Pricing and availability
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Reviews
Price
Average Price: $144
Budget/Beginner
$150
$601+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
Price History
Based on price data from 7 merchants for "Korg Volca Drum". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Meet the Korg Volca Drum Digital Percussion Synthesizer, a unique addition to your drum kit. This synthesizer is more than just a rhythm machine, it's a full-fledged sonic laboratory. Built with a 6-part, two-layer synth engine, it's designed to generate a broad spectrum of sounds. From digital percussion sounds through analog modeling to unexpected, distinctive sounds, the Korg Volca Drum ensures your rhythms are anything but ordinary.
The waveguide resonator effect breathes life into your sounds, emulating the resonance of pipes, drums, or strings. This effect, coupled with wavefolding and overdrive, allows for rich sound design and live performance control.
The Korg Volca Drum is also fitted with a 16-step sequencer, designed to excel in improvisation. It empowers you to easily construct patterns with 16 buttons and chain multiple patterns for up to 256 steps.
The compact and battery-powered design, topped with a built-in speaker, means you can create and play anywhere. Its high-quality feel, custom LCD for visibility, and easy learning makes it a must-have for any musician.
Key Features:
- 6-part drum synth module with 2 layers per part
- DSP engine for deep creative potential
- Waveguide resonator brings the sounds to life
- 16-step sequencer for improvisation
- Compact, battery-powered design with built-in speaker
- Custom LCD for visibility and easy learning
- MIDI In and Sync I/O for integrating with your synth rig and other Volcas
- Powerful randomize function for creating unique sounds and sequences
- Accent function for nuanced drum patterns
- Slice function for adding drumrolls to any pattern step
Owner's manual
Korg Volca Drum User ManualProduct specs
| Type | Drum Synthesizer with Sequencer |
| Pads | 16 x Multi-touch Keys |
| Sounds | 6-parts, Dual Layered |
| Polyphony | 6 Notes |
| Kits | 16 (10 factory) |
| Patterns | 16 |
| Sequencer | 16-steps, 6-parts, Realtime Recording, Motion Sequences |
| Effects | Overdrive, Resonator |
| Headphones | 1 x 1/8" |
| MIDI I/O | In |
| Other I/O | 2 x 1/8" (sync in/out) |
| Power Source | 9V DC power supply (sold separately) / 6 x AA batteries (Alkaline, NiMH) |
| Height | 1.54" |
| Width | 7.61" |
| Depth | 4.54" |
| Weight | 0.75 lbs. |
FAQs
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How does the Korg Volca Drum generate its sounds?
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The Korg Volca Drum uses a digital percussion synthesizer engine with a 6-part, dual-layered DSP structure, allowing for a wide range of unique drum and synth sounds.
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Can the Korg Volca Drum be powered by batteries?
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Yes, the Korg Volca Drum can be powered by 6 AA batteries, making it portable for on-the-go music creation.
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What kind of connectivity options does the Korg Volca Drum offer?
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The Korg Volca Drum features MIDI input, as well as sync in/out jacks for connecting with other Volca units or external gear.
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Is the Korg Volca Drum suitable for live performances?
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Yes, with its 16-step sequencer, real-time recording, and motion sequences, the Korg Volca Drum is well-suited for dynamic live performances.
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Does the Korg Volca Drum include built-in effects?
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The Korg Volca Drum includes built-in overdrive and resonator effects, allowing for further sound customization and enhancement.
Videos
Absolute Music
Korg Volca Drum Demo
Korg Volca Drum Demo
Absolute Music
Korg Volca Drum Mega Tutorial
True Cuckoo
KORG volca drum - Features
Korg
Korg Volca Drum Digital Percussion Synthesizer | Reverb Demo Video
Reverb
The BEST Volca yet? (Volca Drum review)
Woochia - Charly Sauret
Bad Gear - Korg Volca Drum
AudioPilz
Korg Volca Drum Sound Demo | No talking. No FX.
littleBIGsynths / Mod Maquina
KORG Volca Drum: Performance Demo
Noisegate
Korg Volca Beats versus Korg Volca Drum - and the winner is ...
Synthesaurus Rex
Reviews
PROS
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Deep sound design capabilities with two layers and multiple sound shaping parameters
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Unique sonic range, from analog-like blips to noisy distortions
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Offers a fun and engaging interface for tweaking and live performance
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Six-part sequencing with the ability to chain patterns for complex compositions
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Built-in speaker adds convenience for on-the-go use
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Solid build quality and great value for the price
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Waveguide effect provides interesting delay/repeat/echo possibilities
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Compact and portable, suitable for mobile music making
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Inspires creativity, especially for unconventional percussion sections
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Can produce a wide variety of sounds, including powerful bass drums
CONS
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Learning curve due to complex interface and button combos
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Small screen and menu diving can make programming challenging
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Some settings are not immediately intuitive and require manual reference
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Lack of a standard jack output may inconvenience some users
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Limited to a 16-step sequencer, though chaining sequences is possible
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One negative review mentions dissatisfaction with sound variety, mainly echo and delay effects
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Korg Volca Drum.
