Korg Volca Bass 303 Acid Sound & Comparison
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- čas přidán 23. 08. 2024
- There is a lot of excitement about the Volca's coming to the West, but I've been seeing a lot of misinformation in forums about the Volca Bass. Here I demonstrate the Acid capabilities of the $150 analog monosynth, while comparing it to a TT-303, as well as providing some tips!
I misspoke, the Vanishing Point is $140, details and demo:
www.sunsineaudi...
I get plenty of "expressivity" simply by using the LFO. By holding the FUNCTION button and turning the rate knob, you can sync the LFO to the tempo. I then change the LFO shape to square, and the target to the amp = (sort of almost) accent. The LFO resets at the start of the pattern played. And adding cutoff to the LFO target makes everithing even more interesting.
nibor i don't know how to thank you for this!
Alvaro Guerra
likewise!
Wow! Thnx
You are awesome! Thanks!
Korg did NOT try to emulate a 303. You are never going to understand a musical instrument by focusing on what it isn't.
True it was inspired by the 303 and aimed at those that want a cheap analog just for bass.
Why can't a Korg Volca Bass just be a Korg Volca Bass and Roland TB-303 just be a Roland TB-303. They're both seperate analog instruments. If everything was exactly the same that would be quite boring. Each has it's own charecteristics that make them great, and at the end of the day each machine is what you make of it.
That is a fair question. In the 3 years since this video was released, the Volca Bass has come into its own. However... at the time of this recording, one of the largest music tech magazines was touting this as a modern TB-303. The author of that article has since been summarily accosted and subsequently befriended... so I won't embarrass him by naming the mag now.
Benasis, well said
Thank you.
@@Emily_Entropy Just because someone writes something, does not make it gospel.
Having been in electronic music for almost 45 years, I take anything I read with a grain of salt, especially if it comes from the internet.
00:35 hahahaha I'm still laughing !
Lmao!! SAME!!!
I came back just to hear him say it again.
Bimmer Benz LOL, you guys are always encouraging my bad behavior.
Lorenzo Cabason me tooo :)
But it's true. People on the Internet won't like me unless I buy a $3K TB-303. xD
Good review. As someone who owns the Volca Bass, I agree that the envelope is wonky and that the filter is less than ideal, especially with the resonance all the way up. But it sounds huge. And as you point out, it's probably the best mono available at that price point. What a great time to be an analog fan!
Jesus, the volca through that vanishing point sounds AMAZING.
Yep, exactly what I thought too! I was so surprised after he swapped the synths.
The Vulva sounds surprisingly good! Very acid in its own right.
what vulva?
I didnt mean to be a dick dude its all gravy :)
Lol
Anthony David Is that like a P fart? lol 😂That’s funny as hell
THIS is a cheap plastic toy.....but so was the TB303 until it got hyped beyond all credibility......HAIL the cheap plastic toys from the far east!
i don't think it's hyped beyond credibility. what the 303 is good at, it is INSANELY good at. It's accidental discovery and use in electronic music is one of the best things that ever happened.
yes
TB303 suffered from bad marketing. No music store knew what to do with, and couldn't put them into the hands of people who could use them ... at least not until they were insanely discounted from $400 down to as little as $50. If they put it in a metal box and called it something other than a "bass", it would have sold out.
Sounds like the opening scene of Blade
We must remember that the Volca is not a TB-303, and doesn't really sound like one, it doesn't really work like one, but that doesn't mean you can't make some badass, and even acidic bass tones with it. I don't own one but I played with one for quite a while. Regarding the case you make at 2:30 (low-end range on decay control): first of all, when "SUSTAIN" and "AMP EG" are ON, then that decay/release control only effects release, and it can be nice to have really fine control over a really short release. But with SUSTAIN and AMP EG both OFF, just lower the CUTOFF EG INT and the filter will give you a nice percussive click at the beginning of the note, that you can control with the decay and EG INT controls. Crank your main cutoff knob up quite a bit... that's going to give your sustained notes. Go easy on the PEAK and you'll find that it can really punch up a bass sound.
