit less ‘acidy’ than I’d imagine really, less so than the monotribe as you say. still looks like a fun & funky little machine though.
Volca beats sounding nice in this too.

darenager · 2013-10-02T08:42:56.000Z

Yeah it seems that the VCO level to the Bass’s filter is a little too high, I think the Keys has the same filter but it seems that it is not being driven so hard, resulting in a more liquid sounding resonance, on the Bass it sounds a bit stiff IMHO.

Still, it is very much a cool thing in its own right, and besides I am going to make a breakout for external filtering etc, so can get around it. For non acid type bass though it is pretty nice, can even get a little Juno-ey at times.

The Beats is brilliant, even if it only had the kick, toms and hats, the other sounds are ok , but the kick, toma and hats are superb.

Not delved into the Keys much yet, seems pretty versatile though, and again for the price bloody brilliant.

xmit · 2013-10-02T08:47:45.000Z

thats a nice recommendation from a man who knows his stuff re. the Beats.

that’s probably swung it for me then : I sometimes yearn for my old 606…then I look at the used prices on those now & think “sorry, but that’s just bloody stupid money” … & so for a few analogue sounds, for a hundred quid…not £400 …it looks like the Beats is a no-brainer…

BadVoltage · 2013-10-02T08:49:12.000Z

May be:

darenager · 2013-10-02T09:47:49.000Z

Ha, yeah the Beats has gotta be a contender for space in the “techno cupboard” power per sq inch ratio is high

Re 606’s I have seen a few lately on ebay for around £300 or a little less, dare I say it but a Volca Beats and a 606 is a good combo of almost 808 fun. 606 hats, yum!

RyanElektric · 2013-10-02T10:07:35.000Z

The Beats has convinced me not to replace my recently departed MD with a Tanzbar, but to get a bunch of small/mid-sized modules- MFB 503/522, possibly a 606/707 to pair up with it. Resampled tracks on the OT+carefully mixed analog sounds is preferable, for me, than simply adding in another big-box sequencer I’ll feel compelled to use excessively because of the steep price.

I’ve yet to convince myself to pull the trigger on a big boutique Analog drum machine- they all mostly sound the same and are, for the most part, clones. I foresee some more analog drum machines/samplers/synths on the horizon as other companies react to the Volca craze. Could be an interesting few years for Sub $500 analog gear.

NOTE TO KORG: please make a slightly larger Volca Samples(er) meant to sit at the heart of the other 3- larger to accommodate a multi-mode filter to process incoming audio and treat samples. A little lo-fi analog sampler/short looper/fx box is exactly what the gear world doesn’t know it’s missing! I came so close to buying an SP1200 on Craigs List I had to slap myself!

xmit · 2013-10-02T11:17:00.000Z

Darenager wrote :

Ha, yeah the Beats has gotta be a contender for space in the “techno cupboard” power per sq inch ratio is high

absolutely! I can fit one in! & I think probs a TT303 will accompany it at some point, especially as they’ve now fixed the MIDI clock issue & the 1.33V/oct silliness with the firmware update.

As for 606s - yeah, I know things change, but I just could never justify buying one again even at £300 I don’t think - not knowing 1) what I bought mine for & 2) what I sold it for!
At least the TT303 would be about the same price as I sold my TB303 for ( oops, yes another clanger, but there you go…don’t get me started on my MC202, MS-20 & MonoPoly that I sold about 10 years ago… ) so that’s sort of psychologically justifiable somehow !

Housecliche · 2013-10-02T11:38:10.000Z

""darenager"":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFnnBMvIRq0

Basic acid test, info on the video, but basically just using in a 303 type way.

I really enjoyed that - tempted to get the ol bandana and a tub of Vic’s out
Definitely getting the three Volcas.

LMLMLM · 2013-10-18T10:59:11.000Z

TT-303 v. Volca Bass

GovernorSilver · 2013-10-19T22:28:44.000Z

Tim at Discchord did a fine job with that video. It’s given me GAS for the TT-303 even though I hardly play acid house.

However, I don’t regret ordering the three Volcas as a bundle. The Volca Bass is really a full-range monosynth and not a bass-only synth - the “bass” part of the name being Korg’s playful poke at Roland. I look forward to doing all kinds of naughty things to all 3 Volcas with my Octatrack.

GovernorSilver · 2013-10-19T22:28:49.000Z

Tim at Discchord did a fine job with that video. It’s given me GAS for the TT-303 even though I hardly play acid house. I’ve read that the TT-303 isn’t made with great build quality, but Devilfish is planning a mod for it that includes upgrading knobs, switches, etc. to improve the build quality.

However, I don’t regret ordering the three Volcas as a bundle. The Volca Bass is really a full-range monosynth and not a bass-only synth - the “bass” part of the name being Korg’s playful poke at Roland. I look forward to doing all kinds of naughty things to all 3 Volcas with my Octatrack.

BloopityDoopity · 2013-10-21T10:49:52.000Z

doh! they really missed a trick not adding accent to these units… not something that’s hackable I don’t think ?

btw, any tips on where to get the best value for buying the three volcas as a bundle ?

GovernorSilver · 2013-10-21T20:51:23.000Z

""BloopityDoopity"":

doh! they really missed a trick not adding accent to these units… not something that’s hackable I don’t think ?

btw, any tips on where to get the best value for buying the three volcas as a bundle ?

I got my bundle from JRRShop. The savings came to about $50 off per Volca.

subq · 2014-01-16T19:25:46.000Z

and my biggest issue with the volcas (bass in this example)…drumroll…no midi control for frequency cutoff or resonance? seriously?!

I love sequencing the juicy volca analog sound into the OT but I was kind of shocked when I found out the above.

GovernorSilver · 2014-01-16T19:48:57.000Z

To further complicate matters, Roland is rumored to be introducing a TB-303 reissue in a couple of weeks. It’ll likely be VA rather than real analog, but that might not be a problem if they get it right.