Korg Volca Sample 2

A
ccording to Korg,
the original
Sample remains
the bestselling
entry into the
company’s
popular Volca
range. While it was never my
favourite personally – the Drum, FM
and Kick take the top three spots,
since you asked – I defi nitely see the
appeal. With ten tracks and eight
voices of polyphony, plus a decent
depth of editing and sequencing
control, the Volca Sample always
offered a lot of potential for
something so small and cheap. It
was undeniably a lot of fun too.
Given its popularity, it’s little
surprise that the Sample is the fi rst
Volca to get a direct version 2
follow-up. In actuality this is more a
subtle refi nement of the original
design, rather than a true fresh
version. For the most part the design
and functionality remain largely
unchanged, although Korg have
added several key enhancements
that make it worth reappraising.
Let’s recap what hasn’t changed
fi rst. As before, this is a 10-part
digital sample groovebox that can
play back PCM sounds as either
one-shots or loops. Front panel
control lets users set the source
sample, start and end points, as well
as pitch and volume for each
sample. There are also attack and
control via a DAW or external
sequencer far easier.
The onboard sample memory has
been doubled too, which is a nice
touch, and the Sample 2 comes with
an upgraded library of sounds to take
advantage of the extra space. The
only other upgrades to mention are
to the sequencer, which adds pattern
chaining – a welcome bonus if you
want on-the-go creativity – and
off-the-grid steps, which are handy
for creating more unusual grooves
and swung rhythms.
In all then, it’s a subtle, but very
well-targeted upgrade to the original
design. The extra memory,
convenience and sequencing scope
combine to make this a signifi cant
step up. Given the still very
reasonable price point, this Volca is
more tempting than ever.
decay controls for both amp and
pitch, along with hi-cut and reverse
parameters. On the global level, the
Sample features a reverb send with
Mix control and an analogue isolator
EQ that can be used to boost or cut
low and high-end frequencies.
In terms of the hardware itself,
the Sample mostly falls in line with
the rest of the Volca range. There’s a
16-step sequencer equipped with
Motion Sequencing automation, Step
Jump and Active Step Modes. Audio
output is provided by a single
headphone jack, which comes
accompanied by a MIDI input and
analogue pulse clock in and out.
Power comes from either six AA
batteries or a separate power supply.
So what’s new? The most
signifi cant addition is a micro USB
port on the front panel, which allows
users to hook the Sample up to a
computer for direct sample import.
This is a major bonus; the original
did allow users to add their own
sounds, but doing so involved
streaming audio into the Sync In
from an iOS app, which was
somewhat fi ddly. It’s still possible to
transfer sounds to the Volca Sample
2 using this method, but the new
desktop librarian is far more
convenient. The USB port can also
be used for sync and MIDI control,
and the Sample now lets users route
individual MIDI channels to control
each sample track, which makes
THE PROS & CONS
+
USB input means
sample upload is a
lot easier
Pattern chaining
adds more fl exibility
More sounds and
memory than v1
-
No included
USB lead
FM VERDICT
9.0
Easier to use, more fl exible
and packed with more
sounds – v2 is an all-round
improvement for Korg’s most
popular Volca
Korg Volca Sample 2 | Reviews
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FMU366.rev_korg.indd 79 17/12/2020 15:05