The Volca Kick does fat kicks even without processing
But eventually I sold the kick since with Syntakt and A4 I have - for my taste - the same and more.
Eventually I disliked all the hurdles to make them useable in a comfortable way (like here, through connecting to the Circuit Tracks), or in other words to make them similar to Elektron boxes.
However, I kept the Volca Drum. To me, it’s the most outside-the-box thing they’ve done (except the Modular one I guess, which I never had). Even though it’s just sitting here, it’s still such a cool synth.
Oscillator Sink made an insane editor for the Volca Drum, which even enables saving and sharing patches:
My volca rankings. I’m only commenting on the ones I’ve owned personally, though I have played around with each of them (other than the new FM2)
Sample2 - Crunchy and Punchy. Adds that highly sought after lofi vibe to samples, making them a little dirty sounding for extra character. Kind of a pain in the ass to load and the sequencer is too basic for the kind of sampling I use but price wise, it’s hard to beat. You can do a lot with it, but unless you’re using mostly one shots with it, it can be a buzz kill due to it’s limits/simplicity. PO-33 wins the cheap sampler face-off though (PO-33 even puts up a decent fight against the Model:Samples IMO).
Drum - A truly fantastic drum synth with lots of sweet spots and amazing versatility. If you like weird but funky electronic drums, this is probably the best budget drum synth on the market. Only cheap drums I like better are PO-32 and PO-12, neither of which are technically synths.
NuBass - The coolest looking Volca is also one of the crunchiest, wildest ones (Drum is also kinda wild). Less capable in terms of stacking bass lines than the Bass, but better low end sound overall. For simple bass lines for downtempo/hip-hop/trip-hop type stuff, and for squelchy acid bass riffs, NuBass is solid.
FM - I’m biased because I prefer FM synthesis to Analog for most cases, but the Volca FM is a ton of fun. The original one at least (and surely even more so the FM2) is a very charming, immediate, and fulfilling way to dive into FM synths at a tiny price and form factor.
Beats - I actually like the snare, though it is rather one dimensional and can have trouble cutting through some mixes, I always layer up my snares pretty thick so I ain’t mad at it. Stutter is glitchy and cool, but it does get old after a while. Overall, it’s a solid drum machine though, with a lot of usable sounds.
Bass - It’s cool I guess. You can have three parts happening simultaneously. It’s just, for the type of music I produce, I need a bass synth with a large libido and some attitude/swagger, and the Volca bass just doesn’t really strut through the mix with a limp enough for my preferences.
Kick - Surprisingly quite a delightful little machine, and it’s actually really nice to have a dedicated kick module. It didn’t stay in my arsenal, but it got plenty of use before I added the Nord Drum 3p to the mix. Decided that between the Nord and the Model Cycles, my Kick drum duties were fully spoken for. But it’s got some heft to it, and an excellent filter (MS-20).
Mix - Nah (too noisy, nothing special) I am hoping to see Korg drop an upgraded version of the mix and add some effects and performance features, which would be awesome at the Volca price point.
Modular - NO (This is a terrible machine, and it’s shrill bleatings sound absolutely nothing like a real modular synth)
I never owned a Keys or the new FM2, but both seem fun and worthwhile.
If you really like FM like I do and want to do more sound design type stuff though, the knob per function aspect of the Elektron Model Cycles is well worth the extra cost. For that matter, the same goes for Samplers too comparing the Model: Samples and the Volca Sample. The Models are a definite step up from the Volca line for multiple reasons, most importantly the Elektron sequencer.
I started out collecting the Volca and pocket operator lines because they are fun and cheap. There is a lot you can do with these, and they are not toys at all IMO, as anyone who is talented at producing electronic music, could use them to make professional quality tunes. However, if you’re not a beginner and you’re not just jamming as a hobby, you will likely want to upgrade if these are the only tools you own.
The only Volcas I still have are the Drum and Beats, though I would definitely add the Sample2, NuBass, and FM2 back into the fold at some point if I saw a good deal on them. I may ditch the Beats at some point, but I’m keeping the Drum in the collection forever. The PO’s are all staying too. I have PO-Only projects in the works, and they are just too much fun to ever part with. I have all 9 of the OG models.
I know this post is super long, but as I used to own the majority of these, I felt obliged to share. Cheers.
I’ve played with most of them at some point. My favs are Fm(2), Bass, and Drum. Somehow I’ve never used the Sample or NuBass. Didn’t bond with the Keys at all, oddly. Felt very limited sonically.
I owned the Volca Drum for a while until financial circumstances made me sell it. I have a couple criticisms even though I still loved it.
Global wave design effect instead of per voice makes it less a sound design tool and more a gimmick unless you’re just sampling one-shots to use elsewhere.
No init command. Every sound is like playing with a pre patched stranger’s modular system where you’re just trying to figure out what the hell is actually going on.
The randomizations on the sound settings seemed really not useful. They worked for getting to different starting points, but like I said I’d rather just have the init command.
So it seemed like a device for sound design who’s workflow was for people too lazy for sound design. Weird. If that was all addressed it would be so much more fun for me.
I tried almost all of the Volcas and can say that the only one that really versatile (if you need to choose only one) is Volca Sample/2. Otherwise you need to buy them all!
