Korg Volca series

[LimpyLoo]

looks pretty fucking fun, too bad I don't really need one or else I'd come up with an excuse to get at least the analog drum one

 

What do you have for a setup?

 

(sorry, off-topic, just curious)

[awepittance]

i have a bunch of analog drum stuff already that I'm pretty happy with. Syncussion DRM-1, Jomox Xbase08. I also have a machinedrum so in terms of of drums the Korg's sound is not particularly great or better than what I already have, the functionality of it and immediacy is what attracts me to it.

[th555]

They're sooo basic. Should've put them all in one box :P

[Audioblysk]

They're sooo basic. Should've put them all in one box :P

Was thinkin this. Kindof like how IMO, korg should have put the ESX and EMX into one box. It probably costs them less to do these, and they make more selling them separately.

 

the keys is the one I'm interested in. Polyphony on such a small box with x0x style sequencing makes my mouth water.

[Guest chunky]

3 korg volcas, korg ms 20 mini, novation bass station 2, analog four, arturia minibrute....... i want to buy it all. not because of how it sounds but after watching all those damned marketing videos, my mind cant escape the marketing psychology of making someone want to own something. these gadgets tick all the boxes in my brain as a synth fanboy. pretty sure they dont sound as good as the stuff i already own and there's better sounding stuff still out there. it makes me sick that i cant escape the magnetic pull of this adverting.

 

word of mouth and gossip is another factor with different people saying "whoa it's so cheap it's so cool i want one i want one". the rational part of my brain says wait until they're cheap, wait until the market is flooded, wait until the 4096 polyphony ones come out, etc haha

[poblequadrat]

 

They're sooo basic. Should've put them all in one box :P

Was thinkin this. Kindof like how IMO, korg should have put the ESX and EMX into one box. It probably costs them less to do these, and they make more selling them separately.

 

the keys is the one I'm interested in. Polyphony on such a small box with x0x style sequencing makes my mouth water.

 

 

The bass is also polyphonic, although I've read it only has one filter...

[TRiP]

this is purty' good - more videos! more marketing! more temptation!

*snip*

my mistake, already posted that one...here's another instead:

[TRiP]

hate to double post....but, this be some pretty, prettttyyy prettttttty sweet shit:

[Guest]

I pre-ordered all three in May and I'm dying with anticipation.

[Guest Hanratty]

I kind of think the price of these is never going to come down and they'll just sell out and get really expensive.

 

the video with the octotrack is incredible.

[Guest]

I kind of think the price of these is never going to come down and they'll just sell out and get really expensive.

 

the video with the octotrack is incredible.

 

Maybe. I have a feeling Korg will be putting out more similar gear for a while.

[poblequadrat]

I kind of think the price of these is never going to come down and they'll just sell out and get really expensive.

 

the video with the octotrack is incredible.

 

Yeah, but it'll probably be a while until they sell out. Korg are going to sell loads of those, and once they sell out they'll probably come up with something similar, maybe a Polysix mini or something like that.

[Guest]

hate to double post....but, this be some pretty, prettttyyy prettttttty sweet shit:

 

Oh man...

 

All these videos are making me crave! Check this person recreating 'The Robots' just with the Volca Keys:

[TRiP]

Does anyone know if these things can back up your sequences? Or are they like the monotribe in that you can only save 1 at a time? Tis' a shame theres no midi out to transfer them to a daw or something like that.

[Guest]

Does anyone know if these things can back up your sequences? Or are they like the monotribe in that you can only save 1 at a time? Tis' a shame theres no midi out to transfer them to a daw or something like that.

Apparently there's a midi out mod you can do. Can't search for it right now though.

[Guest cruta]

pre-ordered all three in may myself

[Guest cruta]

the storm is coming

[TRiP]

 

Does anyone know if these things can back up your sequences? Or are they like the monotribe in that you can only save 1 at a time? Tis' a shame theres no midi out to transfer them to a daw or something like that.

Apparently there's a midi out mod you can do. Can't search for it right now though.

 

mmm...so it starts

 

alike the monotribe - slight hidden costs (Power supply + Mod kit)

 

guess you're still winning at the end of the day

[awepittance]

anybody know if these are being sold by any american stores yet? Im thinking of buying the drum one for someone as a gift. As cool as they are though, i really fucking hope the analog synth craze and fetishism dies down a little bit in the coming years. Korg has a plethora of other more advanced and interesting synth engines they've created that are probably just collecting dust know Throw a fucking korg Oasys physical modeling percussion engine in a groove box, then we'll talk. I know i'm probably in the minority but besides pure pleasure knob twiddling, i find non modular analog synthesis pretty boring

[poblequadrat]

anybody know if these are being sold by any american stores yet? Im thinking of buying the drum one for someone as a gift. As cool as they are though, i really fucking hope the analog synth craze and fetishism dies down a little bit in the coming years. Korg has a plethora of other more advanced and interesting synth engines they've created that are probably just collecting dust know Throw a fucking korg Oasys physical modeling percussion engine in a groove box, then we'll talk. I know i'm probably in the minority but besides pure pleasure knob twiddling, i find non modular analog synthesis pretty boring

 

Analog synthesis is fine with me but I agree digital can get far more interesting, if anything because there are quite a few different engines with possibilities for unexplored patches that don't sound like what electronic music is supposed to sound like. Plus I'm a bit tired that everything MUST be "warm" and "fat".

