28 thoughts on “Music For 16 Korg Volca Keys

  1. I bought tue first 3 Volcas, and had a lot of fun with them. I sold them because I really don’t dig the sounds they make. I feel like I’m missing something considering how popular they

    1. ” I feel like I’m missing something considering how popular they”

      They’re popular because most people can afford a $160 synth, but that’s about it.

      It’s hard to imagine anyone choosing a Volca if they could afford a full synth.

  2. I bought tue first 3 Volcas, and had a lot of fun with them. I sold them because I really don’t dig the sounds they make. I feel like I’m missing something considering how popular they are. Am I alone in this?

  3. Given an infinite length of time, a chimpanzee punching at random on a Volca Keys would almost surely produce something recognisable as music.

  4. Good times and fun sounds (if a little on the muddy side) but with that many Volca Keys I would love to have heard a few of them multed together as a single poly (vs para) or big-ass-mono. With a switcher and MIDI controller (to control the notes+knobs of 2 or more at once) it’d doable.

    If these dudes ever do it again, I’d like to see them do something like:

    4 for drums
    4 for pads (volca per note)
    4 for arps/noises
    2 for lead A (multed so 2x OSC)
    2 for lead B

    And explore the set up by making a few little songs instead of a big singular jam.

    The Volca Keys is ‘the’ Volca if you ask me (you didn’t, I know). The paraphony and flux stuff are great and you can get a surprising number of sounds out of the thing. It definitely comes into its own for me with an external MIDI controller for human sized keys (and recording automation to a secondary sequencer). Put together into a an actual poly could be really impressive.

    I like mine enough that I sometimes think about getting two more and a mono-switcher for 3 note polyphony in all modes (and 3 voice + 6 voice paraphonic in the main mode). If you like the sound of the thing, that’s an awful lot of analog voices for ~$450 (with a sequencer/motion recorder per voice no less). I’m not inspired enough to go drop the money on the experiment but these guys have access to enough that they could show us first.

  5. You could get a really nice synth for the price of sixteen Volcas. This was kind of cool though, there’s something artistic about excessive minimalism, if that makes sense. More effects could’ve helped the different parts stand out from each other better.

    1. you are not listening. how can you compare those videos, a chimp randomly banging on the volcas could do the stuff from the volca video.

  6. I’m impressed, sounded good, it’s hard not to get too cluttered when trying to use lots of tiny boxes.

    I sold my Volca Keys and Bass, but I think the Beats is one of the best drum machines available at any price. Same with the Monotribe. Analog Four, Tempest, MFB 522, LXR, all have come and gone while the Beats and Monotribe just absolutely triumph as instruments built for live performance. They pair very well with the modular and SH-101 as well.

  7. I think the Volca Beats has a lousy snaresound… (If you not modificate it)
    I used to have all 3 of them but sold the drums because of the lack of clarity in the snaresound.
    the bass and keys are really cool and for that price you can’t say a word… nice little noisemakers…
    this 16 volca keys video is a little bit too random for my taste… not to spectacular …

    1. The snare circuit is missing a capacitor due to a freak brainfart by Korg! Easy fix and sounds great!

      Search ‘Darren Glen Volca Snare Fix’!

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