Bad Gear - Korg Volca Keys - Low Key Synth???

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  • čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
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    / audiopilz
    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro tune
    01:23 Overview
    04:37 Hate
    05:02 Jam 1
    06:05 Jam 2
    07:17 Finale
    07:44 Verdict
    Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Korg Volca Keys. Is this classic staple of dawless setups all around the globe and Marvel Universe interrogation device the OG low key synth? Where did all the dank memes about it come from?
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Komentáře • 1,1K

  • @wellurban
    @wellurban Před 2 lety +373

    I think the Volcas have always fit well into a niche that’s neither “toy” nor “professional audio gear”. I’ve been to lots of gigs where people have a table top full of Volcas, fx pedals, circuit-bent stuff, DIY noisemakers, Pocket Operators, Monotrons and the like, and they fit in well. No-one really cares about noise levels, perfect sync, long sequences etc: they just want to have fun experimenting with weird sounds and improvised music.

    • @couchcamperTM
      @couchcamperTM Před 2 lety +20

      indeed, if you just want to have fun and make music, get volcas. if you want to play with them, get a midi keyboard and you have a nice setup ;-)

    • @shaft9000
      @shaft9000 Před 2 lety +5

      They can run a small repertoire ok as a standard opening set is 20-30 minutes.
      Would be quite a challenge to keep peoples attention longer then 1/2 an hour with nothing but volcas :D

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +37

      The short sequences are great when you use them as an additional synth

    • @abstractmodule4574
      @abstractmodule4574 Před 2 lety +7

      @@shaft9000 That's why you abuse the delay effect. Lol

    • @nobel11
      @nobel11 Před 2 lety +13

      I freakin love the Volca Drum. It's definitely niche, but it can make some beautiful, crazy sounds.

  • @donaldpriola1807
    @donaldpriola1807 Před 2 lety +113

    I bust out my Volca Keys every now and again when I feel overwhelmed by the complexity of other synths. Its limits are sometimes liberating.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +12

      So true!

    • @NikoNoxious
      @NikoNoxious Před 2 lety +14

      honestly I feel the same way about using DAWs, like- its so much power and openness. I need to often compose and do synth sound design on hardware to build a foundation out of limitation before then finishing a track in a DAW most of the time now

  • @rookmaster7502
    @rookmaster7502 Před 2 lety +34

    I love my Volca Keys! Obviously not the most versatile synthesizer, but so compact and portable. Load it with batteries, throw it in a backpack with headphones, and take it anywhere for a solo jam. So much fun!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +3

      Yeah, they really changed the game with these!

  • @djlocodoc
    @djlocodoc Před 2 lety +123

    Bad Gear Friday!!!! This series has so many gems. The jams, the genre naming, and most of all a great host! Have a great weekend Audiopilz!

  • @adwarfsittingonagiantsshoulder

    In my opinion, the Volca keys is frustratingly limited... but on the other hand, it has a gorgeous soud !
    Nice episode, thanls !

  • @Halfpipesaur
    @Halfpipesaur Před 2 lety +148

    "Best and worst Volca at the same time"
    This describes every Volca

  • @tommy.countach
    @tommy.countach Před 2 lety +17

    this is one of the only youtube shows, i sit down and watch actively. thanks man, i love the work and detail you put in each episode!

  • @senarodrigo
    @senarodrigo Před 2 lety +6

    This series is amazing. Is super entertaining. It's the most fun I've had with any synth reviews on youtube. Keep it up!!

  • @Andor.
    @Andor. Před 2 lety +47

    korg really do deserve more credit than they get. People always go on about how Behringer made synthesizer more accable but Korg was the ones who really made synths and especially analog synths available to the mass markets! still love my korg volca fm and korg monotribe (possible bad gear contender, love that bad boy but it's quite disliked i think hah)

    • @explodingmonad4535
      @explodingmonad4535 Před 2 lety

      Could it not be both?

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +12

      True that, they started the whole thing!

    • @Andor.
      @Andor. Před 2 lety +2

      ​@@explodingmonad4535 If we are talking about who originally made synthesizers accessible then no because korg did it before behringer by like 5 years or so, behringer would've never gone the way they did if it wasn't for korg with Tatsuya Takahashi as they pioneered accessible synthesizers.

    • @schardina
      @schardina Před 2 lety +5

      @@AudioPilz and they're still pushing the limits of budget stuff, the amount of versatility under the hood of the NTS-1 when you start adding user oscillators and effects is insane... everyone seems to love those for cheap (and very good) effects but they're excellent synths even though the interface gets klunky for custom oscillators with tons of features. But the stuff people add is so cool - sequencers, loopers and all sorts of things that you'd never think it was capable of.

