The Best Drum Machine Under $200 (In my Opinion)
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- The Best Drum Machine Under $200 (In my Opinion)
Today I'm showcasing why I think that the Korg Volca Drum is the best drum machine under $200 US! When it comes to features, the Volca Drum has a ridiculous amount of them, with many of those features mirroring ones found on much higher end drum machines. Parameter locks, probability, toggleable pitch quantization, and multiple MIDI control models barely scratch the surface of what the Volca Drum can do! Add in the amazing (and free!) software editor made by Oscillator Sink (linked below), and you've got an absolute winner of a device! Enjoy the video :)
SOFTWARE EDITOR BY OSCILLATOR SINK:
synthmata.com/volca-drum/
GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
Korg Volca Drum: amzn.to/36gLuQm
Zoom Livetrak L-12 (audio recorder): amzn.to/3rQrPPt
Questions? Ask them below!
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I really appreciate you showing the features of this tiny machine. I'm going to grab a few of them. Thank you!
Awesome, I hope you have fun!
I have one, and I love it.
It is very powerful for it's size/price.
Love your posts.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much!
That's a Volca I completely overlooked so far 😯I really like the probability feature. Have to say though that I probably will never ever again buy a sequencer without micro-step / micro-timing capabilities. But sure, the scope of the video is 'under $200', so I guess it's a legitimate competition leader in that category for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
I’m using it a lot for the sound effects in my games
I think you published this video the exact day I bought this lil guy online !!! (luckily finding somewhere that had them in stock, since apparently they're on backorder everywhere else) - & it's funny, i found your channel already as i was researching pretty much exactly this; what drum machine to buy under 200 bucks. and whaddya know, I settled on the Volca Drum before seeing this
Being a Reaktor user for over 15 years, I was drawn to this drum machine regardless of it’s price point. It’s very similar to a lot of powerful weird percussion instruments created in Reaktor that allow you to come up with some quick insanity on the fly. It sounds really damn good too. If Korg made a larger more full featured version of this I’d place a preorder without even knowing the full specs or final price.
Yeah, if you like the kinds of sounds it makes then it's absolutely a no-brainer. Add all of the other extra features on top and it's even sweeter of a deal. Thanks for watching!
I bought it 2 years ago and didn't play much but ... here we go ! I did forget about the probability and random function. Thank you so much !
Thanks for watching, happy jamming!
Super demonstration !
I had no idea it did all that 😲
Yeah, it's a crazy powerful machine. Thanks for watching!
I have this little machine and of all the hardware I have, this is the one I've played with the most. It's just so intuitive and fun to mess around with.
I agree, it's the perfect blend of precise control and randomized chaos haha. Thanks for watching!
@@FreeBeat My pleasure :)
What speakers do you use ?
Thank you..
I have both the Volca Sample and the Volca Drum and while the Volca drum is really cool, for a drum machine I think the Sample is a much better option if you're only going to have one or the other because the Drum limits you to a certain range of sounds whereas with the Sample you can load in any drum sound you want (of which there are tons of for free online). Obviously its relative to your composing style and genre (I only use my sample as a drum machine whereas I consider the Drum a percussive instrument) but a lot of the sounds you can get out of the Drum you can get as samples to load onto the Sample. Also the Sample (version 2) makes it easy to backup your patterns on your computer, a feature I really wish the Drum had.
Yeah, like you said it all depends on workflow and personal preferences, both machines are great. I personally don't like working with samples as much, which I'm sure is a major reason I prefer the drum. Thanks for watching!
@@FreeBeat .. It's interesting that you enjoy working with software on the Tonic, but not loading in samples to the Volca Sample, also on software? Anyway, I agree with Andrew; the Volca Sample is just so versatile and intuitive. Still a great video!
@@danieklerr for me, the big difference between working with a decent drum machine and samples is that I can tweak the sounds to fit in to the track easier with a drum machine. Some people might be better at cataloguing samples than I am.
Just pressing the power button on brings a massive smile to my face 😀
Same!
I probably commented this on another video, but this thing sounds insane through some distortion.
Oh I bet, in fact I'd imagine there are quite a few different effects that would make this thing a real monster. Thanks for watching!
The Volca Drum is amazing cause you became basicaly a drum wizard, creating different sound and making completly original kits out of your hat.
Exactly! The possibilities are so deep it's crazy.
Would be great to see more of the Volca Drum on your channel!!
More content on the way, thanks for watching!
