Korg Volca Kick Analog Bass/Kick Generator Reviews

The Korg Volca Kick is a fantastic and beefy analog percussion/bass module which, while limited, completely delivers. First off I love Korg so much more than Moog for its filters but specifically for its MS20 filter. This Volca takes the MS20 filter and puts it in kick form. I absolutely love the completely analog tones that come out of this thing. It is limited but what it does do it does so well. Everyone needs a solid kick for the foundation of any great track. This delivers in spades. I recommend slowing down your attack time to take away any clickiness to your kick. This will sound more natural. Also I recommend sampling your kick tone and using your Volca Kick sample in your sampler or DAW of your choosing. This way you get consistent phase interplay between this and other samples. Always check you phases. Especially with the kick, a random analog start phase to your sound will make the body of your track breathe in an undesirable way. The Volca Kick can also be used as a bass synth and, while I haven't done this yet, I'm sure when I get around to it I'll love it as well.

This little monster is always on. I don't attract to the full breadth of its squelch ability. I set a low thumping pattern chain and I basically never mess with it and I certainly never want to turn it off.

My first Volca, works perfectly for what it is for and then some.

A very simple and seemingly limited machine by it's self, paired up with the other Volcas the kick starts to shine. Ultra low resonating waves to punchy or swooping mids. Once a beat gets going this little guy can be played in real time to add dimension , accent, or some bass and drum fills.
Lots of fun and easy to learn functions. Don't be fooled by the size and simplicity , it is holding a 9 pound hammer behind it's back.

I did not have high hopes for this latest in the Volca range and boy was I wrong! This has become my go-to for deep bass sounds. In my opinion, this gives more contrast in sound when used with the Volca Keys and the Volca Beats than the Volca Bass did. I always felt like the Volca Bass and Keys were kind of close in sound sharing a filter from the 700s. They do sound different of course, but for me, something was always missing, like it needs a delay or reverb or something to fill out the sound.

Once I got the Kick and started using it as a sub-bass with the Keys and Beats along with the Arturia BeatStep Pro, things really started cooking! The Kick used as a sub-bass takes up lots of space (something I felt the Volca Bass never did right) and yet leaves just enough space for the Keys and the Beats. The result is full-sounding simple electro with a Dub/Hip-Hop/DnB kind of feel. Of course, you can use it as a kick generator and it works great that way. But for me, this is the analog bass-machine I have always been looking for! Can't wait to pair these three with the new Korg Monologue.

So whether you are looking for a generator of analog kick sounds for live use, to sample, or you want the perfect synth to generate sinewave sub-bass, this is your ticket.

This is quite a unique device: unique among the volca line and unique among bass-generating machines (that I know of). At the price it can't be beat. You can create rich basslines, pounding kicks, more elegant percussion, and weird noises. It took me a little while to learn how to fine-tune it because there is some much range for many of the perameters, particularly the resonator controls. I've been running it through some digital compression and distortion and getting really fantastic results. It's great for live performance or studio precision. It is not "just a kick machine." It's a truly dynamic instrument with huge range. Check it!

Sounds amazing, the sonic variability is impressive. It replaces volumes of kick drum sample libraries and allows you to design a range of kick and synth sounds quickly and creatively.

Downside, the thing doesn't stay in tune unless it is sequenced internally. The straying out of tune thing makes live performance risky, as out of tune basses are the worst kind of out of tune. Quick solution using the sequencer is okay except that you lose some of the spontaneity of a live performance and you are kind of stuck with the 16 step sequence (though some variety on length and step sequence improves this).

Bottom line for me, it produces bass and kick tones that can move the earth and rattle walls. But then, if you want to run this live, you have to sample the sounds you make or bear the burden of out-of-tune bass paranoia.

Finally a dedicated analog kick maker. This thing is a beast and sounds great. Also makes good basslines.

