One Of The Most Underrated Synths // Korg Volca Keys

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  • Опубликовано: 31 янв 2025

Комментарии • 119

  • @Doxkyn
    @Doxkyn 11 месяцев назад +11

    You're 100% right. The Volca Keys is a little powerhouse. I've been writing a bunch of small cues recently and the sounds l was able to pull out of it really surprised me. Definitely a little sleeper. Great video, digging your channel.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  11 месяцев назад +1

      I totally agree, a lot of people write off the synth because of it's size but I think it's really fast to get solid patches going.

  • @ericgabriel485
    @ericgabriel485 19 дней назад +3

    The delay is more useful if you hold func while turning the time knob it syncs in devisions to the clock. 👊🏻

  • @LouisSerieusement
    @LouisSerieusement 11 месяцев назад +5

    I have the volca keys in my live rig since 2016. That's one of the few synth that never changed. I drive it with an external sequencer and some very useful midi CC's

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  11 месяцев назад +2

      Oh nice! I'll be connecting it with the new sequencer I just purchased to see what I can get out of it.

    • @LouisSerieusement
      @LouisSerieusement 11 месяцев назад +1

      @@craigwilliamsmusicI can even do FX sound (like a plane sound over your head) using polyring mode, pitchbend and cutoff automation. all synth parameters have a midi CC except resonance

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  11 месяцев назад

      Oh nice! I'm hyped to get it all conected.

  • @Seoras111
    @Seoras111 Год назад +6

    I have had my Volca Keys for 10 years now and I still use it almost daily. Fantastic little groovebox.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Nice!! It's one of my most used in my studio thats for sure.

    • @aorakis5795
      @aorakis5795 Год назад

      hi there, i was wondering, how long can be a melody with this little device ?
      I'm at 2 clics buynig a second hand volca, it looks nice and small.
      Might be cool to pair it with my polyend tracker...
      But I'm a complete newbie so... i'm not sure yet :D

    • @RoaringTitties
      @RoaringTitties Год назад

      ​@@aorakis5795to be honest the keys is the best entry level synth for absolute beginners and it's a bonus that it's analog. You'll learn a lot about sound design that translates well with other gear.

  • @matthewtunnicliffe201
    @matthewtunnicliffe201 10 месяцев назад +6

    Underrated indeed. I know it's basic for this day and age, but if you like the raw sound of it it's well worth the money.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  10 месяцев назад +1

      100% agree with you. Sometimes you just want stuff to work without messing about to much.

  • @michaelkonomos
    @michaelkonomos 8 месяцев назад +1

    Man that tape sound trick - incredible. Reminds me of Tboacco's Sweatbox Dynasty album's sound - the track Fantasy Trash Wave in particular. Nicely done!

  • @bobbydazzler4141
    @bobbydazzler4141 Год назад +1

    What a gem!.. So glad I found this post, It's going into my library forever. Much appreciated. I wish more, were like you.

  • @markbooth140
    @markbooth140 10 месяцев назад +2

    Nice one! I got one of these for Xmas awhile back but didn’t do much with it until recently. Like your house beat ✌️

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  9 месяцев назад

      Awesome, I really like that it's pretty simple but you can get great sounds from it. Thanks for watching!

  • @claudesilverio677
    @claudesilverio677 Год назад +3

    Love the Sound of the Keys❤

  • @Barel.m
    @Barel.m Год назад +5

    Just got one of these beasts today. I hope it doesn't eat me while sleep. Nice video!

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +2

      I'm a huge fan of these little boxes. I find I use the Keys, Sample and Beats the most. The others are cool but just don't find their way into my music to much.

    • @leftmono1016
      @leftmono1016 Год назад +1

      @@craigwilliamsmusic - I used to own most of the Volcas, the three you mentioned above were my favourites.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +1

      Nice!! I love using to get cool little song ideas. Also when i'm layering synths I'll use the Keys to thicken up a synth line.

    • @jevogroni4829
      @jevogroni4829 Год назад +1

      how tf do you use the beats tho

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      I have used it in a few tracks. I normally just use one of two elements from it as additions to a drum groove I have 60% finished. I think it's a bit of a slog to use the one machine for everything with the noise and what not.

  • @realmchat6665
    @realmchat6665 Год назад +2

    Wow, I'm kind of looking around at what the next addition to my dawless rig will be, and I think we have a winner.

  • @ORC.B
    @ORC.B Год назад +3

    This is great ! Thank you so much !

  • @DubFreakuencies
    @DubFreakuencies Год назад +8

    its a great machine, in the right hands it shines :) Great things are simple.

  • @keithbutler2222
    @keithbutler2222 Год назад +2

    Great ideas. I have a volca keys as well as the mix, nubass and sample 2. This is the one I keep going back to for originality though and since I got the arturia keystep it is easier to use

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Thank you. Trying to write patches on the Volca Keys keyboard is so so so hard. With a MIDI controller or your DAW it's a little weapon of a synth.