    • @Andor.
      @Andor. Před 2 lety +1

      @@schardina This christmas i'm buying a NTS-1 for my friend actually hah!

  • @johnsmodularjams2123
    @johnsmodularjams2123 Před 2 lety +28

    some of the most fun Ive ever had is just syncing the Keys, Beats and Bass together and having a jam. Maybe the end product isnt going to get pressed on vinyl or anything, but that isnt always a bad thing

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +3

      Great for some relaxed jam!

  • @melodikmusic
    @melodikmusic Před 2 lety +2

    One of your best episodes yet. I have a ton of vintage synths and I still find that I have fun and get a great sound out of my Volca Bass. It’s the fun factor I keep coming back to. Keep up the great work. It’s why I look forward to Fridays!

  • @heavysystemsinc.
    @heavysystemsinc. Před 2 lety +59

    There's something about the Volcas that's appealing, but then you start thinking about it and unless you absolutely are missing a sound one of them makes, then all you can think about is, 'Why would I want to make a track with a bunch of volcas in the first place?' which leads you to the answer, Neo. The answer is...you like gimmicky hardware.
    So I resisted all temptations, though I really did want the FM Volca cause I'm an FM junkie. I still don't have any actual analog gear, but then again, I don't feel like I'm that much of an audio purist in the first place to warrant putting money on one. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Korg is still cool, though.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +21

      Let's just get more Volcas;)

    • @prinzbach
      @prinzbach Před 2 lety +14

      You are not "missing out" if you are happy with what you have. Believe me, you are blessed! Don't get lost in synth limbo like the most of us... Make music, enjoy!

    • @SisterRose
      @SisterRose Před 2 lety +5

      i'd look into the Liven XFM!

    • @lukeimontv7086
      @lukeimontv7086 Před 2 lety +12

      What’s most appealing is the price. And then after that, the second most appealing thing is that they don’t take up a lot of desk space

    • @numbstation
      @numbstation Před 2 lety +2

      Mostly agreed, but the FM and Kick were great additions to my collection. The Kick I genuinely love, and it cost me less than a couple pizzas; my only complaint is I wish they'd have omitted the sequencer entirely and made up for it with more sound design options. It's not the only analog kick I need, but it covers a lot of ground. The FM because 90% of the time when I'm making my own sounds in FM, I would just as soon twiddle knobs adjusting arcane settings whose interactions I hardly can predict while laying on the sofa, than open up a software editor, perch at my desk, and so on. And it cost the same as... three pizzas.

  • @BenColemanUK
    @BenColemanUK Před 2 lety +6

    The trio of Volca Keys, Bass and Beats are what got me into making music with hardware again, many fond memories. Found my Keys in the back of cupboard just the other day, so perhaps it's time to dust it off and see what it can still do. That unison is far fatter than I remember it sounding

  • @skywatchernorth
    @skywatchernorth Před 2 lety +3

    Ooh I always look forward to these. Thanks for uploading so regularly

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Always a pleasure, thanks for watching!

  • @mokujinsan9946
    @mokujinsan9946 Před 2 lety +2

    Excellent Show. The second jam you did with the Digitakt gimped up in the midi set up was pure fire my friend. I was cutin' a few shapes. Blessings from Berlin.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks! I have to go to the Big B again asap!

  • @danieladdled
    @danieladdled Před 2 lety +51

    This was my first learning synth and I enjoyed every minute of it - I'd recommend it to beginners in a heartbeat. It's limited, but full of warm classic sounds that can fit in lots of styles. This thing is a huge success for it's price and the design choices they made with such tight limitations.
    Now where's the Volca Keys 2, since they Sample got to fix some of its flaws? Maybe some LFO options and more waveforms?

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +22

      I'd buy an updated Volca Keys in a heartbeat!

    • @Tokent555
      @Tokent555 Před 2 lety +5

      I just won a Volca Keys and i've only been learning music production for like 10 months, this will be my first analog synth im really hyped for it 👀👀👀

  • @georgetaylor3126
    @georgetaylor3126 Před 2 lety +4

    Love how much effort you put into these videos 🙂

  • @SarahMaywalt
    @SarahMaywalt Před 2 lety +13

    I will say this. I love Korg. They make so many quality, affordable tools and instruments. My synth journey started with the Korg Gadget 2, and has continued with microKEY and other Korg soft synths. I don't know where it will go from here but I'm very thankful for them.
    Maybe do the Gadget 2 on a video. I suspect that there are a lot of people who put it down, but for an absolute beginner, it was a decent starting point.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Great suggestion, the Gadget came up a few times in the comments on the DS-10 episode!

