Volca Bass

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've got the Volca bug. I love them. Within 4 weeks during the lockdown, I had purchased 6 of them, including a stand, effects and a mixer. I have the Modular, Sample, Keys, FM, NuBass and Bass. The FM is my favourite but it does something quite different from the Volca bass which is great in its own right. I use the Volca Bass (thus far) to provide the buzzy undertones and breaks to upbeat dance music. It works awesomely as backing to the FM on top of a simple beat. The prominent feature is this is has 3 oscillators which can be utilized independently (with their own melody), or two together and one single, or all together for a rich, deep sound. When the oscillators are grouped it makes a richer sound and you have the ability to detune each too. This helps to create a little bit more depth and effect. Controls are fairly simple and even if you don't know much about synths, you'll understand what each feature does just by ear. It's important that you remember that the Function + Keys turn features on and off though. For detailed learning I would recommend Tony Horgans ebook. Another unique feature of the bass is the 'Slide' function which allows you to specify which notes slid into each other. Imagine a slide on a guitar. It also sounds a bit like a record scratching in some situations. Each one of the VCOs (oscillators) have Saw and Square waves to choose form and the LFO (low frequency oscillator) has a triangle and square wave option. These can be changed via function button and the corresponding keys. There's also a Sustain feature which holds the notes for a fraction longer. In my video which I posted, I'm only using 3 patterns (with slide effects) which I programmed and saved. I 'dance' between them using the memory button (and corresponding key). The FM is providing the lead, the sample the beat and the Keys the later pulse. If you're looking for the first Volca to buy, I think this one is definitely a candidate! It doesn't only produce low 'bass' sounds but high pitched sounds too, It's very versatile. I would however insist that it's paired with the FM or Sample - or ideally both! Careful though. These things are addictive! Thoroughly Recommended!

This Volca Bass is great fun. The three oscillators can be sequenced separately so you can create complex interweaving melodies or moving three notes chords whilst adjusting the various settings. I pair it with a Volca Drum and together they sound excellent. Highly recommended.

Edit: FOBKAC. Fault Occuring Between Keyboard And Chair! Hold the Power button for a moment to turn on / off. Sounds great through external speakers etc, internal speaker is ok for quick ideas, but can't cope with lower frequencies. Looks cheap but feels sturdy as hell, ironically like a stylophobe on acid! So far, no good, does not power on with included batteries, or with a 9v adaptor. Will update as & when, disappointed though 😭

I love this volca. I have very little experience with synthesisers and keyboards, I play guitar, but I got to grips with making some tunes pretty quickly. It is very versatile, able to make great baselines and can also be used for higher frequency sounds. Plenty of videos online on getting setup etc and there is an active volca community. Be warned, these little boxes are very addictive, I bought a sample 2 soon after this and plan on getting a keys and drum soon.