It is great you mention this. Some experiment thoroughly and others just believe what was said on the internet. Almost seems like proving the Dunning/ Kruger effect!
Straight to the point, comparing two bass machines and giving simples possibilities. Well done!
First off, awesome review, very informative, and all respect for your obvious love and deep knowledge of the 303. That said, having played with the volca a bit more I was frustrated to see you miss many of the best features. Even in your first sentence: you can sequence the three oscillators independently so it's not a mono synth as I understand it... Also kind of had a chuckle/groan at 3:26 when you point out that all you can do with the 303 is play the same bar over and over and tweak knobs. While you can play the volca bass this way too, korg has really moved the bar forward on performance oriented functionality IMHO. Considering all this (and the fact you are doing the review with such a shallow familiarity with the volca) buttering the 'tude on a little less thick would be legit. Again though, nice review over all!!
That's fair. You're right about my attitude, which has mellowed over time. It's a very affordable box that can produce some nice sounds. I'd use it more though if Korg updated the firmware to allow you to mix the oscillator volumes independently. Considering the post-release support provided for the Monotribe; I'm more than a little disappointed that they haven't. Also that env/dec curve still annoys me. Bah... I'm getting grumpy again!
***** Thoughtful and graceful reply! Thank you! Yeah this review showed me probably better than any other exactly why people love the filter and envelope on the 303... they are totally awesome. It's a bit tricky to evaluate the volca bass; it's so obviously, heavily informed by the 303... yet it's obviously NOT a clone... and that's a delicate line to tread.
I too was disappointed with the volca "303" sound and didn't want to spend that much on the original TB. After looking around trying to find the best hardware to produce a quality 303 sound I went with the BassBot. I just got my TT in the mail today and hyped to use it . Very helpful video thank you !
You're welcome! Enjoy! I still love my TT-303 to this day.
The Vanishing Point, a pedal designed for use with synths (as well as guitars) because it doesn't add any additional filtering. And yes, it sounds so good! I added a link to video details. One of my videos, Colony Collapse Disorder, is featured towards the bottom of the page.
Just bought all 6 Volca's. Now I have to figure out how to use them!
Good luck, and have fun!
i'm from the '303' generation, and i have to say, i think you were maybe a tiny wee bit harsh on the volca..
its fantastic.
Good review. I've been digging all 3 volcas for about 6-8 months. They sit right next to an original arp 2600 and tb-303 doing mad, spacy acid jamz...the volcas hang just fine! In fact they expand the whole table-top synth palette in a wonderful way, while 'shrinking it' too :O)
Thanks for the comparison, its basically what I would be doing if I picked one up and took it home.
"Because fuck you I'm not spending $3000 on a 30 year old synth".
THANK
YOU
It was never supposed to be a tb-303 alternative, they didn't imply it would be, people just assumed and hoped it would be more acidy because they wanted it to be. The Korg demo's were clear enough.
Straight to the point - No brainer...Subscribed -
found the 303 on Amazon for 126.35 renewed. Just ordered. Great Vid....!!!
I bought the volca bass originally because I just wanted a cheap box that could at least pass for a 303 caricature. Honestly though, after using it in depth, I actually prefer the volca to the actual TB-303. It manages to do the whole "Acid" thing without sounding too cheesy and at the same time can pull off less distinctive, richer sounds, where as the 303 can't be taken seriously in any other genre than house.
LMAO I LOVE your message to those who might critique that this is not an actual TB-303 used. Seriously.
Watch out for vampires.They love that sequence ;)
Thanks for sharing! I did a small tutorial here on YT how to simulate the accent (with filter "jumping") using external midi sequencer.
I just added my new Volca Bass to be additional oscillators to my MS-20Kit. By taking the USB MIDI out of the MS-20kit and sending to a Kenton USB2MIDI I can control the Volca Bass with the MS-20xx.
