52 thoughts on “Korg Volca FM Now Official, Here Are The Details”

1. Man…..if only they would make these with a 64 step sequencer. Then it would be perfect for pairing with an Elektron Rytm.
   Anyone know if you can chain the patterns?

   1. From the website:
      “the pattern chain function lets you connect multiple sequence patterns for successive playback, making it possible to construct large-scale developments of 32, 64, or even 256 steps by joining up to 16 sequences.”

   2. It says “pattern chain” under controls in the specifications list. You can use song mode on the sample to chain patterns. It prbably works the same way on the FM

      1. Plus, you can run the sequencer at 1/2 or 1/4 of the BPM…but it seems like there is no “flux” (non quantized) mode like in the Keys…Maybe will set on automatically?. I also wonder if the arpeggiator will also run slower…I hope not, so you could record long chord progressions and still use the arp to play them in 32ths or whatever.

   3. Cute, but I’ll just stick my Reface DX…

      1. Where? 😀

2. Yes! The 16 steps are the main limitation on my Volca Bass. And the only reason I’d think of selling it.

   1. funny thing is – I actually never use the sequencer on the volca bass – and I only use it on the keys for motion control. I use them as cheap battery powered analog synths controlled via the 5 pin

      1. me too, mine is on the machinedrum via midi and feeds back in the machinedrums audio in.
         perfect little setup

         1. Me too! I have my machinedrum sequencing the volca bass and volca sample. Great setup.

3. It’s weird to call out the Electric Piano sound when there are only three voices on the synth. Synth bass? Sure, that works.

4. I will buy it.

5. So you could theoretically create patches on a softsynth that is also compatible with the DX7 patches and export those onto the Volca!?

   1. yes

   2. yes

   3. what a great idea!!

      i guess fm8 can do that?

      1. I’m not sure about FM8, but my hunch is that Dexed would be the better fit for volca FM patch creation.

6. According to the official manual there is a chain mode available.
   ‘CHAIN function
   Multiple saved sequences can be linked together to create a longer and more
   interesting performance. Hold down the MEMORY button, and using the 1–16
   buttons in which sequences have been saved, specify the range of sequences that you
   want to play; the sequences in that range will play back consecutively.’

   1. I hope there’ll be a firmware update for the Volca Bass, to enable pattern chaining!

7. ‘All music creators since 1980’ have ‘loved’ the DX7’s piano and bass sounds. Wow. All of them!? That’s a lot of music creators! I hope the rest of Korg’s press release is more accurate than this nugget of hypeballs.

   1. look, if you don’t love it maybe you just aren’t trying hard enough to create stuff.

   2. Despite kind promotional buzzwords, quite half of the 80s charts had tracks with mandatory iconic DX7 + Linndrum combo… Not that completely exagerated…

8. Who cares about the marketing blabla. I like the concept of the volca fm and the sound. Curious if we see in future more great volca releases. I could imagine volca chiptune, volca wave, volca formant, volca modular, volca modelling…

   1. dude I would be all over a volca chiptune, modular and formant (though you will prolly be able to get a lot of the formants’ sounds out of the fm with some tweaking)

      1. volca chiptune would be amazeballs.

         1. if they do a chiptune – one thing that I would love that gets overlooked in the move from tracker to software/hardware is a per step parameter change for things like wave shape –

   2. Volca chip tune! Great idea! Yes please!

   3. Volca Wave? As in Wavestation? That would be amazing, especially if it kept the same price point.

9. My first Volca! Come here, baby!

10. I actually just broke out my dx200 last night after a long rest for it – you forget how powerful a manually controlled FM synth is for soundscapes – I am really looking forward to this one as long is it is in the same price range as the other volcas as I expect.

11. Can I be the first to whine about the 3 note polyphony? How can I play the Doogie Howser theme with only three notes!

12. 3 voice polyphony!

13. Might still get this even though I recently bought a Yamaha FB01 and a TG77. This will likely more than the $65 bucks I paid for the FB01 and less polyphony. TG77 on the other hand is an FM dream synth. Also the FB01 crushes my TX81Z. No output noise at all.

    1. I love my FB-01 too. I like the way this sounds. I like it best of the Volca synths so far.

    2. yes, well FB-01 is 8 voice/8 instrument! it can stack instruments in all kinds of cool ways. also has two outputs.

       The Volca is exciting though. I hope it results in plenty of fresh new DX7 patches.

14. whats next?
    xm

    1. Next? Let me guess:
       Virtual analog.

       1. or a string orchestra

          or mini ms20 with mini patchbay

       2. no i was wrong it will be wavetable.
          thats the most simple digital synth anyway, and it can be pretty powerful if you add user-wave import.

          I would like to have a simple analog “synthstudio” based on four monotrons and a noise generator each, and a quality stepsequencer.

          so that starters could really “learn” how to build a kickdrum before using it in a beat.

          some kind of micro modular with a small patchbay.

    2. Volca M1 with a resonant filter? pls Korg…

       1. DX Synths did not have it, why should Volca..?
          I rather have it true to original DX and have access to thousands of original DX sounds instead 😉

15. Nice, just a shame that Korg once again forgot to add Midi-out. So its useless in a complex system.

16. Price appears to be $159.99 pre-order at Sweetwater.

    http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VolcaFM

17. It really is a shame that they didn’t go with blue leds for it, as I feel the red and turquoise is kind of jarring. Will still get one though:D

    1. Maybe it’s supposed to be jarring.

       Or even canning?

       1. Touché:)

18. great time for FM 😉

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1304489933/opa-multitimbral-fm-synthesizer-shield-for-arduino
    https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2016/03/01/op%C2%B7a-a-multitimbral-fm-synthesizer-shield-for-arduino/

    4 OPs but this one has
    10 voice polyphony
    8 simultaneous instruments (multi)
    for about 50$.
    No seq but you can create one on the arduino and you already have a PC/MAC editor.

19. They are going to sell truckloads of these.

    I wish:
    * Flux mode for the sequencer
    * Some clever way to put two together to get 6 voices without relying on a third party tool like Polymer.

20. I wonder if the menu dive stuff will be controllable via sysex and if those changes can be motion recorded.

21. does anyone know if there will be the possibillity to map the parameters that can just accessed through the menu to midi cc?
    pitch paramters would be very welcome

22. i want SWING in a volca!!!
    till now only the volca sample has it….

23. I would wish for some way of getting MIDI data OUT of the device (sysex patches, MIDI sync, sequences, real-time parameters etc.). I have the Volca Bass, which is a fun machine to play around with, so I know that space is limited in the Volca series. However, if the MIDI jack could be changed to MIDI OUT in software (e.g. via a software update) this could be a solution to the problem. I have seen other devices having a MIDI IN port doubling as MIDI OUT. I Know that, at present, there is no hardware support for MIDI OUT in the Volca series, but KORG should consider adding it in the future.

    Still, I await this machine with exitement.