Check Volca FM 2 in stores: Perfect Circuit (US) bit.ly/volcafm2xPC Sweetwater (US): imp.i114863.net/za5mj0 Thomann (EU): www.thomann.de/se/search_dir.html?sw=volca%20fm&smcs=1f2dc6_806&offid=1&affid=623 *affiliate links support the channel at no cost to you
I still remember my first attempt at just booting up a DX7 and deciding I'd make a patch, and failing completely to make a patch that didn't sound like I'd spilled coffee on a Sound Blaster Pro, lol. But! For this price, and this tiny form factor, coupled with being a little older, a lot more patient, and a whole lot more inquisitive, maybe I can spare a couple nights of pizza's worth of cash to fit the tiny box on my desktop. A six voice epiano that fits in a purse is reason enough.
Great review as always, Bo! That they don't want to compete with their in-house product Opsix by implementing a comparable ease of use at this price and form factor is, I think, understandable. But what I find less understandable - and that bothered me already with the NTS-1 - is that they still use these terribly cryptic 7-segment displays. It doesn't have to be OLED, but even 14-segment displays would simplify the readability enormously and are really no longer witchcraft to implement in 2022. Still, it's a really cool product and doubling the number of voices in this little box plus an additional reverb I think is pretty sensational.
I'm about half convinced that the hardware synth industry is allergic to any display tech newer than the 90's unless it's an OLED. I mean that high quality LCDs are fairly cheap to have made but nearly every one seems allergic to them so we seem to either get stuck segment based displays like it's still the 80's or tiny little OLEDs that are smaller than some of the ones I see used in hobby projects. It's honestly frustrating that the synth makers still act like a decent display should be reserved for only the top of the line stuff this day in age.
@@justjoeblow420 100% infuriating, the Yamaha MX49 and Casio PX5S have super tiny displays reminiscent of the '80s, but are modern, current gear, as two examples
This synth's tones match even the most expensive synths and it could be a future classic. Some haters say it's difficult to edit sounds. #1 The presets sound great. # 2 The deep editing is just icing on the cake, and it's actually easy for synth nerds, and a miracle of design that Korg fit it in. Some also say the knobs are too small...why would you buy a tiny synth and complain about that? SMH. SOUND, PORTABILITY AND PRICE are all strongly at the buyer's advantage. NOTE: YOU WILL NEED A SPECIAL MIDI CABLE (5-pin to TRS) to use MIDI control, another annoyance in such a tiny synth. But again, we cannot expect quantum mechanics to make space for a 5-pin MIDI port. This is a 6-operator synth with 6-voice polyphony, a keypad, arp, and faders in a box smaller than a textbook. For perspective the Elektron Digitone has only 4 operators, though it has 8-voice polyphony. The point is, be amazed that this sound quality is carried in the palm of your hand at this price point, and rock on!
I got my Volca FM quite early on, on a whim, and the menu system brought me back to my youth in the 80s with a bang - and not a very pleasant one. Having said that, I love the sounds it can produce despite the headaches. I would definitely get this new one - a complex, six-operator, six-voice polyphonic FM synth in a compact form factor? No brainer.
@@BoBeats Guessing the price will be on par with the new OPSIX Native VST .. so many choices now. Always wanted a cheap DX-7 compatible FM synth that I can throw the gazillion sysex files at. I think i may add this to my birthday present list if the price is in the same bracket as the original. Great Review Bo , and playing :)
I'm heavily invested in the Volca ecosystem. I use a Keystep Pro to sequence 4 Volcas. It's pretty fun. Did I expect this coming out? No. Do I need another one? No. Do I have an extreme urge to pick it up? YES!
@@disomniatijuana2363 I got the sample2 expecting it to be able to pick up samples thru mic like a casio sk-1 or through recording direct audio or something but you have to load them up through the computer, so you can skip that one maybe. just the way I went into it though, could've probably done more research on my part. and it might be something you're looking for at some point but I thought I'd offer a heads-up anyway. now have the fm2 and will still use the sample sequence stuff in sync with it, but in hindsight I should've gotten a volca Drum
Im not sure there is a good hardware synth to "learn" that kind of FM on TBH.... this kind of multiple voice/multiple operator with linear and expodential, through FM... It seems to me it's inherintally a digital process and the best place to learn that or make patchs like that is always going to be on a computer
Dang, I just had to see this right after getting the V1! Really interesting, and I'm glad they bumped the voice count. The lack of DIN is a bit of a tough call for me though.
If you want FM in your palette for cheap, this is it. The learning curve can be managed by watching videos. FM is going to require some learning to get the most out of it anyway, so spending more on an 'easier' synth might not necessarily be a better option.
6 voices!? Wow! That's a very nice upgrade. Plus "Midi In & Out" and a bunch of other features! A worthy upgrade for sure! Great review as usual Bo. Thank you.
