Dude you put so much work into these, seriously I am thankful. There is more editing in your videos than in videos 20 times longer and it adds to the chaotic comedy flow. The predator menu diving got me this week as well as the Backrooms montage. Clap clap.
I mean, a lot of the "videos 20 times longer" are deliberately slow-paced and if you watched a two-hour video essay edited in the AudioPilz Signature Style your eyeballs would start bleeding. That's not a criticism, I've been watching Bad Gear since it started, but different formats work in different ways.
That probability mode is great for helping to compensate for the four-bar limitation. I use that feature combined with slice on my hi-hat type sounds and it makes the beats seem far less repetitive.
agree it is a great feature. I often used it with two hi-hat channels in a choke-group, each panned left/right so the probability randomises the panning. make one track's sequence a different length and there's a "never"-repeating stereo hi-hat track!
Every track or jam I’ve recorded with the drum stands a mile apart from the ones with usual Roland sounds. It sounds unlike anything else. I think it’s amazing. And the polyrhythm, random probability potential takes it to another level
Unlike anything else is also how i would describe the Korg Minilogue. it's amazing how they actually pull this up by releasing actually affordable new gear that really sounds like nothing you hear elsewhere. I'm still tempted to get a few of the Volcas. Especially the Sample and newly released revision of the volca FM appeal to me.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 these things are great. I got the beats like 2 years ago, didn’t mess with it much, then recently picked up the FM and bass, and keys, and I started diving in a bit. These things are great. Just got the drum on Amazon a few mins ago haha.
I bought my kids volcas for their Easter 🐣 present. They r both in piano and school band. I think these r great learning tools for kids on composing measures
I traded in my Volca Beats for the Drum and I'm pretty glad I did. The fact I can make a decent snare drum on it is enough to justify it. Still some inconveniences for a drum machine but overall there's a lot going for it.
@@finonomastropiero4261 no, it's still limited even after modding. I'm hoping for a Beats v2 with a better snare, swing, individual outs, 64 steps, etc
@@AudioPilz True, I had a Beats (modded myself) but it didn't click for me - like a 808 on tranquilizers or thereabouts. The Bass I liked kinda, but sold it anyway together with the Beats, no regrets... Eyeing the FM2 right now, just for kicks (lol) and giggles ;)
I still like my beats. I love the wet rag hitting a symbol sound, love turning the snare into another tom. The wood block can be really mangled into fun sounds. The only issue I have with the beats is the limited kick.
Volca Drum is amazing. Not often you get drum synth capable of huge noise sounds and industrial like textures. For real. Not beafy enough? Maybe. But huge. I love mine and want bigger version of it
NOOO MY GEAR IS ON BAD GEAR!!! The drum is my first drum machine and while I do like it, the headphone out and the small knobs really do break my heart. But it's still fun to play and learn how to make some funky drums. Great episode Florian!
I’ve got one of these and I love it. Your review is pretty accurate as far as all the pros and cons. My main use for it is to make “weird glitchy bloody unpredictable sequence layers”. I just record them all into Logic and save them as loops. I’ve got a pretty big library now. Great to just sneak them in wherever to fill out a track. For the price, you really can’t beat it.
More versatile than I thought. Enjoyed the review. Thanks for sharing! You really have something here on your UA-cam channel. The videos are top notch (full of useful info, verdict, and continuous popular culture references, cool sounding music) and there is no GAS-inducing affiliate marketing with cautions against GAS. Perfect!
At 6:24, I emphatically yelled "YES!" out loud. And if this hasn't already been answered: You have to set the Volca Drum to multi-channel mode to play a single sound chromatically.
@@AudioPilz Yeah Korg put a sneaky option in there to use it either as a single channel drum machine or a multi-timbral synth. I friggin' love the Volca Drum so much. You're dead on about it needing a MIDI Dump. I hadn't even considered it until you mentioned it.
@@eighteenfiftynine It does, indeed. cdn.korg.com/us/support/download/files/aa0a404eb2b0fa59873677d825cc272e.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27volca_drum_split_ch_MIDI_Chart_E1.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf%3B
You nailed it. It’s good for making samples and I love recording mine through the DAW to edit and beef up the sounds but the interface is not as fun as the electribe. I am also hoping they throw the synth engine in the drumlogue cause it sounds great. I prefer using oscillatorsink's free Synthmata tool to program the kits quickly.
That's the only Volca I own. Got it just to mess around with the CC on the Digitakt and there is so many things you can do with it. Pure delight. Great video as usual
Couldn't agree more that this synth voice in a more back-up capable, fleshed out interface a la Drumlogue would be awesome. The Volca drum actually sounds amazing, and the physical modeling section is niiiice
I was literally searching your youtube channel to see if you had uploaded a bad gear on the korg volca drum just earlier today. I must've magically summoned this video somehow.
