Korg Volca Keys

The ideal choice as your first analogue synth or a powerful addition to any studio setup, the Volca Keys packs a surprising amount of analogue character into a compact, battery-powered unit. Its filter section uses the circuitry of the legendary miniKORG 700S from 1974, drawing on half a century of Korg circuit design expertise to deliver a sound that is immediately warm, expressive and alive. Simple enough to pick up quickly, deep enough to keep you exploring, it suits beginners and experienced players alike.

Analogue Sound Engine

The Volca Keys is built around three VCOs feeding into a single VCF, VCA, LFO and EG. This is the classic synthesizer signal path, which makes it a great learning tool as well as a genuinely capable instrument. The three oscillators offer sawtooth and square waveforms and can be configured in six voicing modes via a single knob: Poly, Unison, Octave, Fifth, Unison Ring and Poly Ring. This covers a huge range of sonic territory without adding complexity, from lush three-voice chords and fat detuned leads to metallic ring-modulated textures. Detune, portamento and EG intensity give you further control over movement and character.

The analogue filter is the centrepiece of the sound. Opening the cutoff brightens and expands the tone, while reducing it softens and warms things up. The Peak knob adds resonance for that distinctive analogue sweep, and the filter responds naturally to the EG for expressive, evolving sounds.

Delay Effect

A built-in delay effect adds space and depth to your patches. It includes Time and Feedback controls alongside tempo sync, and recreates the pitch shift that occurs when you change delay time on an analogue tape echo unit, giving it a character you won't get from a straightforward digital delay.

Sequencer and Performance

The 16-step loop sequencer captures your performance exactly as you play it on the touch panel keyboard. Overdub recording lets you layer up phrases that would be impossible to play in a single take, and up to eight patterns can be saved in memory. The Motion Sequence function records knob movements alongside notes, so filter sweeps, LFO changes and other parameter shifts become part of the loop itself.

Active Step lets you skip steps during playback for short loop effects and unexpected rhythmic variation, while the Flux function disables step quantisation for a looser, more human feel.

As with the Volca Bass, a self-tuning function keeps the oscillators stable throughout your session, compensating for the pitch drift that can affect analogue circuits over time.

Compact, Connected and Ready to Go

Sync jacks connect the Volca Keys to other units in the Volca series or compatible Korg hardware, and MIDI In allows integration with a DAW or external keyboard. It runs on six AA batteries for approximately 10 hours and has a built-in speaker, making it just as practical away from the studio as in it.

Key Features

• Three-oscillator true analogue synthesis with sawtooth and square waveforms
• Filter circuit based on the legendary miniKORG 700S (1974)
• Six voicing modes: Poly, Unison, Octave, Fifth, Unison Ring and Poly Ring
• Analogue low-pass filter (12 dB/oct) with cutoff, peak and EG intensity
• Built-in delay effect with time, feedback and tempo sync
• 16-step loop sequencer with overdub recording, up to 8 patterns stored
• Motion Sequence function for recording knob movements into the loop
• Active Step and Flux functions for rhythmic variation and groove
• Self-tuning function for stable analogue pitch throughout performance
• Sync In/Out for connection with other Volca and Korg hardware
• MIDI In for DAW integration and external keyboard control
  

Specification

• Synthesis type: Analogue
• Maximum polyphony: 3
• Structure: 3 VCO, 1 VCF, 1 VCA, 1 LFO, 1 EG
• VCO: Octave, Ring Modulation, Detune, Portamento, EG Int / Waveforms: Sawtooth, Square
• VCF: Cutoff, Peak, EG Int / Low-pass filter, 12 dB/oct
• LFO: Rate, Pitch Int, Cutoff Int / Waveforms: Sawtooth, Triangle, Square
• EG: Attack, Decay/Release, Sustain
• Effects: Delay: Time, Feedback, Tempo Sync
• Sequencer: 1 part, 16 steps, 8 recording patterns
• Audio output: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
• Sync: Sync In (3.5mm mono, max 20V) and Sync Out (3.5mm mono, max 5V)
• MIDI: MIDI In
• Power: 6x AA alkaline or NiMH batteries (not included), or KA-350 AC adapter (optional); approx. 10 hours battery life
• Dimensions: 193 x 115 x 46mm
• Weight: 377g (excluding batteries)