This litle and guy the volca sample are pretty solid when together in my opinion.
Hi, I'm also considering buying a Volca Drum, or maybe the kick is better for me. Do you have any experience with the Volca Kick? Which drum machine is better?
Thank you for your great videos.
Very nice video showing all the features and how easy it is to access them. Thanks for posting. You should have written the user manual. :)
Thanks so much!
Great review👏👏👏
Thanks so much!
It is my favorite drum machine for electro music.
I have an original TR-808 that brings you very close to the sounds of karftwerk and all the street music of the 80s and Miami bass, but this great little Korg drummer, makes FM sounds and much more, turns a drum machine into something as classic as minimalist-style percussion sounds like those heard on the first Kraftwerk records, and I'm not saying this by chance, I have the records and I listen to those gritty sounds of these records on this machine (someone thought of that).
It's also deep for generating cool minimal techno sounds, like my Elektron Machinedrum unit does.
It has everything a drum machine could give and can also be an experimental box of generative sounds.
It does things that Drumlogue cannot, but I know that it is more expensive than the Volcadrum because it is hybrid, with better construction, but not because it has more expensive components, it will be deeper than the Volcadrum, I thought so, but no, every time I think that this volcadrum could be inside the Drumlogue, I'm left wondering how something like that would be, but Korg makes things separately so that you buy more products from its brand, it never makes things that are extremely competent to machines like those from Roland or Elektron.
This thing has an excellent digital sound, while Drumlogue, although it has sample production for sampled percussions, is not really immediate, you have to calculate well the sounds you want to combine with the analog part and it does not always work well.
I like Volcadrum better because in this sense it is a real precussion synthesizer without samples and even so, it has 2 layers or oscillators for each part.
Another great thing is that it can be automated like most more expensive drum machines.
The only thing I didn't like:
It does not have midi out via USB or conventional midi, a shame because those 6 parts would be great for sequencing modular or volca machines, but again Korg does not fully satisfy the complete musical needs of the musician.
Korg has created a great drum machine 100% with additive and subtractive synthesis.
My recommendation is to combine this with the FM2 and with this we would have a machine for drums and powerful polyconic sounds.
This box is one of those things that will never leave mie studio, it is perfect for percussive sounds like reggae, techno, dubstep, 2 step, dub techno, house, electro-techno, downtempo...
The sky is the limit. Thanx for this video.
Thanks so much for sharing! I'd also check out the 1010 Razzmatazz! It's similar to the Volca Drum, but different enough to stand on it's own too.
@@FreeBeat I prefer machines without weak points such as the touch screen and that are not a synthesizer+sampler+drumachine combo with a single screen and 4 buttons. I understand that it is a cheap alternative to the Roland Elektron grooveboxes and more expensive brands, but since my MPC Live 2 died and I changed the screen to sell it, I have not wanted to go back to that experience. Greetings, thanks anyway.😅👍
@FreeBeat, I should add that I have ALL the other Volcas including 2 Volca Mixers, excluding the Volca Base (because I have the Volca NuBase which is amazing also). I just got the Volca Drum, the last I decided to get (and the only one I didn't have in the set) and it blew my mind!
I have a mere 5 Volcas, thank you, I feel better about my g.a.s, but the craving for more is burning like a fire deep within my soul.
@@mellemellor, I know that feeling too well.😄
@FreeBeat, mate, you are not wrong. But one correction. It is the best percussive instrument synthesizer under US$200 (AU$250). I am currently producing a Volca Sample Pack sampled entirely from it. Want a free copy?
Yes !
Your previous videos on the Drum as well as @Undulations's are what got me to buy the Drum rather than the PO-32. I don't regret my choice because since then I've grown better at integrating the Drum in a MIDI set-up (it's still tonnes of fun with the more simple clock sync option with a PO , the NTS-1 or the Bastl Kastle).
I tend to agree with comments saying the range of sounds can indeed be limited, as I have not been able to produce a snare sound that's completely satisfied me, but the "limit" some of us find might just be a problem of our own limitations as sound designers 😅. My "ultimate" hardware setup might include the Drum for FX and "weird" percussion sounds, and the Roland TR-8S so I can have all the classic TR-X0X sounds I'm a sucker for...
I'd be interested to hear full tracks or recorded live sets by Volca Drum users.
I've been so impressed with the variety of sounds people have been able to get out of the volca drum with some tinkering. I think it's so cool that if you wind up not liking the drum sounds it makes, it can be a perfectly good FX machine, or even straight up synth!