I pan the MS-20xx to the right and the Bass to the left, giving me two separate articulations.
The release on the bass with the AMP switch on is quite short, maybe 3 seconds max, compared to 10+ seconds on the MS-20xx.
I like the tone of the Bass, and find it has a nice counterbalance to the MS-20xx filters.
Never had any of the acid boxes, as I am more of a long release pad sort of person.
Maybe one day I can mod the bass for longer releases!
i just bought the Korg volka setup and i am happy with the acid sound but the TT 303 is amazing i need that sound in my life, looks like my wallet is getting it again, thanks man
Thanks for the video, made me see the possibilities of the gear I already own.Still fancy a volca though. You've given me ideas and inspiration. Thanks.
Somehow I got my Volca keys synced to one of the demonstrations in this video.
That Bass Bot is the shit too! It sounds terrific!
Hello friend, thanks so much for this comparison vid! Does the new tiny machine have a "song mode" where patterns are played one after the other while i can play guitar? If not, does it have like the volca drum finger triggered patterns?
I don't care about acid or the 303 comparison. I'm a student with little money who's new to the synth world. Comments make me unsure about this product. Forgetting about the comparison, is it good by itself? Will I be able to create some class sounds with it? Cheers.
yes!
they're pretty simple and limited, and for me that alway's worked. you just can't deny that those are super fun to experiment with, especially for beginners.
They're awesome!
if you want to experiment with analouge synths buy a Keys or Bass. They're a both worth the price.
But I think if you not really into acid, buy a Keys. And maybe if you have some extra money try the Monotoron Delay too. :)
I own a Beats which is awesome too, but it's not a synth, you know.
For an excellent demo of all 3 volcas check out AutomaticGainsay on youtube. He does a great job walking you through alot of different machines including the Volcas.
What?! At the point of the video where you swap both synths through the overdrive, I was like man, that Volca stole the show! Such a meaty sound! (running it through that kaospad sounded not too good tho :D ) Obviously it's far from that classic tb303 acid sound, but I suppose it's down to what you want to use it for. I'm sure that with enough tweaking around you can get pretty close to it.
I bought my Korg Volca Bass with the full realization is was not a TB-303.
I did not rely on the internet for my thoughts, rather my own critical thinking.
Love live the Volca Bass.
(Which pairs nicely with a Vermona 14', Dreadbox Abyss, Korg Modwave, and Korg MS-20Kit).
It not being a clone improves it imo, way more versatile than a 303
Acid will never die.. shit it's getting a rebirth right now in the UK.. so fucking fresh with new gear and sounds mixed in.. ACID ACID ACID... Perc, Sawf, Blawan, Karenn... Acid is to electronic music what Punk is to rock... g f y s
ACID FOREVER
Thanks for the review. I didn't even know that you used hardware! After following the world of iOS on Discchord. I think I might get one to go with my Analog Keys and P08 👣
I really like the sound of that! Much better than my old Deep Bass Nine.
Lol, the DB9 came out in 1995 and yea it was cheesy!!
Good question. A comparison video is needed. :)
I find this to be highly unfair. If korg wanted to produce a 303 replacement they would've. Korg produced this for, and read the manual for evidence, the purpose of providing a new analog groovebox, and the ability to produce hard acid sounds, which is what it does. You want to hear it sound like a 303? Check out "phuture on a korg volca bass." That aside, you HAVE made it clear that the VB has its own unique sound. That being said, if you've got an analog drum machine, would you like to collaborate on some new VB-based acid house?
You called it, as they now offer a Volca NuBass, which is essentially a straight up 303 clone. (not exactly the same sound) but you were correct. If they wanted to created a 303 replacement, they would have - and, as it turns out, they did.
I don't think, Volca ever claimed to be a TB-303 clone. Great video Tim, cheers :)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, Korg never made this claim. But at the time of its release a few big names in the community were saying, "OMG Korg 303 clone!"