As a proud Volca Drum owner, as a live instrument it's best used as a secondary device, to add more sounds and ambiance as a MIDI slave. With practice you can learn its fiddling better, and pop out beats in little time. Its strength is in using the randomizing, the waveguide and the parameter automation to variate and generate ideas on the fly mid-performance (you can also use the annoying menu encoder as a more tame randomizer). Its potentially experimental sound and swinging sync out make it a great part of a Eurorack system, too. Another tip I'd give is, if you have it plugged into an analog desk, chances are that a generous boost on the lows will give it some of the analog juice it lacks. It works amazing in my Soundcraft Signature's EQ. And of course as with any Volca don't be afraid to add effects. Even though it has its own, an external rhythmic delay can be great. Bonus tip, get knob caps for sensitive parameters, especially pitch and waveguide pitch/time. With that all said, I have to agree: We need a more confortable version of the same sound engine, so simple yet powerful and unique-sounding. This thing has some very cool Elektron Model vibes. Another one I think would benefit immensely from a grown-up makeover is the Volca Modular. I love it, but it's tiny and the patching is somewhat propietary, so you need two to really get proper "modular" with it. In fewer words, the Volca Drum is a supercharged Volca but it's better used as just that, a Volca. It is a very good generative instrument when you get the hang of it. And it has many tricks that set it apart from a normal drum machine or groove device.
finally a piece of gear that I own showcased in this channel... sounds very punchy but sometimes a bit sterile, I found that treating it with some plugs on the way in does wonders (saturation, filter)... the sequencer is very creative and flexible. I think it's a great unit.
Went looking for volca drum demos, this was the 3rd algo result. Absolutely not what I was looking for yet I immediately clicked. That’s how dope your stuff is ✌️
That Liminal Spaces Backrooms jam was awesome, and the video editing on it was totally on point. Smile on my face the whole time. That last jam is something I anticipate with every one of your videos.
Great vid, huge fan! Next to the FM 2, the Drum is the best volca to use as a sound module tethered to an editor or more capable sequencer. Editors are especially helpful for overcoming that limitation on saving patterns and kits. As long as you do all of your sound design and editing within the editor (or you're willing to go back and manually program all the parameters of a kit or a pattern into the editor), you can keep things backed up well enough. I think pajen figured out a way to dump the patterns and kits over sysex if you've done the MIDI out mod, but I've not tried it. The drum isn't able to cover all the bases (as you said, beefy kicks and aggressive snares are a weak point) so I usually reserve it for glitchy and retro sounding hat and ride/crash sounds, and then pitched percussive boops like cheesy toms, cowbell and woodblock esque stuff. Hard panning and using a Y splitter lets me process my cymbals and my boops through entirely different signal chains - a great feature that I believe is unique to the sample and the drum.
ok, Florian. I said you inspired me today, and this is the Bad Gear I went with. Volca Drum, Volca Kick, with a Behringer Crave. Modulation by Zig Zag, the coolest Chorus/vibrato pedal I've ever owned. Canadian made. Your inspiration is exactly what I needed today!
6:18 totally agree - it's a lot of drum power in a small box, some clear compromising here. I like mine for synthesising kicks and snares - for some reason I can always dial in something I like quite quickly rather than in a DAW.
Kicks and snares is all I like out of the Drum most of the time. I always felt that I couldn't do much with it and the sounds that can be had are too often not my cup of tea. Or I just never learned to get along with it, I don't know. I sold it after over a year with it.
I quite like these tiny instruments, both the Volcas and the Boutiques (though I must admit Roland lost me with the last few Boutiques). Honestly, a drum machine of this size, at this price that is this versatile is just magic.
This is by far my favourite Volca, produces the weird and wacky sounds that can make a recording so much more interesting. I usually have mine hooked up to a Korg Kaoss Pad Quad to provide added oddness, and the Wave Guide (the 3 knob flux capacitor) should be standard on all Volca's... wait standard on every electronic musical device, everywhere for everyone :-) very nice episode.
@@knob_agency I am not clued up on VSTs as I have a dawless set-up. IMHO the Korg Kaoss Pad is a really great addition to any set up as it is tactile, easy to integrate and produces wacky results with ease.
The Everything Everywhere All at Once clip made almost made me spit out my cider! Interesting little box and credit where it's due for Korg making something different! HAPPY FRIDAY ALL! Great as ever Mr Pilz
Damn, you often give me something to think about. I've been tentatively looking for some easy and quick way of getting some weirder queaky percussive bits to add to my current drum machines and synths. Being lazy I hadn't found anything suitable, but I'd completely overlooked this. I think it may just be what I'm looking for.
Definitely give it a try! You can always get rid of it out into the used market if you don't like it. But it is a tool for eccentric drums. And it syncs over MIDI or clock sync so it's great for modular too, with its whacky sounds and per-step trigger chance.
Couldn't agree more! Especially when you want to change parameters you need to change it before you see on what level it is. If you want to play it chromatically you need to program all of the 6 slots with a different pitch note by copying the settings to them. But for the money it offers a lot more than competitors. We need a bigger version!
This could be the best Volca if it wasn't put in Volca format. Also - its sound, while being something quite original, wears off rather quickly. Florian, you nailed this box in 110%. Yes, it's somewhat lost tribe of Electribe and yes, it totally sucks in live jam situations. Other than that - a stand out for some, a curio for the other.