This comment makes me want to dedicate two part numbers to the snare and have both parts play together on the same step.. and then randomize aspects of the second part. There would then be four layers working to get a cool and dynamic snare sound... and we'd still have 4 other parts for the rest of the rhythm. Can also add snares from other machines in too. It's a creative juice machine.
I’ve been interested in one of these for a while, but I cannot recall the last time it was available in the UK. It’s clearly worth owning one to sample into other stuff, but I’ll just have to wait…
I'm hoping you can get your hands on one soon, thanks for watching!
Wish you'd posted this last week when my wife got me PO-32 as a Valentine's present. Having said that I still think PO-32 is amazing too.
(actually now it looks like I'll probably end up getting the Volca too in the end!)
The po-32 is still an absolute beast of a drum machine, especially if you get your hands on the microtonic software as well!
Well jammed mate! I like it 🙂 Geezy! Cya
Thank you!
Enjoy this video very much brother thanks a lot
Glad you liked it!
the problem with the Drum is the lack of patterns - 16 is hilariously low and it's such an artificial limitation too. I guess it's good for making up little loops on the fly for them loading into a DAW or sampler, but it's not the best for live use or wider composition
This is a really great drum machine, so don't be turned off by any negative comments you might read about it online. It kicks ass if you're into sound design like I am.
So if you're familiar with the building blocks that make up most drum sounds, how to shape them using envelopes and the way different drum pitches rise and/or fall from start to finish, then the Volca Drum is capable of some good almost vintage-like sounds. It can imitate analog drum sounds remarkably well and, of course, create some wild digital tones.
And add in all the other features available on the Volca Drum and you've got an incredible drum machine for the price (I bought mine for $140 USD). Recommended 100% for the musician on a tight budget! 🔥
Now I want one. And I just got the po133 thinking i’d sample drums .. I guess the volca would be more fun? 😅
Maybe I need to learn how to properly use the 133 for more than just drums ..
Those two make an awesome combination!
I’m a guitarist- can this plug into a guitar amp? Does it need a 1/8 to 1/4 converter??
Haven't found one yet with a nice long cymbal ride.
I would like to know since korg is so sound design oriented.. if, why or how can you design and store a nice long cymbal ride.. because I know I cant put one in by riding a cymbal on my old korg.. this was due to that the old korg did not allow for any touch sensitivity for some type of drum playing like a long cymbal ride that you would hear in or at the beginning at end of a ballad..and for my style of music aa far as drum patterns or techniques and nitches go a cymbal ride is one of the most commonly performed drum lick or technique if you will that a drummer would do or use.
So the only way to go might be to sample one using a.sample cymbal ride off of a download or real live drummer in ac studio setting..
But the only way to make it longer or shorter would be to cut spread paste from the attenuated beginning of the ride til the attenuated end so it fades in and out properly at the rising and lowering volume levels.. years go by and I am waiting and waiting for korg or rolland to do something.. maybe there is a way to put one on the machine through its touch pads but I am just missing it.
Yes it's a great mashine. The random function is amazing!
It really is, it's saved the day for me so many times!
Do you think this would pair well with the Pocket Operator Office, or would the Drum cover the sounds it makes?
It's definitely possible that they would start to cancel each other out, but I think with some care and attention to detail they could be a pretty cool combination as well.
I'm very new to the electronic method of creating music, but I've been into psy/goa trance since the late 1990's, Not a professional, producer, anything like that, just a home guy who loves this music. Have always wanted at TB-303, but you know how that goes. So I recently picked up a Behringer TD-3, and shortly after that the Donner B1, for some variety. So, is it feasible to use this Korg for drums with those machines? If I could learn how to synch it with them, even them to each other, I think I could create some interesting stuff!! What do you think, how can I learn to synch everything together, being not really even understanding VST's? Can I create things with those machines and record/mix down directly to something like Mixpad, which I have? Thanks!!!
Syncing everything together should actually be fairly simple. I suggest finding a good tutorial about audio sync in general and you should be good to go :)
Awesome!
Thanks so much for watching!
HHHHMMMMM, Interesting. Thanks for the video
I just want a Korg Volca Groovebox
I've started to combine mine with Alesis Nanoverb + gate and it's so fat. Have the TR8, but it doesn't give so much punch as Volca
The Drum was the only Volca I was interested in, and it really is an amazing little box. I recently bought the Roland TR-6s to partner with it, and while the TR sound is pretty killer, I was surprised that it's accent programming wasn't as flexible as the Drum's. The Drum can be a very expressive little machine!
