Korg Volca Beats
Lesson 3: Shaping the sounds
Goal: know what every sound knob does by ear, so you can dial in a kit before you program anything.
The analogue parts have their own dedicated knobs, so turning them always works. The PCM SPEED and PART LEVEL knobs only affect the selected part, so select first, then turn.
Selecting a part
Either press PART < or PART > until the part you want is selected, or hold FUNC and press step 1 to 10. The knob for each analogue part lights up in time with that part, which is a handy visual check of what is playing.
Hearing the part you’ve selected
Selecting a part makes no sound. It only tells the PART LEVEL and PCM SPEED knobs, and the step grid, which drum you’re working on. To actually hear it, use one of these three methods.
- Play it by hand. Make sure STEP MODE is unlit, then press that part’s button (1 to 10). It sounds once per press, even with the sequencer stopped. This is the quickest way to audition a knob change: tap, turn, tap again.
- Hear only what’s programmed in that part. Press PLAY. Press MUTE so it lights, then press the buttons of every other part that’s playing so only your part is left. MUTE + step 16 brings everything back. The quicker option is solo: hold FUNC and press MUTE, then press the part’s button. Solo isn’t in Korg’s short manual (Sound On Sound’s review documents it), so if it behaves differently on your unit, use the mute method.
- See what’s programmed in that part. Press STEP MODE so it lights. The lit LEDs under the step buttons now show exactly which steps the selected part plays. Press PART < or PART > and the lights change to the next part’s row. In this mode the buttons edit steps rather than play sounds, so switch STEP MODE off again to tap parts by hand.
The analogue knobs also flash each time their part plays, which shows at a glance whether a part is in the pattern.
What each knob does
| Section | Knob | What it changes | Try this |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | CLICK | Attack, the click at the start of the hit | Up for a kick that cuts through on small speakers |
| Kick | PITCH | Pitch of the drum head | Low for deep sub kicks, higher for punchy ones |
| Kick | DECAY | Length of the drum head sound | Long for a booming 808-style tail |
| Snare | SNAPPY | Volume of the snare wires (the noisy rattle) | Low for a tonal body, high for a crisp snap |
| Snare | PITCH | Pitch of the snare | Tune it away from the toms |
| Snare | DECAY | Length of the snare | Short and tight for hip hop, longer for house |
| Tom | HI PITCH, LO PITCH | Pitch of each tom | Tune them a musical interval apart |
| Tom | DECAY | Length of both toms together | Long and low for disco or electro toms |
| Hat | CLOSED DECAY | Length of the closed hat | Short for tight 16ths |
| Hat | OPEN DECAY | Length of the open hat | Medium for the classic offbeat house hat |
| Hat | GRAIN | Coarseness of the metallic noise in both hats | Lower is scratchier and rougher |
| PCM | PCM SPEED | Playback speed (and so pitch) of the selected PCM part | Slow the clap down for a fatter, grittier clap |
| Mix | PART LEVEL | Volume of the selected part | Balance the kit |
One quirk to know: after you change parts, PART LEVEL does nothing until you physically turn it. The knob position doesn’t jump the new part’s level, so you won’t get sudden volume changes.
The snare circuit drew criticism in reviews when the machine launched, and many owners consider it the weakest sound. If yours sounds thin, try the clap layered with it, or use the clap in its place.
Exercise 3
With the factory pattern playing, build three kits by ear without touching the sequencer: a deep, long hip hop kit, a tight punchy house kit, and a gritty lo-fi kit (low GRAIN, slowed PCM). Note the knob positions for your favourite, because knob settings are not saved with patterns.