Korg Volca Drum Digital Percussion Synthesizer w/ 16-step Sequencer and Active Step

Not a standout for composition, but fun for practice or jamming. It has a few limitations which stand out to me. The compact interface is always usable, but often awkward. Creating sounds is easy but adjusting them is tedious. Liberal use must be made of a hash in the LCD which marks the saved position of a setting, which is not trivial when using micro-potentiometers assigned to a resolution of 255 in a nested interface. This also obligates you to operate the controls deftly and save a kit after each adjustment to prevent your settings from drifting widely and mysteriously. You get 16 triggers/steps per pattern and 16 pattern slots, which feels claustrophobic. Patterns can be chained to create more complex progressions but with only 16 sets of 16 triggers and no data I/O, memory management is an issue. For instance, creating a 4-bar drum line with 16th-note resolution and a consistent fill on the 4th bar would generally use a quarter of the memory and require you to select the 4 bars sequentially each time you turn on the unit. Then, that memory is consumed until you delete the progression forever. Kits and patterns are marked only by their slot number. The gold-side "Send" physical modeling controls are impressive but are adjustable only per full kit, which in practice limits them to either trippy delays/reverbs and performance effects or to use on only one or a few drums. Time signature can be fudged, but only within extreme limits. This unit is mostly practical for us because it allows us to avoid computers in a few situations during jamming or practice. Far superior performance in every respect can be had from free or trivially cheap software on any phone, tablet, or PC; judged as a component of a modular setup and especially in the context of Volca as a system, I find it useful and likeable, but unwieldy. The sound generator is excellent only in its simplicity, and the sequencer is inflexible. Integrating this unit's stark limitations into a multi-hundred-dollar instrument could be fun but does not seem efficient or practical. However, we are very happy with it. We are not using it as a musical instrument, but as a configurable metronome / backing track. It feels more personal, predictable and charismatic than an automatic drummer, and less sterile than a metronome. The sound generator is a minimalist masterpiece, with only enough moving parts to create a wide array of convincing or pleasing drum sounds and effects. Probability and slicing controls push this Korg over the finish line between toy and tool, but no further.

Make sure to use good speakers for the low ends! The speaker that comes in it is cute but not practical. Also the quality is unmatched. It’s heavy and designed to be very durable. Big things come in small packages! Definitely get its case. Ima make sure this thing lives forever and pass it on after I die lol This thing beats any drum machine pedal by a million miles. You can make any noise and store also record knob movements. There are infinite features no joke. Idk how it retains percusion like noises even when extreme parameters are being used. I hope this review helps. In the attached video I have a TD3 Behringer Bassline synthesizer with the midi attached so the tempo stays on point it’s really easy just buy the cable. ChatGPT if you need help for which midi hole lol

Thing is pretty ridiculous. You got 6 tracks, each with 2 different layers/voices. You can have up to 16 hits in a single step (per track), you have probability, parameter step locking (can play melodies and even chords by tuning sounds specific to their step), random track/sound generation and a great sequencer packed with features for live play. The only 'drawback' is only 16 steps but with probability, split steps, and the live playing features it doesnt matter. Dont listen to negative reviews. This thing can do a lot and is probably the best volca overall. I have made several of my own kits from scratch and i can get great thumping kicks and super snappy snares and high hats. And AMAZING fx sounds. I'm beyond impressed. This thing for $109 is a steal. Not the best 'beginner' volca but it is friendly enough to invite you in with the preset patches to have fun with the sequencer until you decide to dive into sound design. Then you can start doing wacky generative and ambient stuff if you want too. All on this little synth.

EXCELLENT machine--great sound (louder than any drum machine I've had--really SLAPS!), and I enjoy getting to make drum kits "from scratch" using digital waves. The interface is small of course, but you get used to it, easier to read than most small-form Roland instruments, for example. More than anything--it is CHOCK FULL of character--there are sounds and patterns I made pretty easily that I wouldn't have imagined coming out of a cheap drum machine. Why 4 stars? The whole storage problem--with only 16 slots for patterns it's hard to have to delete some of the beats I've come up with! Still, it's worth it (especially for the price) because it's the most fun I've ever had making beats. Would give 4 1/2 stars if that were a thing on here.

Wasn't expecting too much for the price, just a little something to make beats on, but this device is just plain fun to use in general. On top of making beats, the built-in synth engine lets you modulate each individual part of a preset kit, even while the beat is playing. Playing back a created beat and twisting the dials to create different effects is a ton of fun and can make songwriting even more interesting. Very pleased with this synth/drum machine.

Great little drum machine. Had a PO-12 that I was using that felt a little rigid in its sequencing so I decided to find something else that had a midi in so I could use a more comprehensive sequencer. The Volca Drum sequencer ended up being far more usable than I thought it would be due to the ability to shape each and every sound in many ways plus the step jumping feature which will give you variety within a single pattern. The sounds are seemingly limitless when it comes to shaping. It was tough getting a really good snare sound at first but it also gave me the opportunity to explore the wide variety of sounds that the drum has to offer. I've had it about 2 months and I'm still learning the sounds and trying to utilize the sequencer to it's full potential. Worth every penny this far.

Great sounds, very flexible for creating unusual/special efect sounds. THIS UNIT HAD MISSINGM BATTERIES, POSSIBLY A RETURN SOLD AS 'NEW'. BUYER BEWARE.

It has a nice random function and it comes preprogrammed out of the box this thing is ready to roll and just get you creating best drum machine I've got way better than the Cordova beats wish I would have got this one first also blows my glamor drum pedal out of the water of course you can tweak the sounds on this the bass is thick it gets really wild paired with the cork vocal base this bad boy has some capabilities very happy with this purchase still figuring new stuff out everyday the thing is amazing and the chain feature is so dope it's really nice for doing one man band stuff

For a dawless setup, I can't recommend it to someone who want to make complex drum patterns. But this one's good enough if you just need simple drum patterns, or you program the drums on your daw. Pros: + Build quality, size and looks, and can be powered by battery. Although if you don't want to use battery, you have to buy a overpriced Korg power adapter thats not included. + Good sound, high level of sound customization. For a similar price you can only get a drum machine with eq as controls. + Fun to play with The problem with me is the connectivity: - Basic sequencer, 16 steps for each one of the 16 programs that can be program-changed, very limited pattern chaining abilities. Most hardware at this price range will at least start with 32 steps - No 1/4 line output, and the headphone output is unbalanced stereo, meaning for most interfaces you need a cable splitter. - TINY knobs, that will take time to get used to. - MIDI implementation either takes hardcoded channels 1-6 with full control or one single channel for limited control. This limits your choice of a sequencer. - No midi out / passthru - sync cable takes at most 2 ppq - No fx Basically you get what you paid for. But if you have more budget go get a better one, or pair it with a sequencer.

Alles bestens

Reçu dans les temps.... Petite BAR qui permet de faire des sons bien barrés !

Es mi primer Volca y la verdad muy contento, tiene múltiples efectos, poco a poco voy sacando música.