I had one of these and I didn't understand it enough to see this as a playground, but it was entertaining. I regret selling it to be honest, and to keep with the honesty I will admit I probably still wouldn't be anywhere much closer than I was before to understanding how to turn this into a playground of fun. But I have a good time playing around with the microfreak nowadays so I don't feel too left out :)
@@MyPronounsISwhom i actually sold this and the person backed out about 2 years before i made this video. it sat on the shelf a long time before i decided to try and push it to the limit. i still have it and haven’t played it much since i made this video. it’s def an ebb and flow with music phases. obv i haven’t even made a video in years even tho i constantly have ideas. just takes motivation i don’t have at the moment. but maybe i’ll try it again :) glad you’re enjoying the micro
yea, i have a bad habit of buying a lot of gear at once and then just being a jack of trades rather than a master of one synth. it's good practice and a lot of fun to try and really figure one thing out. good luck :) i'll have another volca video coming soon, either bass or beats. not sure just yet
i disagree, the speed change isn't linear, early in the range it's much more precise, and only after you pass 300bpm does it start jumping. much faster.
I received yesterday my volca keys, i did everything you didi at the start with the infinite loop and the sequence but whenever i press a key and my sequence is recorded it stop making sound. and when i unpress any key the sequence start again. Its in poli the volca keys in that moment. weird for me
mine does that under certain circumstances too. i'm not totally sure why. you could always try updating the firmware. i've never done that so don't really have any advice on how to get it done but i don't think it's super hard
Hello, I see that you answer a lot to comments :D So I would like to ask a question. During quarantine I decided that I want to buy first synthetizer. I have watched several videos and my favorit is korg volca fm. Do you think is a good choice?? thanks for answer in advance :)
thanks for the comment :) I'll do my best to provide an answer. Volcas are great, they are a great price, they hold value, they have good sound. however, as a first synth I'll say creating sound patches with FM synthesis can be very tedious. with analog synths, shaping a sound is usually part of a performance. with FM it's not as easy to accomplish that. FM would more likely be exploring the menus of the unit while at home to develop a sound you like, save it as a preset, then shape the sound with effects pedals in a live setting. digital also has a reputation for sounding "thin" which isn't always a bad thing. like if you need to "cut through the mix" or be heard over a guitar in a band setting. if you're doing solo performances without an additional bass voice you may find it lacking a low end. there are a ton of user created voices available to download for the volca FM (and korg DX7) if you don't like making your own. as a unit, the volca is great, but will it fit with your goals? sometimes there's no way to know unless you try. do you have any idea what kind of music / sounds you'd like to make? Oscillator Sink has some really great tutorials on how to create sounds with the FM, maybe go check that out.
@@mr.apartment Wow, thanks for a very informational answer. I have seen the long tutorial from Cuckoo for volca FM and I really liked the possibilities and sounds that came out. Volca Fm reminds me the 80s synthwave kinda sounds and music. I mean what I would rly like to do is constantly changing and adding sounds and making layers (idk it's probably standard music creation proces:D). And I see that with volca fm there are so many possibilities. But I also heard from Noir et Blanc Vie, that volca Fm is not for everyone and it can be quiet challenging...so when you confirmed that I am starting to doubt :D. To be honest I am kinda afraid that it will be too hard and it will put me off trying to get better at creating music...So do you have some suggestions for the first synthesizer at a similar price?? I mean is it easier with volca keys?
@@MrLuk369 well as a person that's new to synths, i think anything will take some learning. the great thing about volca FM is that you have countless creators out there that have made a lot of really great sounds available for download. so what you can do is load their sounds (or use the stock sounds on the FM) and tweak them, if you don't like what you make, just don't save it and the original sound will still be there. if you want to create layers in a multitrack recording environment, you're going to get a lot more variety of sound and much easier recall of those sounds with the FM. for example, if you record a track with one voice, then go over it with another voice, then realize you screwed up the first track, you don't have to manually change all your settings like you would with analog, you just load the other voice from the FM memory. it's much faster. like with any instrument your skills will grow as you use it. if you end up hating it, the volca will hold it's value enough to sell and try something else. it sounds like you want the FM so I say, screw being afraid and just take a risk :)
@@mr.apartment Thank you very much I needed to hear some of these words from professional. I am rly glad that I found your channel. And as you said "screw being afraid", I am ordering it! :D Hope your channel will grow, you make very informational videos!