    • @waynesilverman3048
      @waynesilverman3048 Před 2 lety

      @@AudioPilz I want to get a korg volca bass or key but I carnt help but think it would sound to much like my minilogue

  • @aki_gong6271
    @aki_gong6271 Před 2 lety +1

    Glad seeing you using the Blofeld and Digitakt more often since you reviewed em ;) lovely stuff, as usual. Thanks for bringing some extra happines to the end of the week :)

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks! These two are incredibly fat sounding!

  • @ggoty
    @ggoty Před 2 lety +2

    after months and months of being a subscriber, I still have to pause the videos to read the dank memes. always the best

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Sometimes you have to watch twice;) Thank you!!!

  • @katiegrey8111
    @katiegrey8111 Před 2 lety +6

    Every time you release a new video I just can't help but click. You have a power to make the unholiest of creations sound like the most blessed creations known to mankind. I wonder what gets made into gold next time!

  • @enochroot9438
    @enochroot9438 Před 2 lety +5

    That Loki/Lowkey thumbnail visual pun may be the best CZcams thumbnail ever!...

  • @ultravice191
    @ultravice191 Před 2 lety +1

    Your video editing skills are on point. The Volca Keys was my first analog synth. It was fun to learn some things on. Then I moved to the Monologue. Love your vids.

  • @FreddieShreddieTV
    @FreddieShreddieTV Před 2 lety +2

    this actually nearly made me buy one. great stuff. your jams always make me switch my gear on

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      So happy to hear that, thanks!

  • @lundsweden
    @lundsweden Před 2 lety +4

    Thank you so much for giving the Korg Volca keys the Bad Gear treatment! I have one for sale at the moment, so this episode should give this little guy a nice value bump!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks! There a quite a lot of Volcas around though

    • @lundsweden
      @lundsweden Před 2 lety +1

      Haha denand must be outstripping supply, my ebay price is going through the roof!

    • @ghost_in_the_robot
      @ghost_in_the_robot Před 2 lety

      I found some on Reverb, Sweetwater, and other markets for around $100 so around the price of a Pocket Operator basically

  • @kristianTV1974
    @kristianTV1974 Před 2 lety +40

    It always takes me about 30 minutes to watch these as I have to pause each of the awesome flash memes to take it all in. Love the few towards the end.. there's far too much modular wankery going round nowadays.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +6

      Thanks for going all the way!

  • @fallprecauxionsmusic
    @fallprecauxionsmusic Před rokem

    I really love your vids, man. truly, I do. thanks for, both, the fine work you're doing & the good laughs too. bravo!!

  • @ManoBey12
    @ManoBey12 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks for the video, always good vibes. Much love!

  • @phdj535
    @phdj535 Před 2 lety +7

    Apart from the great sound, the simplicity makes the Keys a great choice for live shows/improvisations. I just know the sweet spots, I can move among them easily, and it is predictable and reliable. Kind of like the Moog Siri, but 10x cheaper.
    Anyway, great episode, one of your snappiest and funniest ones.

  • @johnchongsing7745
    @johnchongsing7745 Před 2 lety +6

    One of the things that turned me on was the feeling of so much power in such a little package that ran on AA batteries. Forget the speaker. I listened with headphones but I could take this thing ANYWHERE! By the way, no mention should be made of Volcas without paying tribute to that coolest of
    geniuses Tats Takahashi (creator also of the Minilogue) who’s now heading up Korg Berlin.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Yeah, that guy really has some charisma!

  • @allyouracid
    @allyouracid Před 2 lety +1

    Nice video. I have a Keys, actually it was my first synth. It has its quirks and limitations, but meanwhile, I absolutely love it for its spacey sounds. Essential part of my setup. :)

  • @caboosemusic123
    @caboosemusic123 Před 2 lety +1

    Great episode, like always.
    Totally didn't expect it.
    Thanks :D

  • @martindewhurst2485
    @martindewhurst2485 Před 2 lety +3

    Good to see so much love for the Keys. It’s hard not to forgive the little rascal for its foibles. Ultimately, it has some lovely sounds, and you can always find a place for it in a track, if only in a supporting role

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      True that. That thing certainly triggers some strong emotions

  • @hysterique_dominus
    @hysterique_dominus Před 2 lety +8

    For the money, this is a great synthesizer with great sound.
    I will soon be using it for live as a bass synthesizer, during rehearsals it does not make noise at all
    It is also the most beautiful synthesizer in the series.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +2

      Agreed! I really like the Sample too!

