KVR Audio

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 11:39 am

hi, is it possible to to connect the volca to a PC and record it in a DAW?

i am a novice concerning this, but i'd like to save any decent basslines/loops i make with it in a DAW so i do not lose them - and can eventually construct a track.

i assume i cannot load (recall) anything i save into the DAW back into the volca given its analogue nature? is this true?

I think you can save a 1 bar loop into the volca itself, but i don't want to overwrite the defaults yet.

can anyone shed some light on this?

and how can i achieve recording into a DAW?

thanks.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:13 pm

It'd be the same as recording any other external audio, from microphones to guitars. Hook up the instrument to the inputs of a soundcard, arm a track in the DAW, hit record.

To be any mroe specific, you'd have to include more information, from the DAW you're using, to the soundcard you expect to use.

Scotty · Post by **Scotty** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:15 pm

Most DAWs allow you to define unused audio inputs as external synths. This is what I have done. I have a lot of inputs and outputs in my studio so I used a mono input for each of my Volcas. I have a lot of midi connections available so each Volca gets a midi out as well which my DAW sees. The Volcas can receive midi clock from the DAW via the midi connection. You can sequence on the Volca and have it tempo locked to your DAW and record the audio via the audio input on your DAW.

The Volcas also receive midi note information vias MIDI along and some limited controller information therefore you can also sequence within your DAW and record some automation.

My preferred method is to sequence the Volcas from my DAW, I like to setup a long repeating sequence or melodic line, and mess with the controls on the Volcas as the audio is being recorded into the DAW. You can them chop your recording into loops and do all kinds of stuff with them once the audio is captured. (layering etc)

I find it a very creative and enjoyable process. - Scotty

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:40 pm

I don't have a soundcard. i am using the onboard sound on the motherboard, i don't know if this will work?

could i simply use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable and jack the volca into my line-in on PC?

my sound system is just a speaker/subwoofer combo that uses a 3.5mm jack. normally i just jack that into my volca and that's the only thing i have connected to it.

do i need a midi device? i don't want to control the volca with an external keyboard, or use the DAW to control the volca. i just want to save the stuff i do on the volca itself into a DAW.

i use FL.

thanks.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:00 pm

rubez wrote: could i simply use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable and jack the volca into my line-in on PC?

Yes, as long as when you say you want to "save stuff I do on the Volca", you mean you want to record the audio

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:14 pm

yes, record the patterns so I could use different clips in the DAW to construct a track.

you can only record 1 bar patterns on the volca, it is pretty limited.

i *think* you can save up to 8 or 10 patterns on the volca, but at the expense of overwriting the presets.

you can't load a previous pattern you saved on FL back onto your volca, can you? am i just being stupid?

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 3:55 pm

It would probably help if you use terminology that others will understand. You haven't even specified which Volca you are using, or if you want to save audio or midi ... talking about "stuff", "patterns" and "clips" is not helping.

rubez wrote:you can't load a previous pattern you saved on FL back onto your volca, can you? am i just being stupid?

Again ... do you mean audio, midi or both (or neither)?

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:19 pm

volca bass.

by "pattern" i mean the 1 bar 'grooves' that you 'jam' into the volca.

i want to save that pattern in a DAW. that would be a clip in a DAW, which can be used as building blocks.

basically i want to make a track on the volca bass and arrange it in a DAW to make a full track. i hope that makes sense

VariKusBrainZ · Post by **VariKusBrainZ** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:31 pm

You can only record the audio from the Volca output into your Daw, it doesnt output any note or pattern data that canbe recorded or saved external to the Volca itself

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:44 pm

rubez wrote:volca bass.

by "pattern" i mean the 1 bar 'grooves' that you 'jam' into the volca.

i want to save that pattern in a DAW. that would be a clip in a DAW, which can be used as building blocks.

basically i want to make a track on the volca bass and arrange it in a DAW to make a full track. i hope that makes sense

So you want to save the pattern as midi data in your DAW then re-import it into the Volca later? I think VariKusBrainZ just answered your question.

I'm still wondering which Volca ...

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:48 pm

thecontrolcentre wrote:
rubez wrote:volca bass.

by "pattern" i mean the 1 bar 'grooves' that you 'jam' into the volca.

i want to save that pattern in a DAW. that would be a clip in a DAW, which can be used as building blocks.

basically i want to make a track on the volca bass and arrange it in a DAW to make a full track. i hope that makes sense
So you want to save the pattern as midi data in your DAW then re-import it into the Volca later? I think VariKusBrainZ just answered your question.

I'm still wondering which Volca ...

volca BASS. it's right there, no need to wonder. LIKE MUTHAFUCKIN BASS IN YOUR MUTHAFUCKIN FACE!!

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:50 pm

VariKusBrainZ wrote:You can only record the audio from the Volca output into your Daw, it doesnt output any note or pattern data that canbe recorded or saved external to the Volca itself

i see. i can save the 1 bar jams, but they are uneditable - i would need to edit them on the volca itself. it's like a snapshot or something.

it doesn't 'paint' separate instruments into the DAW (would be more applicable to the volca beats i guess)

sorry i know my terminology isn't very good

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:57 pm

rubez wrote:LIKE MUTHAFUCKIN BASS IN YOUR MUTHAFUCKIN FACE!!

Another way to go is to record a performance as an audio track. Then you can chop up the audio into loops, or even individual notes, to re-arrange (or not) later.

It is possible (afaik) to send midi from your DAW into the volca bass, so you can use the piano roll to edit what goes out to the volca. Hope that makes sense to you.

rubez · Post by **rubez** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 5:03 pm

yes, i am clear on what is possible now thanks, makes sense.

so. i just need a 3.5mm - 3.5mm cable?

since the volca's are mono, do i need a mono cable? (i probably have a stereo cable lying around somewhere)

i read that if you connect up two volca's with the wrong cable they can jump out of sync. don't know if that applies when connecting to PC.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 5:13 pm

Is the only audio output on the volca the headphone out? If so ... that's probably a stereo output (it is on the Monotron). A stereo 3.5mm mini jack to whatever input your computer line in has will do it.

rubez wrote:i read that if you connect up two volca's with the wrong cable they can jump out of sync. don't know if that applies when connecting to PC.

That's the SYNC connection, not the audio out.

using korg volca with a DAW