This was an impulse buy on Amazon Warehouse (AW) on a bitterly cold night in early February, an evening when I had had a few too many glasses of wine. I was vaguely aware of the Korg Volca series, in that I had seen a few negative or neutral comments about them on various music forums, but I hadn't listened to any audio demos or watched any YouTube demonstration videos. Honestly, these tiny boxes had never appealed, as I like my synths with keys or something I can put in a rack and MIDI up to my rig. So when this popped up on AW in a "Used-Acceptable condition for what seemed to be nearly 50% off the retail price, I thought, well, if I don't like it, I can sell it on for a profit. I'm glad I did. I love this little box, and it looked absolutely brand new in the box when it arrived. Go figure. I like it more than my Pro-1 monosynth -- I think the Volca Bass sounds better than most of my keyboards, with the exception of my Korg Radias. I mean to say, the Volca Bass is fat sounding, and oh!!! it has that distorted squeal that is very similar to a Roland TB-303 (or the Behringer clone). The filter resonance (peak knob) on this wee thing self-oscillates, so if you're looking to do a bit of Daft Punk or Chemical Brothers-style late 90s and early 00s techno work, this little guy can do it, and do it very nicely. Let's get the cons out of the way: The speaker is rubbish. I get why Korg put it there, but the speaker doesn't have the range to actually hear what all the glorious goodness this synth can make. Tip: Use headphones if you're going portable with this. Otherwise, hook it up to your mixer / monitoring system / amp. The MIDI implementation is good, but you can't modulate the filter via MIDI. What???!!! Why not, Korg? What are you thinking? Sigh... So, you must use the Volca Bass's filter knob in real-time. Also, no MIDI out, but it is possible to modify the unit so that it can do MIDI out, so at least there's that option for the hardcore modders. Pattern storage is limited to 8 memory slots. You will use those up quickly, and then you'll have to decide on which patterns to get rid of for later sessions. Also, there is no pattern chaining, so you must manually change patterns in real time, and you will need to do that in perfect sync as there is also no "wait to change pattern" functionality. If you're sequencing a pattern, know that the filter knob adjustments do not get recorded. The octave knob's movements will be recorded, however. On the other hand, it is possible to create 24 patterns when in individual three-osc mode, and with a bit of clever muting, you can probably do quite a bit with that. The smaller, clear knobs ... it's sometimes difficult to see what their positions are. Also, when I reach for the tempo or the EG attack knobs at the top center/left of the unit, I often accidentally brush the big filter knob. No noise oscillator... that's a shame. But not a deal breaker... So them's me cons. On the the pros: Three very stable analog VCOs (digitally tuned for stability, but these bad boys are definitely analog oscillators), any of which can be a Saw or Square wave. You have the options of three independent VCOs, two stacked together, or all three stacked together. There is also a tuning knob for each VCO, so you're able to create a very thick and fat super saw sound. Note range can be adjusted per voice but only if you are sequencing a pattern. Otherwise, all three VCOs will change depending on where the octave knob is set. The playing surface (ribbon?) is really responsive to touch and it's fun to play and slide around on it, but it is important to note that the playing surface is not velocity sensitive. The Volca Bass responds to velocity when connected to MIDI controller, though. Keep that in mind if you want to get the most you can out of this tiny box of joy. It took me a few minutes to work out what the deal was with the black and gold "keys." Tip: The gold keys are the black keys on a keyboard. The rest are the white keys. The lowest note on the surface is an "A". Maybe an "E" would have been better, which is the lowest note on a bass guitar, but from keyboard perspective I suppose it makes sense (an 88-key keyboard's first note is an A.) The filter on this insanely good. I read somewhere that it's based on a Korg 700s filter. I dunno if it is or not. And I don't care. I really like a lot. The envelope seems limited, but it actually has two modes and it is perfectly serviceable. One mode with no sustain segment, just an attack and delay, which is superb for punchy bass tones, and the second mode is with a sustain feature, which is great for more synthy sounds and self-oscillating the filter rez. These modes are switched by holding down the function button and pressing the number 11 key marked Sustain. Pattern sequencing is quick, if not a bit imprecise when doing it in real time. There is some sort of quantization going on, which can be distressing if your timing is off. I much prefer to sequence a pattern in Step Rec mode. Speaking of modes, the Active Step mode is useful and fun. At the moment, I tend to use a Beat Step Pro to sequence more complex patterns. Other times, I will set up a zone on my workstation to play the Volca Bass via MIDI in real time. I'll even swipe at the playing surface from time to time when playing other synths. You'll definitely want to put some effects in the signal chain, such as pedals or some other multi-fx unit, as the dry sound may be a bit in your face. But even dry, it can sit in a mix at low volumes. All in all, I'm really impressed by the sound of the Volca Bass. I had no idea that I was missing this in my life, and I'm glad I bought it. I'm now considering selling my Pro-1, as I have had that turned off since the beginning of February when the Volca arrived and I don't need two monosynths which cover the same sonic terrority. For its size, it's a little powerhouse in a tiny, tiny box. Could the UI (knobs), memory storage and MIDI implementation be improved? Sure, those could be better, but if you can snag one of these for $100 or less, it's definitely worth it.

O Korg Volca Bass supera em muito aquilo que se espera de uma máquina de baixos sintetizados analógicos. Com três osciladores e outros recursos , é possível compor melodias expressivas e fazer sobreposições harmônicas. Excelente! Fica com um som ainda mais bonito se for ligado em uma mesa com reverb e delay para ambientação "espacial". O ponto fraco é o auto-falante interno. Muito ruim, mas é melhor do que nada se você estiver fissurado para trabalhar com a máquina e não tiver bons fones de ouvido.

Buena relación calidad-precio. Toda la carcasa es plástica. Tiene buen sonido. Es muy útil que tenga tres osciladores, pueden ser usados y modificados de manera independiente. Es divertido. Busquen reseñas en YouTube.

Using it with battery or power suppy (i recommend getting the power suppy sold seperately) it is quite addictive. Great analog Bass sound and very portable. Thinking about also getting the Keys and Beats.

I have been eyeing to get one since ages but wasn’t sure of diving into the world of analogs from the comfort of digital machines. But i am glad to have made this choice and to start with a bass generator initially. The sound is massive and with a few tweaks it evolves in its own might. One of my fav equipment and i cant wait to connect it with other analogs to experiment more ~ Ishan Mukherjee Music