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MaximK777



Joined: 01 Jul 2018
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Musicwithharry wrote:
I kind of agree but if the other companies, right out of the box, have their 'tool' on to make their sounds better, wouldn't it be kind of nice to know that there is a board out there that keeps it 'real' so to speak?

I think that the biggest part of the Korg that I like is the fact that it is totally customizable so that you can get your taste out of it without any preconceived hype of the EQ and such.

The reason I use the Limiter is to limit the full sound coming from the unit at higher volumes because of the realism of the sounds. The acoustic bass, on certain notes and keys (mainly the key of "G") can overwhelm the speakers on the PA700 when it is played too loud. The speaker system in the PA700 is a 25W X 2 affair and only has 1 full range speaker per side. If the speaker system were more robust, say a 2-way design per side, then the bass and treble would be more separated and defined.

I also noticed that the styles I grabbed from the PA1000 seemed to be more 'hyped' in its high end than the stock styles on the PA700.

In real life, the sound of a violin, played in a rather dead sound-wise room, is naturally thin. Only when you either doctor it up with effects and EQ, or play it in a concert hall, does it sound full (at least in my experience). To be honest, my old 1994 Ensoniq SQ-R+/32 rack units still make a better violin sound than any other keyboard I have tried to date. The PA700 violin, with its DNC tricks, helps add to the realism and allows me to use it on certain songs.

I would rather have something raw and thin and build on it rather than have to try to take away from it because it was doctored.

With regard to why I chose the PA700 over the PA1000 - here a few different reasons:

1. Price - with the discount I got, the PA700 was right around $1040.00 USD.

2. Availability - I could get one right at the time I wanted it and the PA1000 took months after the initial announcement to actually see them available for purchase. Keep in mind that I had been using the Roland E-09 for around 9 years in the same homes I was playing in. I wanted a different sound for the songs I play.

3. I did not need all of the extra features available on the PA1000.

4. The reviews on the PA1000 suggested that it had reliability issues. That has been proven true in many cases.

With regard to aftertouch - I do not really use Aftertouch all that much, to be honest. It is not important to me. I would rather control everything from the joystick than pressure on a keybed. Additionally, I believe that the Aftertouch on the PA1000 is channel aftertouch and not poly aftertouch. Only then would I want to have aftertouch. I also own an Ensoniq VFX and a VFX-SD that have poly aftertouch. I am good there if I need it.

I have been playing for over 40 years and have rarely used aftertouch. I learned kind of 'old school' by using the pitch and mod wheels and joysticks that combine both wheels into one. I was trained on piano and pianos do not have aftertouch (unless you include the pedals, but that is more damper resonance than aftertouch anyway).

On a side note - I'd love to see Korg integrate KARMA in an arranger - THAT would be awesome Smile
Hello! Please tell me - why did you choose Korg pa700, and not Roland E-A7? Thank you! I myself am now choosing between Korg pa1000 and Roland E-A7. I like the sound of Korg very much, but I'm afraid of problems with the Korg and its other breakdowns with the touch screen.
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Musicwithharry
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Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 694
Location: Anamosa, IA

PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"... with a good sound, a customer is not cheated, because the chosen settings remains in instruments one will get. On the other hand, if sounds with the predicates "raw, dry, sterile" are presented as they are not practised by the user later on, then the first sound experience with the instrument may be disappointing, although it would be unfounded."

I do not believe that the customer is being cheated at all when something is true to life. In my personal opinion, almost every keyboard I have ever bought has been lacking a good Reverb for each sound. I like more Reverb than most do, so I know this going into the experience with the keyboard. Many, if not all of the sounds on the PA700, are doctored with EQ and the like anyway, but maybe not to the degree that "I" like. I have added Reverb to every sound that I use.

The Master EQ and Limiter settings are likely more conservative on the PA700 on purpose. That is why there are forums like this so that people can share their real-world experience with other users and get tips on how to make their experience more musical. There are many people who like the board just the way it is. I feel that artificially inflating the unit up front is the disservice, not keeping it real (ultimately to show its level of customization).

I remember back in the day when the Yamaha NS10 studio monitors were all the rage. There was one problem with them; their high end was very harsh and it really did affect how the mixing experience happened. The fix? A piece of fabric or paper loosely taped over the tweeter took care of the problem. People started doing this and the word spread. It was common knowledge to apply this 'fix' to make the mixes sound good again and to reign in the harshness of the tweeter.

With regard to Aftertouch - Like I said, I grew up 'old school' and have 'compensated' by using the joystick/pitch and mod wheel more liberally in how I play. It is not a problem for me to achieve the same (if not more) results in how I do things instead of activating aftertouch. To each their own.