    • @hysterique_dominus
      @hysterique_dominus Před 2 lety +1

      @@AudioPilz sample is my favorite! it makes crazy herbie hancock grooves!

    • @leftmono1016
      @leftmono1016 Před 2 lety +2

      @@hysterique_dominus - I’d love to see a 12 bit Volca SampleR with a line input 🤞

  • @E4RLIES
    @E4RLIES Před 2 lety

    I am confused still though how has your channel not got a million billion subs yet.
    Always fun & witty as hell
    Always educational
    Rammed with details that make you either go buy or rediscover your own kit 👌🏼
    Bravo Sir
    (Also I may have just purchased a Wolca Keys🤣🤠🎹)

  • @BlackMajj
    @BlackMajj Před 2 lety +1

    Top notch as always! Meme-heavy so had to rewind a million times and try to pause to see/read them memes. I just wonder if Volca or Roland has the most memes out there in the wild. xD

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks! Volca memes are unparalleled in quantity AND quality;)

  • @vroenis
    @vroenis Před 2 lety +3

    My god that genre description was just getting more & more hilarious & then you ended it with "uniting drunk people around the globe" I lost it 🤣🤣🤣
    Great episode - I love my keys but I did get it 2nd hand & cheap, so as a dirty little accessible noisebox, it's great.

  •  Před 2 lety +108

    Very brave of you to tempt Uli like that, once he's done with Roland and Moog he's gonna go after Korg haha

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +23

      Volca's plastic but it's tough;)

    •  Před 2 lety +5

      @@AudioPilz nevermind and keep it simple Uli takes all your disposable income 😄😄 haha. I knew we had to be circulating around in similar places within the CZcams algorithm

    • @Jason75913
      @Jason75913 Před 2 lety +3

      As if the cheaper ARP and MS-20 equivalents by Behringer weren't picking enough of a fight...
      And an 8-voice Polysix (Poly Eight) is in development, too.

    • @mixn5919
      @mixn5919 Před 2 lety +2

      @@Jason75913 I probably won't buy the BolyEight or whatever it's called, I just hope it forces Korg into making a new version of the Polysix with left over Prologue parts

    • @Wagoo
      @Wagoo Před 2 lety +2

      Well there's already Bono/poly..

  • @superconfort
    @superconfort Před 2 lety +1

    Man, what a work of art. Each time better!

  • @jakobole
    @jakobole Před 2 lety +2

    I had one - we used it a lot in minimal techno with fast attack and release, to make short "clicke-ty"-percussion sounds whilst playing with the sequencer. Superb for this purpose.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Agreed, the plucky sounds work really well. Especially with the built-in delay

  • @matthehat
    @matthehat Před 2 lety +6

    3:49 This is pure speculation on my part, but Korg probably used the same ring mod circuit that they used in the MS-20 - a XOR logic gate with a comparator on each input to turn the sawtooth into a square wave. It's a super cheap way of getting a ring mod type sound and it's incredibly easy to implement.
    They could have introduced a square wave without the ring mod quite easily by tapping the signal before it enters the logic chip.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks for the clarification. Very interesting!

  • @pier-lucdassylva5017
    @pier-lucdassylva5017 Před 2 lety +3

    My favorite series on CZcams!

  • @MOON_BOYS
    @MOON_BOYS Před 2 lety +1

    One of the few channels where I like before watching!.
    I appreciate alot your content, thank you very plenty

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks for liking!❤️❤️❤️

  • @edwardtang8995
    @edwardtang8995 Před 2 lety +1

    this is the best thing i ever saw and I am signing up for your Patreon right now

  • @polyman4
    @polyman4 Před rokem +4

    The korg volca keys. One of the best synthesizers ever made. A future classic to match the tb303. Yes I really mean it.

  • @HeegeMcGee
    @HeegeMcGee Před 2 lety +4

    Another masterpiece. I know we all love the memes but those demo jams were really tight!

  • @Sonmz
    @Sonmz Před 2 lety

    Thnx for putting Pluto in your planet list 😀. I'm a big fan of Pluto for more then 30 years) And I have a lot of the similar titles in my bookshelves(mostly in Russian). Have a nice day!