@@TheSciHi i mean the syntakt is 900 bucks, it's sort of the reason I don't have one and maybe never will. But it's the Elektron box for the lovers of the Cycles, and I am a lover of the Cycles T-T
the volca drum is the only volca I still use to this day. it's so easy to morph sounds between surprisingly good kicks snares hats toms etc -- and all on the fly. the delay is sick. FAT kicks. And the step jump mode is perhaps one of the best live performance features on a drum machine I've ever seen, and can't fathom why it's not utilized on more machines. You simply press any steps you want and they are played in time with the sequencer, which meanwhile keeps its place in the sequence. This can work with steps which aren't active steps, or are rolls, etc. So much possibility in this thing. Best volca hands down.
I'm in a pretty bleh place in terms of mental health rn and binging this entire series is helping immensely lmao 🙌🏾 so glad I came back to these videos
I have to say, this episode's videoclip sections looked so amazing!! And the jams, great work! (even with that randomized burst haha) And I know you spent two days getting the iconic melody to play out of the Drum ;) Great work! Now I want the Volca Kick.
I'm kind of inexperienced with synths and drum machines so as a beginner I am really enjoying what this has to offer. The amount of variety and control is impressive to me and the four-bar limitation bothers me much less than I thought it would. One thing I have found I enjoy quite a bit is bringing the bpm down to 10 and using it more as a background pulse than a beat. Great for ambient stuff and the time-based paramaters (slice especially!) gives you a tremendous amount of versatility at that slow speed.
Pillzaddict here, great appraisal, totally spot on, I learned a lot as I don't own one, but as a LXR owner I love drum synths of which seem inherently digital.
Your final jam where you beef it up in the DAW may have convinced me to keep mine. Pros: Hefty sine wave sub-basses, natural-sounding wave guide resonance (like striking something in a room), parameter automation. Cons: "Dinky" upper mid-range and unnatural, not-very-pleasing, "wispy" high end (IMO).
I think the Volca Drum is suppossed to be an Elektron Machinedrum hommage. Which is crazy, because I always wanted one as a kid, but years later I bought the Volca Drum as my first Volca unaware of that. Still somehow I was instantly drawn to it as the most interesting Volca to me. And it has not disappointed. One interessting feature is actually the combination of Slice and Choke Groups, which allows you to have for example a simple 4 on the floor beat on one step of the sequencer and other variations with triples or other polyrhythmic stuff from the Slice Menu on other steps. This will effectively extend the sequencer to 16 bars, but reduces your options to more simple beats. You just need to reduce the tempo drasticaly to make it work. :D But with a clock divider this might be a good way to get some more variation from its 16 step sequencer.
Yeah it can be work to get the digital volcas to sound beefy without another slamming machine but the icy nature of these modules sound great in contrast with such. Excellent video and editing as usual!
the editing is getting out of hand man, you either have stronger ADHD than me or just way too much time on your hands lol keep em coming, easily the most underrated music channel on youtube right now!!
Man. This machine had so much potential. For the price it’s crazy how much you’re getting. But the sounds just aren’t my favorite. I know the sounds are customizable but after listening to pretty much all UA-cam videos featuring it , I came to the conclusion I’m not a fan of the sound.
It's not a do everything machine. What it does it does very well. For me, that's evolving hats and the like. Nothing beats it frankly, save for something like a machinedrum. That's how I think of it, a mini machinedrum.
It helps if you start to think about it as a sound generator rather than a drum machine. Don't be fooled by what you see on UA-cam. It's like trying to find videos about guitar pedals processing other signals besides electric guitars or other string instruments. Sometimes you have to try it yourself, if possible. Reading the manual helps to understand what its capabilities are and trying to recreate it with what you have. But of course it has to have appeal to you. Know what you need. Have fun ;) Cheers
@@Francisco12G yup. Like I was trying to find someone, anyone, demonstrating the moog moogerfooger murf pedal on synths, barely found anything, but once I got one in my hands to get it to do what I though it could do for me, eureka!!! Most people by far are demoing the Volca Drum are trying to use it as a standalone drum machine, which it CAN do, but it's a sound design machine really, meant to be used with other gear. When the Volca Drum is freed up to concentrate on what it does well, rather than covering all the drum parts, it shines in a mix. Even pairing it with a Volca Sample adds sonics that the Volca Sample simply can't do. I've got a ton of high-end gear, but the little Volca Drum sees a lot of use.
I don't think you can make a decision on an instrument just by watching UA-cam videos. Too many people on YT just go for the obvious sounds and presets. To find an instrument's potential you really must own it and explore its full potential.
First video that made this thing appealing to me...like it would never be a main drum machine for me, but it could do some cool stuff for accents and adding some interesting sounds to a track
Volca Drum, is a nice little machine, well worth its price, in my opinion. The only feature I wish it had, was a way to slow parameter scrolling. Particularly for the waveguide resonator, It would make certain parameters a little easier to dial in, especially with these tiny potentiometers. A lot of other gear have this function where you hold down a shift button and it slows down the scrolling rate, I hope something like this could be added in a future update.
Awesome video. Thank you for all of your videos. I was debating whether to buy this or not, but I really like the sounds coming out of this. Thank you, take care.
when this was released, I sold my Korg sample and thought I would get a "Drum". Somehow, I decided to just not get one. While some may dispute if this is bad gear or not, this episode of bad gear proves my suspicions. It isn't that bad, but I don't really regret avoiding it. Thank you, Mr. Bad Gear!
