Connecting Volca Bass to SQ1 Sync In/Out

Discussion relating to the Korg Volca Series.

Moderators: Sharp, X-Trade, Pepperpotty, karmathanever

Post Reply
bulls hit
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 02, 2016 8:40 am

Connecting Volca Bass to SQ1 Sync In/Out

Post by bulls hit »

So I'm trying to slave the Volca Bass off the SQ1.
I'm Sync Out from the SQ1, Sync In to the Volca.
Pressing Play/Stop on SQ1 has no effect other than to start and stop the lights. The sequence can only be start/stopped on the Volca.
I can't turn any of the steps on or off in Gate Mode. Twisting the knobs has no effect. None of the other modes give me any control over the sequence.
I can adjust the speed of the sequence from the SQ1 but that's all. I have no other control over the steps or pitch from the SQ1.

Is there some voltage setting or something that I need to adjust so the 2 units can sync up?

I tried the midi out from the SQ1 using the supplied adapter, but it looks like you need another cable as well. Grrr. Not getting very far that quickly.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Cheers
KO
Weirdofromouterspace
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 12:00 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Connecting Volca Bass to SQ1 Sync In/Out

Post by Weirdofromouterspace »

bulls hit wrote:I'm Sync Out from the SQ1, Sync In to the Volca.
Pressing Play/Stop on SQ1 has no effect other than to start and stop the lights. The sequence can only be start/stopped on the Volca.
Sync only provides a signal for the (in that case) Volca to stay in time.
bulls hit wrote:I can't turn any of the steps on or off in Gate Mode. Twisting the knobs has no effect. None of the other modes give me any control over the sequence.
Of course not. The Volca doesn't have CV nor Gate inputs so the SQ-1 can't transmit these data to the Volca.
bulls hit wrote:Is there some voltage setting or something that I need to adjust so the 2 units can sync up?
They apparently do sync up (-> lights going on and off). But you have to manage the sequence as such (note on/off, pitch...) on the Volca itself. Once again, it doesn't have any inputs for receiving external CV/Gate signals.
Korg: Poly-800 | microKORG | microSAMPLER | SQ-1 | Volca Beats | Volca Bass
Yamaha: DX7IID | DX21
Arturia: Minibrute
Kawai: K1
Roland: JX-03
DIY: MFOS Sound Lab Mini Synth Plus | MFOS Sound Lab Ultimate & Expander | MFOS 12-Band Vocoder | TTSH | Jasper | ARP 1601 Sequencer
bulls hit
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 02, 2016 8:40 am

Post by bulls hit »

Many thanks for the info Weirdofromouterspace. That makes sense now.

If I connect the two devices via midi, that should allow me to control the Volca from the SQ1?

Cheers
KO
Weirdofromouterspace
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 12:00 pm
Location: Germany

Post by Weirdofromouterspace »

bulls hit wrote:If I connect the two devices via midi, that should allow me to control the Volca from the SQ1?
Sure, but I don't quite see the point in doing that, since the Volcas have their own built-in sequencers!?

Anyway, be aware that the Volca Bass receives MIDI notes # 0 - 127 while the SQ-1 only sends # 48 - 108. Using the SQ-1 thus significantly reduces the range between the lowest and highest available notes (at least if you need more than a 5 octave span...).

And be aware that the SQ-1 is mainly intended to be used as a CV/Gate sequencer, and that its MIDI functions are somewhat limited. For instance, it will only work in C when using 'major' or 'minor' scales - you can use 'chromatic' as a workaround to some extent, but be sure to hit the right note when working the knobs while playing 8) .
Korg: Poly-800 | microKORG | microSAMPLER | SQ-1 | Volca Beats | Volca Bass
Yamaha: DX7IID | DX21
Arturia: Minibrute
Kawai: K1
Roland: JX-03
DIY: MFOS Sound Lab Mini Synth Plus | MFOS Sound Lab Ultimate & Expander | MFOS 12-Band Vocoder | TTSH | Jasper | ARP 1601 Sequencer
Post Reply

Return to “KORG Volca Series”