Bad Gear - Worst Korg Volca???
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2025
- In this episode of Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools, we are going to let people pick their least favorite Korg Volca. Will our top-notch scientific research methods lead to the weakest link in the family?
❤THX to Dominik for temporarily giving back his wedding gift❤
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After owning so many synths and drum machines during all these years, I've learned that there are no bad instruments, just instruments that aren't completely adequate for a certain task. And that's the player's responsibility: choosing the right tools and learning how to use them.
Wise words...
I agree with what you're saying. But what about the Akai Rythm Wolf? I owned it, wish I hadn't. Not sure what it could be used for.
Yes
@@Matt_Regan every musician has their own style and work flow. A lot is probably not going to hit the top 40, but there is no metric. I remember in the late 90s early 2ks a bunch of indie musicians using the worst, cheapest, drum machines and thrift store keyboards to make music, and it ruled. There's no bad gear, just expectations of style
@@Matt_Regan doorstop? Also, if you have two doors, or a double door, get a Timbre Wolf as well.
volca beats snare fix : use the clap, the crash and the low tom and the snare together .
That's how it's done...
External effects also help. I just hook mine to a ZOOM G1X processor and it sounds pretty good.
The Volca Drum is far superior, but people should have in mind that the Beats is okay for the price-point.
Probably the worst Volca, but still usable if you know how.
agreed! i sometimes use a compressor pedal on my volca beats and volca sample together . btw the stutter and pcm controls are impeccable compared to any other volca
the kick drum with the click and decay and the closed hats with the grain make it an extremely handy tool for making a fresh beat idea
@@AudioPilz you can also turn down the snappiness and use it as a third tom whoooa how is that??? But actually I like the beats and the snare. I think it's got a very distinct and unique character so what's there to hate about?
"The kids these days" perhaps don't remember that the original 808 or 909s didn't sound amazing by themselves, either. Those huge 808 and 909 kicks and snares that one hears on records even from the old times were all heavily processed with compression, EQ, layering, and (tape?) saturation to get those big thumping dance-kicks. It's understandable the original hardware is not exactly readily available at reasonable prices anymore. It's an analog beat box. Doesn't put out production-ready sounds for all genres, it's a process getting them that way if that's what one wants to do. Probably best to use samples of production-ready thumps and baps nowadays if one wants to speed up the process they're not hard to come by.
ua-cam.com/video/eU-UsvYbIV0/v-deo.html
@@AudioPilz I went to most of those parties back in the day. ❤
Well said. 👍
Word! Almost every 808 you’ve heard on a banger went through a Neve, SSL, or some other console or DAW that cost more than a new car. Kids these days. Besides, I hate people dissing on subjective things like this. I could use the shit outta this thing!
That's a good point. In all fairness in those days there was still a lot of analog gear adding saturation to the signal, even unintentionally. These days there isn't. there's Also IMO no excuse (outside of the price point) for making skimpy sounding gear. They have the tech. They have had decades to learn and get it right. I blame the price point and the tendency of larger companies to sometimes ignore the past as newer generations of designers take the driver's seat.
Didn't realize the Beats was so looked down upon. I like mine. I'm not going to claim it has the best sounds out there, but it's a fun drum machine...and it's cheap.. It's great to just bust out at your desk to work out a rhythm or just fool around on.
True, fun littly drummy
Yeah the portability is awesome to chuck in a bag and play around with
The beats is a beast. You just have to understand how to tweak is.
"just fool around on"..... Exactly. It sounds like a toy. Is good for being a.. toy. That's fine if you accept it down what it is. But it's embarrassingly anemic and nothing most artists would ever use in a recorded track.
@@rizdraver it's not a toy, and I use it all the time. There's no 'accepting' anything. You don't like it, and that's fine. But you should stick to exclusively speaking for yourself when it comes to the practical application of gear, because there are no hard and fast rules about getting to where you want to go.
There is no need to fix the snare. At least for me. I LOVE this lil drum machine. Problem is that it was marketed as a cheap 808. But in reality, it has its own character - for example the “bad” snare. I love that “bad” snare.
It has, without a doubt, character
The volcas are amazing, and anyone who says anything to the contrary doesn't know how to have fun.
agreed 100%.. I dont understand why people shit on the volcas, theyre fun and they have their own unique sound. you can shit on it all you want, at the end of the day people still buy them..
Like the bass and a 303 , sounds nothing like a 303 but still sounds great in its own right
Hey man ,wowe so much volca lovers,can it that it’s cheap but wel fun for the money??i think if you buy a machine of 1000,- it has in the bigining also things wat you never had expired but after a litle time you can also cool things whit it!!!i has 2 volca s the sample 2nd genaration and the blue one nubase ,use them in combi whit evrything I own !!its evry day Christmas wat the musik means!!!suprise suprise
The Volca Sample would have been a BEAST if it could sample from a live signal input. The data squelch transfer is some ol' 80's bullshit.
Wait for tomorrows episode... ;)
I've always wondered why. If the sample had a line in, it would be a monster of a machine, like a VERY useful tool to have. For how portable the volcas are marketed to be they really dropped the ball on that one
I just got one and was disappointed to find that it didn't have a line in. I'll just have to work around it till I can afford something better.
Yeah, and the 3MB or so of storage is just so strange. In this day and age when storage is dirt cheap, why gimp it so heavily? Just give it like 256MB and a usb interface and you're laughing.
@@inf3243 two-hundred-fifty K ;) ua-cam.com/video/aV5idTIZz0o/v-deo.html
My favourite thing about the Volca Beats was how much it taught me about sequencing/drum machines. It's a really good introduction to that world. I love some of the sounds it makes but yes it has many limits, still love it for what it is though.
Agreed, great starting point!
Can I just say you are one of the very very few people on UA-cam that actually knows how to write bangers with hardware. Most reviews and demos are really really lacking
Thanks. Happy to hear that
I really enjoy the beats, but I never end up using it for tracking and recording. But for hanging out and jamming with friends, or playing on a roadtrip/vacaction, I usually have a lot of fun and am often inspired by the minimalism of it. The snare mod is essential to make the snare usable, but those hi-hats are pretty top-notch imo
The kick is a classic as, well
The editing on the tune at 4:00 was hilarious. I love your production style, and demos. Keep up the awesome work.
Thanks!
the korg volcas are great beginner synths including the beats. The monotribe and volcas is what got me into modding gear. Now I have a 12u eurorack modular with tons of diy modules. I have the volcas to thank for that.
Eurorack DIY stuff is next level
All these small musical pieces you composed for your reviews show your huge talent. Always a pleasure.
Thank you so much!!!
"You have already heard the Beats in todays short version of the intro tune..."
Barely.
Believe me, it's better this way😅
Giving audio gear for a wedding gift is kind of mean. It’s like saying remember having hobbies 😋
He certainly has no hobbies. He is a musician, music producer and soud engineer ;)
@David Ouren nope, a friend of mine. And I gave him a Volca;)
Idk how someone can dislike this thing so much lol. I love mine
The editing effort in your vids is top notch.
Thank you!
The real hero here is that Zoom Multistomp. If you know you know.
Such a phantastic piece of gear
AudioPilz especially for the low low price.
The Beats is far from the worst Volca - imo, that'd be either the Mix or the Sample. The best Volcas (imo obviously) would be the FM, Drum and Keys. My beefs with the Beats would be: uneven levels, needlessly limited memory (only 8 slots), no swing and, the StepJump doesn't return to the beginning of the bar. If it had at least 16 pattern slots, swing and individual outs, it'd be superb. Woefully limited in/outputs is a problem that runs through the Volca range.
I like the Beats a lot. That's one of the quirks of democrazy ;)
Amen brother. That 8 slot limit was infuriating when there is obviously 8 more just sat there empty. There's a firmware update for 16 pulse clock now so you can swing the analogue clock...
@@rorz999 thumbs up for Sample. an unofficial patch, a Keystep, and there you got yourself a 10-channel granular synth with parameter locks and what not.
You can swing with the stutter function! Pleasant surprise i discovered a few weeks ago
So no one thinks the kick is the worst volca?
The Volca Beats isn't bad but I use it is currently as a metronom. You have 16 notes and you can save 8 patterns. This is nothing.
I love the sound of that analog little something, it is real fun to go around with this Beats instead of a mobile phone or so.
To use it in a real song from the past, I could imagine Cabaret Voltaire: Nag nag nag. In my mind this would perfectly work with a MIDI keyboard or sequenzer.
