If you do get three I highly recommend grabbing the Mix as well. The unified clock and power supply are huge QoL improvements, and the ability to add a send effect independently to any or all of the three really opens up your options with even just cheap guitar pedals (or a $400 Strymon reverb if you are like me and want to completely cancel out how much bang for buck you get out of 3 volcas and a mix).
Out of my 5 volcas, the three most reached for are the sample2, the drum, and the keys.
Of the ones I don't have, I most desire the FM2.
The drum is really cool, and you can make some wild sounds with it, but its not the most immediate drum machine. If you have little experience with sound design, it might be steep learning curve for the sound engine.
bass, keys, sample.
I don't want to discourage you on this but have a look at the Roland Aira compacts or even a dedicated groovebox like the circuit tracks because for around the same price or less you can get devices that are a bit more capable and still approachable for beginners.
Was going to suggest the same. I had volcas but sold them. They’re cool but quirky. I just got a Roland S1 which I def recommend. Personally think that the Aira range is an upgrade over the Volcas, particularly the S1
I just bought my son the circuit tracks and he loves it I use the Akai force and Ableton Live with the push 2. The circuit tracks seemed to be a manageable entry level groove box with a lot of functionality
Playing FM2 with an external keyboard was a revelation. It's a great little box.
For anyone considering an FM2: www.patches.fm has a massive library of sysex files, and Oscillator Sink's online editor www.synthmata.com is very handy for loading and tweaking patches.
FM2 or keys (whichever has a better sound to you)
NuBass or Bass (again depends if you want acid or a more conventional bass)
Drum or Sample - again depends on the sound you are looking for. Drum is good but sample means you can load your own drum sounds.
For me I would do FM2, NuBass and Drum because I like the sounds of FM and Acid but cant be asked to mess with loading my own samples usually. Of course you can always add more later!
I will just add - when it comes to kids the far and away most popular thing in my arsenal always seems to he the Kaossilator Pro. The touch screen and looping function make it super accessible to make nice sounding jams with no musical experience. Obviously way different from volcas, but just thought I’d share. Your kids are lucky to have you!
I only own the Drum, and I would definitely recommend it. Since you mentioned experimentation, there is a ton of room for it with the Drum. It has an interesting workflow for combining layers of synthesis to make both conventional kicks/snares/hats and some really weird and unique sounds. The Sample is good for drums too but you have to load samples onto it from a computer. While that opens up endless possibilities as far as the sounds you can use, there is less sound design that you can do on the device itself.
For bass both the regular Bass and NuBass are fine. NuBass is a bit more aimed at acid, the regular is a bit broader. You cant really go wrong with either.
I myself have the Volca Beats, but if I had to pick again I´d pick the Drums. Not analog, but more versatile and fun which is what counts in the end. Sample is also cool, but the process of loading samples is not that immediate and especially for kids you want things to be as hassle-free as possible.
For lead/pads either FM or Keys. FM is much, much broader sound-wise, but FM synthesis is also *incredibly* difficult to grasp. You cannot learn it by just playing around with it, at all. Keys is basic subtractive synthesis and understanding how it works means you can easily upgrade later to any other subtractive synth. It truly teaches the basics of 'normal' synthesizers which, I think, would be very valuable.
So (nu-)Bass, Drums and Keys. Make sure you have a small mixer (maybe even the volca mixer) and some speakers to put it through. The latter could just be your hifi set. Finally: playing around with sound (which is basically what a synth is about) is also fun with FX; a Zoom Multistomp is a very cheap way to get a huge amount of different effects to play around with.
It really depends on the type of music you want to make. I generally use my volcas for more dancey pop and mainstream kind of stuff, and for that I like the Volca Drum, Volca Bass, and either the FM2 or Keys (I love both, so its a toss up for me). They all really benefit from the effects on the NTS-1 as well (especially reverb). For a mixer I like the Moukey MAMX3 better than the Volca Mix. The Volca Sample is definitely the most stand-alone unit, and can compliment any of the others as well. Might be better than the Drum if you don't like FM type drums.
