Korg Volca Sample Digital Sample Sequencer

A simple sample player. It CAN NOT sample itself, requires an iPhone or another external device to load samples into volca. The workflow is quite inspiring, but the flexibility of the device is poor. I bought it to add some organic to my Electribe EMX-1 performances and it does the job well. Good for the price, actually.

Recently i Boguht this and his broter "Keys", and complete the whole collection!!!

it is such a nice machine and works perfectly, the sound is aweosome and quite Lo-Fi!!!!

After messing around with rhythms on software and phone apps, I decided to finally spring for a piece of hardware that could supply my pieces with a necessary 4/4 snap. This little guy appealed to me due to its tiny size and minuscule price tag. As with all the Volcas, you typically get quite a bit of bang for your buck. Nonetheless, there are always limitations and caveats to keep in mind.

As far as the Volca Sample goes, there are lots of appealing factors. It's loaded with 99 presets, and a great many of them are actually quite useful. Unlike a DAW or a modern sampler, this one has a few quirks that really give the rhythms a punch. The relatively low bit rate ensures some grit, and the two analog filters on the left side will guarantee that some warmth will color the tone. Also, the step sequencer is very intuitive and quite responsive. Your finger can glide smoothly as patterns play out, as you go into step mode, or when recording live. It certainly doesn't have cumbersome buttons or complex menus. In addition, notice all those knobs in the center? They can be really helpful in tweaking a sound's pitch, speed, start point, end point, and more. You can even save your real-time twiddles. Next, you can save quite a few patterns and string them up to create "songs." Also, since it comes with a set of batteries and has built-in speakers, you can make beats on the go in seconds flat. That immediacy is certainly more conducive to pattern construction than just staring at a laptop.

Nevertheless, its not perfect. First and foremost, its the Volca Sample and not the Volca Sampler. That's a critical point! If you want to add sounds, you'll need to use your phone or computer. Then you'll need a weird app that will send the sample into the Volca via the headphone jack. Resampling, a feature of basically every other sampler out there, is also non-existent. It's not you like you can actually add effects beyond reverb anyway. It's worth adding that, while a lot of the samples are pretty good, many seem oriented towards genres that I'm personally not really into. I'd venture as far to say that some are just cheesy. Aside from the sample issues, there are other minor gripes to consider (and these are applicable to all Volcas). First, it only has MIDI IN. All the other Ins and Outs are 1/8 jacks. You'll also have to buy a power supply. In addition, while there's not extensive menu diving, you will have to deal with the several less-than-intuitive alternate features generated by pressing the Function button. Nearly every button and most of the steps in the sequencer will do a different thing when you hold down the Function key, and the barrage of options can throw you off if you're making a live rhythm. Finally, there's the issue of all the darn central knobs. It's very easy (almost too easy) to render a sample unusable by twiddling in the wrong direction. This can kill the vibe almost instantly.

In the end, I went on to say goodbye to this little fella. It was a great introduction to tactile rhythm creation, and I'll always love it for that. The sounds one can get from it are massive and have character. However, its limitations became plain enough after a while. I soon replaced it with an old Korg Electribe ES-1. Despite its own flaws, that one is more intuitive, has a multitude of effects, can do MIDI IN and OUT, is able to sample, can resample, and has 1/4 inch outputs. I'm satisfied.

Should YOU get it? Whether you're a beginner or a veteran, you'll find some great things about the Volca Sample. Your recordings will gain quite a lot from its mighty tones. The low-end rumble can be tremendous! You'll have way more fun on this than on a DAW, and your wallet won't be too upset about your choices. Just be warned that you'll end up running into frustrations as you bump into its the limits imposed by its construction.

Lovely machine, I love the sound.... you have to get your hands in one of this!!!

Haven't used much in the show room, but I aim to use it for live act. You can also swap the samples with an unofficial utility program on Windows and Android as well. No need to use iPhone.

This is a machine with great possibilities for this price. I had to develop a Retrokits RK-002 cable ( http://www.retrokits.com/rk002 ) to get it to play samples from a single midi channel but apart from that this thing is ace!