  • @suga4all
    @suga4all Před 2 lety +1

    I love my Volca Keys. And I also instantly loved your jams and recognized that special tone. Its that lofi saw with the sloppy detune and the 70s filter, which is similar to the CAT. In analog territory, it complements my Rev2 beautifully! And of course its a ridiculously lot bang for the buck!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Nice, didn't think of it to be similar to the CAT

  • @Nick-yi4tr
    @Nick-yi4tr Před 2 lety +7

    "the detuned unison tones would certainly be fun in genres like DnB" *Doesnt make DnB for the third jam* My disappointment is immeasurable

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      More DnB to come, no worries;)

  • @brokenscart7989
    @brokenscart7989 Před 2 lety +3

    Starting out I had a Volca binge. I still have four.. I sold the Sample as it just felt too limited to do much beyond… play samples. I was going to sell a couple more but they’re so easy to get nice sound out of. The whole unit is a sweet spot! I swore off them, but sequencing them from an Elektron piece of gear, they’re so much fun. I’m tempted to get an FM.. and this makes me wants a Keys!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Yeah, paired with the Digitakt it is really powerful!

  • @trikOsk
    @trikOsk Před rokem +1

    I love this content! Cheers from Hungary!

  • @Marquinhos1901
    @Marquinhos1901 Před 2 lety

    Bro your closing jam genre descriptions are too on point.

  • @-VCO-
    @-VCO- Před 2 lety +6

    Besides just 2 PPQ (2 steps per pulse), all the original Volcas (Bass, Beats. Keys) have since been updated to also support 4 PPQ (1 step per pulse), via Global setting #8.
    Flux mode allows you to record up to 8 "1/8 sub-steps" per actual step, which combined with 1/4 tempo allows for up to 128 steps per pattern.

    • @lo-firobotboy7112
      @lo-firobotboy7112 Před 2 lety

      Can the firmware be upgraded on first gen volcas?

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks for the clarification!

    • @DMStern
      @DMStern Před 2 lety +1

      @@lo-firobotboy7112 Yes, the update is distributed as a wave file you play into the sync input. Search for "volca firmware update", it should be the top result.

    • @stossbeats
      @stossbeats Před 2 lety

      Not only can all the volcas sync at 4ppq (once per step), they can all borrow swing from the clock sync as long as the first volca in your chain has swing.

    • @stossbeats
      @stossbeats Před 2 lety

      Details n this video… czcams.com/video/ob1cUaLu4ag/video.html

  • @iwanwesterduin
    @iwanwesterduin Před 2 lety +8

    Audiopils, You never fail to inspire me to dust off my own old gear. Time for a Volca Keys sound design session it is!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      So happy to hear that, thanks!

  • @reytunezbz
    @reytunezbz Před 2 lety +1

    Yo posted and for rest of the day I hear your songs in my head.🎹

  • @colourcascade7600
    @colourcascade7600 Před 2 lety

    Man these are the most entertaining reviews ever,,,great work sir,,,,,lol love the fact that some of bad gear is some of my favourite gear namely the tb3 nether the less you're editing is spot on 👏

  • @RegebroRepairs
    @RegebroRepairs Před 2 lety +5

    Ah yes, finally! I have waited long for this episode. :-)
    I told you it was bad when you did some other Volca and asked if it was the worst. Nope, they Keys is the worst.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks for your patience, I hope it was worth the wait!

  • @thomasinlondon2849
    @thomasinlondon2849 Před 2 lety +1

    That was a fantastic episode!!

  • @scottfarrell1906
    @scottfarrell1906 Před 2 lety +1

    Those beats you created were great. Loved it.

  • @Jetix87
    @Jetix87 Před 2 lety +17

    You CAN use it as a step sequencer but it takes extra steps. For my peeps in the comments I'll explain.
    Assuming you've selected a sequence and have cleared it, first hold FUNC and press ACTIVE STEP. Remove all steps except the first one. Press the record button once and then press the note you want. Press the play button to make it stop repeating. Then press FUNC, ACTIVE STEP and select the next step in the sequence and remove the previous. Repeat until you have a sequence.
    Disclaimer time: if you make a mistake, you have to start ALL over again. You can't erase single steps so make sure you've made sure you know what note/chord you want. If you try to record over a previous step, some weird compression happens which I need to experiment with and see if I can get some strange sounds out of that limitation. But it is frustrating when you just want to redo the previous step.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +3

      Wow, didn't know that. Thanks for posting!

