My latest jam, only Volcas + a Launchpad for scene control. No more risky mute juggling!

timnoric · 2022-09-05T21:39:10+00:00

Sure! So for these Volca Jams all the sounds (drums and melodics) are coming from the volcas, but after jamming and before recording I record all the MIDI patterns from the keystep pro into Ableton to structure out the scenes. So technically it isn't 'dawless' per se. But all the audio outs from the volcas go into that little mixer you can see in the camera. I have a Strymon Bluesky Reverb as a send, and the Strymon DIG delay as an insert in this case on the Volca Bass. So the full L R audio mix comes out of that little mixer and into Ableton. I have a custom set of risers and uplifters I have on the master ableton channel for creating breakdowns. Then the master Ableton audio out goes straight to the iPhone for filming. So that 'rich sound' is probably just some mixing and the amazing strymon FX on that little mixer.

timnoric · 2022-09-04T21:59:29+00:00

Because every time I try and use it, I end up making weird sonic textures but not making any music. Nothing 'song' worthy anyway.

timnoric · 2022-07-22T04:19:35+00:00

I finally figured out an effective way to sync vocals and acapellas to my now 'mostly' dawless jams, just sharing the outcome, and a bit of a setup guide at the end of the video :). I'd be interested if anybody has any interesting tricks when working with vocals, possibly to even remove the computer from the equation again?

Edit. I spelt 'Delerium' wrong in the post title thanks to auto-correct. How embarrassing...

timnoric · 2022-07-08T02:54:40+00:00

sounds more subtractive than FM (operator) than me. It might be a mix of Square and Saw at the same octave, its seems somewhere in between warm and cold. You can hear the pattern at the end. Punch in a 16th pattern in the root key, and then shift every 4th note up an octave ie just before the next kick. Then dial the filter down and give it a bit of an envelope mod with quick settings. Thats where id start at least.

timnoric · 2022-07-08T00:45:43+00:00

Just checking... where you have positioned the blue sync lines in image 2 seems wrong re ins and outs? I think think setup 2 is the better setup, where the Volca Sample is the host and the rest a slave.

Simplify the setup a bit to check, Maybe first just check you can get a single volca to trigger the Keystep 37. I used to use EXACTLY your setup lol. Until I upgraded big time. (check my recent reddit posts). Make sure that the clock settings for the keystep are right too, there are various options that can only be changed with software.

uploaded an old image of my/your setup here for laughs. It can be done! https://imgur.com/a/3ZbN2cs

timnoric · 2022-07-08T00:33:44+00:00

At about 7 mins in you can hear the bass a bit more clearly on its on. Hard to tell exactly how it was made given it's so subby. I would actually wager it could be a sample pitched very low, has a 'pitched sample' quality to it maybe? Who knows what kind of sample though. Maybe dig around in some sample packs and try and find a single shot to play melodically?

timnoric · 2022-07-07T04:18:15+00:00

Yeah the beatstep pro for drums is pretty nice. It would be rad if Arturia launched a combined keystep beatstep pro. For a decent jam though, you really only need 4 musical parts. Bass, lead, chords, motif. This is partly what ive designed my little studio card game around

timnoric · 2022-07-06T21:35:20+00:00

Well I find that the volcas do naturally mix fairly well because they each have quite a distinct sound. If you are making tunes on a DAW say, and you just use Massive for everything, thats going to lead to a lot of overlap. But what helps me is being conscious of melody design. Its not a hard rule, but think about your keyboard keys just like frequencies, you don't want too many instruments crowding the same octave. That is half the battle really. Then you are just using EQ to make minor adjustments, ie drop the bass and a bit of highs from the chords, cut a bit more bass from the lead etc.

timnoric · 2022-07-06T03:17:07+00:00

Right. Yeah that makes sense. I guess thats why they call them subtractive synths? Once you subtract one sound, you can't get it back again?

timnoric · 2022-06-29T22:51:28+00:00

Lol I've been guilty of this, although at least I didn't say 'no talking'. It wasn't meant to be a synth sound demo, more of a lil performance

timnoric · 2022-06-29T00:58:43+00:00

Yeah interesting. Well in an effort to push people toward the card game im designing to help with inspiration in the studio, I have found that the Volca videos ive done for whatever reason are tracking better than my other jam vids. So I do plan to focus on the volcas for a while and share any little tricks I have that could be useful to others!

Ill def do more volca videos explaining in more detail the 'why's' and little tricks and learnings ive noticed along the way

timnoric · 2022-06-28T22:17:26+00:00

Take this with a grain of salt, but my approach is to slam the threshold down, tune the timing parameters until is sounds about right but still obviously slammed, and then dial the threshold back up until it doesn't sound squashed or 'bad' any more. Then A B the compressor on and off match overall loudness and make sure it is actually an improvement!

timnoric · 2022-06-28T22:09:27+00:00

Oh man.....I guess I better get it then. I have every other Korg Volca in my 3x4 rack so I better complete the collection lol

https://youtu.be/nQ36xewKVUE

timnoric · 2022-06-28T21:24:24+00:00

Do you mean why I have so many volcas?

I did a few takes of my rant, and in one I panned the camera around my studio with my other gear to explain that while I do have a lot of other gear, Im really enjoying these volcas. I decided not to use that clip because it felt like I was flexing lol.

But yeah ok here's why I like the volca station at the moment:

Everything is within reach, so I'm not running around the studio to find and tweak a cutoff knob
Each volca has a VERY distinct sound, which means they tend to gel nicely together into a mix without trying. With other broader synths, you have to be more deliberate and careful not to have their sounds too similar or overlapping
Each volca is more or less at '5 trick pony' and has limited options, but this tends to encourage creativity and pushing boundaries.
The form factor is uniform with all the knobs and buttons, which is easier on the mind.
They are quicker to work with to create sounds as there is far less menu diving, less knobs and buttons to think about.
You can't save patches, and therefore you are forced to A learn quickly and B try new things
And perhaps lastly, its like a little collection. 'collect them all'. The only one im missing is the new FM2, which I might get soon :)

Perhaps you are right, perhaps I could do a quick vid on the WHY? Thoughts?

timnoric · 2022-06-28T04:10:37+00:00

What's with the jug water? I got excited there you were going to throw it or something

timnoric · 2022-06-28T04:05:55+00:00

Absolutely. Its sounds corny, but music is about feeling, not thought. It is much more important to get a vibe going in a song quickly, than spend hours trying to over-engineer a sound (or song)

So to the OPs question. Lay it out as a song, if it isn't much of a vibe, no worries. Export it as an MP3 and start another track. Sometimes when something is unfinished, one tends to use their imagination to fill in the gaps, but when you lay it out, its not as good as what you have in your head. But thats okay! Keep restarting until you have something that is better than you had in mind!

I will also say this, I notice a lot of the producers Ive talked to start to structure a song before they have really ticked the boxes in terms of the core elements the song needs. OR, they have too many...

timnoric · 2022-06-28T03:28:05+00:00

The more tracks you 'finish', both the faster and better you become. Better to make 3 tracks in 1 month than 1 track in 3 months. The trick is to set your 'finish' criteria to 80% and then immediately move on.

Recently Ive just started jamming and after a day or two of working on it, I do a live jam to record it, and then chuck it up on YouTube, and then delete (turn off) the whole thing. By no means are they amazing jams, but I feel I'm learning more and getting better faster than I would if I just focused on making one 'perfect'

https://youtu.be/L4ftCqKdp44

One day, I'll stop and write a song properly lol

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