The one caveat is that in order to go below the low A on the built in keyboard, one must use a midi keyboard connected to it. I find this feature to be rather strange considering it does transpose up 2 octaves. Why not at least one octave down? The notes below the built in keyboard are the deepest most lush tones. It's a shame you can't access them without an external controller.

Still, this device is the star of the volca family and is a lot of fun to use.

I am enjoying every minute of using this volca kick. It is extremely inspiring and takes my music creativity to a different level. The possibilities of what you can use it for is up to you ..And to me it's endless...
It can be in corpoated with every type of music to add a unique addition in sound quality and creation....

I wish it had an FX like a built-in bit crush or distortion for playing live...

This could be the next 303/808 in the future.

I'm not a pro user of high-end synth and drum machine hardware, but I really like the Volca series from Korg, which offers a price point and feature set that really work for my casual music-making needs. But when the Volca Kick was announced, it was not immediately clear what it did, or what I would use it for. Does it really just make kick drum sounds? Don't the Volca Beats and Sample already have that covered?

As it turns out the Volca Kick does do a lot more than than hitting a kick drum every four beats, though it is a bit limited, especially compared to the last Volca released (the digital Volca FM, which allows for endless possibilities due to decades of DX7 patches available online that can be sent to the device). The Volca "Kick", as compared to the Volca Keys and Volca Bass, is really just a different kind of analog synthesizer, with a filter based on the MS-20 that lends itself well to lower frequencies. With the "pulse" control, that can mean a percussive kick drum, but it can also be a melodic bass note. In fact, the Volca Kick seems to allow for longer decay and more powerful low end bass notes than the Volca Bass. The 16-key ribbon keyboard allows for chromatic control of pitched bass notes. I've noted several times that if Teenage Engineering hadn't already used the name for the PO-14, Volca "Sub" would have been a much more descriptive name of what this analog synthesizer is and does than the name "Kick".

However, while Korg generally made yet another interesting Volca with a unique character of its own, the Kick does not go all the way with features that would have made it an ideal bass and kick drum machine. First, it's clear that Korg expected this to be programmed first and foremost as a step sequencer, and not with live play. The Kick doesn't have the metronome found in a few other Volcas, and also doesn't have Time Divide and Flux features that allow you to record up to 4 measures, or record off-beat sequences with the usual 1/16 note quantization turned off. Also, while pitch control work, it can be confusing to program this as a bass synth, since changes to the resonator settings (particularly pitch and bend) can throw off the actual pitch of the note versus what the ribbon keyboard or your DIN MIDI keyboard input suggest the note should be. I also do not believe the MIDI input responds to velocity input, which is an unfortunate lesson they should have learned after people complained about that with the Volca FM.

Still, the Volca Kick offers a lot of great options for sculpting kick drum sounds, and can also generate some pretty mean basslines. The drive and tone knobs are pretty interesting on their own, and I'm interested to see what this thing sounds like run through some guitar overdrive or distortion pedals. It's a device that does what it says it does quite well, but given the confusing marketing and its niche appeal, it would be tough to recommend this to a lot of consumer until they've checked out some of the other Volcas first (and perhaps ALL of the others first).

I have checked all keyboards sound options and reviews and tendencies.Want to make a purchase for products under $300. However totally confused regarding the *Actual Sound Quality .What is needed Very badly is a short mini *Demo Video of each product Korg Volco & Bass Volcos.Its Just plain Confusing on their *Actual Sound Quality and Capabilities .Do this and you will sell *Twice as many of these mini keyboard products

Do not buy this expecting that you will be able to use it to make any form of tuned bassline or 808 style kick. It's great for quick pulse kicks where the pitch isn't important, but for anything with a tail the pitch will drift significantly, sometimes within a few seconds.

You can let the unit rest 10 whole seconds and it will re-tune, which is not a solution if you plan on recording a whole song at once or using this live. Both Sweetwater and Korg have confirmed this is not a one-off issue, it is the expected behavior of this unit.

A huge disappointment, otherwise sounds great. For me, it's worthless.