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KORG volca kick MIDI CC chart, NRPN and OSC map

The KORG volca kick MIDI implementation: 10 CC, each named, for Claude (MCP), SuperCollider or any OSC app.

Device KORG volca kick
Vendor KORG
OSC prefix /volca_kick
Source πŸ“¦ Derived from MIDI Guide (community CC/NRPN data)
Firmware unknown
Revision per pencilresearch canonical CSV
Upstream pencilresearch
Data licence CC-BY-SA-4.0 β€” MIDI Guide (https://midi.guide) by Pencil Research and contributors
Driver file devices/korg/volca_kick.json
Not tested on the device yet

This driver comes from documentation or community data and has not been checked on real hardware. If you own one, a quick test and a pull request promoting it helps everyone β€” see CONTRIBUTING.

How do you control it?

Find the MIDI ports, then start the bridge with this driver:

osc-bridge detect        # prints the ready-to-run line for what is plugged in
osc-bridge run --device devices/korg/volca_kick.json --out-port <N> --in-port <M>

Then send OSC to 127.0.0.1:7777, for example:

osc-bridge osc-send /volca_kick/general/pulse_color 63

From Claude or any MCP client, the osc-bridge mcp server exposes this driver as volca_kick: ask β€œwhat can the KORG volca kick do?” and it reads this map with list_routes. See the MCP guide.

MIDI CC and NRPN parameters (10)

OSC address CC NRPN (MSB/LSB) Range Nature Section
/volca_kick/general/pulse_color 40 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/pulse_level 41 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/amp_attack 42 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/amp_decay 43 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/drive 44 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/tone 45 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/resonator_pitch 46 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/resonator_bend 47 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/resonator_time 48 0–127 continuous General
/volca_kick/general/accent 49 0–127 continuous General

Performance MIDI

Notes, pitch bend and any CC are also available: /volca_kick/note/on <note> <velocity>, /volca_kick/cc/<number> <value>, /volca_kick/pitchbend <0-16383>, /volca_kick/program_change <n>.

Limitations

CC/NRPN only. SysEx (preset management, display control, bulk dump/load, vendor-proprietary opcodes) is NOT covered by pencilresearch. To extend this device with SysEx, sniff the vendor editor, add `sysex.header/footer` + `commands` blocks, and use `update_device.md` PR template.

Frequently asked questions

How many parameters of the KORG volca kick can be controlled over MIDI?

SynthHub's map of the KORG volca kick lists 10 MIDI CC parameters, each with its number, range and a readable name; the full chart is on this page.

Can an AI agent like Claude control the KORG volca kick?

Yes: SynthHub's hosted MCP server knows the KORG volca kick's MIDI map, and its browser relay lets the agent send it parameter changes or load a sound, each sound change confirmed by you.