I've got quite a few Volcas and even modded some in the past.
I wonder if this is hackable too?
Instead of using 3.5 mm jacks the volca modular uses those tiny patch wires you see being used on breadboards. The new AE modular from Tangilbe Waves uses this same system, as do Sound Machines with their NS1nanosynth, and Bastl Instruments with their Kastle, SoftPop, Bitranger & OMsynth.
Apart from this being wonderful news for the DIY synth community, it's a great introduction to what is termed West Coast synthesis. (Google Don Buchla & Serge Tcherepnin).
The idea of "West Coast Synthesis" is a really recent construct I think.The term comes from the fact that in the very beginning of synthesizers there was Bob Moog in New York and Don Buchla and Serge Tcherepnin in California --- its really a difference not of geography, but a difference of philosophy. Buchla was I think more interested in making art than in creating a business. It's said he created the interface first, and then the electronics followed.
Usually, its really expensive to enter this world, or you have to be OK with DIY in order to build something like a Serge synth. KORG looks like it has drawn inspiration from the Buchla Easel in its colour scheme, its signal path & its modules.
I love my old easel because it is so flexible. I hope the new Volca will be just as nimble and
introduce the wider synth community to the joys of the West..
I also don't think Korg have ever made a West Coast style synth before (message me if I'm wrong).
Part of the West Coast philosophy is instead of having standard filters that remove content from the VCOs (subtractive synthesis), it uses wave folders. (Though I don't think I can strictly say this is an additive synth).
Wave folders do exactly that ... they fold oscillator waves in on themselves to generate more harmonic content (above the fundamental).
The volca modular has no envelope generators or VCAs ... instead it has functions ... or function generators and LPGs (Low Pass Gates).... all very Buchla.
East Coast synths use ADSR style envelope generators ....
Here, were have functions or slope generators (if you are into Serge).
Function generators are much more flexible ...you can get many more different envelope shapes
than your standard AD or ADSR envelopes.....& you can loop these too.
For more info on function generators click here:
https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-integrator-circuit-analog-computers.html
But be warned ... it's a bit nerdy
:-)
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