Jusst an idea.
That would be quite fitting indeed!
My thoughts exactly, I make lo-fi gnarly sounds with old gear in a similar post punk vein. I don't have any percussion and I considered this device for that great 1970's shit drum machine sound, with out buying one of those early overly big Roland machines, and having to hack individual outputs on it to get it useable
@stuartchapman5171 excellent minimal synth beat machine
I'm not a "real" musician but I think the the Beats is fun as hell to jam on. If it's considered crappy I can't wait to try out the other Volca's. Wait would be a good 2nd Volca to pair with my Beats?
Not a "real" musician either;) I really like the Sample
Was tempted to get one of these bad boys sometimes. I loved the smooth almost ASMR-esque drumsounds that are not too much but just something you wanna add to some tracks in a subtle rhythmic way. At least for some tracks it does have it's purpose but of course it is not the kind of drum machine you can use for everything or most stuff.
It's nice but not very versatile
@@AudioPilz but at least pretty affordable :P So as an addition to the music.making gear it would be a nobrainer. Still more fun than a VST plugin.
Would love to see an episode on the Volca Modular. I used to assume it would be one of the favorites, but to my surprise, opinions across the internet on its sound are pretty mixed. I like it because it's (not quite, but kinda) like a Buchla Easel in a small box format. There's a video comparing the two on YT that's a pretty interesting watch. My favorite way to use it is to go nuts with the patching making crazy sounds, until it has at minimum a dozen patch cables hanging out of it, haha.
Hi please do one on the Roland Boutique range, which is worse or take on the Behringer Clones, would like hear your verdicts on the worst of them.
As some to me are really good other’s awful.
Thanks for the input, I will take a look at them
ironically i came to this video from recommendations after watching that one :D
A compressor and some reverb makes the snare shine. I use it sampled into my Deluge in this way.
Some hard compression can really help
This looks like the perfect drum machine to pair with my daughter’s Dato Duo.
Certainly a nice little setup
I disliked the Volca Beats when I first got it. Mainly because it didn’t fit the style of music I was creating at that time. I retried it months later at a improv synth jam and loved it. It’s not bad, one just has to find the right niche in your creative work for it.
It has some pretty nice sounds...
Did you use also the midi to connect the volca with the electribe?
That would make sense in this application
The Volca Beats is by no means a perfect catch-all drum machine, but it has specific strengths that I feel give it a leg up. For one thing, the stutter motion recording allows for an insane level of variation and texture within beats, as you can record stutter either globally or separately for each sound, which combined with the playback speed sequencing on the samples creates sounds that I haven't heard out of any other drum box. The main point to be considered in my mind is that as far as I have found there simply is not another analog drum machine in this price range, so complaints that it is ruined by a single sound not being the way people want seem preposterous to me.
Just reflecting on the hate I hear about. I like it a lot
I truly enjoy this thing a lot, so immediate and easy to use and most importantly I have a lot of fun messing around with it!
I would buy one just to mod it, I already opened my Rhythm Wolf and shifted the range of the kick. I'm hoping for another episode where you get to mod the Volca beats. You might wanna take a look at the Behringer DFX69 effects processor for another Bad Gear episode as well.
Oh, the Tweakalizer! I would love to butcher this one ;) Already got some Behringer gear covered in the 100€ challenge
Were you sequencing the volca from ableton?
Is it possible to sequence it from the electron? I thought the midi implementation On the beats was all weird
Totally sequenced from Ableton but possible from the Digitakt (albeit a bit tedious)
As (I think) the final thoughts in the video explain, it's not a bad drum machine at all. In fact, it's really good. And when you consider the price, then it's amazing. It's only failing is that it sounds like itself and it doesn't sound like an 808/909/606 etc. Exactly like the Volca Bass doesn't sound like a 303. Just add some suitable compression and - if you must have a snare that strips paint off walls - overdub one from another source. Happy days.
Yeah, I think people had the wrong expectations
@@AudioPilz Agreed. And thanks for all your hard work on the channel. Love your stuff. Keep it up!
Funny thing is I had keys, fm and i just kept the beats why? Because after 1 month of use brand new the little speaker gave put and i can only use the 1/8 inch output to hear anything. Also why AA batteries??? Wouldn't it have been better to make it one 9v?
