Korg AudioPocket Sampler (Sneak Preview)

Korg today officially introduced AudioPocket – an audio sampler for iOS that’s designed for capturing samples for use with the recently announced Volca Sample

The Volca Sample – the latest member of the Volca line – is a sample mangler, playback device & sequencer. To keep costs down, though, it doesn’t not have built-in sampling capabilities. Instead, samples are managed using the AudioPocket app.

The need for an audio sampling app has been the most divisive aspect of the new Volca Sample. For musicians that don’t use iOS, the Volca Sample is limited to playing the default samples. There’s no word yet from Korg on whether AudioPocket will be available for other platforms.

AudioPocket is ‘coming soon’. More information on the Volca Sample is available at the Korg site.

32 thoughts on “Korg AudioPocket Sampler (Sneak Preview)

  1. Judging by the fact the that the data is transmitted via dial up like audio signals, this should be fairly easy to replicate I would imagine. It would be crazy if korg didn’t come up with a universal app or tool (iOS, android, mac, pc) but if that where to happen I can definitely see a 3rd party doing it.

    I actually like how primitive the transfer method is because there will always be audio, making these things still usable and reverse engineerable in say 20-30 years. I was concerned it was going to be something like bluetooth or wifi and going that route would guarantee its obsolescence at some point. That really makes the difference between it being an iOS accessory or its own instrument.

    1. as long as they did not take steps to obfuscate the file transfers, i feel it is only a matter of time for regular computers to be able to load samples into the volca. silly if they try to lock it to ios only though, i hope not

      1. I agree, and with all of the consumer pleasing decisions they are making not to mention, diyish kits like the ms 20 full size and little bits, as well as how hackable all the little analog boxes are, it seems in their nature at this point to, if not support, at least not stand in the way of people hacking this.

      2. Looks like they are sending data over a standard 3.5 mm cable. Shouldn’t be that hard to sniff, and I can’t believe that they are going to go through the effort of encryption. Should be an unofficial Windows version in a couple of months after release.

    2. Reminds me of how presets are transmitted to poly six and other old korg synths of the early eighties. But they were sysex files essentially transmitted not unlike a fax does down a telephone line. Sending an audio file I’d imagine would take a lot longer?

      Just total speculation about the process. Fax sends image by audio, synths send digital presets by audio, now audio being sent as digital file as audio?

    3. The same method is used to update the operating systems for the monotribe, and the volca line- through the dial up audio input. I was amazed when I updated the monotribe through the sync input, and after a fax machine garble of tones bombarded the synth, new features like sample and hold, extra steps were added. I think it’s worth noting that this technology was used on vintage synths as the cassette save/ load feature. Non Apple folks ought not despair for too long, Korg generally pays attention to forums and seems to address complaints these days, a practice I wish all manufacturers would follow. It wouldn’t require too much effort for them to create a code that tells your volca sampler which phone or system you are using to communicate with it.

    4. Who knows, the input for the sample data may eventually be able to receive audio for sampling after a software update. Look at the monotribe- the sync in receives sync pulses, is used for receiving OS update data, and after the second update also receives cv/ gate, so it’s possible that the data input could be set up to serve several roles, but they aren’t implemented yet. Future OS updates may bring all kinds of awesome.

  2. This volca sample is crap, and apple and korg must have a contract for exclusive rights regarding the sampling method and iOS which means don’t be naive, there will not be an android version or any other but iOS…if you can’t afford a Roland Sp 404 at $400, there is always the akai mpx-16 for $200, and both accept analogue audio input for recording samples…which wouldn’t be very expensive for korg to include in the volca sample, instead or as well as the iOS transfer method.

    1. Wow, you are quite the knob if you actually believe this. I have an SP-404 and like it, but it isn’t the same type of device, doesn’t really do anything on the fly and definitely does not function as a drum machine.