These things will eventually be discontinued, and that along with their questionable build quality is gonna make them as rare as hen's teeth some day. I'll keep treating mine with loving care. Lol
First thing I noticed was the randomize function. Still watching the video but I hope you play with it...
Edit: And yes you did! That seems fun.
Oh yeah it's one of my favorite features, always such a gamble haha.
Have you ever did the volca sample 2? it's pretty 😊
I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my list :)
On sale right now for 120 finally ordered one
That's a great deal, I hope you love it!
Yessss excellent 👌🙏🙏🙏😎
not available since june 21, I finally received my volca Drum. \o/ yeah, the waiting is over, and it was worth it.
Glad you finally got one, have fun!
I don’t know anything about drum machines but can you save a beat ? so you can just recall it when needed and if so how many saves does it do ?
Absolutely!
Each of the 16 step buttons is also the 16 patterns.
How would you rate this compared to the new roland t8 for $200?
They look totally different to me. The Volca Drum is all about coming up with wild and wacky percussion sounds that you'd never get from any other piece of gear, where the T-8 seems to be all about working with a few famous drum sounds. Both have their place I think. Thanks for watching :)
would be nice if it could do more standard rock sounds
Hey free beat
Could you do more content on mpc one
Thanks
Great video
Definitely! I believe tomorrow's video will feature the MPC One (if I'm remembering my upload schedule correctly lol). Thanks for watching :)
Tonic for me :-) for the most direct and portable experience
The tonic is still absolutely fantastic, a close second for me now behind the volca. Thanks for watching!
I have a question if you have the answer. Would a way to bypass the inability to pattern chain individual patterns a certain number of times be to just recreate the same pattern again for a different patterns number. I am playing guitar to the machine with a lot of quick changes (pretty much hopping around to many different patterns and returning to previous patterns at a whim). I want to program approximately 250 bars worth of patterns that are different and/ or continually jumping back to previous patterns. Would you recommend an affordable drum machine that can programe such a gig?
250 unique bars is a LOT for most budget electronic music gear. I'd suggest lookin into something like the Elektron Model:Samples or Cycles. They both have a sequencer that allows you to have 96 patterns per project, all chainable, and each pattern can be four measures long. However, you can't save pattern chains, so you'd have to recreate the chain each time you hit play.
Yamaha QY series 70 or 100 are fine little sequencers with pretty good drum sounds.
I honestly don't like it for drum sounds. It does cool strange fx sounds. I prefer to tune the 6 channels into a Pentatonic scale of some sort and use it as a mono synth or use it with my Octatrack and have a 6 part multitimbral mono synth. You get sounds that basically sound like a Rhodes so it's not been that versatile for me.
That's pretty cool! One of my points in the video (that didn't wind up making it in due to how I scripted it) was that even if you don't like the drum sounds it makes, it can just be a weird effects machine haha. Thanks for watching!
Hey, do you know of any drum machines that swing for Jazz (any style, bop, fusion, bossa. etc.). Thanks....
Most drum machines have "swing" function, but are you looking for specific types of sounds?
@@FreeBeat Analog. The EZ Drummer EZX Pack with Futureman (Roy Wooten) sounds great, but it is canned (although excellent) phrases. I know his brother Joseph (longtime keyboardist with Steve Miller Band). So I'm wondering if any physical machines can swing. The IOS app "Drum Genius" is great, but just a loop.
@@JeffreySaxophoneTallNewton So you can apply "swing" to patterns in most hardware drum machines. However, if you're looking for actual feel, nothing can match a real drummer.
@@FreeBeat The "Bounce" metronome actually swings! EZ Drummer EZX is Futureman, so, yeah, he swings. This is for a mock-up of my upcoming recording with a big name drummer.
Can it motion record parameters?
Yes.
tonic is just a limited sampler volca drum is 10/10
Is there any drum machines these days that has that 80's simmons snare and kick drum sounds?🤔
I'd recommend something that can play samples. Then you can just download and sample the sounds you want. Thanks for watching!
It's a good choice at that price but I'd strongly prefer spending $100 more and getting an Elektron Model:Cycles.
They are far too different to compare in my opinion, I recommend using them together! Thanks for watching :)
Hi, its a good question, i did ask myself about one or another. Can we hope for a short video that shows differences and complelentarity between these two nice machines ?