Not an expert but I assume the power draw is too high for a 9V
To me, the snare sounds like it could work in microhouse, or softer genres
I liked it for trap music
@@AudioPilz It worked quite well for electro as well (layered with the clap) but I sold my Volca Beats (and some other things) and then bought a used TR-8.
Love this little machine. I’ve borrowed it on and off from a friend. Limited at first, but after getting comfortable with it, you can get some great jams outta it. Can’t deny the kick is monstrous as well.
True, they're cheap as chips too!
As an anarcpunk, who lives in Brazil, it works perfectly to me. Add to it that my main influence is the duo Suicide. I could emulate a more expensive one, but this is drab. And if I want to buy a better boutique drum machine, then I must sell my kidney before. Beside that, I add some cheap pedals in the line which done their job very well.
Agreed, certainly does the trick when on a tight budget!
Snare fix: use it as the initial impulse and send it through gated reverb. It can sound pretty meaty. ‘Course if you’re gonna do that you could also use something with a decent snare, like the Tom Cat!
Searching for a tomcat for month
You're about to be on Korg forever lol... Electribe 2 sampler have fun with that
Yeah, but I neglected Roland for a while😈
Hey! I'm trying to set up a behringer td-3 (I know, worst choice possible probably) with a volca. I just really started with this stuff and i really don't know where to hit my head bc everyone on youtube has different opinion and .. what the heck!
as you can imagine i'm trying to do some acid or similar, which one would be the better one to combine with the td-3? i just need something easy with a lot of different "instruments to press" :D
TD-3 sounds great but can be challenging to use (e.g. Volca Bass, Donner B1 or Roland TB-3 are easier to use and oftentimes more versatile) Why not combine it with a Volca Beats, Behringer RD-6 or Arturia DrumBrute Impact?
@@AudioPilz cool! I was just thinking about the volca beats. Thank you!
I was surprised that the Volca Kik wasn't chosen.
That's democracy ;)
Bro my kick sounds so cool and it can make laser beam sounds. To me, the limitations of these devices are features.
For a complete amateur just looking to have fun with gear that doesn't cost the same as a second hand car is the volca beats not recommended then? I've got a maschine to digitally sequence drums in a fun way, and a po 33 for goofing, but this does intrigue me as there's plenty for cheap second hand... But I'm not enlightened enough to know of other alternatives
It is perfectly fine to get a feel for drum machines and it's nice as an auxiliary drum machine in a hardware or hybrid setup. Nevertheless, you will encounter limitations
@@AudioPilz is the Volca drum the better option?
Omfg that wedding gift joke has me rolling
It was not a joke ;)
How about a review of the Volca Keys since it appears in the new Loki trailer? Maybe Loki hates lo-fi delays or something.
Wow, didn't know that. Thanks for posting!
In my opinion The Korg volca beats is still pretty cool sounding. And its affordable and compact.
I like it a lot
Its glossy, black n gold (classy) and has a BEAUTIFUL SNARE!
A man of style and taste;)
I have mixed feelings on this one. When I had one I didn’t really like it, then I sold it, then I missed it a lot. I think if they spent a bit of time refining the actual sounds they would have had a winner because it is fun to play and has some nice features, but some of the sounds are kinda lame. The kick drum and hats are great though.
Yeah, this one is a mixed bag
Btw, I’m really interested in that compressor. I’d love for you to do a video about it and some settings ideas.
Great idea!
Having owned so many synths - it’s not the instrument it’s the musician. There’s no other excuse.
Are there any excuses at all? ;)
AudioPilz the only excuse one could possibly use is “I don’t know what I’m doing”. As you demonstrated in your video although there are certain limitations that certain gear possesses, it is on the musician to figure out those work arounds. For example, we all hated the snare on the Volca beats, some going as far to mod it, myself I just sampled it and then layered it with another snare that was heavily manipulated through the ADSR to get the sound I wanted.
Not knocking you of course, you did a masterful job.
lmao I bought a volca beats keys and bass and the only one I'm still using for jamming alone is the beats.
That stutter effect and the samples tweaking automation makes it a really cool unit.
I've still have some issues with samples volume. Some are really hard to hear above the mix.
Also, you can assign on one sample only, which makes it great for build-ups and rolls.
Never thought of the snare mod, I might try it
I simply turned down the other voices
The kick and the clap sounds great
Agreed!