@@mr.apartmentnever saw this reply.. what I mean is some synths can hold a note infinitely until another note is pressed (or chord). I'm looking for more ways to make the volca keys drone without having to "cheat" by looping a sequence and increasing the attack slightly and adding lots of reverb/delay externally to fake a drone.
The full tempo range is not the default because it makes it much more difficult to do fine-tuning of the tempo. Every tiny movement moves the tempo by a lot more. So I’m really glad they have the smaller range, which covers most standard musical tempos.
sounds like a logical theory, but therein lies one of my biggest pet peeves, the idea of standards. that as instrument should, by default, be neutered is a very unfortunate way to look at the world of art and music in my opinion. there is a long list of people that are highly regarded as shaping the course of artistic and musical history by pushing against the standard, by expressing themselves, by creating something inspired and inspiring others.so many stories of these same people after a career of ridicule only to be regarded later as a keystone of change in their respective discipline. i can understand if someone doesn't have the motor skills to make finer adjustments on a dial, and I'm glad the OPTION is there for a smaller tempo range. all I'm saying is don't make the more expressive version of an instrument be hidden. especially when syncing a clock to the Volca is so easy. just my two cents. thanks for watching, and I'm happy the video made enough of an impact on you to leave two comments! :)
@@theycallmejpj i have definitely had times when putting myself in a box helped me develop a technique or see things in a way i could have possibly overlooked if more options had been open. though I don't really subscribe to absolutes, as in anything being the best for everyone. i def can see the benefits of both restriction and broadness. :)
Wow! I wish more volca videos, and gear videos in general, were like this. You just get straight into it, and you really push the instrument to see what happens. I love that kind of experimentation - maybe the people who designed it didn't think of it being used that way, but one just tinkers and great things happen. I got my first volca this week (the Drum) and I love it. Just learning the ropes with a spot of experimentation. You've inspired me to really push it and just mess around with it. I turned off one active step for the kick part and it made a nice overlapping polyrhythmic pattern. Now I'm looking forward even more to diving in and monkeying around. I'm thinking I'll get the Keys as my next volca - you've just shown how versatile it is. Now I'm gonna check out your other videos as I'm sure you'll have other bangers out there! Thanks brother! Keep jamming! ✌🏻
thanks so much :) to inspire others is the greatest achievement for me . i actually had a viewer give me a really great idea for my next volca keys video. it will probably be a while but i will eventually put it together
@@mr.apartment I definitely find your videos inspiring dude :) Ooh - what's the idea for the new Keys video? Or is it a secret? ;) Maybe telling us will keep you accountable :D
This is an eye opener for the awful-noise-maker in me :D Would love this much complexity with something like the Volca bass, but this is now much higher on my potential next-volca-to-buy list lol.
@@cemegonuts i have a video with the beats called stuff you didn't know...in case you didn't know :) but i'll have another beats video coming soon about midi chording...that one will be a treat :)
LFO Mangling!! There's smoke coming out of that thing!! Great proper experiment with knobs and functions on the little volca. It's really a good instrument in the right hands.Cheers!!
This is what I like: stop complaining how you can only afford cheap gears and hence you can't make good music. That's just an excuse before you really squeezed every single potential out of it.
a million times YES to this comment! the idea you need to spend a certain amount of money before something is considered an instrument instead of a toy is infuriating to me. also the mentality if it's cheap it's for beginners drives me insane. anything can be a tool for creation if the artist is willing to explore its potential
Korg Volcas sound really good, take it from someone who's owned $10000 modulars! Not to say they sound the same as vintage gear, they don't! But they sound GOOD, I use Volcas (I have the Sample, Drum and FM) alongside much more expensive gear. They have their own sound, which works sometimes in context and of course sometimes not. I seem to make a lot more music when using them, good inspiration machines (they have lots of knobs and an excellent workflow). The range sounds a bit mid-range-y to me, not a lot of top end, but this is a "sound" I guess.
i actually just programmed the note that matched the metronome as a joke, it was never actually on. if you watch that part again i try to explain exactly what i'm doing, but if you have any questions let me know
Austin Brubaker haha thanks! glad you enjoyed it :) speaking of granular, i’m working on something pretty interesting on those lines. should have something up in the next couple weeks
Nicely done, sir! Having just snagged a couple of Volca Keys, I'm keen to deep-dive into some of the more left-field applications. This video is a timely reminder to maybe think outside of the box. Having said that, I'm having a lot of fun with just the Keys in poly mode and a sequencer (NDLR or KeyStep Pro, take your pick).
