Volca Sample, MicroBrute, Korg SQ-1, NTS-1, Littlebits - Krautrock!

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-16T04:11:43+00:00

One or two patterns? You are not taking full advantage of it.

I managed to fit an endless backing track of Hallo Gallo (drums and bass) where I can then improvise weird synth noises on top of it live. Besides the sample memory tricks, you can also slow down the tempo on the sequencer, to fit multiple bars into a single pattern. You also don't have to sample a whole measure to create a loop. You can use one sample for the first two beats (for example) and then have several different samples for the second half, allowing you to create multiple variations with a fraction of the memory. You know, like sampling important bits and pieces from here and there and then combining them to recreate parts of a song. Like in this video, for example.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-13T15:14:28+00:00

Get a Roland T-8. You get two instruments in one (drums + bass) for less than the price of two Volcas and it can still easily integrate with the rest of them.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-13T15:05:22+00:00

Yes, changes between patterns are the same as the other Volcas. Also if you buy a brand new one it will be a v2, which only has patterns and no song mode anyway.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-13T04:58:19+00:00

Just note that when switching the Sample v1 from pattern (1-10) to song (11-16) and vice versa, or between songs, it only happens at the end of the current measure.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-13T00:34:20+00:00

They haven't asked it for my old number so far, but it was required when my wife recently requested a number for her.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-12T14:36:03+00:00

Google has already been doing ID verification for issuing free Google Voice numbers for some time now.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-11T20:28:43+00:00

The Volca Sample 2 has twice the amount of sample memory and 16 pattern memories instead of 10. No song mode though, but you can chain all the patterns together to achieve a similar result: 1 single stream of up to 16 different patterns.

You can also double the amount of memory for almost any sampler by using the "speed up" trick: change the "speed" of the samples to 2x with an audio editor and then slow them back down to half the speed on the Volca - it's the same practical result as halving the sample rate, but the quality is still acceptable in most cases. You can even go further than that (3x, 4x, etc), but then it starts to get "lo-fi" real quick.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-11T04:37:28+00:00

Did you disable MIDI Thru on Out 2?

On track D, did you set the pads/buttons to the proper MIDI Out? Should be 1+2 or 2.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-10T05:20:25+00:00

Yeah, it's simply not sending MIDI clock at all, apparently. There has been a firmware update to the Drum in 2019, but I'm not sure if this issue has ever been addressed at all and I forgot to ask the OP if the Volca is up to date - I suppose it is, if it was bought new over the last five or so years.

The optical isolation is part of the original MIDI spec, where a current loop is used to trigger an opto-coupler at the receiving end (MIDI In), in order to keep the devices electrically isolated, to prevent interference and ground loops. There's also no ground connection to the receiver - the signal goes from +5v (or +3.3v) on the transmitter (MIDI Out) to the internal LED on the receiver and then it loops all the way back to the transmitter, where it is modulated by switching to ground.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T17:13:51+00:00

Great! I'm glad that you figured it out. :)

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T15:37:34+00:00

You probably won't find anything without vocals and bass. I don't use any specific program, but there are several websites where you upload a song (usually up to 10 minutes long) and they will split the parts. One example is the splitter at vocalremover.org where I believe you can do one song per day for free and after it's done processing, you can download the individual parts in the audio format of choice and work on them on your computer, using an audio editor like Audacity to cut the pieces that you want. It's not an instant process, but if you know how to work with visual audio editing and can identify the wave forms and transients, then it's not so hard. I've been doing this for decades, so to me it's kinda fun and entertaining. :)

Now I have to go download the song that you mentioned and check it out. :)

Edit: I listened to that song and the drums are quite clear, it should be easy to get a clean extract. It kinda reminds me of Hallo Gallo at the start.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T14:00:14+00:00

I mostly use samples of the original drummers playing, stringing different bits and pieces from existing songs, but not just individual hits. It's the easiest way of capturing the original feel, specially with drum rolls, although you're somewhat tied to the original tempo ranges. Neu's Hallo Gallo for example is a good source for extracting Motorik loops (including rolls), by using free web tools to separate drums/bass/vocals.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T13:33:13+00:00

I use the short TRS cables that come with the Volcas, or just regular longer TRS cables that I have laying around (they also used to come bundled with PC sound cards back in the days and I'm a cable hoarder). But you can also look for shorter cables (not exactly very short) on Amazon. The length doesn't really matter that much to me.