You should do a review of the Yamaha DX100 because when I bought it three decades ago I thought I was ripped off. At the time it was the only professional synth I could buy. I upgraded from Yamaha PSR synths. I learned synthesis on the DX100 but always thought it sounded crappy, and that the DX7 should be the real thing. Obviously I didnt know about effects to make it sound better.
I just missed one in the local classifieds😢
You're keeping me up. This is the last one, I swear.
PS - This is my new favorite UA-cam channel.
Completely normal behavior
Hey bro. Love the format. Good on you for putting in the werk on these videos. !!!
Thank you so much!
The Volca Beats is pretty bad the sounds bleed together!!!! That being said it’s a great way to get introduced into hardware and it can be kind of fun to use!!!!
I always liked the PCM samples
Love the show - the reason why I invested in my very own bad gear. I brought a Volca beats and a Behringer MS101 for a basic first/introductory set up. But I am struggling a little to unlock the true potential of the MS101 - can you help...?
Thanks! Don't be afraid of the gnarly dirt of the 101 ;)
Bei "Mixer" konnte ich nicht mehr! 😂
Ich warte auf die Korg Küchenmaschine ;)
@@AudioPilz mit Champagner is dann Korg VolcaSprizz
I'd love it if you recommended something at the end of your videos to get in place of the bad gear you review through the vid. Would like to hear what analog drum machine you recommend AudioPilz
I REALLY like Jomox gear. It fulfills the musical function of the classics (808, 909) but sounds very unique - raw and heavy
Next chapter: The "beloved" Korg Electribe 2.
Yeah, that one gets quite some heat on the internet
They would'nt be so bad if it wasn't for that awful DAC and output sizzle
@@SimonAudiosuite At least there's workarounds for the sizzle (don't use the headphone jack if the E2 is connected to USB, use DIN MIDI or disable audio in if is not connected to something) but... to be honest, is the "workaround" machine.
I've been intensively using the E2s for a couple years... The first edition, in black, and i must say that the build quality is by far the worse of all Electribe models. A couple important knobs, are already half dead, the pads are looking like they've been through a war etc etc(i think that maybe, just maybe, Korg used better materials for the red one?!) Anyway, i have an ES -1 , bought second hand, that's been in the studio for ten years already and still looks and behaves great. So that's that, BUT, i must say that i still enjoy the fact of having basically a 16 channel sequencer with a few useful features). I can't even think of another sequencer covering so much ground for the price. So...damn, a Mk 2 would be more then welcome.
Camil Dumitrescu the Electribe Gadget (tm) powered by a Raspberry Pi compute module 3+
In fact Florian, you've persuaded me that the little drum machine ain't so bad. My original reason for not wanting one is I have a TR-606 and it sounds pretty similar (especially the snare). It hasn't put off Behringer making a 606 clone because of a weedy snare drum sound.
It's a fun little noisemaker. You can mod the snare to sound more 808ish, btw
Fabulous! I'm amazed at how well you make these pieces of crap sound. I've got a box that I'd like to put on roast! Yamaha rm1x remixer or the over priced RS7000. I had the rm1x back in the late 90s and early 2000. I could never get it to sound professional. The bases in the drums always came out sounding cheap. In the unchangeable preset sounds made you feel like you were stuck in the mud.
Thank you so much! I will take a look at the Yamahas...
@@ballpowermdk The learning curve of the RMX turned me off, as well. I mean, I have to sleep every now and then... ;)
Hi I want to get a korg volca to make nice hip hop beats which volca you recommend for my situation please reply
I'd go with the Volca Sample!
Immensely surprised anything beat out the mix. The beats feels like you get what you pay for, like sures its not the best but you could do far worse. Meanwhile I legitimately do not understand why you would buy the mix at all, hell you can buy far more effective mixers far cheaper
The mix is such an abomination that people didn't even wanna think about it while voting
I have the mix and yes, it's not good. i knew that when I bought it. I bought it for the power supply and the master sync and I do use it a lot in that capacity. And for a little jam it's kinda nice.
@@themadsamplist it would be cool to have a "good" version of this mixer
the mixer is good specifically for the volcas because it gives you a single spot to route your cv and power through, basic filtering and mix, and a central bpm control. it makes 100% sense. using it with anything else other than volcas is more or less pointless. though, it's also a fun/cheap cv mixer and clock device for modular setups.