I am coming back to this, since the synths I want are too large for me atm, I want something smaller and this is still yet to be released. 7:50 is exactly my thoughts too, I love this thing.
Bo, you forgot one "who is it for?" target audience.... those who want a battery powered small device that fits in a bag and can go anywhere. Good review.
I've decided to make the FM2 my entree into Volca space, for exactly that reason. A DX7 that's no bigger than a novel that I can toss into the backpack and dink with at work on my lunch hour? That's a winner.
Random is the way, or taking a preset and tweaking algorhyrms and attack/decay… this is it to me to get interesting sounds for ambient. 6 voices for great pads, velocity for expression, a little reverb for amplified lushness… thats a great version 2 to me.
Nice they re did it, but I’m still look8ng at getting the sonicware liven xfm. You get a lot more for your money even if you only have 4 instead of 6 operators.
The TRS MIDI plugs are an interesting addition as they'd be more useful than the sync plugs. Yes , the breakout adapters can be a pain, but aux cables are easier to get. :)
Nice mini review, thanks Bo. My FM2 is on its way ;) A couple of things to add to your review perhaps - check out DEXED or SynthMata for editing the FM, patches can be transferred using the audio in (I believe, but it sounds weird), and the TRS-MIDI adaptor required is a Type A. Hope this helps, it's what I've picked up from other reviews. Can't wait to add an FM synth to my Minibrute 2S :)
This information was what I needed to determine if the unit is right for me, so thank you! I had trouble with the volume. To me, your voice was quiet, so I raised my volume to hear everything you had to say. Then I had to turn down the volume when music was playing. Maybe it's just me but if not, might you consider adjusting the vocal and instrument volume balance in future videos? Awesome presentation, otherwise.
Interesting to hear that they are evolving the older Volcas, six voices is definitely an improvement. Any word about dedicated velocity sensitivity via MIDI in or do you still have to use the slider as on v1? Edit: Oscillator Sink says yes, in case anyone else is thinking the same.
The randomiser demo at 07:45 perfectly shows the issues I had with the original Volca FM. Many of the sounds seem very similar. Yeah, I know FM ‘sounds like that’ but I began to think of the synth as only good for one thing. Don’t get me wrong - I love it and it can be amazing. But how many ‘glassy/crystal/belll’ sounds do you need?
@@eaman11 sarcasm isn't necessary. And it's a legitimate point. Look: you get no batteries nor more importantly a MIDI adapter. Even the UNO Synth has one. if you're a newbie... why spend even more money?
In 20 years + of playing with synths I've never messed with the algorithms on any of my FM synths. It's one layer too deep for me, I guess. My favourite FM synths are the PSS and PSR keyboards where individual parameters were given their own button or slider. The implementation on the Volca looks useful but still requires a cheat sheet.
@@h2o1969 The PSS 480 is one of my two favourite FM synths. I've had several flavours of DX and a couple other PSRs but the PSS-480 and the FB-01 are the ones I keep coming back to. You can get some really interesting, gritty, evolving tones with the 480. For years I also used it as a string synth, which, when played through a phaser, sounds really nice.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 yeah, I need to play around with it more. How did you get string sounds out of it? I just got the Steichfett for strings. I am actually thinking of using the 480 as the keyboard for it.
There's also the Liven XFM, which I was strongly considering getting but now I'm interested in this too. the Liven looks easier to program but you still need a guide overlay which is annoying, at least this can play DX7 presets
It has got a WebMIDI editing and sync page w/ modern GUI, So programming is just not any problem，and you could save program on your computer（export to sysex）
@@BoBeats Korg's site does link to the synthmata editor, but I'm pretty sure most folks buying a Volca FM will not look at Korg's product page. So as you say, most folks will not know or use 3rd party tools, but hopefully not as few as if Korg didn't link to the synthmata page, for the userbase's sakes.
there's exporting to Sysex, I haven't checked, but the older Volca FM could dump to audio files that have to be fed into the "SYNC IN" with any playback device, be it a smartphone, tablet, portable recorder, or a Kross2's built-in audio recorder, which is a handier ability over relying on Sysex
I never felt FM was for me (I still don't), but I watched it anyway (I'm interested in affordable synths though!). Thank you Bo, your reviews are the best. And I liked to watch you to watch you "improvise" or so. Thank again, always interesting. Cheers!
I loved the fm work flow It was soo inspiring learning a new synth that wasn't the original subtractive synth layout and really had fun experimenting this way having sooo many more control settings and infinite combinations/variables when designing a sound. I really enjoy reading and tinkering so maybe someone else just wants to plug and play which you can with the presets and change a lot of the basic control settings to make it a little more unique to your liking
Great review!!. Will get this new Volca. Limitations are what you really should aim for. Best way to view these kind of presentations is simply to reverse everything being said. Things like intial patches... editor.... To boring to get things done.
