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Korg has announced the second generation of the Volca FM. The format remains compact, but under the hood, the manufacturer has greatly expanded the FM synthesizer. The innovations in Korg Volca FM are twice the number of voices, more memory, new reverb, and MIDI output. That sounds like a successful facelift!
The Korg Volca FM gets a successor. And the second generation isn’t just cosmetic: the new Korg synthesizer brings with it a long list of improvements and new features, many of which have been on the wish lists of fans of the small FM synth.
One of the most important innovations is undoubtedly the doubled polyphony to six voices. You can do a lot more with six voices than with three, so that’s very welcome news. In addition, you can now save up to 64 sounds, and there is a new random function that ejects new sounds at the push of a button.
When it comes to MIDI, Korg has also given the 2nd generation of the Volca FM a big boost. It is the first Volca to be given a MIDI output so that the internal 16-step sequencer with motion sequencing can now also be used for external devices. And on the input side, the Volca FM now understands MIDI velocity and can be played with velocity, and expressiveness – that’s really good news.
The well-known chorus effect has been supplemented with a new reverb, from which not only the typical 80s FM sounds will benefit. Both effects can be used simultaneously. And finally, something has changed with the sequencer, which has been supplemented with a new mode called “Warp Active Step”. This should provide interesting rhythmic shifts.
The structure of the sound generation, on the other hand, has remained the same: the Volca FM is still an FM synthesizer with six operators and 32 algorithms. Compatibility with the huge library of DX7 patches is also still available, which is all the more promising given the new options.
Korg Volca FM 2 price and availability
The 2nd generation of the Volca FM is available to pre-order on the Bhphotovideo.com and Adorama.com websites. The recommended retail price is $169.99.
Last year, Waldorf introduced the M Wavetable Synthesizer to the world. The M immediately brings back memories of the wavetable classics Microwave and Microwave II. It has been priced at $2,499.99.
