Volca easiest MIDI Out mod!!!

mikeneaves · Post by **mikeneaves** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:09 pm

Would it be possible to wire the volca so that it would work with the cable that Carn mentions? If so does anyone know how it would be done?

spirit68 · Post by **spirit68** » Tue Jan 26, 2016 8:29 am

mikeneaves wrote:Would it be possible to wire the volca so that it would work with the cable that Carn mentions? If so does anyone know how it would be done?

no. Wrong soldering on the DIN-Plug.

Another Question: Can i Use the 2 blind Pins of my DIN-Socket (1 and 5) to send Midi Out through them? Can i share the Grnd-Pin for Midi IN and Out?
As I will have to build some adapter piece anyways, I could also make myself a Y-Cable from this new Midi Combo In/Out Socket to In and Out of my Midi-Interface.

PINs on DIN Plug

Volca --- Interface
I/O --- Out ---- In
1 --------------- 2
2 ------ 2
3 ------ gnd -- gnd
4 ------ 4
5 -------------- 4

P.S. There is some guy who says he did that: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s34ehjazrnda ... Nk3ga?dl=0

spirit68 · Post by **spirit68** » Tue Feb 02, 2016 8:02 pm

FYI: Pins 1 and 3 should be blind, but they are somehow connected to chassis ground. I cant find where to cut this shortcut.

p_wats · Post by **p_wats** » Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:56 pm

This is very clever. Thanks!

migrainboylab · Post by **migrainboylab** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 5:24 am

Great share cooptrol! Thanks!

can anyone share their experience with this great volca midi mod?
like, does it affect the sync out? ( if i want to chain 2 volca, for example ).
and does the volca midi out transmit midi CC?

thanks!

spirit68 · Post by **spirit68** » Tue Aug 23, 2016 11:33 am

just wanted to share that i did it on my Volca FM and it does work:
It will also send sysex dumps!
correct soldering:
TX -> ring (3,5mm or 1/8") -> Pin 5 (DIN)
VD -> tip (3,5mm or 1/8") -> Pin 4 (DIN)
You dont need GND soldering as it is already on sleeve.
Sync out does not work any more. (But you can have an on-off-switch between VD soldering points to use both. I did this on my bass and keys but almost never use it.)

CC will be sent by beats, keys, bass, FM.
As far as I found out, CC will NOT be sent by Sample (this would have been a beast midi controller sending 15 CC on 10 midi channels = 150 CC messages).

sharp78 · Post by **sharp78** » Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:07 pm

I just did this mod on a Volca Keys. Works fine. I did the mod and made a cable (just connected the wires whilst everything was turned on to check which wires to solder from the TRS to the MIDI cable)

Photos here
https://twitter.com/rathersharp/status/ ... 73477?s=21

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Sun Jul 22, 2018 6:04 pm

i'm thinking of having a stereo minijack (trs) on the back,
and chop ping a midi cable with a minijack plug on it.

that would mean a male midi plug out.
so?
TX/VD/Grnd go to what MIDI cable pinouts? it's a standard
wiring, i assume?
(i've already got the hole drilled with a socket in there)

but: have also seen a pre-made female midi plug with
mini-trs/sterojack on volca end. with that be the same
wiring? i don't know if these can be bought. it seems they
might come supplied with the SQ1(?)
not sure there's any advantage with that. i'd still have to
use another MIDI cable to complete the connection.

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 2:04 am

Okay story goes Korg use a different wiring to everyone else. Korg's pinout is 4->Ring, 5->Tip and 2->sleeve I'm pretty sure, but check that with a search. I'm just reversing the Arturia pinout.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:44 am

i will have to look at how a regular midi cable is wired.
how can it work between devices if ins/outs are different?

midenok · Post by **midenok** » Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:16 pm

You can see various pinouts in hwbook: http://www.hardwarebook.info/MIDI

It's better to make MIDI OUT via MIDI IN DIN5 which have 2 free pins. I saw such modded item on ebay.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:30 am

for me, i've already decided it's simplest to
do it on mini TRS, at the back, not on top panel.

(useful stuff at that site, thanks for link)

funny to look at the differences in schematics for
Bessel, Butterworth, Linkwitz... it sort of debunks
any notion that there's much fundamental difference
in the circuits - there isn't !

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:44 am

midenok wrote:You can see various pinouts in hwbook: http://www.hardwarebook.info/MIDI

It's better to make MIDI OUT via MIDI IN DIN5 which have 2 free pins. I saw such modded item on ebay.

You obviously have a soldering iron and solder already, so for about 5 dollars in any country who uses dollars, you can make the required adaptor yourself.

LM · Post by LM » Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:36 am

midenok wrote:You can see various pinouts in hwbook: http://www.hardwarebook.info/MIDI

It's better to make MIDI OUT via MIDI IN DIN5 which have 2 free pins. I saw such modded item on ebay.

I did the MIDI Out mod on all my Volcas, using the information on this page:

https://123fixblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/volca-fm/

It shows the Volca FM, but the process is nearly the same for all of them.

There's no need for drilling any holes and it does not affect any of the original functionality. And it still even works normally just as MIDI In without the Y cable.

Hint: that page does not show how to get a ground connection for MIDI Out, which should still work in 99% of the cases, but you can get it from the shield of the MIDI connector that plugs into the Volca - no need to wire it from inside the device.

chrisdaw · Post by **chrisdaw** » Sun Jul 26, 2020 1:05 pm

If the MIDI out functionality is all there why didn't Korg wire it up to a DIN plug? For some ppl no MIDI out is a dealbreaker. The Volcas would've been even more popular.