My office is finally doing return-to-the-office, so this seems well timed to make the train ride more pleasant. I had actually been stalking a used FM 1 before I knew there was a 2.
The biggest deal breaker for me; in regards to the original FM, was the inability to work a sustain pedal with the controller that I was using with it. Can this updated Volca FM have this capability?
I don't understand the repeated comments about how hard it is to edit sounds and the lack of a librarian. Dexed is free and performs both functions. The simplified parameter control on the Volca is actually a clever way of reducing the complexity inherent to FM down to a few useful knobs. I used the DX-7 when it came out. The Volca FM is simpler, likely sounds better, and is amazing value for money. Even the original version was the best Volca by far.
Oooh yeah, at 8:10 you hit the sweet spot with the randomizer. 😀 I don't think the editing difficulty is THAT big a dealbreaker, given Dexed is free and runs on everything. You do your sound design on Dexed, load cool creations onto FM2, and carry it along with you to noodle and sequence with. Especially now that the latest firmware added damper pedal support, and there's one at a REALLY nice price on Reverb, I think it's time to jump on the Volcawagon 😀 Yeah, the Opsix is really cool, but even the cheapest ones on Reverb are 5-6 times what the little Volca is running. And you can fit four Volcas (or a Volca, a Boutique, and a Blofeld!) in the desk space Opsix requires.
The product review is very clear and serves to get a precise idea of the product. It is interesting for those on a tight budget and want great sounds, for the rest it takes small fingers and a great desire to understand. Great review I follow you with interest.
I can tell you’re Swedish from how you pronounced “cheat sheet.” You did well, but I know the English ch isn’t a sound in Swedish and it gives a lot of you trouble.
That random can't be truly random, i've used a FM synth with random most of te time you get pure noise or no sound at all lol, even the Waldorf Pulse 2's random is the same
Yeah I wondered that as well. They must have set some boundaries to the parameters or made some regions more probable. It does make sense to do so, but I would like to know how the pseudorandomisation works if that's the case.
No, its a Randomizer. But its absolutely not TRULY random (random on synths are generally not truly random). They must have set some parameter limits to make it more musical. From my testing it doesn randomize enough to make very different sounding patches, but not so much that you get total nonsense.
This video was over three months ago and the Volca FM 2 is still not available, way to go Korg. It makes the video pretty much useless. Great video though, done very well.
There is something about Volca FM's sound that is I would say unique to its rendering of DX7 patches. Neither Dexed nor DX7 seems to have the same softness to the sound. I also like that it is possible to easily change algorithm and change attack and decay of both carriers and modulators separately making each preset set really much larger and tuning most important aspects much quicker. From MK2 I like 6 voices and randomizer also looks fun. Mk2 also does velocity over MIDI making it with 6 voices serious alternative to DX7 or using VSTs like Dexed. Mk1 can also do velocity with unofficial firmware. I would recommend either (provided Mk1 is adequately cheaper) and getting some nice reverb DSP (eg. NTS-1) as such combo provides endless hours of fun ambient music.
as a person not owning a synth (yet) I think this look rather interesting with a midi keyboard, then you seem to have some good and compact. I really love the sounds on this thing.
I don't recommend cheap romplers, not any cheaper than an MX49, MC-101, or JD-Xi; a Juno-DS or JD-Xi is a superb choice. Volca FM is a bit of an odd choice for a starter synth, FM is not as easy to use as regular subtractice synths (that's 99% of synths), an IKM Uno Synth Pro or a Behringer Neutron or Pro-1 makes for a better starter synth, the Novation Mininova is also great, Ultranova if you can get a used one at a nice price, or a Volca Bass or Volca Keys from among the Korg Volcas. The Korg Minilogue XD or Monologue are very good entry synths, too.
last year i was thinking that i never buy a volca (after i give keys and sample 1 away.) but this fm 2 is worth the money. so i restart in the volca universe again :-)
Very good review! Got myself the first edition a couple of weeks ago and while I'm having a lot of fun with it, this video got me craving for more (Volca) FM. 😎
Hi , do you think the Korg Volca audio outputs are high enough quality to be mixed down on a decent mixing desk for the final mastered mix ? Thanks in advance.
Q. MAJOR question from me as the previous version did NOT have velocity over midi? DX7 FM is so expressive with velocity and aftertouch and korg dropped the ball on version1 of the fm volca. version 2 so.... over midi is it velocity sensitive?
okay been hunting around i can confirm velocity over midi is supported! phew! aftertouch via midi - not sure... still looking pitch bend is also not supported via a midi. mod wheel is also not supported via a midi.
