Volca Sample vs. the World

it is really nice

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I gotta resurrect this topic and bump it. Because the volca sampleā€¦ bumps! I went on vacation for a bit and didnā€™t want to bring my DT or laptop because of space and not wanting to risk damaging them while traveling.

So I bring the volca sample because it is portable etc. I had a freaking epiphany with this machine creating patterns and using features that I havenā€™t really dug into before. Holy hell this box is amazing. So many intuitive ways to change each part: shorten attack on kicks to tighten them up, high pass filter to reduce parts in the mix then adding reverb and fading them back in. Muting and unmuting parts to add variation. Active step letā€™s you change the time signature on the fly and then you can real-time record over that pattern. Did I mention it thumps. Ok just rediscovered an awesome piece of kit that had been hanging out in my rig underutilized only to find out itā€™s a diamond in the rough. Def not an OT but itā€™s $100 bucks and fits in my backpack.

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Volca Sample taught me how to use my Rytm more effectively.

I bought the sample when my rytm was in for a check-up and used it solid for a month.

Then my Rytm came home, I fired it up, and was like, ā€˜Oh, Sweet! I know what I want to be doing now!ā€™

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https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1232112-volca-sample-firmware-hack-2.html#42 is a pretty interesting thread where ā€œPajenā€ has fixed the MIDI implementation, like the Retrokits cable, but directly in the firmware.

(Later in the thread he also fixes the Volca FMā€™s velocity)

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And here it is, Pajenā€™s updated firmware for the Volca Sample:

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The new firmware makes this thing a crazy bit of kit!

Only thing I still want is I wish there was some way to fix the whining noise which is from the screen I believe.

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i love your commitment to this thread!

i want to try this beta but i left my sample at work

If youā€™re willing to sacrifice stereo you can eliminate the noise by treating the stereo output like a balanced mono signal.

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Iā€™ve heard this one, itā€™s good to know and Iā€™ll give it a try as itā€™ll come in handy when resampling without the beehive noise.

Any ideas on what could be done internally as a permenant fix?

Also I donā€™t want to steal the focus from Pajenā€™s new firmware, everyone needs to know about this as it makes the volca sample crazy good value. I recently bought a second one in anticipation for this.

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No idea honestly, I wouldnā€˜t even have come to the guess about the screen.

Also, Iā€˜m extremely curious about the newly ā€žunlockedā€œ reverb programs. Anybody care to share a quick demonstration? I need to know how quickly I need to re-buy the Volca Sample. :tongue:

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Interesting

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Canā€™t wait to get this installed on my Volca Sample. Havenā€™t actually used it in a long time but canā€™t part with it because itā€™s so cheap and sounds so good.

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So.
I have to say I had the Beats and it did seemed that itā€¦ ended at some point. Volca FM was very fun but, at times, far more complicated than what you need to JUST DO STUFF.
BUTā€¦ VS. Oh my. I almost made most of my album on it. I did use Minilogue and Mother32 but not as nearly as much as with VS. I go to this machine everytime Iā€™m blocked or find that I need to engage myself with the piece. It just seems endless.

If you have any curiosity at all, most of this record was done with the VS. Or, say, at least 75% came from it either in inspiration, beats, expansion of possibilitiesā€¦ you name it.


Love to you all,

j

PS. I also used a lot of the PO-12. Which BROKE! But I will definitely re-buy it.

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Video about the 3rd party firmware. Very pleased to see this. The Volca Sample has always been a very inspiring device. This makes it even better!

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Has anyone tried the new firmware? Is it cumbersome to navigate or intuitive enough? Iā€™m thinking wether I should buy a VS once again, but I donā€™t want to mess with some obscure button combos that I will need a cheatsheet for everytime I switch it onā€¦

I have it installed and seems easy enough. Iā€™ve had to look things up the first few times but I canā€™t complain. It adds a lot. Itā€™s a great option to have!

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I go ages without using mine, but when I do itā€™s so much fun. Years later and I only just started sampling line in stuff via the app (as opposed to phone mic - never did much of that - or file transfer - where I tend to overthink the selection). So now using it as close to a sampleR as possible and itā€™s clearly worth it just for the sound :heart:

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Which app do you use to sample line in on Volca Sample?
And how to do that?

Iā€™ve been using the Korg one - Audio Pocket. On iPhone. When an interface (iRig pro duo) is connected the app automatically records the input on that and not the phoneā€™s mic.

I have the same app on my iPad but the record function in Audio Pocket doesnā€™t seem to work at all. (iOS 13)

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