I used to take my Volca Beats on the Underground with me; did used to get more than a few odd looks, somehow twiddling knobs on a lil box that has the word LIVE emblazoned on it made people uneasy..
Although to be honest, as soon as the train was moving you couldn't hear the damn thing
There is some Volca-in-public B-roll of me standing in the middle of a street during rush hour. Not easy to play ;)
It still hasnt convinced me that the volca beats isnt bad.
But please, for others folks, an epilepsy warning before sections like in the trap one.
There is a warning in the beginning of the video, hope no one got harmed
I like that at 3:13 the palmer is reduced down to being a little stand. Like it's some sort of paperweight.
Those little Palmer tools are actually pretty nice!
I friggin love the BEATS
There's a lot to love...
I seem to remember Gaz commenting on Sonic Talk that the cap mod on the snare was more or less returning it to the original design. The circuit in the original form was infringing a patent. Maybe a Kawai CR something or another. At any rate nothing I was familiar with and it was years ago so the details are fuzzy at best. It stuck in my mind because at the time I was thinking of buying one. No idea what his source was or if it was just a rumor.
Ah, I have to check out that video. Thanks for posting!
I'm convinced the snare problems are a manufacturing default by Korg. And it boggles my mind that they never fixed it, when hundreds of people with a little soldering skill can add a single inexpensive component.
Maybe it was a marketing stunt? (conspiracy theory mode OFF ;)
"i think the snare on the Volksky could be used as a good little accent, like the Wolf's percussion channel. Just a lil clicky fun bit like you showed in that last demo segment.
This is pretty unrelated, but find a Digitech Metal Master distortion. That thing is a fizzy bacon in the frying pan distortion box. No gain and just some morphing capabilities that don't help that much. Great for bad grindcore demmos lol.
Metal Master is horrible, I love it
I bought a mint condition Sample v1 last week for a present.
It seems better than the newer v2 because of Pajen, Song-mode and also I've read the v2's USB doesn't mount/show for a lot of people (buggy).
I would trust Pajen's FW more than Korgs tbh
My first drumbox, which I used along my first synth: the EA-1, lol
The crappy snare sound and my lack of soldering abilities made me give it to my son in law, as I would feel bad to sell it. But it was fun with an external sequencer and it made me learn the basics.
I then bought the volca sample, thinking "f**k volca beats, I'm gonna get way more fat drum sounds with samples", but then, I discovered I couldn't sequence the volca sample or play it with pads! What a disapointement! But that was before the Pagen beta firmware, and now it's one of my favorite pieces of gear.
Playing the volca samples is a pure joy, and it's definitely the "poor man's MPC"
Big Volca Sample fan here
Glad I read this. I didn't know about pajen. I moved on to an elektron samples and my volca has just been collecting dust. Time to break it out again.
I added some leads to the missing cap spot and now I can change the noise mixed in based on the cap value. Personally, I love the beats, especially since I can take it anywhere and work on, well, beats. The only other beef I have is that the only way to get each part to have its own value for the stutter, you have to record it, but that only works if the value of the stutter is changed while you're recording. I have a video on my channel that shoes my cap mod and how it changes the sound.
Cool! Subbed!
Dude, it’s not important if the gear is bad cause the show looks so unpredictable funny! Thank you
Thank you!
Also it’s cool to see arturia drumbrute - worst sounding drummachine to me
What you recommend at the end? Thy
Maybe try the FM or Sample
My first two drum machines was the Drumbrute then the volca beats.. this was my first venture into external sequencing.. and it was as if these two machines needed eachother to sound complete. volca beats sounds so good when sequenced by the DB. If you mix the drums on the volca by turning down their levels so the snare is louder and then double it up with the clap pcm it helps. I love the time division on the snare too, you can make snare rolls that sound like rudiments. I can see what they went for but had they only included that capacitor it would made the snare and the unit 100% more versatile
Nice technique!!!
My least fun Volca is the Volca Modular. Got it in February 20, used for a month, now it sits in box, just like the Volca Kick. Now I really like my Volca Drum.
Never tried the Modular but what I have seen on YT didn't convince me (and I really wanted to like it)
I didn`t understand the Volca hype, except from the bass, which could be handy in acid house set ups. Although I once saw someone playing several Volcas at the same time (synchronized) just for the background noise of his Nordlead like main synth.