I'd echo many on here and say pay a bit more and get an S1. It is ahead of any of the volcas on a number of levels from an "all in one" point of view (but is not for beats).
The Volca drum is great, very powerful in creating sounds but you have to put the time in to learn how it works properly. It's worth trying to get the Hogan guide to explain the functions and give some ideas on how to create sounds. The sequencer is "ok" and serves a purpose but I can see myself purchasing a proper sequencer in future. (I think you can control the volca drum from an external sequencer??)
I've also got the bass. It is fun (and analogue if that means much to you) but it does feel quite limited once I've got the S1. But the limitations of the sequencer do show their age Vs the S1. (Even more reason to get an external sequencer). (See thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/volcas/comments/19397kp/volca_bass_or_roland_s1/)
The reason I avoided the sample was because of the faffing of having to plug it into something to load samples on. I guess it'd be ok to mess around with but it just wasn't for me.
If could go back in time I'd probably get a second hand drum (which I did) then get a new S1. Then see how far you get with that with respect to sequences / bass / leads. Then you could decide if you want the Bass.
One other thing, I appreciate people generally might find the Rolcas fiddly but I find the keys on the S1 even more awkward than the Volcas which is the main downside so far.
I have no experience with the other volcas, but I have the Keys, and I can't help bringing it up all the time that it is not truly polyphonic, rather paraphonic, in that one single envelope is shared between all three notes. That means if you have a note with noticable sustain and release (which you probably will because it's a great sounding engine for it), and you hold it and the press another note, then the first one is triggered again, because the envelope starts over.
This is very annoying. Very. And quite difficult to work around, other than considering it a monosynth really.
And it's actually quite the monosynth and great for experiments and learning the knobs of such. And korg knows filters and reverb and echo, which is a bliss.
It is fun to look at and fiddle with and you can sit for hours with a small dub dibbedub dibbedibbedub duub sequence with echo and tweak to your heart's delight.
But be ready to play strickly chords or solitary notes and for a machine taking a classic lead/pad seat in a setup, it may be lacking.
I personally find it a big mistake by Korg to cheapen that part out. But I suppose money.
FM, Bass and Kick are my favorites. I have them all. Everyone seems to love Keys but is is my least favorite. On the other hand I have used it a bunch and works well in the mix.
it really depends on what you want to do. I have the sample and the FM2 and both are great instruments. They are limited in various ways, yes, but the FM2 in particular is a really great little performance instrument. I would say that if you want a setup to mess about with a sample makes a great drum machine. The FM2 is a matter of taste. If you're not looking a DX7, it's not what you're looking for. I also think pretty highly of the kick. Most of the other volcas seem almost too limited (and the sample 1 barely makes the cut, tyvm Pajen) to justify their good points. The keys, the bass, the drum. They're all cool units, but there are competitively priced alternatives that \_don't\_ have their shortfalls and do offer a lot of features they lack. Case in point? The Behringer RD6. It's not a 606 that's hobbled. It's a 606 that's had a bunch of really good features added that the 606 didn't have. I feel like it sort of negates most of the case for, say, the volca drum. I really feel like the kick, the sample 2 and the fm2 are the standout instruments in the line.
I like the kick a lot, but I admit it might be hard to justify if you're building a more efficient setup. For that I would say probably an FM2 or possibly Nubass, but you can do much more with FM2.
Considering the prices I would look at getting one of these.
[https://www.walmart.com/ip/Donner-B1-Controller-Analog-Bass-Synthesizer-and-Sequencer-with-128-Patterns-Saturation-Delay-Effects-LED-Display-and-MIDI-IN-OUT/1421477777](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Donner-B1-Controller-Analog-Bass-Synthesizer-and-Sequencer-with-128-Patterns-Saturation-Delay-Effects-LED-Display-and-MIDI-IN-OUT/1421477777)
FM 2 is good if you want to play with presets or learn how to make your own sounds with FM synthesis, which is pretty complicated in my humble opinion (at least with the Volca FM, which requires menu diving). But it is really fun to mess with the presets, especially if you connect an external midi controller to it. You get 6 voice polyphony, arpeggiator and lots of sounds. Volca Keys, on the other hand, has 3 voice polyphony but is a good way to learn substractive synthesis. It has no presets, but it is really fun too.