🤣…your intro was hilarious and to the Point 💯😂
Thanks for the comparison! It sounds like some sort of accent going on on the Volca Bass bassline too, how was that achieved?
Where did you pick up the kaoss pad for fifty dollars?
very nice demo, thanks!
im inclined to think that you can run a volca bass through a korg monotron and maybe a cheap guitar pedal or two, and get alot more range expressivity as well as maybe a sound quality boost, than just a standalone volca.
Zoie3x8 monotron for the win. These little box just scream!
+MrVitalic85 indeed they do, i have the whole set of monotrons :D
cool!!!
Zoie3x8 oh and I haved a korg volca key but I traded it in for a maschine mk1 + money.. dang I like my maschine a lot but I miss my volca :P
I was getting good "303" results running the Volca Bass through the 'Digitech Synth Wah' which is an envelope filter / autowah pedal.
Korg are on to a winner with this little synth
As a french guy i used youtube's automatic translator to understand better what was said. You should try it, Acid techno as something to say to you, and it is not happy at all !
+otherguyb Oh that is great! I got one point around 7:30 where it says: "Oh yeah baby boom!"
finally someone saying something valueable on this topic! :)
i dont care about how well it does 303 mimicks... volca bass (as the other two volca) is an amazing piece of gear that sounds great and deep
Of course there is a difference, because there is a difference in price too! - the Volca is good for its price, no doubt about that, - it is more valid to compare intruments in the same price range, i think
Agreed, and I would venture to say a majority of the people ripping the volca's haven't owned them or spent a lot of time with them. Excellent bang for buck. With outboard gear and stuff I can butter up real nice. TB303 is amazing but I wouldn't get enough value from it for that price. So many other options under that price range.
Hello from 7 year later. I picked up Behringer's TB-303 clone (TD-3) during a sale for less than the price of a Volca Bass. I like both, they have their own character. The TD-3 sounds shockingly like the real thing, I plugged the same pattern you were playing in your TT-303 and it sounded just like it to me. (See Pattern 09 at acidvoice.com/tb_303_famous_patterns.php )
I like the way the Boutique distortion pedal sounds way better. Its more crispier and sounds better quality.
I was looking at a software VSTi version which sounds really great, its the ABL2.
The Monotribe can sound more 303 than the Bass. Or at least has a more acid sounding filter in comparison to the Bass.
+Metatron's Cube phoyscon vst tbh
Thanks, very informative video!
For an "accent" function: use one or two of your oscillators as "punch up" oscillators. Where you would have used an accent on the 303, try recording a separate oscillator track and just double the note on that step. In fact you could hit that step with the same note in a different (probably lower) octave. Not the same I know, but it at least gives you some pseudo-dynamics.
Oh, one more thing: the 303 is the sound of acid. It has only one oscillator. So as soon as you start unisoning your basslines, while it may sound nice, it's not gonna sound like a 303. Since the oscillators don't stay perfectly in phase, oscillator doubling take a lot of the edge away, and the filter actually won't be as liquid sounding because all those peaks are smeared.
To all the comments preferring Volca bass, it sounds like a lot of synths trying to be acidic. You can do that basically on anything. The 303 and its clones have an entirely different fluid sound because of the way the sequencer changes the 303 synth and the cute flaws in the envelope. MIDI note ons, note offs, velocity and portamento you send to a synth will never sound anything like the 303.
this is a good review to realize that is usless to compare both machine. Each one have its own features and own sound, so if you think you can buy a volca to emulate the 303 sound you are wrong. However, volca bass with some pedals and efects can do great things too :)
While neither sound that "Roland" I really like the Korg. I think it has its own unique sound. I would like to try one out.
I am saving for the volca trio.