NGL every time i see one of the volca drum machines i think, thats pretty cool, but im so glad i have model:samples for that. I think your hands are about the size of mine, i admire your ability to tweak those tiny things lol
Good episode as usual! I would love to see you review the Roland D-20 Synth from 1988. It is multi timbral, has a sequencer and sounds thin, seems like the perfect review. Oh and they can be purchase for as low as 150 earth credits!
One year later, this is probably my least used Volca. I'm all about simplicity, and having to remember how to menu dive the Volca drum is just annoying when trying to create a track. Yolo.
![Fun Progressive Wall Lead House! (Tips would help me) [1K Sub goal]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2iB_nH6Qilc/mqdefault.jpg)
Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel*
Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz
Dude you put so much work into these, seriously I am thankful. There is more editing in your videos than in videos 20 times longer and it adds to the chaotic comedy flow. The predator menu diving got me this week as well as the Backrooms montage. Clap clap.
Thank you so much!!!
I mean, a lot of the "videos 20 times longer" are deliberately slow-paced and if you watched a two-hour video essay edited in the AudioPilz Signature Style your eyeballs would start bleeding. That's not a criticism, I've been watching Bad Gear since it started, but different formats work in different ways.
@@AudioPilz The fact that you went an extra layer and grabbed the pottery clip from The Naked Gun… respect once again
The grooves you make while demonstrating each of its parameters are all song worthy.
Thank you!!!
This one is in stereo ?
One of my favourite features in Volca Drum, not mentioned in this vid - is that you can set per-step probability in sequencer.
Thanks for the clarification!
That probability mode is great for helping to compensate for the four-bar limitation. I use that feature combined with slice on my hi-hat type sounds and it makes the beats seem far less repetitive.
Thats cool :)
Drumologue !!
Yes , please 🙏
agree it is a great feature. I often used it with two hi-hat channels in a choke-group, each panned left/right so the probability randomises the panning. make one track's sequence a different length and there's a "never"-repeating stereo hi-hat track!
Every track or jam I’ve recorded with the drum stands a mile apart from the ones with usual Roland sounds. It sounds unlike anything else. I think it’s amazing. And the polyrhythm, random probability potential takes it to another level
Unlike anything else is also how i would describe the Korg Minilogue. it's amazing how they actually pull this up by releasing actually affordable new gear that really sounds like nothing you hear elsewhere. I'm still tempted to get a few of the Volcas. Especially the Sample and newly released revision of the volca FM appeal to me.
Why not combine it with classic sounds?
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 these things are great. I got the beats like 2 years ago, didn’t mess with it much, then recently picked up the FM and bass, and keys, and I started diving in a bit. These things are great. Just got the drum on Amazon a few mins ago haha.
I bought my kids volcas for their Easter 🐣 present. They r both in piano and school band. I think these r great learning tools for kids on composing measures
That "Backrooms" video montage is fantastic on every level
Thank you!!! That's quite a rabbit hole to go down!
@@AudioPilz you mean... to no-clip into ;)
I agree!! It was crazy cool.
Awesome 👍
I traded in my Volca Beats for the Drum and I'm pretty glad I did. The fact I can make a decent snare drum on it is enough to justify it. Still some inconveniences for a drum machine but overall there's a lot going for it.
The Beats is really limited
@@AudioPilz unless modded?
@@finonomastropiero4261 no, it's still limited even after modding. I'm hoping for a Beats v2 with a better snare, swing, individual outs, 64 steps, etc
@@AudioPilz True, I had a Beats (modded myself) but it didn't click for me - like a 808 on tranquilizers or thereabouts. The Bass I liked kinda, but sold it anyway together with the Beats, no regrets... Eyeing the FM2 right now, just for kicks (lol) and giggles ;)
I still like my beats. I love the wet rag hitting a symbol sound, love turning the snare into another tom. The wood block can be really mangled into fun sounds.
The only issue I have with the beats is the limited kick.
I'm a 61 year's old musician and a big fan
of your deep analyzing and speedy flow of honest creative criticism.
Love your videos - Very helpful 🤗
Thank you so much!!!
Volca Drum is amazing. Not often you get drum synth capable of huge noise sounds and industrial like textures. For real. Not beafy enough? Maybe. But huge. I love mine and want bigger version of it
I like beef;)
It's impressive how you remember the workflow of all the different bits of gear. Great show.
Thanks!!!
NOOO MY GEAR IS ON BAD GEAR!!! The drum is my first drum machine and while I do like it, the headphone out and the small knobs really do break my heart. But it's still fun to play and learn how to make some funky drums. Great episode Florian!
Thank you!!!
I’ve got one of these and I love it. Your review is pretty accurate as far as all the pros and cons. My main use for it is to make “weird glitchy bloody unpredictable sequence layers”. I just record them all into Logic and save them as loops. I’ve got a pretty big library now. Great to just sneak them in wherever to fill out a track. For the price, you really can’t beat it.
More versatile than I thought. Enjoyed the review. Thanks for sharing!