thanks brother :) happy to share. I had the NDLR for a minute and was too frustrated by the interface to create anything of substance with it. the keystep pro or sq1 is def more my speed. the keys was my first synth so it will always have a special place on my shelf and in my heart awwwww :P
@@mr.apartment I know what you mean. Yes, the NDLR's UI is a bit menu-dive-y at times - I do like the KSP's approach with one-knob-per-function, but I feel the NDLR has some magic sauce going on that makes it super adaptable. Having said all that, my workflow now goes something like BeatStep to KeyStep to NDLR in a chain.
this units sonic possibilities are awesome the hardware with its tiny buttons leave you begging for more the FLUX and built-in delay make this unit MAGIC
@@mr.apartment I would love that. I feel so limited with it. You can do a lot of the same tempo tweaking noise, but there's no measure division OR motion sequence. So I'm hitting a creative wall. Wish there was a way to tweak individual VCO volume, high notes sound so much louder
@@jeffreyjbyron yea to be honest i was a bit disappointed with it when i first got it, but after a little time i found a lot of the strengths for me were with the polyrhythmic elements and chording. i'll def get to it one of these days. i've been working on my "500" subscriber tribute for like 3 months and hoping to finish it this weekend. once that's done i'll be able to focus on something volca based
@@mr.apartment Thanks. I just caught your Beats demo too, another one I felt really limited with, disappointed by the sounds. But there's a lot of aleatoric fun to be had. Do you link to your music? Do you perform as well?
@@jeffreyjbyron pre-covid i loved playing out, haven't done it in so long. i just got a "gig" case for my modular stuff so hopefully i'll get out there again soon. all the volcas have their specific charms and downsides. the beats was my first drum machine so i really love it and don't mind the sound. at some point I'll be doing another video on it as well. i have some pretty fun ways to play it.
good question. there are a few ways i could answer it actually. there is no setting on the unit to make it 1/8 however you could technically get similar results by using the flux setting or by using the memory. in essence, 1/8 would just give you more time in the measure. so you can slow the tempo to half the speed of whatever sequence you’re wanting to make then use flux to give you extra steps within that parameter. the other option would be creating a sequence, saving it, creating another sequence, saving it on another memory slot, then just loading back and forth at the end of each measure, that would double your steps as well but be harder to pull off and require your constant attention. maybe try one of those methods? if i didn’t explain it clearly, let me know and i can try of a better way :)
The Volca Keys is quite an interesting synth. For a long time, I ignored this one out of the Volca line, but I recently got one and found that it delivers the kind of sound I want with low effort which comes in handy when jamming. Sure, for sound design there are better options, but they cost more abd take up more space.
Hello, great video. Can you add patterns or effects from fl studio for example, import from an usb? Does it have a memory so every time you turn it on you can play that recorded stuff? Thanks
From 12:00 I always use it as a stutter effect. Good for build up or break down for handy. Seems there are no tie/slide note on the early poly/para phonic volca.
Nice. Ist It possible to Bring Other Jörg Devices (Like the Volca Beat or the Nu Bass) at 10bpm to? Or can they adaped the Tempo pethaps If I syncronize them on the Volca Keys?
to my knowledge all the volcas have the tempo option 10-600, hold the function button while you power it on and make sure step 5 LED is lit, then hit the record button to save your settings. as for clocking it when it's not set up that way, i've never tried! and i love doing things i've never tried. let me know if it works :) assuming you get to before me :)
yep, works on all of them to my knowlege. you should be able to find the manual online for the volca bass. just look at the global settings on the manual. make sure to hit record when you're done so it saves your changes :)
Why is flux not the default, you ask? Because I assume most users expect (or even want) 16th note quantization. It is good that you can do flux, though.
thanks for the feedback. in response to your comment, when I said "seriously why the FUCK isn't this the default" I was referring only to the tempo range. in fact there are multiple times in the video where I demonstrate techniques showcasing flux off. as a side note, it's my belief that assuming for others is a disservice, especially concerning a group of thousands of people I've never met. it's like acting as an unelected ambassador assigning an unsolicited opinion to people who haven't yet expressed their own thoughts and feelings on a subject. let's say 100,000 volca units have been sold (I tried to google the exact number, but found no information). "most people" would be well over half that number. I personally don't feel I have a reliable data set to back up the knowledge of 80,000 people. just a thought. however, I do agree that the flux OPTION makes for a more powerful synth. hope you enjoyed the content :) have a good one
@@mr.apartment I think you took my assumption too seriously. The answer to your question is “Korg knows their customers, and the default that must of their customers probably prefer.” Just because you prefer a different default doesn’t make Korg wrong.