  • @janipashkvan797
    @janipashkvan797 Před rokem +3

    I totally love mine.. it sounds good on extra high and extra low notes

  • @MarneusAndMilkyBlood
    @MarneusAndMilkyBlood Před 2 lety

    I must admit that I was worried to see you retread old ground when I saw that you were dealing with another « wolca », but as usual this is justified and so well done I can’t complain! Amazing work, and for once that’s not a synth that will change prices thanks to you featuring it!
    I’m renewing my plea for you to take swig at the OP-1!

  • @ardamusaoglu1322
    @ardamusaoglu1322 Před 2 lety +1

    been waiting for this all along

  • @shaft9000
    @shaft9000 Před 2 lety +9

    VolcaKeys is by far the cheapest unison-capable analog 'polysynth' ever made - the Poly-800 is a CS-80 in comparison😁
    so I cut it some considerable slack

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +2

      It reminded me of the Poly800 too!

  • @leise_im_kran
    @leise_im_kran Před 2 lety +9

    08:00 Is it due to the 'orifices' topic that you put the Volca on URANUS?

  • @amptechron
    @amptechron Před 2 lety +1

    Always entertaining! Have a great weekend!

  • @G1SUNPLANT
    @G1SUNPLANT Před 2 lety +1

    Great play as always!

  • @0VRLNDR
    @0VRLNDR Před 2 lety +3

    Orange County DAW Choppers.
    "Look, you can't make a synth polyphonic by Marc Dotying, I mean Automatically Gainsaying that it is, when it isn't!"
    Just making sure I meet my quota for meme-appreciation comments each week. Florian, I owe you a beer when I finally get to meet you. You are the only channel that wears out my frame-by-frame keys while watching CZcams. Holy cow this one was packed. 🙏🏻

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks! Yeah, that one escalated a bit;)

  • @qjames0077
    @qjames0077 Před 2 lety +4

    Best part of day
    Many good

  • @abstractmodule4574
    @abstractmodule4574 Před 2 lety +1

    I just got one of these a couple of months ago, and I love it. I'm actually using it in a performance tomorrow night as part of my live rig. I guess it comes down to whether or not the sound fits the music you're making.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      ...and whether your fingers fit between the knobs;) (how did the performance go?)

    • @abstractmodule4574
      @abstractmodule4574 Před 2 lety +1

      @@AudioPilz Ironically, the Volca Keys batteries died about 5 minutes into my set, so I didn't use it much. Lol

  • @scottarmstrong8585
    @scottarmstrong8585 Před 2 lety +1

    Such a beautiful tone and a lovely filter.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +2

      Yeah, it's got that 70s flavor!

  • @sauce_aux
    @sauce_aux Před 2 lety +9

    I think these are great for people who are very limited with space and budget, or people who are absolutely clueless about synth and other similar gear. If you really wanna dig in on a budget, take a full hit, and get yourself a used microkorg. Still probably the most professional “budget” synth, that keeps up with most “pro-level” gear.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +4

      Love the MK, not ideal as a beginner's synth with the matrix though

    • @sauce_aux
      @sauce_aux Před 2 lety +1

      @@AudioPilz you think so? The matrix is what helped me when that was my first synth, cuz I could use it to read like a small child using their finger to guide them along the page 😂

    • @lancepage1914
      @lancepage1914 Před 2 lety +1

      I do own a set of keys from the microkorg range, i have always been in the school of "save more money and you can get something better" and hence why i dont have a volca. I do believe no other company can produce gear at the price point that Korg caters for, making them a very important manufacturer for beginners and professionals alike.

    • @sauce_aux
      @sauce_aux Před 2 lety +1

      @@lancepage1914 I totally agree

  • @t0xcn253
    @t0xcn253 Před 2 lety +4

    Me hearing you say "Harsh Noise" is like dogs hearing their owner say "walk" on the phone. I'm excited and confused, and mostly just praying you will do it again.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +2

      Who doesn't like some harsh noise;)

  • @huntergalloway3944
    @huntergalloway3944 Před 2 lety

    Finally, you covered a synth I own. I love the Keys dusty sound. Also you should bring back the RX15 more!

  • @robertordonez9242
    @robertordonez9242 Před 2 lety

    Jesus so much work goes into this videos

  • @DavideCerriGA
    @DavideCerriGA Před 2 lety +6

    Bad gear? Volca keys is a masterpiece!

    • @RegebroRepairs
      @RegebroRepairs Před 2 lety

      If you like the one sound it's able to produce, sure.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      I'd say it's both!

    • @DavideCerriGA
      @DavideCerriGA Před 2 lety

      @@RegebroRepairs yes! My all time favorite piece of gear is the monitribe, so I might be a particular user.