The Volca looks a lot more appealing though
I got mine for 130 new with power cable. I noticed people either sell these for 160 or 130.. strange.
Awesome, looks like all of the Volcas are on sale right now!
The Behringer Rd6 is the best Drummaschine under 200. And it's analog!
Greetings from Germany
I personally prefer the sounds of the drum, but I would like to check out the rd6 in the future! Thanks for watching :)
Let's hope the Drumlogue has some similarities with this. I'd give Korg about 300$ for a Drum with individual outs.
I got a volca beat for individual outs, the snare is tricky.
Volca drum is a blast to use, sadly the drum sounds themselves just can't hang...huge let down as it is so fun to program and manipulate live. I just couldnt settle.
Behringer RD-6, TE Tonic or PO12, all cheaper with drums that smack way harder imo.
Free Beat. My dude. I thought you were my friend. Why are you doing this to my wallet?
To be fair I did it to mine too 😂
I guess sometimes two wrongs do make a right
I prefer the T8
It's a cool machine but the form factor is not for me. Its small and cramped. Make a larger er1 type version please Korg.
The smaller form factor is one of my favorite features of the volcas haha. If you like the sounds of this machine, consider taking a look at the microtonic software! Thanks for watching :)
@FreeBeat, you missed a bit. An important bit.
What did I miss?
@@FreeBeat, it's okay good topic for another video. The Lay 1/2, Select/Param and Level/Value buttons in combination, and all the additional sound design possibilities they open up. There are sound parameters accessible only through this mechanism. Quite a lot actually.
Also has the lowest noise floor of any volca
Yeah it's very quiet, thanks for watching!
Uh oh, I might have a happy accident with my wallet. Thank you.
I agree but The best Drum Machine under $300 is the Drumbrute Impact. I have both...
Me too. They play well together.
The price of being slow to watch this video: the Volca Drum isn't available from Reverb or Amazon at this price anymore. Only $200 and $300 and used options!
I see two available on Reverb for $160 and several US retailers still have them in stock new for $169.
Just doing a quick Google search I found several different options for the suggested $169 retail price haha.
I just got a used Volca drum for 100 British pounds. Very happy. Plus added a Volca kick for 75 gbp too. Very happy. No other drum machines in the 500 range doing these unique effects, features and sounds. Combine with my other hardware. I’m very excited
Nah, I like volca sample over the drum as my go-to drum machine 😅
So easy to have the sounds I want with it!
And you can get one used for like 140$ cad, which is, what, 100$ us?
But the performance options on the drum are sick!
You still have to load the samples in though, everything on the Volca drum is self-contained! Thanks for watching :)
@@FreeBeat yea, and the hell knows it can be a painful process 😅
But I still enjoy the volca sample way more than I should!
Digitakt when it’s discounted below 200
😂
But it’s Elektron and they suck in so many ways. Each to their own!! Enioy
wheres the bass??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I don't have one! Maybe someday :)
Id take a beringer rd-6 over this for a less then $200 machine. The Rd-6 is analog and has a punchier sound. Speaking of the sound the 606 is iconic and peoples ears naturally gravitate to the familiar wonderful sounds it produces. The volca drum feels lifeless in the mix and despite its infinite tonal sound possibilities, practical usable sounds for regular production or jamming are limited. In the studio or just sketching an idea to jam with Id rather have 8 usable sounds with independent outputs for treatment then be stuck in the void of a cheap sounding dsp chip with a million sounds.
nearly 4 minutes before you hear the first sound from the device. Booo.
Yup, this video isn't just about the sounds haha. Thanks for watching!
the volca sample is a real thing.
and all the volcas i have start malfunctioning within 5 years.
just some healthy-happy human-buyer beware
also for 300 more you can get a digitakt
anything used is suspect but if you want to make electronic music
you can buy these rubber duckys or
an actual submarine and go into the ocean of sampling
if i could go back. i wouldnt buy a single volca but instead just get an OP-1 or something time tested, roland maybe? nothing that hasnt been out long enough to be time tested.
what a waste. just buy once and cry once and stop the illusion of saving money and be done with the portability factor. but also i prob wouldnt even buy electronic machines since they have short lifespans. better to just make samples with actual instruments and tape recorders.
😵😵🤔🗣️🗣️🤣 those drums sound so cheesy 🤣😂😂 no way i would never use those sounds 😜😜☺️🤣🤣
So much talking....
Yup haha, it's an opinion video! Thanks for watching :)