Cheers Smile
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Alesis Vortex Keytar, Alesis QS6.2, Alesis QSR, Alesis SR-16, Behringer Deepmind-12, Ensoniq Avista 7600, Ensoniq VFX, Ensoniq VFX-SD, Ensoniq SQ1+, (2) Ensoniq SQ-R+/32, Korg i3 (2020 Version), (2) Korg Kross 1-61, (2) Korg Kross 1-88, Korg Minilogue XD, Korg Minilogue XD Module, Korg M50-61, Korg PA700, Korg X5DR, Korg Z3, Kurzweil SP1, Lowrey EZP3 (bascially a Kawai), Roland D-05, Roland E-09, Waldorf Streichfett, Yamaha Reface CP, Yamaha Reface CS, Yamaha Reface DX, Yamaha Reface YC
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Musicwithharry
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Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 694
Location: Anamosa, IA

PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Hello! Please tell me - why did you choose Korg pa700, and not Roland E-A7? Thank you! I myself am now choosing between Korg pa1000 and Roland E-A7. I like the sound of Korg very much, but I'm afraid of problems with the Korg and its other breakdowns with the touch screen."

I chose the PA700 over the PA1000 for a number of reasons I listed earlier. Price, Availability, not needing the extra features, and the issues researched on reliability (after they were released).

Why did I go with Korg over Roland? I already have lots of Roland stuff, including two E-09 arrangers. I already had their sound and wanted something a bit different. I also liked the touchscreen of the PA700. Price was a pretty big factor too. I also have a BK-5 and find that I do not really like it all that much. The screen is way too small and it is hard to navigate to get the same results I get with the Korg. The Korg is a way better option in my opinion.

The sound on the Korg PA700 (and PA1000) is very robust (once you make a few adjustments on the PA700, as that is the one I have) and has what I need over the BK-5 and just about everything else in the price bracket. I looked at the Yamaha PSR S770, 970 and such before choosing the Korg. The Yamaha company has an attitude of 'snootiness' in my opinion and based on their price points for the equipment they offer. Granted their pianos are top notch (they've earned the reputation of having great pianos). I use a Yamaha piano sample in my PA700 as the main piano. I just feel that Korg tried a bit harder with their arrangers (and maybe with their other synths too like the M50, M3, Kronos, etc...), Korg are not resting on their previous products, per se.

When getting any synth with lots of technology, there can be more things to go wrong with it. Maybe they've ironed everything out on the PA1000; I do not know. I may get one of those too because I am considering getting rid of the BK-5 because it does not meet my needs. Korg had more of what I wanted; I guess it is that simple.

Cheers Smile
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Alesis Vortex Keytar, Alesis QS6.2, Alesis QSR, Alesis SR-16, Behringer Deepmind-12, Ensoniq Avista 7600, Ensoniq VFX, Ensoniq VFX-SD, Ensoniq SQ1+, (2) Ensoniq SQ-R+/32, Korg i3 (2020 Version), (2) Korg Kross 1-61, (2) Korg Kross 1-88, Korg Minilogue XD, Korg Minilogue XD Module, Korg M50-61, Korg PA700, Korg X5DR, Korg Z3, Kurzweil SP1, Lowrey EZP3 (bascially a Kawai), Roland D-05, Roland E-09, Waldorf Streichfett, Yamaha Reface CP, Yamaha Reface CS, Yamaha Reface DX, Yamaha Reface YC
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boxx.dk



Joined: 23 Oct 2018
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Musicwithharry wrote:
I think that I can give an honest review of the PA700...


Thank you for the fine review.

With all that playing, do you not miss a 76/88 keys (weighted) keyboard ?


- Thanks
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Musicwithharry
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Joined: 23 Mar 2012
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Location: Anamosa, IA

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2018 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"With all that playing, do you not miss a 76/88 keys (weighted) keyboard ? "

When playing live? Not really. There are octave buttons if I need to go higher than what the 61 key board has to offer for the piano sound. I have it set down an octave anyway because I use that more than the higher piano notes when performing at the homes anyway.

In the studio? Sometimes. I have a very nice weighted 88-key keyboard in my studio that I will use when I am doing piano-only stuff and use its on-board piano sounds. The 88-key unit I have is basically a Kawai (my keyboard is actually a Lowrey EZP3 but they are owned by Kawai and have been using Kawai piano sounds for a long time), and I love the sound of the Kawai pianos, especially when they have a good external Reverb on them.

Since I play live so much, the 61-key PA700 has everything I need for a "get set up up quick and perform" type gig. For the bigger gigs (opening for big-name bands, piano only gigs, etc..) I will bring my 88-key. I would rather have the portability instead of the full keyboard range in most cases with regard to the nursing homes. I am not getting any younger Smile