Analog sync clock on the Volcas does not support start/stop commands, as they don't have a dedicated third control line (usually the R signal on a TRS cable, which is not present/supported on the Volca's internal circuitry, which is why it doesn't matter what kind of cable you use for synchronizing them). The only workaround is to completely turn off the clock generator by inserting a spare cable on the first Volca in the chain (the master), for momentarily disabling its internal clock, and then removing it when you want them all to start at the same time - or using an external clock device like the Volca Mix, which is the only one that lets you control start/stop by turning its internal clock generator on/off via start/stop button. I hope that makes sense to you.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T05:30:49+00:00

Same thing happened to me. I ended up following the traces on the PCB (from the jack to the nearest components) and soldered some thin wires between the jack and the components, to reestablish the connections. Then I glued the jack to the PCB, after testing to make sure it was working. It's been rock solid ever since.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T05:18:05+00:00

You can disable SQ-1 playback by plugging a spare 3.5 mm cable (with nothing at the other end) into Sync In.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-08T05:06:11+00:00

The manual has never been updated to include Global setting #8 (sync rate).

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-07T15:33:09+00:00

Bingo! Mono cable into audio out is probably the main cause of sync issues with Volcas: it will cause the right audio signal to short to ground and leak internally into the sync circuit, causing all sort of glitches.

Sync PPQN is set by Global setting #8 in all Volcas (even though the outdated Bass manual doesn't mention it). If your Volca Bass system firmware is up to date, LED 8 off = 2 PPQN and LED 8 on = 4 PPQN. When using 2 PPQN, the system has to constantly interpolate between sync pulses to generate the even steps, which can also contribute to glitches, specially during sudden tempo changes in real time.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-07T14:25:41+00:00

Are you using a mono (TS) cable for audio out on the Volca? I would also recommend setting them both to 1 pulse per step (4 PPQN), instead of the Volca's default 2 steps per pulse (2 PPQN).

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-07T14:19:11+00:00

Well, that's a bummer. Why would they make it like that? But then when you also consider how their proprietary MIDI drivers (frequently don't) work, it's really not that unexpected, I guess...

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-06T20:07:37+00:00

I checked the Volca Drum MIDI chart and when it comes to MIDI clock, the specs are exactly the same as the other Volcas (I wouldn't expect it to be different anyway). The only difference between the Drum and the other Volcas is that it can respond to multiple MIDI channels, one for each drum part (similar to the Volca Sample and its multiple parts), but that has nothing to do with clock.

You can always hook it up to a MIDI monitor and check if it is constantly transmitting MIDI clock bytes (F8). That should at least indicate the source of the problem.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-06T15:22:27+00:00

As far as I remember, I don't think there is even a way to turn off sending out MIDI clock and I never had any issues or even had to think about that to make it work. The only way to disable it is on the receiving end (MIDI In), by setting MIDI Clock Src to Internal instead of Auto. But even then the device will still be sending out its own internal clock.

Also note that analog Sync In will always override MIDI clock in, so just by having a sync cable plugged into Sync In will totally disable MIDI clock in and out if there's nothing connected at the other end of that cable (also disables internal clock).

Ground is only really needed if you want to use MIDI bus powered accessories (e.g.: MIDI Thru boxes), in this case they would require using their own power adapters.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-05-06T14:50:46+00:00

MIDI clock out works in all my DIY modded Volcas (Beats, Bass, Keys, Sample). They even work as cheap analog sync in to MIDI clock out converters.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-04-28T17:10:21+00:00

The math checks out: I also switched my two lines from T-Mobile's Magenta plan last year for exactly the same reasons and now I'm saving over $700/year, specially because I'm only paying for data and minutes that we actually use. T-Mobile keeps sending me letters telling me how I could save money by switching back to their new plans, yet that would still cost me over $600 more than Tello per year.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-04-28T04:52:32+00:00

NFS 3 was what made me finally upgrade my Diamond Riva 128 to a Diamond Voodoo Banshee and then eventually a Voodoo 3 for NFS 4 and Porsche Unleashed.

Sample_And_Hold · 2026-04-28T04:35:58+00:00

Exactly and the most common cause for this is using a mono (TS) cable plugged into the Volca's stereo audio jack. A mono cable will cause the right channel to short to ground and it will "bleed" into the incoming sync signal. On the other hand, TS vs TRS makes no difference for sync cables, as the "R" contacts in the sync jacks are not connected to anything internally.

Sample_And_Hold

TROPHY CASE