Korg volca fm2 Manual PDF (as provided in the images)
The Korg volca fm2 isn’t a Eurorack format module, but as a compact, affordable FM synthesizer with hands-on controls and sync/MIDI options, it plays great with modular gear via MIDI and analog clock/sync connections. Here are ways to creatively patch the volca fm2 in a modular context:
Patch Idea:
- Use the volca fm2’s audio output as a sound source for extreme analog processing.
- Recommended Module Types: Wavefolders (e.g. Intellijel Bifold, Joranalogue Fold 6), Filters (e.g. Mutable Ripples, Make Noise QPAS), and Character FX (e.g. Xaoc Devices Kamieniec).
- Result: Warm up or destroy digital FM textures, layering digital metallics with analog grit, sweeps, or stereo imaging.
Patch Idea:
- Lock the volca fm2’s sequencer into a slow loop, and use drone-friendly algorithms (stacked carriers).
- Sync its clock (SYNC IN/OUT) to your modular clock (e.g. Pamela’s New Workout, 4ms QPLFO).
- Use a voltage-controlled VCA/Envelope to shape the volca’s drone in time with your modular events.
- Bonus: FM or modulate effects parameters (reverb, delay) from LFOs for non-static ambience.
Patch Idea:
- Use the volca’s internal arpeggiator modes combined with real-time parameter changes (e.g.,:
- Randomize programs on the fly.
- Use motion sequencing to sweep FM parameters, then process its output through a quantizer (e.g. Intellijel Scales) driving further CV-able oscillators for hybrid melodic layering.
- Result: Evolving digital melodies mirrored or triggered in the analog world, great for generative music.
Patch Idea:
- Use the volca’s SYNC OUT to clock modular sequencers or LFOs (e.g., Mutable Instruments Stages, Make Noise Tempi).
- This lets outputs from your modular gear follow the FM patterns/arps precisely, enabling polyrhythmic textures between analog and digital gear.
Patch Idea:
- Send MIDI CCs from modules like Endorphin.es Shuttle Control, Expert Sleepers FH-2, or ALM Busy Circuits Pamela’s Pro Workout to animate NRPN/FM parameters on the volca fm2.
- Motion sequence MIDI messages mapped to parameters such as operator ratios, envelopes, or LFO rate/depth for morphing timbres.
- Result: Modular envelopes/LFOs directly sculpt FM timbre for percussive, glitch, or sound-design heavy patches.
Patch Idea:
- Use the sequencer to create fast, percussive FM sequences.
- Process output through a Eurorack LPG (Low Pass Gate, e.g. Make Noise Optomix) for natural decay, or into a granular/looper module for glitchy experimentation (e.g. Mutable Instruments Beads).
Patch Idea:
- Pair the volca fm2 with a modular polyphonic voice (e.g., Verbos Harmonic Oscillator, Qu-Bit Chord V2) and clock them together.
- Use the volca as an “FM choir” layer, stereoized and spread with modular panning modules.
Patch Idea:
- Route volca output into a modular sampler/looper (e.g., 4ms Stereo Triggered Sampler, Make Noise Morphagene).
- Cut up, stutter, or scan through FM textures and feed back into FX loopers for “tape” style warping.
Patch Idea:
- Sequence the volca fm2 with your modular’s trigger/gate sequencer (e.g., Tiptop Circadian Rhythms), mapped via MIDI, for tightly locked FM stabs, hats, or chords in sync with your analog rhythm tracks.
Patch Idea:
- Use a MIDI-CV interface (e.g., Expert Sleepers FH-2/ES-8/ES-3) to send LFOs, random voltages, or envelopes from modular to the volca over MIDI CCs, turning operator ratios, algorithm selection, or patch changes into part of your modular modulation universe.
Want more ideas, MIDI templates, or hybrid modular/volca tricks? Join the DIY patching community!