JonnyAngle wrote:All y'all are hating on the sounds of the Volca beat?
What specifically are you talking about? I've never heard a drum machine that sounds REAL.
I mean when it comes to drum sequencing/sampling I'm big into old jazz kit samples & the hip hop school of chopping up breaks. I think these drum sounds are good for electronic/dance music contexts or for jamming with other Volcas, but that's just not what I'm going for as much as samples. I probably wouldn't find the sounds I'm looking for in a normal drum machine at all, which is one of the things that's held me back from pulling the trigger on a Drum Brute. That said, the sounds in it are leagues ahead of other drum machines I've used from time to time. None of that "hella LA-sounding big rock drum kit" bs you find on Roland DRs.
Also the HUGE level discrepancy between the kick sound and the rest of the drums (which is aggravatingly not remediable on in global/default settings) was quite annoying. Every time you start the thing up you have to dial down the kick or yr signal gets clipped to shit.
I like to rock a Volca Beats in particular because you can scrub the touch strip with your finger and create instantaneous free jazz bonkers energetic beat beat. Please try this also when run into a Red Panda Particle for psychedelic forever seeing experiences.
RE: THE MONOTRIBE. Yes if it had two oscillators it would be the ultimate bomb but one could also acquire a 2nd MONOTRIBE and utilize both oscillators in tandem to create a "2 oscillator" vibe. The filter and the LFO and the oscillator are fantastic and the drum sounds are usable to me. I love them. A++ would MONOTRIBE again.
JonnyAngle wrote:All y'all are hating on the sounds of the Volca beat?
What specifically are you talking about? I've never heard a drum machine that sounds REAL.
I think that would defeat the purpose of a drum machine IMO. There are ones that sound more real than others, but I like to think of it more as synthetic drums or broken drums. At least that's what I've always wanted from a drum machine. Props to Korg for always nailing it though. I used to have one of their real old school drum machines and stupidly sold that shit, it was tight as fuck for how limited it was. Not a single drum sounded like a real drum though. I didn't want it too. Especially when I was feeding it to a bitcrusher.
Also, I hate you guys for not acknowledging my Soy Boy King comment. I thought we were brothers. Well, except you codetocontra, you're cool.
"I do not have the ability to think rationally 90% of the time and I also change my mind at the drop of a hat".
My issue with the beats would be along the line of poor volume inequality. The snare is a high pitched Tom with static. I tried middling the snare but failed. I did however succeed at altering the pcm speed range somewhat, which is nice because I really just use it for automated pcm sounds. There's just not much in the analog drum sounds. Compared to old organ rhythm sections not to mention the popular analog machines, the volca beats just can't project.
Definitely sounds better than akai's competitive offerings though imo. Also, let's not forget that it's like $100- it just couldn't be my main rhythm maker.
Volca Beats tip - turn the PCM speed all the way down on the crash sound. Instant noise generator. I used that sound as the foundation for a whole song once.
I have a VBeats, VSample, VBass, VFM
What's the best way to play through a PA setup with all 4 simultaneously? Can I get a passive headphone mixer or do I need something more?
Chankgeez wrote:
We should have a game show à la Name That Tune
Inconuucl: I can shoegaze that tune with 5 pedals.
other contestant: I can shoegaze that tune with 4 pedals.
Inconuucl: I can shoegaze that tune with 3 pedals.
other contestant: OK, shoegaze that tune!
Inconuucl:
I think the Volcas are terrific when you compare them to certain old 80s synths. The filter is the same as the Korg 700s, which is limited and would cost you 10x the price. I don't expect any one synth to cover all the bases, but as a first synth they offer a lot. People did a lot more with a lot less when the 700s came out. My synth tastes are from that time so these fit my needs fine. The limitations really make you want to work with every little option you have. I feel like I can really get lost in the sequencer. Also (even though I don't use it much) that Motion Sequencing was totally unique to the Volcas. A Dave Smith synth couldn't do that.
The different voices on the KEYS (unison/poly/ring/etc.) are also super helpful. My big gripe on the KEYS is you only get one wave on the oscillator (sawtooth), this seemed like it didn't have to be a limitation (you can choose on the BASS). Why offer 3 waveforms on the LFO but only one on the oscillator? Would much rather have that then a delay. It is a huge limitation on the sound and the main reason I don't use it more often.
The BEATS is ok. It's good for sketching out ideas quickly and has a sound that I like for simple minimal wave type music. I feel like I might get rid of it some day. There's a lot to explore with live playing, but I really just need a preprogrammed back beat. I don't have those extra hands to mess around and the fact that you can't chain patterns/make songs/limited save spots makes it ill suited to my needs. I also wish they were slightly bigger with better knobs. Same with the SQ-1. I wish it was easier to see. Other limitation: how well are these going to hold up in 20 years?
My first synth was a Casio CZ-1000 that used phase distortion that I poked around and did not understand at all. I've waited a long time for a decent knob-per-function synth and now you can get a Microbrute for the price of 2 Volcas. For that reason alone I'm going to be psyched on these forever. I also have bunch of more expensive synthesizers, but I don't get tired of these and their unique features. If you ever find yourself in a rut, I suggest watching Automatic Gainsay's Volca tutorials on Youtube for inspiration.
Well, except you codetocontra, you're cool.
