Korg Forums

May I suggest this for a sticky?

I don't know if the Volca chips have space for additional code, but if Korg is thinking about a firmware update, what would we like to see in it?

Bass
- A way to address the 3 oscillators individually through MIDI
- A song mode for the sequencer

Beats
- A song mode for the sequencer. I wasn't interested in the Beats initially, but the more I see and hear, the more attractive it is. The problem is, I only have two hands and they're usually full playing the Bass. I need a drum machine that can move to the next pattern without me nudging it.

Song mode interface
Assuming that the hardware doesn't change, how should Korg implement a song mode? That is, what buttons should you press to program it?[/b]

dswo wrote:May I suggest this for a sticky?

I don't know if the Volca chips have space for additional code, but if Korg is thinking about a firmware update, what would we like to see in it?

Bass
- A way to address the 3 oscillators individually through MIDI
- A song mode for the sequencer

Beats
- A song mode for the sequencer. I wasn't interested in the Beats initially, but the more I see and hear, the more attractive it is. The problem is, I only have two hands and they're usually full playing the Bass. I need a drum machine that can move to the next pattern without me nudging it.

Song mode interface
Assuming that the hardware doesn't change, how should Korg implement a song mode? That is, what buttons should you press to program it?[/b]

These are some great ideas! I too would also like something like a 'song mode' on the Bass. 16 steps is rarely enough.

However, it saves 128 steps total (8 banks of 16). The user can switch between the 8 banks, but it can be tricky with the function button and timing. You want your hands free for knob turning. Even if the 'song mode' isn't full-featured, it would be handy if one bank simply progressed to the next (i.e. the 16 steps of M1 play and then M2 plays immediately after...becoming steps 17-32, and so on).

Perhaps this setting could be added to the Global function ('song mode on/off')?

I thought of an other feature for the Bass and Keys: assign "mod wheel" to something at start-up (the way you can currently assign a MIDI channel). LFO intensity would be an obvious candidate for both, but "mod wheel to filter" or "mod wheel to detune" would be nice for the Keys.

I think that if you want a song mode for the beats, you're dreaming really although i wish everyone the best of luck but if korg put everyone's requests into the volca beats it would come out an electribe at the other end...Which already exits & which you might as well get instead of or as well as in that case. The emx1 & esx 1 can trigger the volca & they already have song mode.
Maybe at best (And this is wishful thinking too) it would be handy to switch over to auto chain & choose how many patterns to loop. Even then there would only be an 8 bar pattern.
Unless they introduced some new extra pcm sounds for it , i wouldn't waste my time expanding its other capabilities. I mean , it's a very limited module at best.

Another idea for the Bass:

- Press function and turn the OSC tuning knobs to set volume levels for individual oscillators

dswo wrote:I thought of an other feature for the Bass and Keys: assign "mod wheel" to something at start-up (the way you can currently assign a MIDI channel). LFO intensity would be an obvious candidate for both, but "mod wheel to filter" or "mod wheel to detune" would be nice for the Keys.

This is something I brought up in the Facebook group. Would be great if LFO Intensity could be assigned to CC#1 in a future firmware update.

how about an invert selection button for the active step?

and new functions for the black keys on the volca keys
etc

peace

I don't think adding a Song Mode on the Beats unit is even possible without somehow expanding the internal memory of the unit. Even then, Song Mode is usually a "set it and forget it" type thing which MIDI renders unnecessary for recording sessions.

One alternative for live situations though is syncing it to a premade backing track. Since the Beats is in mono, you could have the backing track of the drums be on a Left channel, then record a Sync track on the Right channel which you can then route back into any of the Volcas which you want to manually operate live. Old school method, but it works.

volca polka wrote:how about an invert selection button for the active step?


peace

great idea actually

I'd like an option to mute a note/beat but leave a 'rest' to keep the original sequence length unaltered. The Volca Keys way is unlike the other sequencer live-beat-muters I've used before.

A way to clear individual parameters in motion sequences would be awesome. That way you can keep the rest of the motion sequence going and tweak a param normally.

(Being that at the moment the parameter snaps back to it's motion data as soon as you stop turning it so for example if you have motion data for cutoff you kinda lose the ability to tweak cutoff.)

I have plenty of requests for volca keys. Don't know how realistic these are but here goes:

* 14bit CC support for the cutoff? That max reso sound is awesome but sounds soo steppy with cutoff sweeps
* Increased parameter range for Decay / Release (for shorter sounds but also for longer tails)
* Increased parameter range for Delay Time (need smaller values to enable mooreverb-esque reverbs, longer values most likely impossible due to lack of RAM?)
* Automatable tempo value in the sequencer
* Method for clearing motion sequence data for a single parameter (hold down some key combo and move the knob to select "parameter clear" target)

I like the idea of using CC#01 (modwheel) for controlling something as well, but don't know how realistic it would be to implement? You'd need to be able to define the modwheel target somehow IMO. And anyways, this limitation is possible to overcome via MIDI msg voodoo by some external processor.. But I suppose having even 1 fixed param would be better than none.

All relevant volca's:

motion sequence length twice or four times the length (so it can modulate over two or four patterns)

led indicator for active step on/off

the Beats really needs a mode for chaining two or four patterns together. this would make it so much more usefull

...same thing goes for the Bass offcourse

somebody asked:

>Assuming that the hardware doesn't change, how should Korg implement a song mode? That is, what buttons should you press to program it?[/b]<

...well a full song mode is much too much to ask according to me, but I would be totally happy with:

global parameters (while holding down the FUNC button, turn on Volca Beats

step button 8: 'chain pattern 1 to 4 and pattern 5 to 8' ON / OFF


right?

THANK YOU

joeyluck wrote: Even if the 'song mode' isn't full-featured, it would be handy if one bank simply progressed to the next (i.e. the 16 steps of M1 play and then M2 plays immediately after...becoming steps 17-32, and so on).

Perhaps this setting could be added to the Global function ('song mode on/off')?

I really hope this is possible. If not, maybe a slight improvement would be to make the memory button a toggle instead of hold, to at least free up a finger and make it slightly easier to switch between.

hat wobble wrote:

joeyluck wrote: Even if the 'song mode' isn't full-featured, it would be handy if one bank simply progressed to the next (i.e. the 16 steps of M1 play and then M2 plays immediately after...becoming steps 17-32, and so on).

Perhaps this setting could be added to the Global function ('song mode on/off')?

I really hope this is possible. If not, maybe a slight improvement would be to make the memory button a toggle instead of hold, to at least free up a finger and make it slightly easier to switch between.

I feel the same way. How does Korg expect one to change up patterns on all 3 at the same time? Its really holding me back on what I want to do with these. Saw some guy use rubber bands, but too mickey mouse for me.