  3. This is b.s.
    An analogue audio input for sampling is not expensive! The akai mpx-16 has it and it costs $199! The akai also has proper good trigger pads and editing/mangling fx.
    Korg must have a contract with apple to only use iOS and that means there won’t be any other 3rd party apps…and it’s why they didn’t include a simple audio input, so anyone who wants a volca sample must buy an iPhone or iPod touch. Commercial traps suck!

  4. Ha ha ha! This is crazy retro cool doing audio FSK modulation to upload samples.

    YES! It makes no sense!

    YES! It is hopelessly bizarre and retro!

    YES! It reminds me of the Atari and Commodore days.

    Is anyone so naive or silly to thing that brilliant designer Tatsuya Takahashi did not make these strange choices intentionally?

    Hopefully not!

    This is pretty damn cool, and is a really interesting little sampler with some features not seen before.

    At the hardware price point, and battery power over time, can the device support a powerful CPU that can host a full fledged sampling application with great usability?

    Of course not! Doh! Don’t be naive, puhlease.

    Android apps coming? Probably so. iOS has 95% of the serious music market. No disrespect to the 1%. But it makes economic and market sense to hit the iOS musicians first. It would be foolish and suicidal to hit Android first. Just got to be patient if an Android musician looking for the latest and greatest.

    So this is another cool thing by Korg, and props to them for the freedom they allow Takahashi to let his freak flag fly.

    And if it’s not a right fit, no problem, there are lots of other samplers out there.

  5. This is fascinating. Agree that this is definitely intentional and wonder if this was a controversial decision simply to get people talking or not..? Either way, it seems to be working and getting quite a bit of attention,d my thoughts are that it is quite tempting as some light relief from the Octatrack!

    For anyone who hasn’t got an iOS device, I would highly recommend buying a cheap second hand device, or maybe borrowing one, and trying it. If you really don’t like it you’re not going to lose much if you sell it again in a month or two.

  6. KORG is hitting it big time! I hope I could use the iOS app just as a field recorder, as I don’t plan on buying the Volca Sampler. The company is really letting their designers/engineers have freedom to come up with all their products it seems. They have the entry level stuff which is a big hit, they have damn good softsynths with their legacy stuff (and the old ms-20 controller with which I am lucky enough to have), they did that Oasys thing a while back (damn, something like 10 years hasn’t it been?), now their doing the analog thing and the DIY/hacker thing, KORG appeals to a wide audience and not with shoddy stuff at all. Come to think of it, Korg has been brave enough to go full steam ahead with innovation since, well, forever. Whether a hit or miss: M1 (workstation), Trinity (touchscreen), Kaoss (touch performance), Electribes (tube warmth), Karma (Kay algorithmic thingy), an expanded family of mini: VA/16 part multitimbral synths/the latest smattering of small format real-life gadgets, the astounding Gadgets app…countless other stuff. And people respond it to, quite positively mind you. KORG is future-retro, KORG is forward-thinking, KORG isn’t resting on its laurels.
    Hell, I praise KORG, don’t I? On the flipside, I have been in the market for a workstation and although I want to get a KORG, their current line up falls against my other consideration: Yamaha (in the workstation department). One thing the current KORG workstation line up suffers from (especially with the Kronos) are shoddy-ass construction. Those faders on the Kronos, in particular, are absolute trash.
    So, you see, they are to be praised and encouraged with user input when deserved, chided and constructively criticized when needed just as well.

  7. This is lame. Another toy to use for a couple of days only to end up in the junk draw. Go buy a used iPad mini and load Samplr on it.

    1. Specs:
      31.25kHZ, 16-bit sampling
      4MB of sample size (65 seconds)
      100 user sample slots
      8-note polyphony
      10 parts, 16 patterns, chain able into 16-pattern sequences and 6 songs

  8. This is getting more awesome by the day!
    The ‘I’m not getting it if it’s ios’ is boring, stop paying attention to the brand ‘apple’ and pay attention to what you can actually do with the device musically and the wealth of well supported apps and communities that go with them.

    So glad I preordered this!

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