@@johningram2153 not at all brother! i figured if you took the time to answer my question then I should put some thought into your response. it's very important to me to have conversations about the philosophy of of the tools we use to express the deepest part of ourselves as musicians and as humans. facts can be wrong, but opinions are not facts. so as I stated, my belief is that it's a disservice for Korg or anyone else to assume what I, as a customer, want without asking. I never got a survey when they were designing the units, but would love to see any market research they've done. even if it would prove my opinion is in the minority, exploring the thoughts of that many fellow musicians would be amazing! Cheers
Is it possible to use the automation of settings to create sound patches with no steps recorded? Or will it not save without any note info or will only register automation if you're actually moving the controls? Want to ideally use this with MIDI note information, but use the presets for different sounds ideally, without having to get a MIDI controller to mess with stuff like that. Ta for the help, really cool video by the way, nice to see just how chaotic you can get it sounding!
just to clarify, are you asking if it's possible to record automation without notes so that when you play a midi controller, the automation will change the sound but you would be the one playing the notes live? that a great question because i've never thought to try it.
@@mr.apartment That's the one! Does the automation record where the settings are if you don't actually move them too? Interested in getting one of these but wouldn't really be playing it, want to set it up for preprogrammed bits for a 2 piece, but quickly be able to change between preset sounds (without forking out for a specific MIDI controller just to do that, because the one we use for drum sequencing won't...) I've been told that it won't record the VCO wave & octave info however, but if I'm giving it note info the latter wouldn't be an issue anyway.
@@BarrySPeas so i just check and it works! that's badass! i'm glad you asked. 1. hold func & hit clear all 2. enable motion sequence 3. enable record / hit play 4. turn a knob you want recorded (barely turn and leave the knob still for static setting if desired) 5. repeat process for the different knobs 6. save the pattern i even power cycled it to make sure it saved. also, i'll bet you could make 16 settings per pattern by muting all steps but one, recording all your automation, then enabling another step, muting the first, and repeating the process. then you would theoretically have 8x16=128 different possible settings...if you don't mind, i may do a video on this, i'll def shout you out
you can even record automation, turn a knob to cancel that automation as a performance technique, and when you stop turning the knob it will go back to the automation you recorded
@@mr.apartment That's awesome! So it all saves when you power off & on again? For some reason I was under the impression it all erased after! Cheers for checking that out (do a video if you want too by the way of course!). Definitely getting one now if it's capable of that. Got a MIDI kill switch that I was using with my old step sequencer for drum breaks, but now I've got a sequencer with 500 patterns which can have hundreds of bars in, can use it to mess with this!
@@mr.apartment thanks! That's encouraging. I'm only a beginner but I will upload whatever I'm able to create to my Soundcloud soundcloud.app.goo.gl/NjqB :)
a question for the ages haha. i play volca beats the most, probably because i've been a drummer since i was a kid, so drum machines are super intuitive to me, but if you're wondering about what i would recommend as a purchase, it would really depend on the goal of the buyer
hold play while turning the unit on, cycle thru the parameters with the tempo knob until you get to "tempo range settings", click the play button to change from tPn (tempo narrow) to tPF (tempo full), use the tempo knob to find the SAV function and then click the play button, the unit will restart...i don't actually have this unit so i'm just quoting the manual. the manuals for volca stuff can be a little confusing, but i just googled "volca mix manual" and looked on there until i found the english part. it has a table with all that and some info for other settings. you may want to look for yourself to see if there are any other options that interest you. :) cheers
@@mr.apartment Awesome! Thanks alot 😃 I read the manual that came with it, but perhaps that version online goes more in depth. I’ll be sure to look it up and thanks again 👍👍👍
It would be nice to see the writing on the key pad, a closer view would of been considerate. i cant even squint out what they might be saying without actually looking at my volca and guessing what your touching
i can see how that could be frustrating :( about the only advice i could give is maybe watch on a bigger format screen? hopefully you were still able to get something from the 22 minutes of free content despite the inconsideration. but hey, at least now you know, and don't have to watch it again if you don't want! cheers