You really have something here on your UA-cam channel.
The videos are top notch (full of useful info, verdict, and continuous popular culture references, cool sounding music) and there is no GAS-inducing affiliate marketing with cautions against GAS.
Perfect!
Thank you so much!!!
At 6:24, I emphatically yelled "YES!" out loud.
And if this hasn't already been answered: You have to set the Volca Drum to multi-channel mode to play a single sound chromatically.
Interesting, I managed to play them in one channel but not tonally with a midi keyboard. Thanks!
@@AudioPilz Yeah Korg put a sneaky option in there to use it either as a single channel drum machine or a multi-timbral synth. I friggin' love the Volca Drum so much.
You're dead on about it needing a MIDI Dump. I hadn't even considered it until you mentioned it.
@@timbrechopper eh? That doesn't work, does it?!
@@eighteenfiftynine It does, indeed. cdn.korg.com/us/support/download/files/aa0a404eb2b0fa59873677d825cc272e.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27volca_drum_split_ch_MIDI_Chart_E1.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf%3B
Not my secret weapon for making drum layers and samples!?
I love the V Drum also as an all in one IDM groove box. Such a useful synth.
Great for all kinds of IDM!
The videoclip of the finale jam is one of the coolest of all times. Really great!
Thank you!!!
The volca drum is so good when you make things at a slower tempo. You can really bring out some trippy sounds.
Agreed!
You nailed it. It’s good for making samples and I love recording mine through the DAW to edit and beef up the sounds but the interface is not as fun as the electribe. I am also hoping they throw the synth engine in the drumlogue cause it sounds great. I prefer using oscillatorsink's free Synthmata tool to program the kits quickly.
Thanks! I'd love to see that engine in the Drumlogue!
Has there been any new info on the drumlogue?
That's the only Volca I own. Got it just to mess around with the CC on the Digitakt and there is so many things you can do with it. Pure delight. Great video as usual
Thanks!
Volca Drum is one of the best low budget devices on the market. To me it is essential gear.
Very affordable given the feature set!
Man, you keep pumping these videos out, with great quality too, and I seem to keep watching them :-)
Thank you!!!
The visuals on the last jam were really something else this week
Couldn't agree more that this synth voice in a more back-up capable, fleshed out interface a la Drumlogue would be awesome. The Volca drum actually sounds amazing, and the physical modeling section is niiiice
Yeah, I would have loved to have this engine in the drumlogue
I was literally searching your youtube channel to see if you had uploaded a bad gear on the korg volca drum just earlier today. I must've magically summoned this video somehow.
It's magic!!!
The school desk drum machine, hell yes. Need that pen cap for the sharp snare.
...and that nice vocal samples when you hit one of the other students;)
Hope you are putting out an album full of all the JAMz soon!
I hope so too;)
Love my volca drum. No clue what I'm doing with it and I can't make it sound like drums but god is it fun
Way to go!!!
sounds like how I'd be 😂 can't decide whether to take the chance ! How are you finding it now ?
As a proud Volca Drum owner, as a live instrument it's best used as a secondary device, to add more sounds and ambiance as a MIDI slave. With practice you can learn its fiddling better, and pop out beats in little time. Its strength is in using the randomizing, the waveguide and the parameter automation to variate and generate ideas on the fly mid-performance (you can also use the annoying menu encoder as a more tame randomizer). Its potentially experimental sound and swinging sync out make it a great part of a Eurorack system, too.
Another tip I'd give is, if you have it plugged into an analog desk, chances are that a generous boost on the lows will give it some of the analog juice it lacks. It works amazing in my Soundcraft Signature's EQ. And of course as with any Volca don't be afraid to add effects. Even though it has its own, an external rhythmic delay can be great. Bonus tip, get knob caps for sensitive parameters, especially pitch and waveguide pitch/time.
With that all said, I have to agree: We need a more confortable version of the same sound engine, so simple yet powerful and unique-sounding. This thing has some very cool Elektron Model vibes. Another one I think would benefit immensely from a grown-up makeover is the Volca Modular. I love it, but it's tiny and the patching is somewhat propietary, so you need two to really get proper "modular" with it.
In fewer words, the Volca Drum is a supercharged Volca but it's better used as just that, a Volca. It is a very good generative instrument when you get the hang of it. And it has many tricks that set it apart from a normal drum machine or groove device.
I think it was just a design study for the Drumlogue
@@AudioPilz then you can count me in for the list of people waiting for the Drumlogue.
finally a piece of gear that I own showcased in this channel... sounds very punchy but sometimes a bit sterile, I found that treating it with some plugs on the way in does wonders (saturation, filter)... the sequencer is very creative and flexible. I think it's a great unit.
Additional processing really does wonders!
Went looking for volca drum demos, this was the 3rd algo result. Absolutely not what I was looking for yet I immediately clicked. That’s how dope your stuff is ✌️
finally, all my synth are now covered by your show ❤️
Congrats!!!
Just ordered mine yesterday...stoked!
Nice!!!
Predator doing menu diving... afraid of blowing the whole machine up. Just pure genius, man!
Thank you!!!