  • @kinetic-cybernetic
    @kinetic-cybernetic Před 2 lety +3

    The Keys can store 128 presets and have additional, any-shape LFOs. It's all about combining the motion sequence and the active step functions.
    128 Presets:
    Think of a preset as a photography of the state of your knobs. Load an empty sequence. Create your lovely sound. Activate motion sequence, and one single step of your 16 steps sequence. That will be the photography of your preset. Push Rec and move every knob just a bit so its position gets registered. Don't record notes. Save.
    To access the preset later on, just go back to that single step and press play. 16 steps x 8 sequences = 128 presests. You can freely play it with the device keyboard itself or a nice, big MIDI controller.
    One LFO per Knob:
    Think of an LFO as a tiny robot repeatedly moving a knob for you. Instead of an actual LFO, that could be the motion sequencer. The result is the same. Load an empty sequence. Create your lovely sound. Activate motion sequence. Record knob movements according to how you would modulate them with an LFO. You don't need to record notes but you can put something just to hear what's happening and erase it once you're done. If you want to do LFO shapes that require a lot of speed or abrupt changes, you can take advantage of either lowering the tempo or editing step by step with the Active Step funtion as in the previous operation. For the rest of the knobs, the ones you want to remain still, record moving them just a tiny bit so their position gets recorded, and allow the bar to end so their stillness is also recorded. To access the preset later on, just go back to that sequence and press play. 8 sequences = 8 presets but with complex LFOs. Save. You can freely play it with the device keyboard itself or a nice, big MIDI controller.
    Interesting stuff: You can use these LFOs to modulate the actual LFO, by moving the Rate, Pitch and Cutoff Ints!

    • @steveedwards4495
      @steveedwards4495 Před 2 lety

      😳😳🤔🤔🤔😮😮😀😀😁😁😁😁👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

  • @CaptainAlbatross
    @CaptainAlbatross Před 2 lety +1

    Ozzylators. That made me spit my whisky on my laptop screen. Worth it though, brilliant! Jams awesome as usual, great stuff my good sir!

  • @iskariot3180
    @iskariot3180 Před 2 lety +1

    Well, with this one you finally did it, all the synths i have are featured on your show ^^
    I actually use it quite a lot in combination with my pyramid for sequencing. Almost never as a lead, but always useful for detailing. And like you suggest, i can do wonders as a unison bass in DnB! You know, stuff i'm not going to buy another synth for if this little guy can handle it.
    Thanks, and keep pointing out to us it's us, the complainers who're bad, not the gear ;)

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks! Nothing personal but the Reese Bass on the Keys is phenomenal!

  • @rashodlewis2918
    @rashodlewis2918 Před 2 lety +3

    1st.

  • @LouisSerieusement
    @LouisSerieusement Před 2 lety +1

    I love my keys ! it's in all my live setups since the begining (using external sequencer of course)
    You did a really nice video on it, and congrats for finding the 18khz noise at 4:17 XD it's on my unit to, I think it's in all units lol !

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +2

      It seems like that noise comes from the delay and there's a mod to bypass it

    • @LouisSerieusement
      @LouisSerieusement Před 2 lety

      @@AudioPilz thanks a lot for the info, I'll definitely dig this !

  • @ironinquisitor3656
    @ironinquisitor3656 Před 2 lety +1

    I've waited all week and another one is out! 😀

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for your patience!

  • @SynthAddict
    @SynthAddict Před 2 lety +1

    nice use of the fun memes and some great jams as usual
    I haven't used my Volca Synth as much as some of the others ( I have the whole set, and not in my ass) but I always appreciated the sound and what it could do for the money in a small portable unit :-)

  • @JJohnkkttran
    @JJohnkkttran Před 2 lety +1

    I gotta chime in on this one as this is one of my all time favorite synths. You're absolutely right that the tone is unmistakably Korg! That is why this thing is extremely iconic. As you mentioned about this thing's much older brother the Univox k1 and k2, the character comes from just how quirky this thing is. Those synths until not very long ago were going for pennies because they were too quirky to be usable. Now people understand that their unique filters and oscillators are AWESOME.
    The same line of thought goes on here, and I have to give credit to Korg with ALL of the Volcas. They're not trying to make a budget synth that does it all(they already did that with the Microkorg). They're trying to make something weird, and to me this is the best example. Tons of features under the hood that don't operate as they should, just like the Univoxs Korg started with.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Yeah, Korg doesn't get enough credit for that!

  • @quietandpeacefulman
    @quietandpeacefulman Před 2 lety +1

    Extremely funny this week. I need that. Thanks

  • @troelsknudsen253
    @troelsknudsen253 Před 2 lety +1

    the blofeld combo was really nice, very complimentary up front vs spaced out arrangement.

