The very first time you unbox the Volca Nubass, you will experience the typical Volca feel. It has a similar size with a touch keyboard, rotary buttons, and controls. Stutter isn't limited to generating echo-like repeats though. At its maximum speed, the resulting triggers create drone-like textures as the voices blend and mulch together. Needless to say, overuse can pretty soon lead to chaos, but it's not necessarily bad chaos. If, at any time, you get a sudden urge for normality, holding the Func key while turning Time will select only perfectly sync'ed divisions. And if all that still hasn't energised your rhythmic tastebuds, the motions of both Stutter knobs can be recorded and stored in each pattern, courtesy of Korg's tried-and-tested Motion Recording. Popular since Electribe days, this 'tweak and memorise' feature is here limited to the Stutter effect and the speed control of the PCM voices, but it's sufficient to add that special je ne sais quoi to any Volca Beats pattern. Overall, the Volca Bass sounds great. While it sounds pretty decent within a tiny speaker, it will surprise you with its excellent beats when plugged into a studio monitor or a bigger system. Rogerson, Ben (2013-04-11). "Musikmesse 2013: Korg Volca analogue grooveboxes unveiled". MusicRadar . Retrieved 2022-11-16. The Volca Bass is an analogue bass synthesizer manufactured by the Japanese music technology company Korg. It was released in April 2013 alongside the Volca Keys and Volca Beats.

The MIDI IN connector lets you synchronise with other devices as well as play the Volca from your MIDI keyboard. You can also send note messages from your DAW and use the Volca as an analogue sound module. Compact size, battery-powered operation, and built-in speaker for enjoyment anywhere Support services such as technical support or upgrade support for this product are provided according to the support service policies of Korg’s distributors applicable in each country. There's a certain familiarity about the Volca Bass and its slightly incongruous silver faceplate and larger controls, including a decently proportioned cutoff knob. I suppose anyone designing a small bass synth-and-sequencer can't be unaware of Roland's famous creation, but Korg can at least be applauded for making a sound that's their own. The filter included — in this and the Volca Keys — is the 12dB low-pass design that appeared in classic synths such as Korg's 700S, 800DV and MS50. It's a diode ring filter (named for the ring of silicon diodes that make up the core of the circuit) and while it's not a filter associated with legendary low end, it gives the Volca Bass a distinct identity. Its resonance, in particular, can really let rip, the characteristic biting distortion sounding wonderful to these ears. In this Volca, Step Mode is more about muting and unmuting steps with notes already present, but the other variant, Step Recording, is present too. It's made initially more adventurous by that inverted keyboard but you soon adapt. Notes are entered one by one, shifting the keyboard (over a range of six octaves) with the Octave knob as you go. Although ostensibly a bass synth, there's no reason to ignore the upper reaches and there are no limits imposed. Volca KeysYou may not duplicate, alter, modify, rent, lease, resell, assign, loan, sub-license, distribute the whole or part of the Licensed Program, or make derivative works based on what is contained in the Licensed Program. (However, it is not included in this restriction that you create derivative works based on the data file(s).) You will also find a MIDI input on the Volca Bass that is triggered with an external MIDI device (such as a controller or DAW). A sync in and out port utilizes 5 V audio pulses to sync any connected instrument to the Volca.

Before we get into the important and trivial details of the Volca bass and Nubass analog machines, let’s learn a bit about their creators. The Korg company is the real mastermind behind these stellar products.The level dials give the Volca Nubass better harmonics, especially when played through the studio speakers. Korg reserves the right to make modifications to the Licensed Program and to the support services set out in clause 7 of this agreement (referred to in this agreement as “the Services”) without prior notification to you. The term "digital" typically brings to mind sounds that are based on PCM-sampled bass drum, snare drum, or cymbal, but the volca drum creates its drum sounds by DSP-powered analog modeling. Oscillator waveforms such as sine wave, sawtooth wave, and noise are provided. By applying various changes to these waveforms, you can create a wide variety of percussion sounds that range from realistic to idiosyncratic, and are not limited only to drums.

The oscillators can be individually muted. They can also be grouped, with all three oscillators being controlled by a single internal sequence, two controlled by one sequence and the remaining oscillator by another sequence, or each oscillator controlled by a different sequence. However, despite it being possible to control the oscillators independently by the internal sequencers, it isn’t possible to use the Bass polyphonically from an external controller. The Volca Bass itself is a great instrument, capable of producing a reasonably broad palette of interesting bass sounds. Aspects of its design and feature-set draw inevitable comparisons, no doubt as Korg hoped they would, with classic bass synths such as the Roland TB-303 Bassline. However, arguments as to whether or not the Volca Bass is an adequate substitute for that or any other machine, miss the point that this is a good synth in its own right. a) to Korg at its own expense using all reasonable endeavours to rectify any non-conformance with the warranty by repair (by way of a patch, work around, correction or otherwise) within a reasonable period of time or, Whichever waveform combinations you choose, the Volca Bass sounds surprisingly fat and alive. Its greatest sonic richness is obtained by subtly detuning each VCO and you can gain further movement by introducing slow LFO sweeps of the filter cutoff — enough to loosen up the most robotic of bass lines. After the Step mode, you get access to three options, accent, transpose, and slide, all essential parts of the classic acidic sound with the Volca Nubass.

Slim console, fat bass

Real-time recording is possible with the Volca Bass as it comes with a fully editable step record function.

In the event that Third Party Software is supplied, you agree to be bound by and to observe any terms and conditions relating to the use of such Third Party Software. All you need is to exactly note down the features and qualities you are looking for in your analog bass machine, and you are all set. For instance, you can control the slide or gate time along with the VCO pitches on the Bass. However, controlling the filter cutoff and the resonance is not possible. The Volca Bass’s sequencer has 16 steps, but you can make longer sequences when it is used as a sound module from your DAW.

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It is perhaps telling that, for a time, initially they could be a little hard to obtain (at sensible prices at least) due to the high demand. Before founding the company, Kato was the owner of a nightclub, which might explain his love for music and musical instruments. Osmani was a university graduate and an accordionist who frequently performed at the nightclub along with the Wurlitzer Sideman rhythm machine. Like the Monotron and Monotribe, the Volcas can be modded and expanded, though this does void your warranty. People are already modding them for MIDI out and CV control. Three true-analogue synthesizers with built-in sequencers to generate the ultimate analogue leads, basses, or rhythms