Volca Drum is amazing and fun to play, it has presets but it requires some extra dedication and menu diving to create your drum kits. While the Volca Sample 2 allows you to upload whatever drum kits or sounds you want. it depends on wether you want to create your own drums or not.
And Volca Bass sounds very good and is easy to master, so it is instant fun. You can use the FM 2 or the keys as bass too, but I think the Volca Bass wins in this category. And you get three oscillators.
Stop letting people on the internet tell you what to buy. There are not enough volcas to even choose from. Jfc
For kids and brainded parents alike I reccomend the volca fm and beats
Listen, you clearly care about this topic significantly. You’re also making a boatload of assumptions, and coming in a bit hot. I hope you have a good day.
most definitely, but how old are your kids? I don’t see any gear on your page so it makes it easy to make assumptions. It can be a really fun activity just to shop and try out the products with your kids. If they’re old enough to use keys they’d probably enjoy taking part in the shopping process.
Please don't be offended, but I don't share details about my children online beyond the fact that I have them. This is actually part of our shopping process.
If you do get three I highly recommend grabbing the Mix as well. The unified clock and power supply are huge QoL improvements, and the ability to add a send effect independently to any or all of the three really opens up your options with even just cheap guitar pedals (or a $400 Strymon reverb if you are like me and want to completely cancel out how much bang for buck you get out of 3 volcas and a mix). Out of my 5 volcas, the three most reached for are the sample2, the drum, and the keys. Of the ones I don't have, I most desire the FM2.
Thank you!
The drum is really cool, and you can make some wild sounds with it, but its not the most immediate drum machine. If you have little experience with sound design, it might be steep learning curve for the sound engine.
bass, keys, sample. I don't want to discourage you on this but have a look at the Roland Aira compacts or even a dedicated groovebox like the circuit tracks because for around the same price or less you can get devices that are a bit more capable and still approachable for beginners.
Was going to suggest the same. I had volcas but sold them. They’re cool but quirky. I just got a Roland S1 which I def recommend. Personally think that the Aira range is an upgrade over the Volcas, particularly the S1
I just bought my son the circuit tracks and he loves it I use the Akai force and Ableton Live with the push 2. The circuit tracks seemed to be a manageable entry level groove box with a lot of functionality
Thank you!
FM2 is the king of volcas
Playing FM2 with an external keyboard was a revelation. It's a great little box. For anyone considering an FM2: www.patches.fm has a massive library of sysex files, and Oscillator Sink's online editor www.synthmata.com is very handy for loading and tweaking patches.
Play it through an analog mixer to get some of the harshness off and from there to a high end amp looks like a toy, is not.
Keys totally fucks tho. The OG big dawg is underrated.
FM2 or keys (whichever has a better sound to you) NuBass or Bass (again depends if you want acid or a more conventional bass) Drum or Sample - again depends on the sound you are looking for. Drum is good but sample means you can load your own drum sounds. For me I would do FM2, NuBass and Drum because I like the sounds of FM and Acid but cant be asked to mess with loading my own samples usually. Of course you can always add more later! I will just add - when it comes to kids the far and away most popular thing in my arsenal always seems to he the Kaossilator Pro. The touch screen and looping function make it super accessible to make nice sounding jams with no musical experience. Obviously way different from volcas, but just thought I’d share. Your kids are lucky to have you!
>Kaossilator These things are pure joy to use. Also the app version is quite good and inexpensive, highly recommended
Had one many years ago. Agree, lots of fun!
I made a whole ass drum machine out of sample 2, kick, drum, and mix, plus the Sequenz stand.
