This video, via Frederic Gerchambeau, demos using the Korg Volca Keys as a three-voice synthesizer.
The Volca Keys lets you play up to three notes at a time, but uses the old-school paraphonic approach, where the three oscillators can be independently controlled, but they are fed through common VCA, with a single envelope.
The Volca Keys architecture is three VCO’s, with 1 VCF, 1 VCA, 1 LFO and 1 Envelope Generator. This isn’t as flexible as having an independent VCF/VCA/LFO/EG per voice, because each note retriggers any held notes. But, as the video demonstrates, the Volca Keys can still deliver powerful analog sound.
The demo was created using a a Korg Volca Keys and a Make Noise Echophon.
yep.. paraphonic
My Mono/Poly was paraphonic. I loved that keyboard. Of course I sold it for way less than I should have! Paraphony wasn’t a problem and I had other sources for true polyphony if I needed it.
I would have liked to hear this without the Echophon.
Why on most of Volka Keys demos filter is open and envelope is a brick? Sounds enormously annoying.
pretty sweet , would be cool if they made this with the formfactor of a microkontrol or microkorg
with more options. more polyphonic stuff please.
Korg – double the price and add a keyboard, slap some wood end cheeks on it and it would be a pretty cool analog synth for $300. We know you can do it!
I got one, and I love it. The unison mode sounds pretty awesome. I find myself using it as a monosynth just as much as a poly(well, para)synth. The delay sounds pretty legit too- I just wish it had a longer feedback time.