What You Need
- A Korg volca sample 2. The original volca sample is a different instrument and is not supported.
- Firmware 1.10 or newer on the volca. Korg's updater reports your version and will update it if needed.
- A USB data cable — the volca has a micro-USB port. On phones and tablets you may also need a USB-OTG adapter.
- The instrument powered on, from batteries or a 9 V adapter.
Getting Connected
- Power on the volca sample 2 and connect it to your device with USB.
- Open Sampultu. It looks for a MIDI port that identifies itself as a “volca sample” and adopts the first one it finds — there is no device picker to work through.
- Once connected, the top bar shows the device and its firmware, and the Samples screen fills in as it reads all 200 slots. That takes about twenty seconds.
- If nothing is found, check the cable and the power, then use Look Again — or, on macOS, Device ▸ Redetect MIDI.
Troubleshooting
“Connect it with a USB cable and make sure it is powered on” won't go away.
Confirm the volca is on, that the cable is a data cable rather than charge-only, and that the firmware is 1.10 or newer. Then try Look Again; on macOS, Device ▸ Redetect MIDI rebuilds the connection from scratch. Some USB hubs are unreliable — a direct port is worth trying before anything else.
A long upload seems to hang the volca.
Very large samples are sent as a single large MIDI message, and some setups need it delivered more slowly than others. Power-cycle the volca and try again. This is most likely on certain Android devices.
Stem separation asks to download about 79 MB.
That is the AI stem-separation model, and it is fetched once. The feature is optional, and after the download it works entirely offline. You can remove the models later from the Chop screen to reclaim the space.
Recording does nothing.
Recording needs microphone permission. Grant it when the app asks, or in your system settings, then try again.
Android says my phone or tablet isn't eligible to install.
Sampultu needs MIDI support, so Google Play hides it from devices that cannot host USB or BLE MIDI. Most modern phones and tablets qualify; some do not.
What can I do without the hardware connected?
The Chop screen — load a sound, slice it, audition the slices, and, after the one-time download, separate stems — works with no volca attached, as does Settings. Managing the instrument's slots, patterns, banks, and snapshots requires the volca to be connected.
Frequently Asked
Does Sampultu send my samples anywhere?
No. Everything stays on your device, or goes only to your volca over USB, unless you explicitly export or share it yourself.
Does it include the factory sample library?
No. Korg distributes the volca sample 2 library with the hardware; Sampultu neither bundles nor redistributes it.
Where are the sample packs?
The Packs screen links out to third-party publishers such as drumkito.com and musicradar.com. You download a pack from their site, then import the files into Sampultu.
What formats can I import?
WAV and AIFF are decoded directly. MP3, M4A, FLAC, OGG, and even MP4 or MOV video — the audio track is used — go through your operating system's decoder. Everything is converted to the volca's native 31.25 kHz, 16-bit, mono format on import.
Still Stuck
Write in. Sampultu is made by one person, and email is the only channel — there is no ticket system and no account you need in order to ask. Contact explains what to include so it can be answered in one reply rather than five.
Not Affiliated with Korg
Sampultu is an independent app. It is not made, endorsed, or supported by Korg Inc. For problems with the instrument itself — firmware, hardware faults, warranty — please contact Korg or your retailer.