I bought the zoom g1on for effects for my Volca Bass. Think I'll pick up another for my Volca Keys. Sounds pretty good for guitars, and it sounds pretty good on synths for 50 measily dollars. 5 effects in any order you choose. Blows away the Korg mini-kp... 100 effects probably counting the amp models with the current update. But they are only 50 dollars..
finally someone knows what their talking about
Thank you. You've convinced me of buying a cyclone or xoxbox instead of the korg volca bass.
like them both equally for different reasons... how strange is that, I can see the musical potential in both machines... CRAZY I know.
they will,
expect a 808 /909 /303 coming soon!
mark my words
upsidedownsurroundedbysound It looks like the only company that might make one is Behringer!!!
@@josephwright5921 No, Roland did this 5 years ago with the Boutique series
The exec's @ Roland must have had their heads explode when they got wind of the TT-303 Bassbot. I've played with one through a Boss overdrive. It's a 303, no more, no less.
With an Analog synth, you always want to stay Analog. Running it through the Kaoss pad turned the signal digital and ruined the analog signal which is why it sounded better through the distortion pedal (which is an analog pedal).
It's not a 303 clone but it's clearly hinting at the fact it's inspired by the 303, look at the LFO and filter knobs, the filter settings are at the top and at the sides are two black lines to contain them, exactly like the 303...
Vulva is pretty acid. I'm glad it does not sound like a 303.
suspect one of them is using linear pots, one is using logorithmic...BTW, best distortion pedal I've ever had was a crappy old 2nd hand thing by "Aria" from under the counter at an old guitar shop.... Modded it and sent it to Mexico (someone brought it via ebay). The thing cost me £5 (approx $8 to 9). I miss it sometimes.
I appreciate that this is a comparison, but it seems to miss the point to complain about lack of expressive tweaking on the volca bass and not use the sequencer real time! In terms of jamming it opens up whole new avenues to explore.
its a shame people cant seem to tune the 3 oscs properly in most of the vids i see. properly tuned the v bass sounds massive and very acidic.also for more 303ish patterns use something like phoscyon to program your patterns on it.the bass is pretty amazing at 150 bucks and goes paraphonic just like the keys with several different pieces of software out there.
LA VOLCA BASS SONNE SUPER BIEN
You sir are amazing!
excelente video saludos
Hmmm, that was not my intent, but I take your point. I dropped the "TB" from the title.
good stuff dude.. nice review and nice intro. Good use of "go fuck yourself'. hasn't the 303 "sound" had its day in the states or even the world .. its the sound, slave to a combination of notes through a 1 bar arp loop and with knob twitches vcf resonance, frequency, attk and sustain... ok you know what it IS fun to do that again.. im just wondering whether its more fun to do it rather than hear it. .. who cares!?!
The Volca though, albeit puny does have a unique (at least its a new sound that will be over used) and i like your incorporation of kaoss pad. More originality! I also like that you are conscious of money! There are so many things on 'bay like kaoss pads, older midi controllers, launchpads, old samplers like Yammy A4000 / A5000 that can be added in to a sound rig to use as virtual analogue synths as well. (ok they are cumbersome but add depth to creativity).
I also like Elektron .. i have the rytm (yes its BIG cash) but it does what others cant do in a single box plus its got a very creative sequencer like all elektron stuff.
Most of all though this video got me feeling creative about electronic music again like the EARLY 90's here in the UK so thank you sir!
My search will continue as i am looking for the ultimate live electronic setup which i will only find from getting inspiration from vids like these. Maybe ill never find it and the search is what its all about :)
Go well
Elliot Davidson Thanks man! I still dig the sound, whether I'm playing or just listening to others... but especially when I'm playing! It's nice to hear that I got you feeling creative. Now go make some synths squelch!
ha ha.. there is just so much choice Tim.. i'll get there! now if i could just afford 4 x ms20 mini table tops...
Super !! What is the song played in the démo please ?
THX
Volca should be the intro synth for all the new "bush league" kids who think owning a synth is cool and not to be overlooked by serious people.
Would love you to do a Acidlab Miami vs TR8 vs 808 video. My door is open!