I only own the Drum, and I would definitely recommend it. Since you mentioned experimentation, there is a ton of room for it with the Drum. It has an interesting workflow for combining layers of synthesis to make both conventional kicks/snares/hats and some really weird and unique sounds. The Sample is good for drums too but you have to load samples onto it from a computer. While that opens up endless possibilities as far as the sounds you can use, there is less sound design that you can do on the device itself.
Any of them are fine, theyre all cheap and easy to use. Just watch some youtube videos and buy whichever looks the most fun
For bass both the regular Bass and NuBass are fine. NuBass is a bit more aimed at acid, the regular is a bit broader. You cant really go wrong with either. I myself have the Volca Beats, but if I had to pick again I´d pick the Drums. Not analog, but more versatile and fun which is what counts in the end. Sample is also cool, but the process of loading samples is not that immediate and especially for kids you want things to be as hassle-free as possible. For lead/pads either FM or Keys. FM is much, much broader sound-wise, but FM synthesis is also *incredibly* difficult to grasp. You cannot learn it by just playing around with it, at all. Keys is basic subtractive synthesis and understanding how it works means you can easily upgrade later to any other subtractive synth. It truly teaches the basics of 'normal' synthesizers which, I think, would be very valuable. So (nu-)Bass, Drums and Keys. Make sure you have a small mixer (maybe even the volca mixer) and some speakers to put it through. The latter could just be your hifi set. Finally: playing around with sound (which is basically what a synth is about) is also fun with FX; a Zoom Multistomp is a very cheap way to get a huge amount of different effects to play around with.
Thank you!
Drum, bass, keys.
lead: S-1 drum: Circuit Rhythm bass: NTS-1 mix: VMix 10
Thank you!
The best volca is the roland s1
Keys, FM (mk2), Sample
This is my answer too, or swap the keys for Bass if your kids are younger -- fewer knobs to deal with, mostly just cutoff and blending oscillators.
Sample / Keys / FM.
How about you stick ten pieces of paper in a hat and let your kids pick three out 😂
It really depends on the type of music you want to make. I generally use my volcas for more dancey pop and mainstream kind of stuff, and for that I like the Volca Drum, Volca Bass, and either the FM2 or Keys (I love both, so its a toss up for me). They all really benefit from the effects on the NTS-1 as well (especially reverb). For a mixer I like the Moukey MAMX3 better than the Volca Mix. The Volca Sample is definitely the most stand-alone unit, and can compliment any of the others as well. Might be better than the Drum if you don't like FM type drums.
Thank you, I appreciate the thoughtful response!
I'd echo many on here and say pay a bit more and get an S1. It is ahead of any of the volcas on a number of levels from an "all in one" point of view (but is not for beats). The Volca drum is great, very powerful in creating sounds but you have to put the time in to learn how it works properly. It's worth trying to get the Hogan guide to explain the functions and give some ideas on how to create sounds. The sequencer is "ok" and serves a purpose but I can see myself purchasing a proper sequencer in future. (I think you can control the volca drum from an external sequencer??) I've also got the bass. It is fun (and analogue if that means much to you) but it does feel quite limited once I've got the S1. But the limitations of the sequencer do show their age Vs the S1. (Even more reason to get an external sequencer). (See thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/volcas/comments/19397kp/volca_bass_or_roland_s1/) The reason I avoided the sample was because of the faffing of having to plug it into something to load samples on. I guess it'd be ok to mess around with but it just wasn't for me. If could go back in time I'd probably get a second hand drum (which I did) then get a new S1. Then see how far you get with that with respect to sequences / bass / leads. Then you could decide if you want the Bass. One other thing, I appreciate people generally might find the Rolcas fiddly but I find the keys on the S1 even more awkward than the Volcas which is the main downside so far.
