BSP with Volcas

[BrancoR]

Connected my bsp via midi out to my volcas (keys and bass) and it just wont start them.
Did set up and tried various midi channels, changed volca's midi channels as well before clearing the sequences to start, and still nothing.
Sequence runs on bsp but no activity on volcas, it does not start them

Any help?

[megamarkd]

Is it responding to sending it C2 (Kick Drum note)?
The Volcas have two operating modes for MIDI: One for running as a sequencer where it sync's to the eternal MIDI clock signal and one for when it acts like a drum bank and doesn't start and stop with external MIDI clock and transport messages.  Press FUNC while powering on, there you can set the way the Volca behaves with regards to MIDI.  Check the McDonald's place mat manual that came with the Volca for the different settings.  Make sure it's set to receive "MIDI short messages".  Try setting it to MIDI clock source to AUTO (CL.At) first, if it's not already set to this, as it sounds as though it's set to not respond to external MIDI clock (CL.In).
Let us know how you go.

[BrancoR]

I can actually start and stop the volca using the play button on Bsp.
After clearing all steps inside the volca sequencer i write some on bsp and press play. I do see the sequence running on both devices but no sound coming out from the volca

[megamarkd]

Der "can you hear the kick drum?"  Sorry I keep assuming when I see "volca" it's the Beats as that's the one I have.  The machines are all the same with respects to how the run on MIDI, so all MIDI infos are applicable to all machines.

I can actually start and stop the volca using the play button on Bsp.
After clearing all steps inside the volca sequencer i write some on bsp and press play. I do see the sequence running on both devices but no sound coming out from the volca

Ah, okay, more information.  Sounds like you might not have the Volca on the channel you are sending it.  Check the channel you Volca is set to and change it to match the channel you are sending from the BSP.

[Why I'm not loving Korg so much these days]
I do know that my Volca Beats really really doesn't like MIDI being sent to it on any channel besides the one it's set to.  What I found is with the Volca set to ch10 and it receiving data on ch5 also, it was randomly changing it's stutter depth and start to drop notes, eventually not playing a single note.  I've only noticed this in internal MIDI mode, when the machine is set to Auto, I never noticed it foul up like that.  Then again, I wasn't really using it too much in Auto mode as due to it not have a pattern chain/song mode.
I am pretty much ready to sell the thing because of this.  The sounds are not so good as to persevere with it dropping notes when it receives data on more than just channel 10.  If I didn't have the MIDI routing options I do, it would have taken a non-stop one-way flight into the wall last week, with no travel insurance.

[BrancoR]

You were right about the midi short msgs, i wasnt receiving them, thanks a lot
I can now fully control both volcas with the BSP when in "standalone" mode, without computer.
When i do use it (via ableton), if i press play on the daw does start BSP and volcas, but inserting some steps to be played doesnt get sound out fron the volca

[megamarkd]

With the Volca's, they either are in-sync with external MIDI, which allows there sequencer to be controlled by a master, or they are independent of external MIDI which means it's sequencer tempo, start and stop are completely run from the Volca no matter what is plugged into it's MIDI in jack.  These modes are Cl.At and Cl.In respectively.  If you want to Volca's sequencers to start and stop in time with the BSP, you need to set them to Cl.At, that will make them start at the same time as your BSP.