    • @keithbutler2222
      @keithbutler2222 Год назад +1

      @@craigwilliamsmusic yeah I'm loving the keystep for adding sequences and arpeggios

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      I have the keystep controlling another synth. Might have to give it a run with the Volca Keys.

    • @keithbutler2222
      @keithbutler2222 Год назад +1

      @@craigwilliamsmusic I'd like to see that if you do 🙂

  • @jevogroni4829
    @jevogroni4829 Год назад +6

    this is good. i like my volca bass, and it often can match what people are doing on the keys. not so with what you are doing. this vid shows some clear unique offerings of the keys.

  • @mustangsupersnake7848
    @mustangsupersnake7848 2 месяца назад +1

    Now that was awesome!!! I loved this video... Subscribers +1

  • @Andre_2099
    @Andre_2099 Год назад +1

    What a great video, you helped me see my little machine with different eyes :)

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Thank you!!! I love the Volca Range and they have found there way onto a number of my releases.

  • @Hakucho64
    @Hakucho64 Год назад +3

    I like the fat sound of unison + detune, but I don't like the fiddly little knobs. What's a similar capability desktop synth module that's a step up from this in terms of usability? Presets would be a bonus, because I can never remember how I made a given sound.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +2

      There isn't really anything in the same price point for an analog poly synth. You can get a used Korg Minilogue for $350 that ticks all the boxes.

    • @jevogroni4829
      @jevogroni4829 Год назад +1

      is a keys redundant if i get one of those?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +1

      I think the Minilogue would be able to reproduce all of the sounds that the Keys can. I have only had limited time with the Minilogue so I can't be 100%.

    • @tommyk88888
      @tommyk88888 Год назад +1

      Bass Station 2 ?

    • @Hakucho64
      @Hakucho64 Год назад +1

      I'm starting to think the Behringer Crave (or Edge when available) would be a good next buy.

  • @sol.green.energy9515
    @sol.green.energy9515 Год назад +5

    This is how gear video’s should be: hey kids here are three sounds you want to use on how to make them on a piece of gear you cam afford

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Thank you!! I do show expensive gear too but I love all instruments and I love to show how good cheaper instruments are.

  • @memories4lifeHochzeitsvideo
    @memories4lifeHochzeitsvideo Год назад +3

    I‘m searching for something to jam around Synthwave/Ambient Style (and learn about synthesis). Is this lil thing good for that?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +3

      The Korg Volca will be able to make the styles of music you have mentioned. I think you might be better with saving a little more money and getting a second hand Korg Minilogue. This will give you a lot more flexibility with sound and it's also a great synth for learning about synthesis.

  • @michaelang9524
    @michaelang9524 4 месяца назад +1

    Nice! Inspiration to dust off my Keys for a travel setup :)

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  4 месяца назад +1

      Nice, some of the tracks I have head the Volca Keys used on would make people realize that it isn't a toy.

  • @chrisjunosmusic
    @chrisjunosmusic Год назад +1

    Very helpful !! !! 👍👍Thank you !! !!

  • @SouthShoreSonics
    @SouthShoreSonics Год назад +1

    Great video, great sounds.
    Do you know if the LFO is MIDI synchable on the Keys?
    I have 2 Volca Basses and would get the keys if this was the case.
    Thanks

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +1

      It looks like the LFO is quantised with the internal BPM but not sync’ed with external MIDI.

  • @85ringostar
    @85ringostar 4 месяца назад +1

    So the volka keys is being processed by ableton? How do you deal with the latency between the volca and the vst. How does it sound in sync?

    • @SpeccyMan
      @SpeccyMan 4 месяца назад

      Latency compensation.

    • @85ringostar
      @85ringostar 4 месяца назад

      @@SpeccyMan how do you know which is the correct setting to use. Can you make a video showing how to set the delay compensation?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  4 месяца назад

      It will be different on every system. Ricky Tinez has a great video on how to fix latency within Ableton.

  • @ivarforss3692
    @ivarforss3692 10 месяцев назад +1

    Anywhere to see that film?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  10 месяцев назад +1

      Here is the trailer. With a nice little modular line that I wrote at the end of the video. ruclips.net/video/G1b1JdK0evs/видео.html&ab_channel=BoldSoulStudios

  • @yungbeath8987
    @yungbeath8987 Год назад +1

    been trying to find one of these for ages and now have a beats, bass and monologue i've found in the process but still cant find a keys. if anyone can point me to where i can find one i'd appreciate it a lot!

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Reverb might be a good place to check to see if there are any being sold second hand.

  • @hukl3945
    @hukl3945 Год назад +1

    Quick question from a synth noob: Where does the kick sound in the first sound come from? Is it included in the midi that you're sending to the Korg as a short an low note or is that another track in the DAW mixed in?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      The kick is just a kick sample I had playing under the synth stabs.