Features and functionality
User experience
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Some users find the Volca Drum lacks immediacy in creating cohesive drum sounds due to shared engine parts, requiring practice to achieve desired sounds.
Source -
Some owners find the Volca Drum's sounds lack variety, describing them as 'same-y,' particularly for traditional drum roles like kicks and snares.
Source
Software and compatibility
Use cases and applications
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The Volca Drum is valued for its ability to model analogue sounds affordably, making it suitable for generative music with its probability settings.
Source -
The Volca Drum excels when embraced for IDM and experimental music, especially when using its two-sound-per-voice capability for sound design.
Source
Value and pricing
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The Volca series is praised for being compact, portable, affordable, and linkable, providing a fun and accessible entry into drum machines.
Source
Comparisons
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The Volca Drum is noted to be more powerful for shaping unique sounds than the Volca Beats, which has a simpler sound design approach.
Source
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 17 Ratings
569
Hard to use but rewarding
I love the design, good quality build with a lot of options to design your sound, The learning curve is high but once you dominate how the layer system work you can make magic with this litte fella, so is a must have find some guide book or manual in youtube to learn how to obtain the full potential of this synth.
This one is so good! And that's not even compared to the price!
It is quite easy to use, not too easy which means u can get lost in it :) A good synth or drum machine has to be a little confusing... You can use from 1-16 steps, but you can also use 2 presets in sequence which will give you 32 or more steps if you would like! It is great for experimenting and tripping your parents. There is ONE downside. It is that there is no standard jack output (6,3mm) BUT! I played a show with it anyway. I used a mini-jack to jack cable, which worked perfectly fine. It is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, recommendable! I gave it 4 stars because i think people read 4 star reviews more than 5 star reviews!
Have a nice time enjoying your little handsome sexy drum machine!
1058
Small but mighty
The sounds and utility I've been getting out of something so affordable and compact are unreal. I have been pleasantly surprised with how much KORG has managed to pack into this little Volca, and it's become something that doesn't leave my desk.
From instrumentals to basic beats accompanying acoustic tunes, this machine has been excellent. I haven't experimented with running it through my pedal board but I'm looking forward to doing so. For the price, the features and sounds are more than worth it for anyone looking to get their first drum machine or something to augment what they normally use. Get one!
Incredibly versatile instrument
Don't be fooled, this isn't just a relatively cheap drum machine. The modulation options for all of its sounds are pretty deep, and you can make some very un-drumlike sounds if you want. The default drum sounds aren't particularly great, but the sonic possibilities make this machine capable of making sounds I couldn't get anywhere else. Don't sleep on this thing.
70
Tiny but powerful drum synthesizer
The sonic possibilities of that little machine are huge ! The sequencer works well and the effects (overdrive, bitcrusher, wavefolder, wave guide) add thickness to the sound.
I would love to see Korg create an extended version of the Volca Drum, with a 64 step-sequencer, the possibility to load samples, a bigger size and multiple outputs.
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143
Underrated
A great-sounding and very programmable digital drum machine in an era where people are still clamoring for analog this and analog that. Only quibble is that Korg moved the knobs on the upper right, so the existing design of Volca Decksavers doesn't fit.
Artist usage
Add artist
in this instagram story, Ricky Jamaraz shows what gear used on his song "Death Song" and it shows what it seems to be a korg volca drum.
In an Instagram video, Doviak is shown playing the intro to his song "The Courtyard" using multiple Korg Volca devices, including the Korg Volca Drum. The video is captioned by Doviak with details about the performance and hashtags such as "#korgvolca" and "#keyboards," confirming the use of the Korg Volca Keys in the recording.
In an Instagram post by xarakter_vip, the Korg Volca Drum is visibly positioned on a stand alongside other equipment, including two additional Korg Volcas, confirming its use by the artist Xarakter.
In the YouTube video titled "PLAYIN WIV SYNFS 2: the symfining," created by Hushy Rawrdcore, 4lung is seen using a Korg Volca Drum. The video clearly shows the Korg Volca Drum alongside other equipment, including the Korg Volca Modular, Korg EA-1, and Joyo US Dream distortion pedal, with the Volca Drum being processed through the distortion pedal. The setup is recorded using a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 USB audio interface.
Album Usage
The Korg Volca Drum has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Korg Volca Drum, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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