I had one of these, don't know why I sold it! Its a really weird little box of experimental joy, and I mean that in the best possible way!
That Liminal Spaces Backrooms jam was awesome, and the video editing on it was totally on point. Smile on my face the whole time. That last jam is something I anticipate with every one of your videos.
Thank you!!!
I just began to work with Synths, but I really like the possibilities of these small Box.
Great vid, huge fan! Next to the FM 2, the Drum is the best volca to use as a sound module tethered to an editor or more capable sequencer. Editors are especially helpful for overcoming that limitation on saving patterns and kits. As long as you do all of your sound design and editing within the editor (or you're willing to go back and manually program all the parameters of a kit or a pattern into the editor), you can keep things backed up well enough. I think pajen figured out a way to dump the patterns and kits over sysex if you've done the MIDI out mod, but I've not tried it.
The drum isn't able to cover all the bases (as you said, beefy kicks and aggressive snares are a weak point) so I usually reserve it for glitchy and retro sounding hat and ride/crash sounds, and then pitched percussive boops like cheesy toms, cowbell and woodblock esque stuff. Hard panning and using a Y splitter lets me process my cymbals and my boops through entirely different signal chains - a great feature that I believe is unique to the sample and the drum.
Interesting to hear about the Pajen hack!!!
Damn I never thought of that panning trick, that's genius!
ok, Florian. I said you inspired me today, and this is the Bad Gear I went with. Volca Drum, Volca Kick, with a Behringer Crave. Modulation by Zig Zag, the coolest Chorus/vibrato pedal I've ever owned. Canadian made. Your inspiration is exactly what I needed today!
6:18 totally agree - it's a lot of drum power in a small box, some clear compromising here. I like mine for synthesising kicks and snares - for some reason I can always dial in something I like quite quickly rather than in a DAW.
Yeah, I'd love to have an ER-1 plugin in Live
Kicks and snares is all I like out of the Drum most of the time. I always felt that I couldn't do much with it and the sounds that can be had are too often not my cup of tea. Or I just never learned to get along with it, I don't know. I sold it after over a year with it.
As far as I am concerned one of your most beautiful videos!
❤️❤️❤️
When you're so early that UA-cam says "1 view". :D I liked the Drum when I played with it, let's see how it goes. :)
No "last time I was so early" jokes please;)
Lol mine still says 1 view yet there's 25 comments.
@@AudioPilz The last time I was this early, my parents... *explodes*
@@hiding_my_name You're right, guess UA-cam is borked again. :D
This jam slapped.
Good job bro!
Thank you!
I quite like these tiny instruments, both the Volcas and the Boutiques (though I must admit Roland lost me with the last few Boutiques).
Honestly, a drum machine of this size, at this price that is this versatile is just magic.
The snare meme with the blinded cat hits home so hard.
❤️❤️❤️
This is by far my favourite Volca, produces the weird and wacky sounds that can make a recording so much more interesting. I usually have mine hooked up to a Korg Kaoss Pad Quad to provide added oddness, and the Wave Guide (the 3 knob flux capacitor) should be standard on all Volca's... wait standard on every electronic musical device, everywhere for everyone :-) very nice episode.
Thanks! Certainly goes well with a Kaoss Pad!
Wave Guide is my favorite effect too. Do know you know something similar in other pedals/FX/VST?
@@knob_agency I am not clued up on VSTs as I have a dawless set-up. IMHO the Korg Kaoss Pad is a really great addition to any set up as it is tactile, easy to integrate and produces wacky results with ease.
As a beginner, this and the NTS-1 are my go-to combo for quick jams. Thank you for your content.
Thanks for watching!
This is my favorite volca, combined with the kick, it's a powerhouse.
Agreed!
The Everything Everywhere All at Once clip made almost made me spit out my cider! Interesting little box and credit where it's due for Korg making something different! HAPPY FRIDAY ALL! Great as ever Mr Pilz
Somebody please make the Volca bagpipe real
😀
Damn, you often give me something to think about. I've been tentatively looking for some easy and quick way of getting some weirder queaky percussive bits to add to my current drum machines and synths. Being lazy I hadn't found anything suitable, but I'd completely overlooked this. I think it may just be what I'm looking for.
Thanks! Time stretching acoustic sounds helps a lot too;)
@@AudioPilz Yeah I like that too. I use an Elektron Samples for a lot of the work on that one. Seems an easy way to use them on the fly.
Definitely give it a try! You can always get rid of it out into the used market if you don't like it. But it is a tool for eccentric drums. And it syncs over MIDI or clock sync so it's great for modular too, with its whacky sounds and per-step trigger chance.
Couldn't agree more! Especially when you want to change parameters you need to change it before you see on what level it is. If you want to play it chromatically you need to program all of the 6 slots with a different pitch note by copying the settings to them. But for the money it offers a lot more than competitors. We need a bigger version!
This could be the best Volca if it wasn't put in Volca format. Also - its sound, while being something quite original, wears off rather quickly.
Florian, you nailed this box in 110%. Yes, it's somewhat lost tribe of Electribe and yes, it totally sucks in live jam situations. Other than that - a stand out for some, a curio for the other.
Thanks! Waiting for the Drumlogue;)
@@AudioPilz Korg's already late to the party, all courtesy of Syntakt. But I still hope that the Drumlogue will see the light od the day...one day ;)
@@TheSciHi i mean the syntakt is 900 bucks, it's sort of the reason I don't have one and maybe never will. But it's the Elektron box for the lovers of the Cycles, and I am a lover of the Cycles T-T
@@jonpatchmodular Yeah, but it's what the Drumlogue will compete with now, if it will be released that is
One of your best videos yet, excellent!
Thank you!!!
the volca drum is the only volca I still use to this day. it's so easy to morph sounds between surprisingly good kicks snares hats toms etc -- and all on the fly. the delay is sick. FAT kicks.
And the step jump mode is perhaps one of the best live performance features on a drum machine I've ever seen, and can't fathom why it's not utilized on more machines. You simply press any steps you want and they are played in time with the sequencer, which meanwhile keeps its place in the sequence. This can work with steps which aren't active steps, or are rolls, etc. So much possibility in this thing. Best volca hands down.
I'd love to have the extra sequencer features in the Sample
I'm in a pretty bleh place in terms of mental health rn and binging this entire series is helping immensely lmao 🙌🏾 so glad I came back to these videos
Thank you so much!!! I feel you!!!
Magnesium will help and Nac tablets,and the gospel of Thomas.
I love the volcas for their simplicity - but like you said, I really wish they had a way to backup/restore.
That'd be great;)
There's someone who made solderless midi out kits for a couple of volcas, maybe there's one for this?
It's USB tribe, they have it for multiple other volcas but not the drum 😥
Love your videos. So much work in it. The combination with movie scenes, memes and video editing are fantastic and outstanding!
Thank you!!!
Is this entire series based on every synthesizer that I own and love? Yes, apparently it is 😂
I have to say, this episode's videoclip sections looked so amazing!! And the jams, great work! (even with that randomized burst haha) And I know you spent two days getting the iconic melody to play out of the Drum ;) Great work! Now I want the Volca Kick.
Thank you so much!!!
I’ve wanted one of these since they came out. It’s not so much a drum machine as it is a drum synth, and those aren’t so common.
Agreed!
I'm kind of inexperienced with synths and drum machines so as a beginner I am really enjoying what this has to offer. The amount of variety and control is impressive to me and the four-bar limitation bothers me much less than I thought it would.
One thing I have found I enjoy quite a bit is bringing the bpm down to 10 and using it more as a background pulse than a beat. Great for ambient stuff and the time-based paramaters (slice especially!) gives you a tremendous amount of versatility at that slow speed.
Nice technique!!!
I really liked Jam 2, very groovy rhythm.
Thank you!!!
Sheeeeit, this is a lot better than I thought. And 16 steps is all you need. No backup? No problem, I'd just make beats and then sample them.
Word!
This looks surprisingly fun for a device i dismissed purely because of the volca branding
Yes, this one is fun!
Same.
Pillzaddict here, great appraisal, totally spot on, I learned a lot as I don't own one, but as a LXR owner I love drum synths of which seem inherently digital.
Thank you so much!!!
Love mine but a more detailed control interface would certainly make it better!
Agreed!
Your final jam where you beef it up in the DAW may have convinced me to keep mine. Pros: Hefty sine wave sub-basses, natural-sounding wave guide resonance (like striking something in a room), parameter automation. Cons: "Dinky" upper mid-range and unnatural, not-very-pleasing, "wispy" high end (IMO).
Agreed!
Sonically, its closest comparison is probably Korg’s classic Electribes, but feel like a new instrument in its own right
Agreed!
I think the Volca Drum is suppossed to be an Elektron Machinedrum hommage.
Which is crazy, because I always wanted one as a kid, but years later I bought the Volca Drum as my first Volca unaware of that. Still somehow I was instantly drawn to it as the most interesting Volca to me.
And it has not disappointed.
One interessting feature is actually the combination of Slice and Choke Groups, which allows you to have for example a simple 4 on the floor beat on one step of the sequencer and other variations with triples or other polyrhythmic stuff from the Slice Menu on other steps. This will effectively extend the sequencer to 16 bars, but reduces your options to more simple beats. You just need to reduce the tempo drasticaly to make it work. :D But with a clock divider this might be a good way to get some more variation from its 16 step sequencer.
That second jam is helping me power through some egregiously bad software debugging at this very instant!
Thank you!!!
The ultimate minimal techno drum machine
Agreed!
Yeah it can be work to get the digital volcas to sound beefy without another slamming machine but the icy nature of these modules sound great in contrast with such. Excellent video and editing as usual!
Thank you!!!
Finale track is a jam. Any chance of a longer version?
Thanks! Full tracks on Patreon (end of plug;)
Lol such a good use of the predator clip for "menu diving"!
Thanks! You're in the know!
the editing is getting out of hand man, you either have stronger ADHD than me or just way too much time on your hands lol
keep em coming, easily the most underrated music channel on youtube right now!!
Thank you so much! The answer is: YES!
you can make some nasty 808 sub-bass drums with this bad boy lol
True that!
I was busy trying to guess if it was another Roland release or a volca this week. Did not disappoint.