What's the distortion pedal you have there, I like the sound of the Volca through it.
Could you recommend an affordable solution to run all 3 volcas into one unit?
Have volca beats running into novation nio, then into laptop with ableton.
Want to buy volca bass next, would want them all running into one device?
1. Thanks for the comparison video. 2. The TT-303 is nice as is the Volca. That being said, I like my Future Retro 777 the best. :)
Actually, Volca Bass wins...
It’s got a nicer sound.
(I know, I know, it doesn’t do what the 303 does, but still)
I tend to agree. Even if the Volca is much cheaper than 303, and it's clones, I actually prefer the sound of the Volca Bass.
Well Korg never claimed it was a 1:1 clone of the 303. It has a completely different filter, the one from the Korg 700S. It's just influenced by the 303 but not a clone of it.
Good point that the whole way you keep from monotony on this is tweaking and accent, lacking on the Korg, yet you did not demonstrate this point. A recreation of the "ugly duckling" MS20 or a half-ass 303 will not get my dollar. If I was crazy over acid I would save for the Cyclone Analogic and if not, stick with my Bass Station II which blows away the Korg and others with its acid filter coupled with its own distortion and overdrive.
thanks Tim,
can i may ask how is called the fx machine you use to improve sound of VB?
Kind regards
That is a Vanishing Point, from Sunsine Audio!
i like it, good unique sound on the cheap .. i LOVE IT !
The fact is the new Roland TB3 sounds more like a TB303 than the Volca Bass, despite the Volca being real analog and the TB3 being digital. How ironic is that!!
it should sound more like a 303 than the volca bass since its meant to replicate a 303 and the volca bass isnt,its a 3 osc analog synth from korg with a step sequencer for 150 bucks.
Hey, the TB3 sounds more like a 303 than an MS-20! Hey, it sounds more like a 303 than a Moog theremin! Hey, it sounds more like a 303 than a $300 tin can and a piece of string! Isn't it ironic?
nothing ironic at all about it, Volca bass's filter isn't anything like the ladder filter found in a tb303, it can however do a wider range of sounds (thanks to the 3 oscillators and 700s style filter) and sounds far more alive than the digital machine
ello ppl, can help me with a problem i have. so i have my set up as roland tr8 tb3 and korg. so the tr8 is the master then to tb3 then to korg. all midi connected. so the problem i have is that i can't seem to sync the kork to the tb3. for some reason the midi cable only sync's the tempo and i want it to step sync. is this possible? if so, how? cheers in advance jimi.
love that tt303 sound. and a good price. korg bass aint bad n all.
:) cheers
if you can get over how ugly it is, the TB-3 is the best acid bass box for those on a budget
I agree! Especially with all of the hidden features that let you really shape the sound. It is 100% the best hardware 303 option if you're willing to dig deep into the synthesis. If you're not willing to do that though, or unable to look past Roland's baffling color scheme, I still love the TT-303 dearly!
nice demo man! cheer ciao
Whats the best new bass synth that can do a thunderous sub bass to make me get rid of my voyager
Agreed, but the Volca Bass doesn't sound "as acid". Even so, having a bass line on the Volca playing under the Bass Bot (or equivalent) would make for an awesome combo. Buy both!
00:35 is gold!
Love your videos dude ! PMSL at .36 seconds
303 likes - sorry dude, I can't let myself ager it
LOL! Thanks for pointing that out. That's awesome!
+Dennis Mozgovoy and fuck those who ruined it
have you set the VCO waveform to be the same in the two machines?
The things that make you go, "Hmm?"
still an excellent review though.
interesting. i think flying pink elephants are awesome, too!
in other words: i agree it's pretty close, but it's not entirely the same into the least possible bit. as long as it sounds good i don't care what others use, but it's not what i would be satisfied with because every little detail makes the 303 sounding special, way too complex especially to be put in software. fine if you don't note any difference, for me it's not satisfying although i can't even afford any 303 clone yet.