As I’ve previously written about going all analog, one of the
things I looked into was analog music gear. Specifically, I wanted to find some analog synths and things that I could use to make music without breaking the bank. Most notably, the Korg Volca series popped up.
If you haven’t heard of the Korg Volca format, it’s a small form-factor that Korg uses to make synths, sequencers, samplers, and a few other eletronic music devices. They’re very affordably priced and have a lot of cool features, and they sound great.
But I got to thinking: if I bought four of them at $150 a pop, I’d still need to buy some cables and make a stand for them, and also some sort of mixer. And the more modules you get, the more space they take up.
As part of my philosophy of minimalism, I started thinking “How could I get the same functionality in less space, with less money?”
And then I remembered Caustic.
If you’ve not heard about it, Caustic 3 is one of the best-kept secrets of the Electronic Music world. What is it? It’s an Android, iOS, and desktop app that emulates a rack full of synth modules. And it only costs $10!
Caustic 3 can load 12 modules at a time, and has effects for each track, plus master effects. It also has full recordable automation, MIDI control, stem export, sample editors, a built-in FTP server to transfer files, and tons of other stuff. On-board sfx generator, on- board text-to-speech generator…
Synth modules that Caustic 3 has:
- 3-layer FM synth
- Organ synth
- PCM sampler synth (can use Soundfonts as well)
- Sample-based drum machine
- String synth
- 8-bit synth
- Vocoder
- Modular synth (yes, it’s fully modular, including inputs from other synths)
- Sub synth
- Bass synth
- Pad/overtone synth
- Saw-based synth
Did I mention it’s only $10? And even if I bought an 8″ or 10″
dedicated tablet to use it on, it still comes out cheaper than two Korg Volcas, uses less space, and does more.
I originally used this on a 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, and I have to say, with a small USB midi controller, this is a powerhouse of electronic music production in your pocket.
I’m not a paid endorsement. I’ve just been using it for 6+ years, and I can’t think of a good reason to buy a Korg Volca when I can use Caustic. Most of my Chiptune covers were made with Caustic. If you spend some time putting together a decent sample library, you can use it to make just about any kind of music.
I think with a small MIDI controller (like a Korg NanoKey Studio) and my phone, I could basically put together songs anywhere, without even needing my laptop.
A whole synth setup that fits in my pocket, and costs less than a single Korg Volca: That’s pretty minimalistic.