  • @LFC303606ACID
    @LFC303606ACID Před 2 lety +1

    Great, honest review as always, oh and funny too.
    I had this a couple of years ago, enjoyed it but let it go because of the noise and how easy it was to lose that sweet spot when jamming. I still miss it a bit though.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks! Yeah, it's always a bit of sweet spot hunting

  • @IDontKnowCorp
    @IDontKnowCorp Před 2 lety +1

    Your editing is so god damn dense, good vid and neat gear!

  • @visisydandthevoid
    @visisydandthevoid Před 2 lety +1

    Thinking about getting one at some point to control with my digitone.
    Another great episode sir

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks! Works great with Elektron gear!

  • @MCBrainpower
    @MCBrainpower Před 2 lety +1

    Superb episode, bro. Plus…now I really want the non-existent Volca Key Star RK 100S 🎹💫

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks! I'd kill for that;)

    • @MCBrainpower
      @MCBrainpower Před 2 lety

      @@AudioPilz no doubt! By the way is that a Yamaha RX-11 I spotted during the first jam

  • @eDrone33
    @eDrone33 Před 2 lety

    Another great demo there.

  • @Ve55el
    @Ve55el Před 2 lety +1

    More capable than I thought! Very nice!

  • @drstupid1
    @drstupid1 Před 2 lety +1

    Took me months of cursing that thing till i read the manual and realised you have to wait a bit for it to auto tune! Patience has paid off and now i love that little synth and it's janky quirks.. after it autotunes. Mine even survived a studio fire so they're pretty indestructible

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Yeah, the tuning process works surprisingly well on the Keys

  • @AnirbanBasakClicks
    @AnirbanBasakClicks Před 2 lety +1

    Funny how you keep adding pretty much every piece of gear I own to this list. First the Volca Sample, then the Electribe 2S and now the Volca Keys. Despite their limitations, I've managed to get a fairly good sound out of these little beauties in my live rig and absolutely have an amazing time in live ambient jams with them. Using a few guitar FX pedals to this setup along with the NTS1 and the Volca FM ensures I get the best mileage from all of them. The Volcas are also cheap and amazing to explore different synthesis types hands-on.
    I have a Korg M50 too, in case you were wondering what to rip apart next! ;D

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Korg M50 looks VERY promising, thanks;)

  • @MorwenWhyte
    @MorwenWhyte Před 2 lety +2

    Volca Keys, Loki, Indy, I feel today's episode was tailored for me XD.
    What an awesome machine is the vKeys and how versatile experimental machine can become when you push it to it's limits, I love the vBass' step rec but nothing can match the vKeys' flux function, with that and the tempo options you can extend its note imput to the hundreds.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety +1

      Yeah, Flux is totally underrepresented in this episode!

  • @danhectic5629
    @danhectic5629 Před 2 lety +1

    great episode! almost bought a Volca a while ago... Drum is tempting. side note: i'm going to buy a bunch of Behringer stickers & start slapping them on random stuff now.

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Thanks! I had a big Behringer sticker on my fridge for years;)

  • @summerlaverdure
    @summerlaverdure Před 2 lety +1

    holy crap, an animals are beautiful people reference? nice :3 great video!

  • @dawidsidor8887
    @dawidsidor8887 Před 2 lety +1

    And here I was yesterday thinking it'd be so cool to see a bad gear for a Volca :D

  • @robertsyrett1992
    @robertsyrett1992 Před 2 lety +2

    The volca keys was one of the first synths that got me interested in the synth market after many year. I still really enjoy using it from time to time when I need a synth on the go and I don't want to pack another AC adaptor. It sounds great and is very performance friendly. Yes the synth is limited and a bit noisy but if you already have a sequencer (digitakt) that can take care of that side of things, it really opens up. The crust and simplicity of the keys are it's charm.

  • @mixn5919
    @mixn5919 Před 2 lety +1

    this was my first analog synth and i must say, it was a great way to learn subtractive synthesis. it cost me like $120, and once my skills improved and I got a few proper synths, I sold it for the same price. honestly wish I would have kept it, it's a pretty capable tool. plus it doesn't sound half bad and is perfect for travelling.
    you really demonstrated the range of sounds it has to offer, that last song honestly makes it sound like a much more expensive synth!

    • @AudioPilz
      @AudioPilz  Před 2 lety

      Yeah, that one punches above its weight when you tickle it the right way