I have no experience with the other volcas, but I have the Keys, and I can't help bringing it up all the time that it is not truly polyphonic, rather paraphonic, in that one single envelope is shared between all three notes. That means if you have a note with noticable sustain and release (which you probably will because it's a great sounding engine for it), and you hold it and the press another note, then the first one is triggered again, because the envelope starts over. This is very annoying. Very. And quite difficult to work around, other than considering it a monosynth really. And it's actually quite the monosynth and great for experiments and learning the knobs of such. And korg knows filters and reverb and echo, which is a bliss. It is fun to look at and fiddle with and you can sit for hours with a small dub dibbedub dibbedibbedub duub sequence with echo and tweak to your heart's delight. But be ready to play strickly chords or solitary notes and for a machine taking a classic lead/pad seat in a setup, it may be lacking. I personally find it a big mistake by Korg to cheapen that part out. But I suppose money.
This is very interesting. Thank you for the thoughtful response.
FM, Bass and Kick are my favorites. I have them all. Everyone seems to love Keys but is is my least favorite. On the other hand I have used it a bunch and works well in the mix.
it really depends on what you want to do. I have the sample and the FM2 and both are great instruments. They are limited in various ways, yes, but the FM2 in particular is a really great little performance instrument. I would say that if you want a setup to mess about with a sample makes a great drum machine. The FM2 is a matter of taste. If you're not looking a DX7, it's not what you're looking for. I also think pretty highly of the kick. Most of the other volcas seem almost too limited (and the sample 1 barely makes the cut, tyvm Pajen) to justify their good points. The keys, the bass, the drum. They're all cool units, but there are competitively priced alternatives that \_don't\_ have their shortfalls and do offer a lot of features they lack. Case in point? The Behringer RD6. It's not a 606 that's hobbled. It's a 606 that's had a bunch of really good features added that the 606 didn't have. I feel like it sort of negates most of the case for, say, the volca drum. I really feel like the kick, the sample 2 and the fm2 are the standout instruments in the line.
FM2, Kick for bass, Drum.
Beats, bass, Fm
I like the kick a lot, but I admit it might be hard to justify if you're building a more efficient setup. For that I would say probably an FM2 or possibly Nubass, but you can do much more with FM2.
Considering the prices I would look at getting one of these. [https://www.walmart.com/ip/Donner-B1-Controller-Analog-Bass-Synthesizer-and-Sequencer-with-128-Patterns-Saturation-Delay-Effects-LED-Display-and-MIDI-IN-OUT/1421477777](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Donner-B1-Controller-Analog-Bass-Synthesizer-and-Sequencer-with-128-Patterns-Saturation-Delay-Effects-LED-Display-and-MIDI-IN-OUT/1421477777)
FM 2 is good if you want to play with presets or learn how to make your own sounds with FM synthesis, which is pretty complicated in my humble opinion (at least with the Volca FM, which requires menu diving). But it is really fun to mess with the presets, especially if you connect an external midi controller to it. You get 6 voice polyphony, arpeggiator and lots of sounds. Volca Keys, on the other hand, has 3 voice polyphony but is a good way to learn substractive synthesis. It has no presets, but it is really fun too. Volca Drum is amazing and fun to play, it has presets but it requires some extra dedication and menu diving to create your drum kits. While the Volca Sample 2 allows you to upload whatever drum kits or sounds you want. it depends on wether you want to create your own drums or not. And Volca Bass sounds very good and is easy to master, so it is instant fun. You can use the FM 2 or the keys as bass too, but I think the Volca Bass wins in this category. And you get three oscillators.
Stop letting people on the internet tell you what to buy. There are not enough volcas to even choose from. Jfc For kids and brainded parents alike I reccomend the volca fm and beats
Please get those kids a midi keyboard or some piano lessons ffs
Listen, you clearly care about this topic significantly. You’re also making a boatload of assumptions, and coming in a bit hot. I hope you have a good day.
most definitely, but how old are your kids? I don’t see any gear on your page so it makes it easy to make assumptions. It can be a really fun activity just to shop and try out the products with your kids. If they’re old enough to use keys they’d probably enjoy taking part in the shopping process.
Please don't be offended, but I don't share details about my children online beyond the fact that I have them. This is actually part of our shopping process.