Korg Volca FM

Have you tried messing with the velocity slider? It can help with super clippy patches.

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I have, and it helps stop clipping, but the dynamics of FM synthesis mean a lot of the expression of the patch is in modulating the velocity, so Iā€™d rather not be restricting it like that.

It seems ok if I run it into my mixer with a lower output volume setting on the volca and boost the gain on the mixer channel, I was just really keen to have it going through the MM so I can filter & effect it, etc. (Iā€™m also sequencing and modulating it from the MM).

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I had a perfect one pelicase portable setup, OT+MDUW+Blofeld+M5ā€¦ everything worked fine, never been as productive solo as in the past two months.

I love programming, math and the eightees. GAS, Cuckoo and most of you in this topic convinced me I could/should add the Volca FM. Itā€™s small, cheap and maybe I can rearrange my pelicaseā€¦ right?

:grimacing:

Thanks everybody :smile:

7 hours laterā€¦ who needs food or water when you can spend an entire day programming!

I never owned a dx7, but am familiar with FM synthesis. The edit list/chart that comes with the synth was sufficient to know where to find all the operaterā€™s parameters and program the holy hell out of them! The terminology of some parameters were cryptic to me, eg. ā€˜osc rate scaleā€™ ! I found a PDF online that briefly describes every parameter, my guess is using both the Yamaha and Korg manuals as sources. It will make it easier to understand: http://afrittemple.com/volca/volca_programming.pdf

Overall a great piece of gear, exceeded all my expectations, only thing I miss are program change messages.

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I found the perfect effect pedal for the volcaFM:

A kobo with Chowningā€™s FM and application! :smirk:

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isnā€™t that book terribly hard to find these days?!

I know, most of these ā€œsynthesis biblesā€ are (signal, speech and music cost me more than a synth) I used to ā€˜borrowā€™ the schoolā€™s edition of the chowning book and I never bought it.
I sold out to an ereader after backpacking with a 1.1kg edition of Infinite Jest, it does PDF and pictures. I have that weird Devarahi book on it as well, excellent reads.

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I read Infinite Jest for the first time, in paperback, while commuting by metro. My right arm was SO BUFF. The second time I read on my iPad ā€“ being able to search, highlight, etc. was just too wonderful.

But, I do miss my physical books. And that book smellā€¦!

I swooned over the Volca FM when it dropped. Still think about it sometimes, especially since itā€™s battery-operated! :smiley:

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The Volca FM has just enough interface for me to want to use it, but the interface is tedious enough to not actually like using it.

Solution? FB-01: the brick that just sits there and sounds nice
(plus I have a preference for 4-op over 6-op sound)

Worth mentioning that there is now a low priced iOS Audiobus 3 midi filter app for adding velocity to the notes going to the Volca FM. Works really well so now an inexpensive way to get velocity notes to the FM. :slight_smile:

midifiltr-VF

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I built a max 4 live device for control of the Volca FM params that also accepts velocity and sends it on to the unit. If anyone wants to check it out, just pm me. Push ready and bug free!

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Would anybody be able to point me in the direction of some good sysex patches? Im trying to write my own but Im still pretty new to programming so I havenā€™t made anything that useable yet (Iā€™v sampled lots of weird noises into my Digitakt though!). Id like to find some DX7 presets and some Detroit style sounds just so that I can jam and have fun with it while Im still getting to grips with making my own (Iā€™m not into a lot of the Korg patches).

I asked a similar question on the AB forum when KQ Dixie came out, because I donā€™t feel like going through 30,000 or however many there are DX7 patches and finding that 29,900 are electric piano or something equally overplayedā€¦ Somebody finally posted this useful-looking link:
http://bobbyblues.recup.ch/yamaha_dx7/dx7_soundbanks.html

Apparently the Suzanne Ciani patches live up to Cianiā€™s reputation as a top synthesist.

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oh damn I need to check this out

Ah I love Suzanne Ciani, thank you!

Anyone here own a Volca FM before? Iā€™ve never used an FM synth but am intrigued after hearing the Digitone. After watching some videos online, the Volca FM sounds good to me and seems noobie-friendly like the Digitone probably is. I already have an Octatrack for sequencing and p-locking the Volca. A Digitone would be almost $600 more. With the Digitone, I get effects, four tracks, and some other things but curious if those of you have owned the Volca FM like it enough to recommend it.

I had a volca fm for a long time and really enjoyed it. I ended up selling it to a friend and I do miss it. The major drawback for me as far as midi sequencing was it doesnā€™t respond to program changes. So you canā€™t change patches via midi. Easy enough to just turn a knob or select a new pattern (patches are saved with each pattern), but I would have liked to have patches recalled based on the Digitakt pattern I was using to sequence it. At the end of the day, itā€™s a dynamite little box!

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Buy a DX-11. Seriously.

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I would but am restricted on space and am looking for something small like a Volca or Digitone. But if I have a lot of space in the future, Iā€™ll look at the Yamahas.

Octatrack plus Volca FM is a great combo. I made some odd sounds on the Volca FM, sequenced and sampled them into Octatrack, and then added spatializer and/or comb filter effects to the sound and got some really really cool sounds out of it.

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