 

Sometimes I even like general midi modules, I mean, Rei Harakami might be a bit boring but his SC-88Pro sounds unlike anything else.

 

There is also the price issue, of course - the prices people pay for Junos and Polysixes are just stupid, and the respect people pay for useful but really limited and extremely overpriced instruments such as the Minimoog is beyond comprehension.

[modey]

Finally had a look at these; I didn't realise they were so cheap! I'm thinking of getting one to use with my guitar's midi pickup.. or give to my keyboard player to play synth solos using a midi keyboard. I was considering the Minibrute but I'd only be making really basic synth lead sounds so the volca keys should do for now..

[LimpyLoo]

I know i'm probably in the minority but besides pure pleasure knob twiddling, i find non modular analog synthesis pretty boring

 

Personally, I subscribe to Brian Eno's idea of a perfect synth as being like a guitar in its simplicity. My dream synth would have two waveforms (square and saw), a 12db filter and LFO for pitch and amplitude. I like being able to quickly dial in a patch so I can get to work.

 

So in this regard the Volca stuff friggin' slams my G-spot.

 

The two synths that I currently own--like every synth I have ever owned or borrowed--have way more functionality than I need or would ever care to use. And not only is that extra functionality simply superfluous, it is actually hindersome to my productivity.

 

I agree with you that in general if you are looking to delve deep into sound design then perhaps analog synthesis isn't the most mind-blowing way to go. But I don't find simple analog synths boring for the same reason that I don't find a Fender Rhodes boring, if that makes sense. I don't really look to synths to have a wide range of possibilities. And if I did want more possibilities, then I would look for multiple synths, each with a focused range of functionality, rather than a single synth that has virtually no limitations.

 

And all things being equal I would pick VCO's and VCF's if possible.

 

 

(Is this what you were talking about when you said 'boring'? Or did you mean they were boring in some other regard?)

[awepittance]

i'm bored simply because Korg has been one of the biggest pioneers in specialized forms of digital synths out there. For them to simply keep throwing analog circuitry with digital controls into these very fun to use 'toys'(sorry but they are from a music production standpoint) when they have things like the Oasys engine sitting dormant, its just really frustrating to think about what they could be doing if analog synthesis as a fetish wasn't such a trend right now.

[LimpyLoo]

i'm bored simply because Korg has been one of the biggest pioneers in specialized forms of digital synths out there. For them to simply keep throwing analog circuitry with digital controls into these very fun to use 'toys'(sorry but they are from a music production standpoint) when they have things like the Oasys engine sitting dormant, its just really frustrating to think about what they could be doing if analog synthesis as a fetish wasn't such a trend right now.

 

But that was exactly the point of my post, about the Eno dream synth: the Volca synths are not toys. They're proper analog synths with minimal(ist) functionality. If they weren't so small and inexpensive then I don't think folks would call them toys.

 

I agree that the Oasys stuff is cool--well, some of it at least--but not everyone is into the ambitious tech aspect of music production (just like not everyone is into all the analog lust).

 

Btw, are there any decent Oasys demos on Youtube you can think of?

[awepittance]

the volcas sit somewhere in between toys and serious electronic musical instruments. I'd say power and feature wise they are still pretty far below even the korg electribe boxes. Those cross the dividing line between toy and instrument for me. I disagree that Eno's comparison can be applied to something like a korg monotribe or a volca, but an analog substractive keyboarded synth sure. I'm just personally not into the sound of typical subtractive analog synth setups, i think it as a synthesis technique is fine, but more often than not people just try to get that specific trademark old school synth sound rather than doing something unique with it.

korg oasys samples (PCI card not keyboard)
http://www.hvsynthdesign.com/korg.php


if i was korg i'd try to capture a world wide broader market that isn't interested in 'electronic' music. The korg oasys has some of the best simulated acoustic percussion I've ever heard, even just a groovebox for gamelan or conga drums , tabla would be pretty awesome. And far better than something that used just sampled because you could have the same amount of knobs on these volcas, same compact size but have it be literally something no one has ever made before. A physical modeling groove box.