The Sample is actually really nice!
The Volca Beats sounds superb going through a Waldorf 2-pole filter unit. It really makes it come alive in the mid range, obvs you need to still do the snare mod
Nice!!!
except for the snare , its kind of cool. if you use it in conjunction with other stuff , it does wonders.
Beats is great. Especially for the money
A little story some younger viewers might find interesting,
The Volca Beats was my very first drum machine and my first 'synth' (if you can even classify it as a synth). Basically, me and a friend paid half each and we bought it because we needed drums for our little band we had going. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy this thing expecting to use it in a hands-off/band/live context. You basically have to babysit the thing constantly unless you want it playing the same cheesy ONE BAR pattern for 5 minutes straight. Little did I know, I could've gone onto eBay and purchased a Boss DR-5, a veritable powerhouse in comparison to the Volca for almost half the pice. Full-blown sequencer (not only for it's internal instruments, but for other instuments connected to it), 3 on-board instruments on top of the drums, full MIDI capabilities (slave and master, MIDI in/out/thru), etc, and they made those in 1992! I can only imagine the musical boost and creative freedom one of those would've given 15 year old me, but no, I spent my money on a Volca Beats, which actually put me off of hardware for almost 5 years, I only used software...The Volca Beats is a £100 toy. For £100 you can do so so much better, it's not even funny.
That being said, the Volca Beats is NOT a bad instrument, it's an okay little toy. The only thing bad about it is clueless musicians like 15-year old me who bought it because it's so ubiquitous and cheap. Do yourself a huge favour, do some research into older gear and buy a Dr. Rhythm from 30 years ago, they do about 10x more, cost less and are built so much better (the entire Volca line's build quality is terrible imo). The DR-5 as mentioned before costs about £60 on a good day on eBay and does a fantastic 808/909 (leagues better than the Beats) and some of the MIDI sounds are surprisingly very useable too.
Older Dr. Rhythms are great but most of them have some serious limitations (pitching samples for example) and, at least in my area, prices have risen significantly. Get one if the price is right
All of the Volcas are pretty hands on anyways. Especially considering the limitations. I don’t know how people pull of really intricate music with Volca set ups. Their hands are constantly flying.
It's easily best modern module to emulate any kind of 70s and early 80s electronic genre, back when drum machines used to be called rhythm machines. And the sound palette is actually based on Korg KR55.
There are not many synths I sold so fast like the Volca Keys. I used to pump the Volca Beats through a WMD Geiger Counter. It's been a proper noise machine.
Nice! Hard compression is really helpful for more conventional sounds
My main. Beef with the volca beats is having only 8 patterns and the lack of pattern chaining. It's also a little quiet compared to the other volcas. I run mine through a distortion pedal to boost the sound, and mostly use it to thicken up other beats.
Agreed!
I do the same- especially using the kick. To me, the Beats is worth it for that analog kick alone.
The mod did make a difference on mine.. absolutely made the snare usable.. i'm glad you made note of that aspect of this device.. i basically did the mod then flipped it... was glad to see it go.. i'm hoping that they at some point make a "Volka Sampler" yes sampler, not "sample".. because managing the samples through a computer is lame-o.. and the lack of polyphony (hard wiring each drum to a different channel was a dick move).. the only reason I can see why they did that BS is because of exactly what I am hoping for.. a true sampler that can sample audio independently and do polyphony.. (oh and the 1/8" jacks are make me feel dirty and not in a good way using them, despise that audio output standard). I got the sample in hopes of it being able to replace my Akai S612 which it almost could if it just did polyphony.. and could sample.. and we.. maybe not replace it but a damn close cost effective alternative. come on Korg Sampler.. make my day!
Was waiting for a Korg Volca "Sampler" as well - bought the Digitakt. I'm set ;)
@@AudioPilz i'm into cheap things to do one thing really well.. which of course leads to a packed room.. heh.. but yea that's too much money for too much powah for me.. for my getting an eventual Behringer Cat or Pro One is above my usual $100-150 threshold.. a buddy of mine has the Digitakt and he likes it.. i use a Peavey SP as my main sampler in 16bit.. and then the S612 for novel / fun stuff 12bit stuff.. and my Amiga 1200 as a 8bit sampler swiss army knife (soft synth / real time effects processor / sampler)
100% agree with adding compression- I run my VB into a Behringer CL9, makes a big difference: snare much improved too
Agreed, compression is key!!!
