Trend price 100€
Analog budget tb303 bassliner: a mix between Electribe series and previous Monotribe synth.
Overview
(weight: 0.4 Kg) Main panel features a segment display, 12 knobs, 8 buttons and 16 steps multi touch keyboard. An internal speaker is included.
Front panel terminal connectors:
- Sync I/O
- Midi input
- headphones (only out) mini jack out
Voice
architecture is based on 3 oscillators VCO and each oscillator can be played individually or stacked in 3 different combinations or so called "groups":
- all VCOs are indipendent
- all VCOs stacked in unison play
- VCO1 + VOC2 are stacked together+ indipendent VCO3
Oscillators
all oscillators features the same structure: saw or square with detune but no individual mix gain.
Filter
a 2-poles resonant low-pass analog filter with glide option. According to Korg it is derived from the one on the vintage synthesizer MiniKORG 700S but is sounds more like recent Mini-Ms20.
LFO
a single modulator (shape: square / triangle) with variable depth, frequency sync option and 3 destinations:
- filter
- amplitude
- pitch
Envelope
single EG with 2 stages AR (the Sustain can be activated following release amount) shared between:
- oscillator amplitude
- filter cutoff
The VCA gate and velocity can be set only by Midi trigger but no original ACCENT control from TB.
Sequencer
up to 3 tracks and up to 16 available steps (number of steps can be defined for odd tempos). Notes are entered by external Midi or using the Volca steps.
Sync
internal sequencer can be slaved to Midi clock or by the trigger pulses out interface: each step sends out a pulse (with possible polarity inversion) to another for chain linking to other Volca machines.
Midi
notes can be entered only 1 VCO channel per time and it is NOT possibile to play the 3 VCO individually by Midi, in addition there are only 11 Control Change are implemented
Memory
- 8 setups (sounds / patches / sequencer)
Audio demo:
Video Clip:
Review
OK: cheap / portable / sync
NOT : built / edit interface / midi
" Cheap price but arguable quality built, poor interface, dumb manual and limited Midi. Useless as TB 303 emulator, but Volca achieves good leads, FX sounds or unison basses just for bargain bucks."
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci