Korg Forums

Hello all,
I'm writing in the hopes that someone can help me learn how to send sysex messages to the Volca FM. Since I don't have a DX7 or use a DAW, I'm not using a VST like Dexed - I'm just downloading .syx files from DX7 fan sites and trying to send them using Sysex library managers.

I can connect the Volca FM to the computer via USB->MIDI (and I can play it from the computer over MIDI, so that connection is not the problem). I can load .syx files into the library manager and see that the first few and last few bytes seem to conform to the Volca FM MIDI specs. I can use those library managers to send the sysex info over MIDI and even see the bytes being sent (e.g. MIDI-OX shows this)... but the Volca FM does not react in any way. I've tried multiple library managers and OSes, even tried installing Dexed in a trial version of Reaper, nothing works.

Do I have to put it in a special receive mode or something? Could the problem be in the patches I'm trying to send? Or perhaps my ultra-cheapo USB-MIDI interface? (It seems like bits-to-pins should work whatever the bits are, but I have no idea what the encoder looks like on the inside, so...)

Thanks in advance!

This is pretty much going to be my question in a couple of months - I'm not planning to hook it up to my DAW.

I'm quite surprised that the thing is already being sold in parts of the world, with absolutely no clear methodology on the part of Korg as to how to load SysEx files into the thing. Maybe they're waiting for someone to come up with a third party app...

I read some speculation somewhere that the file data would be loadable in audio form via the Sync In socket (as per loading samples into the volca Sample), but who knows?

Yeah, a little more documentation would be nice. It seems like you should just be able to send the sysex though the MIDI IN port and it magically works. That seems to be what Ujiie does in his demo, although he's working from a DX7-2. So I assume the problem is at my end -- I just can't figure out what it is!

I would try lowering the sysex data send rate first. many og midi devices cannot accept sysex dumps at contemporary speeds that midi apps are trying to use. perhaps this is also the case with the volca fm?

I sometimes have to slow down sysex dumps to ridiculously slow rates before devices start accepting sysex dumps!

Solved my own problem! It was indeed the cheap MIDI interface... I replaced it with a Roland UM-ONE mk2 and everything worked as expected. (For the record, 256 kB buffers with 60 ms between each buffer.)

Now all I need is "Ghosties".

volcafmquestion wrote:... a Roland UM-ONE mk2...

By a happy coincidence, I just ordered one of these for my semi-portable laptop & volcas setup.

You can do it with an iPad too, using the MIDI toolbox app and a MIDI capable interface. Check out Volcalife_ on Instagram there's a bunch of info

La solución Gratuita ;=)

5000 Patch del Yamaha DX7 en formato Syx para transferir al Korg Volca FM.
Tambien lo podrán utilizar con aquellos Plugins Vst que soporte formatos Syx.

Caso puntual el Software VST Dexed es totalmente gratuito, llegando a ser un fiel emulador del Yamaha DX 7 y nos permite crear el formato Syx con el cual tambien podemos transferir al Korg Volca FM lo que hayamos creado con el.

Formatos de Dexed
Win 32 Vst
Win 64 Vst
Mac Osx Vst
Mac Au

Link De Descarga Dexed:
http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=2026

Dentro del Paquete de 5000 Patch encontraran el Programa Midi Ox para la transferencia de los archivos.

Guía en formato Pdf para transferir Patch Yamaha DX7 via Midi Sysex al Volca FM en Castellano.
https://mega.nz/…

Guide to Transfer Patch Yamaha DX 7 to Korg Volca FM In English:
https://mega.nz/…

Link de los 5000 Patch Yamaha DX7:
https://mega.nz/…

Felices Producciones ;=)
D J SoMaR