KORGvolca Beats - Analogue Rhythm Drum Machine Synthesizer

If you like analogue electronic music and you can't afford a "big" synth, then this is for you. I bought this one to complete my set of three Volcas, which also include the Volca Keys and Beats. These are extremely smartly designed instruments which will appeal to a wide audience. I like my 1980 electronic music and it only took minutes to get some superb pads, arpeggios and other wonderful sounds from these synths. Always been a real Korg fan, but never though I would be able to own three new Korgs for less than £350!What stands out for me on the Volca Bass is the ease by which you can make some great basslines in a matter of minutes. The 3 VCO setup is extremely clever. If you use the built in sequencer you can either create monophonic sequences using all three VCOs in unison (and detune them separately up to one octave up or down), or you can use two in unison and one as a separate voice or indeed programme 3 tone polyphonic sequences using each VCO for a separate part. By using the mute function you can then quickly switch parts on or off creating a lot of effect with just the one sequence in your performance. I also really like the way how you can set the destination of both the envelope generator and LFOs to control volume, filter cutoff and in case of the LFO also the pitch (of all three VCOs). The LED readout is extremely handy when you need to tune your VCOs, set the tempo or octave.Only thing you need to keep in mind, you do need to know a bit about synthesizers before you can really get the best out of these Volca's but it should not take a beginner long to understand how everything works. The instructions are limited, but there is plenty of information and videos on the internet to get you going.

I have several Volcas, and this one is one of the best; the range of sounds available is excellent, and most are usable! I do wish Korg would make them easier to use with other equipment - you can trigger notes over Midi for instance but you have to stop the sequencer manually each time you start the master device or the Volca will do it's own thing! Overall however, they are a reasonably priced, fun and easy way to expand your sound making, and I would highly recommend to beginners who fancy having a go at making electronic music. This machine can generate some excellent grooves/ rhythm tracks and is very tweakable (all Volcas are!). It has made such good sounds I have samples to put into my main drum machine to get around the problem above; you lose the live playability but is much easier in the studio. This may not be the best 1st drum machine (it could be, it depends what you want to do!), but is a worthwhile addition to any set up to add some variations/ fills etc. and help with ideas. Paired with the Volca Bass it could do your rhythm section.; then Volca Keys for chords, Volca FM for melody, chords or more bass, you may get hooked.....

I purchased this and the Korg Volca Sample. You need to read the instructions, which seem limited but if you take the time to read them will help a lot. I use this to generate loops to use inside of Logic Pro, Reason and Ableton Live. Its a great sounding synth which DOES take a little time to experiment with to get the most out of. You can use the supplied mini jack to sync this to other Volca devices. It syncs nice over MIDI too - it will start and stop when it receives MIDI clock. The output is noisy, but it is an analog (budget) synth so this is to be expected. Too many people moan about what it hasn't got - MIDI out (only IN), no USB, 1/4 outs (it has minijack outs), limited memory - 8 patterns etc. But FORGET all that. Its cheap, and limitations are good. Buy one, sample it and enjoy the fat analog sound. Oh and heres a tip for you. Although it only has 8 memory slots for the sounds / patterns, each pattern can have a "Motion Sequence" recorded with it. You can turn the motion sequence off if you want, so you can its like having the ability to have 16 patterns stored. The motion sequence records knob movements to modify the sound. This can radically change the sound and feel of the sequence, so its worth exploring. Also the "Active Step" function turns steps of a sequence of and on, generating new rhythms / patterns. I've fired it up with the intention of having just 5 minutes on it. Only to see I've been on it for an hour or more. Great job Korg.Finally speedy delivery - next day in fact.