    • @hukl3945
      @hukl3945 Год назад +1

      @@craigwilliamsmusic Ok makes sense - it just looked in the video as if you turned a knob on the Korg to "take out the kick and put it back in" but I guess you were doing that with the off-screen hand :)

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      For sure, just trying to show the sound in the context of a song (or with a kick) and on it's own.

    • @SpeccyMan
      @SpeccyMan 4 месяца назад

      @@craigwilliamsmusic ... its own. (No apostrophe in the possessive pronoun.) 😉

  • @neuchigen
    @neuchigen 2 месяца назад

    Funnily enough, I’m the 801th like!

  • @DuaneMARTIN-fj2oe
    @DuaneMARTIN-fj2oe Год назад +1

    Can you play thru it w a guitar? Does it record?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      You can't pass audio through it but you can record patterns to the sequencer.

    • @DuaneMARTIN-fj2oe
      @DuaneMARTIN-fj2oe Год назад

      @craigwilliamsmusic patterns as in triads, 5ths etc? It puts out some cool sounds.

    • @jevogroni4829
      @jevogroni4829 Год назад

      it's a shame these volcas dont have an input like the ol monotrons. theyd be a lot cooler

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      I love the audio in on my Monotorn's and MS20

  • @dianamiino7391
    @dianamiino7391 Год назад +2

    👍👍

  • @dariomojicaluthier1376
    @dariomojicaluthier1376 Год назад +1

    Creo que ví esa película 😊

    • @tade64ry
      @tade64ry Год назад

      como se llama la peli?

  • @lwpweb
    @lwpweb Год назад +1

    the sequence has active steps to forgive some....

  • @Claidheambmor
    @Claidheambmor Год назад +7

    It's hardly underrated, it was a top seller for a long time and there are countless articles and videos about it.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +3

      I hear what you're saying. Maybe I should have changed the title to "not just a toy"

    • @ramseydoon8277
      @ramseydoon8277 Год назад +1

      Maybe "overshadowed"? I don't think you're incorrect by calling it underrated, especially at this point in its lifespan.

  • @WhatsDaveUpTo
    @WhatsDaveUpTo Год назад +4

    why use a hardware synth at this point when you can just use software synths of like Ableton Live and a midi controller?

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад +13

      Because it's fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I like using whatever gets the job done. At the end of the day listeners don't care if you make a track with all software or all hardware they just want a good song.

    • @TCNØCOSM
      @TCNØCOSM 9 месяцев назад +2

      Why even start like that, it’s more of the feeling to it and creativity making it hand on the hardware or a analog eurorack

    • @porvoonosho
      @porvoonosho Месяц назад +1

      Why listen to vinyl?

    • @SIQmai
      @SIQmai Месяц назад +6

      Not everybody likes making music with a mouse.

    • @mauricesunglow641
      @mauricesunglow641 Месяц назад

      Software music is gross man analog is where it’s at

  • @maxmatson1578
    @maxmatson1578 8 месяцев назад

    Has anyone told you that you could be the long-lost twin brother of actor Matthew Perry rip 🙏

  • @stephane406
    @stephane406 7 месяцев назад +1

    Don't hear anything that you could do with better results on any other synth, just compare to the roland s-1 that you can find for the same price.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  7 месяцев назад +1

      I hear that. I haven't played on the S-1 so I can't compare but I do hear good things about it.

    • @rorschach1
      @rorschach1 2 месяца назад

      Roland s-1 is digital

    • @stephane406
      @stephane406 2 месяца назад

      @@rorschach1 yes, so ?

  • @lilbear4466
    @lilbear4466 9 месяцев назад +1

    The main problem in all volca range is velocitylessness, they are simple are can’t not use velocity information. Suck a shame

    • @RyanPeter
      @RyanPeter 6 месяцев назад +1

      On midi controller I’m getting velocity fine

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  6 месяцев назад +1

      same, I don't use the built in keyboard

  • @Don-h4d
    @Don-h4d Год назад +1

    It's not underrated, it's rated for what it is, a toy with kid sized knobs. I returned it after playing 20 mins with it
    Add 100 Eur and get a used Monologue. That's a synth.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      Thats the great thing, what might not work or appeal to you will work for others. I really like the sound of it.

    • @Don-h4d
      @Don-h4d Год назад

      ​@@craigwilliamsmusic Who am I to judge your taste in hardware that has about 20 bucks of manufacturing cost.

    • @craigwilliamsmusic
      @craigwilliamsmusic  Год назад

      At the end of the day people will listen to a piece of music because they like the sound of it not because it was made on expensive equipment.

    • @barrycreed9886
      @barrycreed9886 Год назад

      A bad workman always blames his tools.

    • @Don-h4d
      @Don-h4d Год назад

      @@barrycreed9886 Nah. There are shitty tools and good tools. Even Behringer is doing much better than Korg and Roland

  • @googlepigs7027
    @googlepigs7027 Год назад +1

    Great 3 sounds.

  • @LockStoppageSandwich
    @LockStoppageSandwich Год назад +2

    NICE ❤