Control (some) of your Volca Drum with the four CV inputs on your Zoia Euroburo. Connect the three triggers from Mutable Instruments’ Grids to the first three CV inputs and the random Y CV output of Marbles to the fourth to control parts and parameters. Or run your own sequence on the Volca and control parameters using four external CV sources. It’s Zoia. It’s flexible!
## Setup
This patch relies on a Volca Drum in single-channel MIDI mode. By default, the patch assumes channel 10. To make your Volca Drum listen to MIDI channel 10, power it on while holding down REC and then tap the 10 touch-pad. Press REC to exit setup. If the 10 touch-pad is already lit, you are already set to MIDI channel 10, so just press REC to exit setup. Connect the MIDI out of the Zoia with the MIDI in on the Volca Drum.
Using single-channel mode reduces the flexibility of the patch but also makes the patch less cumbersome.
## Control Page (Page 0)
The control page gives easy access to the trigger for all six parts for the Volca Drum as well as access to the PITCH and LEVEL parameters for each part. Additionally, in pink, it provides connection points for the four parameters for the Waveguide. The parts are color-coded throughout the patch:
– Part 1: Orange
– Part 2: Mango
– Part 3: Yellow
– Part 4: Surf
– Part 5: Sky
– Part 6: Purple
– Waveguide: Pink
Each part has four buttons on the control page. The top-left button is the MIDI note. This should not be changed, as it is what identifies the part. For reference:
– Part 1: 60 (C3)
– Part 2: 62 (D3)
– Part 3: 64 (E3)
– Part 4: 65 (F3)
– Part 5: 67 (G3)
– Part 6: 69 (A3)
The top-right button is the trigger connection point. Make a connection between CV in and this button to trigger the part with a CV trigger. By default, CV Ins 1–3 trigger parts 1–3.
The bottom-left button sends the MIDI CC message to adjust the part’s PITCH. Like all CC values (unless otherwise noted), it is set to send a value of 60 by default. Connect a CV in to this button to control the part’s pitch with an incoming CV signal such as an LFO or envelope.
The bottom-right button sends the MIDI CC message to adjust the part’s LEVEL.
The four pink buttons, from top to bottom, control:
– Waveguide Model (tube or string)
– Waveguide Decay
– Waveguide Body
– Waveguide Tune
The MODEL button has a default value of 63. The model switches from tube to string at around 64, so this makes it easier to change the model with just a small bit of input.
## Part n (Page n)
The next six pages all treat one part each. Each page has nine MIDI CC connection points, which correspond to the nine parameters for each part that can be changed via MIDI in single-channel mode. They adjust both layers of the part at once, so changing them is equivalent to turning a knob with the LAYER 1/2 button pressed. The top two rows’ buttons correspond to the eight knobs on the Volca Drum. That is, the first row controls, from left to right:
– Level
– Modulation Amount
– Modulation Rate
– Oscillator Select
The second row:
– Pitch
– Envelope Attack
– Envelope Release
– Waveguide Send
The solitary button at the bottom adjusts the hidden PAN parameter.
## Usage Ideas
There is plenty of CPU left over, so it would be possible to set up a page with routing that manages to make use of randomization or flip-flops to address all six Volca parts despite only having four CV ins.
Similarly, a single CV in can be spread across multiple connection points. In the accompanying video, I use CV In 4 to control both the Waveguide TUNE and the PITCH for Part 1, at different amounts.
Use slow incoming LFOs (such as the four outputs of MI’s Tides or an Ornament and Crime) to modulate parameters over timespans longer than the 16 steps that the Volca Drum’s MOTION parameter allows. This can be particularly effective modulating the Waveguide parameters.
Create internal LFOs or envelopes that respond to incoming modulation (triggers or waves) while also modulating any of the Volca Drum parameters.
Connect an external MIDI controller to the Zoia to further manipulate the Volca Drum.
Connect three triggers and then a CV across all three parts’ PITCH parameters to play the Volca Drum like a pitched instrument. Use the Volca Drum’s pitch quantization to offset the PITCH of different parts and make chords that you trigger from your modular. Even better, create routes that let you trigger four different six-voiced chords, one with each CV in.
Again, it’s Zoia. The possibilities are limited only by the four CV ins and the 58 different CC parameters (nine for each part and four for the Waveguide) accounted for in the MIDI implementation.
## Notes and Warnings
* Do not adjust the top-left button for any part on the Control page, or else the triggers will stop working correctly.
* The MIDI CC parameters _only_ adjust both layers at once for each part.
* MIDI CC is sent in values 0–127, while the Volca Drum understands values of up to -255–255. CC scales for this, but do not be surprised if the Zoia is showing a CC value that is different from what you see on the Volca Drum.
* Keep in mind the voltage levels when making a CV connection. By default, CV In 4 is set to -5–5V, but your application may need different ranges.
