Better Gear - Korg Volca Midi Out Hack

In this episode of Better Gear, the show about making gear better, we are talking about the midi out hack for the Volca Sample (and all the other Volcas out there). Will it replace your BeatStep Pro, Sequentix Cirklon or Manikin Schrittmacher?

Not affiliated, still might be interesting to some of you:

[ItsDoctorAmatic]

Get-well-soon-wishes to that Volca. The healing process of the dermal plastic will take some time but I think the band-aid was a good first step.

[jjrusy]

i like that sub-bass port you added to enhance the brown note and that passive radiator disguised as a band-aid

[Yayev]

I added this mod to the Volca bass and it has been very useful. I use it for things like a long midi chain to my arturia keystep as a second sync, and recently in a project where I needed to trigger the MS20 sequence but have a digital display. It works great and is portable. The step input function is very useful since not all volcas have this. If you run the 3 VCO out into the MS20, you can even run the V. bass through the filters and up to a fat 5 unison oscillator signal if you use the sequencer.

[secretelitemusic]

It's not a random hole in the case. It's a carefully designed artisan vent.

[-VCO-]

MIDI Out on the Volcas is also useful for recording/automating parameter tweaks, as they are all mapped to MIDI CC#s.
I use MIDI Out on the Volca Sample mostly as sync master, when I want to start/stop several Volcas at once, in sync (analog sync cables don't transmit start/stop information).
The second generation Sample also has a single (assignable) MIDI channel option, besides the same one part per channel mode as the first generation. Note that the second generation Sample is not compatible with Pajen's firmware, due to the use of a different processor.
If you want a more usable sequencer for playing chromatic notes, then try modding the Bass, NuBass, Keys of FM.
The Volca Beats has all the instruments on the same MIDI channel, following the traditional GM (Roland) drum note mapping. I believe that's the default drum mapping on most DAWs too.The Volca Drum, like Sample v2, can switch between single and multi channel modes.

[turtleCalledCalmie]

MK Trilogy for N64. Dude, how come with every video I have more and more respect for you my dude <3

[matrixx]

I ended up adding it using a 1/8 inch jack that I soldered to the pins, wired like the Korg NTS-1's MIDI jack. I also added a audio input (to the output jack summed using some resistors) so I could mix some other synths with it and use one set of headphones.

[ezion]

I used to make custom equipment and do modifications for a living. There is a way to do a better job on the midi out PCB part. Instead of a dumb TTL buffer IC, you can connect a small micro controller to the midi out pins on the Volca PCB. Something like a Atiny AVR will do. This uC can modify the midi data coming from the Volca and then rebroadcast it to the outside world.

For more flexibility the uC can also be connect to eavesdrop on the Volca's midi in. This allows the use of sysex to change the channel, note-numbers and gate time used by the uC.
Needless to say this trick only works for stuff with a old fashioned "real" midi connection.

[boriscat]

I put a MIDI out on a Volca Beats because the Stutter effects works be resending MIDI notes. it's neat, and the only thing I have with such an effect, but I haven't found a use for it.

for that hole, here's my tip: most 2-part epoxy won't stick to tape! You can put tape over the outside, and clamp the case to a flat surface and fill it with a tiny bit of epoxy from the inside. Very lightly stand it after it's cured (24 hours). Then get a little white paint from a hobby store (like for painting miniatures) and make it less noticeable.

[dannydr]

2:25 ...and let the healing begin.
*put on bandaid*
Hahahahhaha, genius!

[martinatorchiani]

Got the volca sample as first gear a few days ago and it’s so much fun, being a very beginner myself I don’t know if it’s a useful gear if approached from a semi-professional perspective, but i have to say is really cool as something you have to mess around with if you’re in my same beginner phase

[scottharris]

I’ve done the mods to 5 volcas ... the keys is the best candidate given that it transmits all the transparent knob cv values as well as the sequencer. It would be cool to see you put that mod to work.

[novakjovanovic]

Now I can finally prove to my wife that bandaids can fix anything. The value in this content never disappoints. 😆😁😀

[OrbitalSaucer]

You can actually fit a standard midi-out plug in the top faceplate if you get a narrow form factor one. I used a broken DR-660 for my plug. You need to Drill or dremel or file out the hole for it next to the in. It's a super delicate job, and you'll have to use a bunch of epoxy to make sure it's strong enough to push/pull cables out of the jack, and white model paint to touch everything up afterward but it's dooope. /flex

[wraggal]

I did this many years ago with the volca drum.... And never bothered using it!

Having said that, I'd say volca drum is probably the best candidate for this mod, for exactly the reasons you give at the end of the video.. it's best for drums

[GlenBerry]

That Band-aid adds real character and street cred. It's worth doing the mod just for that alone! 😉

[DeathTrapProductions]

Just did this mod. Same story as yours even with the guide. It works so thats all that matters but because the volca models vary slightly by year it’s tricky getting everything to fit.

[edrosa]

Adobe acrobat automatically selects “resize to fit” when printing a file. Somewhere in either page setup or the printing dialogue there is a pull down menu that will let you select “Do Not Scale”.

[Lhenndyn]

I had midi on almost all the volcas, works well. The only one without midi out (or I didn’t found it) is the Drum. And on the modular, you need an little circuit with an optocoopler to make it work. I wasn’t able to do it... yet. I don’t know about the Nu bass, I don’t have it (and don’t want to...) On the keys, or bass, it’s interesting to use the midi to stack them together, with the same unit or another one. Thanks for the video !

[pizzagogo]

Thanks for this didn’t know this existed! I did the mod to my volca Nubas- I was unimpressed with the Nubass kit, no instructions were provided and usbtribe didn’t respond to emails, the drilling template doesn’t work for the Nubass and for correct fitment also the output cable requires significant surgery on the case ( Nubass case seem thicker). However now it’s done I’m very pleased to have a little battery powered sequencer, Thanks for the great tip👍