Man. This machine had so much potential. For the price it’s crazy how much you’re getting. But the sounds just aren’t my favorite. I know the sounds are customizable but after listening to pretty much all UA-cam videos featuring it , I came to the conclusion I’m not a fan of the sound.
Even the ER-1 is more or less a love/hate thing
It's not a do everything machine. What it does it does very well. For me, that's evolving hats and the like. Nothing beats it frankly, save for something like a machinedrum. That's how I think of it, a mini machinedrum.
It helps if you start to think about it as a sound generator rather than a drum machine. Don't be fooled by what you see on UA-cam. It's like trying to find videos about guitar pedals processing other signals besides electric guitars or other string instruments. Sometimes you have to try it yourself, if possible. Reading the manual helps to understand what its capabilities are and trying to recreate it with what you have. But of course it has to have appeal to you. Know what you need. Have fun ;) Cheers
@@Francisco12G yup. Like I was trying to find someone, anyone, demonstrating the moog moogerfooger murf pedal on synths, barely found anything, but once I got one in my hands to get it to do what I though it could do for me, eureka!!! Most people by far are demoing the Volca Drum are trying to use it as a standalone drum machine, which it CAN do, but it's a sound design machine really, meant to be used with other gear. When the Volca Drum is freed up to concentrate on what it does well, rather than covering all the drum parts, it shines in a mix. Even pairing it with a Volca Sample adds sonics that the Volca Sample simply can't do. I've got a ton of high-end gear, but the little Volca Drum sees a lot of use.
I don't think you can make a decision on an instrument just by watching UA-cam videos. Too many people on YT just go for the obvious sounds and presets. To find an instrument's potential you really must own it and explore its full potential.
had no idea this volca is so much feature packed, it's easily most powerful volca from all ... wow ! Thanks for review !
Thanks for watching!
First
Beat me to it
Nice!!!
Only because you didn't watch the whole thing... err... first? ;-) lol
First video that made this thing appealing to me...like it would never be a main drum machine for me, but it could do some cool stuff for accents and adding some interesting sounds to a track
Thanks! Great secondary drum machine!
I absolutely love mine, and as you had said, it is fantastic for sample making, the random layer function is a very cool inspirational tool as well.
I've not really heard this in action before. Thank you for your honest review. I think I want one :)
Thanks for watching!
Drumlogue is such a great idea I can't believe I didn't think of it.
Volca Drum, is a nice little machine, well worth its price, in my opinion. The only feature I wish it had, was a way to slow parameter scrolling. Particularly for the waveguide resonator, It would make certain parameters a little easier to dial in, especially with these tiny potentiometers. A lot of other gear have this function where you hold down a shift button and it slows down the scrolling rate, I hope something like this could be added in a future update.
Yeah, it's a pity they didn't fully implement this engine in the drumlogue
Awesome video. Thank you for all of your videos. I was debating whether to buy this or not, but I really like the sounds coming out of this. Thank you, take care.
Happy to hear that, thanks!!!
Agree, agree, and agree.
This, the kick, and the og bass are my top 3 volcas.
Works great together with the kick
this is my favorite volca. gonna have to make an all-volca techno record soon.
Great for that!!!
Its more like Volca Quirk... i love it! Now waiting for the parcel😮
Both Jams are awesome, especially 1. Great show! Way to go!
Thank you!!!
I love my volca drum! One of my favorite things in my collection! I just love being able to synthesize my own drums
👍
Wow, that kick at the jam2 is sick
Kick is nice!!!
It's my favorite Volca and what inspired me to get a Cycles.
That's a classic synth addict career;)
he put the Predator's wrist bomb in there... quite the master of references!
Thank you!!!
I’ve always loved the idea of the Volca Drum. Looks great.
I'm still Team ER-1
@@AudioPilz I was looking at an ER1 and an EA1 for sale earlier today. Spooky.
when this was released, I sold my Korg sample and thought I would get a "Drum". Somehow, I decided to just not get one. While some may dispute if this is bad gear or not, this episode of bad gear proves my suspicions. It isn't that bad, but I don't really regret avoiding it. Thank you, Mr. Bad Gear!
Thanks for watching!!!
Well since all I own are Volcas and a Microfreak, you've covered my collection.
Nothing to be ashamed of;)
NGL every time i see one of the volca drum machines i think, thats pretty cool, but im so glad i have model:samples for that. I think your hands are about the size of mine, i admire your ability to tweak those tiny things lol
My hands are actually tiny;)
We learned a saying in the Army- “You can have it good, quick, or cheap. Pick any two.”
Wise words!
Good episode as usual! I would love to see you review the Roland D-20 Synth from 1988. It is multi timbral, has a sequencer and sounds thin, seems like the perfect review. Oh and they can be purchase for as low as 150 earth credits!
Thanks! There's a D-110 episode (which is pretty close I would say;)
I've waited for this one for so long. Just finished a spontaneous session with my volca drum and can't wait to hear why it's bad.
😀😀😀
One year later, this is probably my least used Volca. I'm all about simplicity, and having to remember how to menu dive the Volca drum is just annoying when trying to create a track. Yolo.
Love the multi-peek!