@@AudioPilz Totally. I always thought compression was pointless, but the CL9 was the first pedal I bought: guy in the shop said it would be good to have one around. He was right.
My go to reference for cheap/entry gear. Has it been featured on Bad Gear? Does Florian make it sound like Better Gear? Can't lie I gained a few gears after seeing them here! Very happy with them. I even like trap, but this one is not for me. Many thanks for the demo/overview. Considering a Volca Drum and have a very positive opinion of Korg after picking up a minilogue xd
Thanks! Happy to hear that!
I am a guitar player. I have never owned, played or even been interested in 90 percent of the gear you are reviewing.
But i do still really enjoy every video you post.
That must be one of the biggest compliments you have ever had.
(at least from a guitar player ;))
Thank you so much!!!
yea its kinda...... thin? at times. and the snare is a spitty mess that can only be fixed by stabbing the poor thing with a soldering iron. The toms can also be made a lot bigger with the same stabby stabby treatment though. gotta steal some of that pink noise for them
That sounds brutal😅
@@AudioPilz To my fingertips, definitely. parts, tiny.... iron, not tiny.... fingers, fat..... toms/Snare HUge!
Every piece of gear requires context to be heard properly and fit. It is just that some devices gift you with more immediate bouts of inspiration than others and those are the pieces of gear everyone flocks to.
sorry to barge in: I desperately need to find a power cord for volca. from mixer to volca.
where can I find it?
In EU I would ask Thomann
thank you! they are the only ones
I do so love this channel. 🙂
I see the Yamaha DX7 has a lot of haters. Worth an episode?
Oh, pleasure to have the master himself around 😉 Thank you so much! Yeah, the DX7 is on my list but I would have to actually UNDERSTAND that unholy 80s relic (which would, at least, take me half a year;)
@@AudioPilz That would be the hook of the video!
@@AlexBallMusic Yeah, totally winging it for the entire episode with no idea how to use it. Worked with the MC303 ;)
@@AudioPilz Lol, you winged it well!
Alex more docos buddy!
Very informative video and i really like your editing. Wishing a quick channel growth!
Thanks!
Korg O1wfd. And you need to create a Worlds Best Gear episode for fun. Love the content!
There is a snare mod for those handy with a soldering gun. makes the snare totally usable
True! Will be covered in a future Better Gear episode
I really enjoy the innovative approach you use for your reviews.Is it possible you can do a review of the Yamaha DJX2 keyboard? Is it still relevant for profrssional electronic music production today?
Thanks! There's a video about the, erm, brick version ;) ua-cam.com/video/efmjwEu73u0/v-deo.html
It's not bad gear, it's an analog drum machine for 150 bucks! The kick and hi hats are beautiful, get the snare modded and you're in business. In the 80's I used the R 606 and the 808 live. No programable tempo, now that's a nightmare.
Just reflecting on the hate of others. I like it a lot
I hate the VB's snare and overall plinky, piddly sound, but I Iove it anyway. It's so easy to play like an instrument. The controls are intuitive and improvisation-friendly. The sequencer is short but pretty agile and fun--I wouldn't be so eager to change the flow with an external sequencer. It's great in the context of a low fi, OTB live jam. But I wouldn't use it in a band, or even in a DAW.
It can really pack some punch with the right processing
Would love your video on the snare mod! Best regards
Thanks! The Beats was a wedding gift but I will probably get a new one
All they had to do for the pattern length would have been a „memory switch“ mode. So basically you can select: play the current pattern/cycle between 1-2 then 1-4 and 1-8. so you would need more memory but a long pattern would use up more space. But i think this would have made it a little bit better.
Maybe they want to keep the Volcas a bit dumb ;)
@@AudioPilz yeah i know, but i think having to work with limited pattern saves when you want longer patterns would fit right into the „dumbness“ but oh well midi controlling it is.
Have you done one about the BOSS Metal Zone yet?
Yeah! On everything but Metal in stereo ;)
@@AudioPilz aha - I found it ua-cam.com/video/IEv33zaeB4c/v-deo.html 👍