I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one of the new Korg Volca Modular synthesizers.
I've got quite a few Volcas and even modded some in the past.
I wonder if this is hackable too?
Please Korg, do release the schematics. You will probably find people buying more than one just so they can hack this.
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Apart from this being wonderful news for the DIY synth community, it's a great introduction to what is termed West Coast synthesis. (Google Don Buchla & Serge Tcherepnin)
Usually, its really expensive to enter this world, or you have to be OK with DIY in order to build something like a Serge synth.
The KORG looks like it is following the Buchla Easel in its colour scheme, its signal path & its modules.
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I love my old easel because it is so flexible. I hope the new Volca will be just as nimble and
introduce the wider synth community to the joys of the West..
I also don't think Korg have ever made a West Coast style synth before (message me if I'm wrong).
Part of the West Coast philosophy is instead of having standard filters that remove content from the VCOs (subtractive synthesis), it uses wave folders. (Though I don't think I can strictly say this is an additive synth).
Wave folders do exactly that ... they fold oscillator waves in on themselves to generate more harmonic content (above the fundamental).
The volca modular has no envelope generators or VCAs ... instead it has functions ... or function generators and LPGs (Low Pass Gates).... all very Buchla.
East Coast synths use ADSR style envelope generators ....
Here, were have functions or slope generators (if you are into Serge).
Function generators are much more flexible ...you can get many more different envelope shapes
than your standard AD or ADSR envelopes.....& you can loop these too.
For more info on function generators click here:
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-integrator-circuit-analog-computers.html
But be warned ... it's a bit nerdy
:-)
I've got quite a few Volcas and even modded some in the past.
I wonder if this is hackable too?
Please Korg, do release the schematics. You will probably find people buying more than one just so they can hack this.
Usually, its really expensive to enter this world, or you have to be OK with DIY in order to build something like a Serge synth.
The KORG looks like it is following the Buchla Easel in its colour scheme, its signal path & its modules.
I love my old easel because it is so flexible. I hope the new Volca will be just as nimble and
introduce the wider synth community to the joys of the West..
I also don't think Korg have ever made a West Coast style synth before (message me if I'm wrong).
Part of the West Coast philosophy is instead of having standard filters that remove content from the VCOs (subtractive synthesis), it uses wave folders. (Though I don't think I can strictly say this is an additive synth).
Wave folders do exactly that ... they fold oscillator waves in on themselves to generate more harmonic content (above the fundamental).
The volca modular has no envelope generators or VCAs ... instead it has functions ... or function generators and LPGs (Low Pass Gates).... all very Buchla.
East Coast synths use ADSR style envelope generators ....
Here, were have functions or slope generators (if you are into Serge).
Function generators are much more flexible ...you can get many more different envelope shapes
than your standard AD or ADSR envelopes.....& you can loop these too.
For more info on function generators click here:
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-integrator-circuit-analog-computers.html
But be warned ... it's a bit nerdy
:-)