The Korg Volca FM is another synthesizer in the Volca lineup. It is a small FM synthesizer with 3 note polyphony, MIDI in, a sequencer, and onboard chorus. It is compatible with the Yamaha DX7 and can be programmed using the Dexed plugin on a computer and following this. All in all, it’s a solid little synthesizer at a great price. There are also unofficial ways to make it better (MIDI velocity fixing 1.08 unofficial update).
Features
Like the other Volcas, the Volca FM has a sequencer and MIDI in, as well as Korg sync in and out, and headphones out via 3.5mm jack which is also the only out for recording. It can be used in either stereo or mono mode. There are also 16 slots in memory for patches and sequences. Patches and sequences are stored together in each slot. It also features 32 stock patches to play with.
The sequencer is the same as any of the Korg Volcas as far as I can tell and works for making music, but can be a bit limiting. I didn’t buy this unit for its sequencer so it’s a nonissue to me. I played with it a bit and while it can work for jamming, it probably won’t work well for live playing stored sequences unless you are controlling it via MIDI or stick to a single bar or two.
The onboard chorus is great in my opinion. I had considered using another chorus with it, but it wasn’t necessary due to the quality of the onboard chorus. It sounds great with the Volca FM and is easy to dial in.
Limitations
Most of the limitations are minor irritations, especially at the price.
The sequencer is a bit of a limitation in general for the Volca series as mentioned before. This can make the unit a bit less practical if you aren’t sequencing it with MIDI. I just use the memory slot to store blank patterns and use it to pick presets since the MIDI start makes the sequence begin playing along with any sequencing.
The unit has 3 note polyphony which is great at the price point and for the for the type of instrument it is, but it can be a bit limiting with an electric piano patch or similar. This is in no way a deal breaker for the unit, especially at the price point, but something to know ahead of time.
There is no MIDI Thru or Out on the instrument either. Again, this isn’t a design fault but something to know. You will probably have to buy a new cable for stereo as well.
Buy a cable for the Volca FM here:
A lot of the limitations of the Volca FM are nitpicking, especially at the price point of the Volca FM. It is an amazing synthesizer for the price. There is one major shortcoming on the unit though.
MIDI does not carry the velocity. This is a huge design flaw and there are even custom cables to get around it. The issue stems from the fact the velocity channel is an internal channel controlled by the fader on the system. There is a custom firmware for it though.
Unofficial Firmware
The download is hard to find, but you can get it in this blog post from Ranzee. This 1.08 firmware makes the unit basically perfect in my opinion. This is the only major thing Korg missed when designing this unit.
The unofficial 1.08 firmware adds velocity to MIDI and allows tweaking some other things on the unit. This makes it usable as a 3 note expressive E-Piano or to play live with a controller of some sort. It’s a major game changer for the Volca FM in general. You don’t have to buy a custom cable anymore either.
The unofficial firmware makes the synth amazing. With a MIDI sequencer of some sort and the velocity patch from the custom firmware, you can make the Volca FM extremely lifelike with clever MIDI and overcome every built in limitation.
Conclusion
The Korg Volca FM is one of my favorite synths in my studio now. It is a great package at an extremely low price and offers a huge buffet of features for a dirt cheap price. It doesn’t break the bank, sequences great with MIDI (especially with the unofficial firmware), and it sounds excellent. Dexed gives it an easy way to tweak patches or even create them entirely from scratch.
Get one here.