What I may like to see is a PA series that is 88-keys again, something like the PA588 (88-key version of the PA500), but with the new sounds and features. Maybe they could add the KARMA engine to it too. I would probably sell an extra car to pay for that...
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Alesis Vortex Keytar, Alesis QS6.2, Alesis QSR, Alesis SR-16, Behringer Deepmind-12, Ensoniq Avista 7600, Ensoniq VFX, Ensoniq VFX-SD, Ensoniq SQ1+, (2) Ensoniq SQ-R+/32, Korg i3 (2020 Version), (2) Korg Kross 1-61, (2) Korg Kross 1-88, Korg Minilogue XD, Korg Minilogue XD Module, Korg M50-61, Korg PA700, Korg X5DR, Korg Z3, Kurzweil SP1, Lowrey EZP3 (bascially a Kawai), Roland D-05, Roland E-09, Waldorf Streichfett, Yamaha Reface CP, Yamaha Reface CS, Yamaha Reface DX, Yamaha Reface YC
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musicmurugesh



Joined: 29 Sep 2018
Posts: 6
Location: Tamilnadu, India

PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Musicwithharry wrote:
I think that I can give an honest review of the PA700...

I am a professional user who uses his arranger everyday in my business and I have been absolutely in love with the PA700 since I got it and since I figured out how to use it.

My experience with arrangers is vast and I have been using them for over 20 years, both in the studio and live. My current situation (and has been for over 10 years) is using my arranger to play at nursing homes. I perform up to 4 times a day, each about an hour-long session, and perform about 50 times a month.

My first arranger type board was a huge Technics SX-PR270 that I got in the mid-90's and I used it on many albums in my studio and even lugged that thing around (with the help of friends, since it weight about 150 pounds) to gigs. I played both the internal sounds and triggered via MIDI and it was a dream.

I bought a Roland E-09 in the mid-2000's and used it as the centerpiece for my band and also triggered external MIDI devices with it and it too worked flawlessly. I also bought a Korg PA500 but never really got into it and worked more with the Roland E-09 unit.

I then got into the nursing home music ministry and ended up buying another E-09, for a total of two of the same unit. One was a backup in case the other one died during a performance. Never once did either unit fail to perform (except for the backlit LCD screen failing (which was a common problem for Roland in that series, as well as the Juno-G series)). I still used the units live because I knew them inside and out.

In September of last year (2017), I purchased the PA700 (my serial number is under 140) and was likely the first person in the state of Iowa (USA) to get this unit. Once I learned how the OS worked, it has never failed me.

I rarely use it with an external speaker system in most of my facilities, but when I do hook it up, it sounds full and big. Yes, I have adjusted the Master EQ and Limiter setting. The EQ has a slight bump up on the high end because it does sound a bit muffled otherwise. I also adjusted the limiter so I do not blow out the speakers when playing louder because the acoustic bass sounds are that real sounding in the styles.

There are a couple of styles that I still like on the Roland E-09 better than what the stock styles offer on the PA700 and I have recreated them fairly well on the PA700. Most of the other styles either met or surpassed what I was using on the E-09.

Another thing to think about is that the PA700 sounds a bit dry on the lead sounds, so I added more Reverb to them to add more space.

Most of the music I play at the homes are Big Band oriented (1920's to the 1960's), but I also play some newer styles and have customized lots of them to play 80's music in different genres. I mostly use styles. but have also loaded an external Micro SD card with MP3 files so I can have backing music while I am setting up. This feature works very well. I also use the sequencer and have over 120 songs that I have programmed into the unit and they sound great. I have all of the MP3 files and sequences on the Micro SD card that I installed into the unit.

The main piano sound I use is one that you can find in this group somewhere and it is a Yamaha C5 variant. The stock piano sounds do not sound very good to me at all and so I went with the Yamaha piano instead.

The electric (lead) guitar sounds are very realistic, especially when utilizing the DNC noises on the buttons above the joystick. The distortion circuits mixed with Reverb and Chorus/Delay help with the realism. I have a number of custom lead guitar patches that are very realistic.

The Classical Guitar patch is fabulous, especially when you add more Hall Reverb to it with about a 3 second time to it. It really sings well.

I primarily use the Folk Sax sound as a lead, but layer it with a Flute and a Vibe/String sound, depending on the song and use a traditional harmony (ensemble) at times on the sounds.

The Pad buttons work great and I usually use a custom Tambourine/Finger Snap for two of them and then a String pattern and a rhythm guitar strum, depending on the song. These help the songs sound more full as the song builds. The only this I wish is that the Pad buttons could be lit up so you know which ones are actually activated.

The Steel Guitar was a mess to me and so I modified it to have a much faster attack and less of a swell and added Reverb to it sounds more real.

The Violin works well too, but I have had to add more Reverb to it to make it sound better in a solo situation.

The weight of the unit is just right and it is easy to transport. I have loaded up styles from previous PA models and the PA1000/PA4X to it to have more options for songs.

The joystick works well but it squeaks now for me, and has since it was about 2 months old. I do not control the joystick with my fingers, but rather with the upper left palm of my hand. I do not press down on it, but rather ride it with my upper left palm so I can make a more realistic vibrato sound for the guitars.

Songwriting using the sequencer is fairly straightforward. I have been using Korg touchscreen-enabled synths for years and the touchscreen makes things very easy. The OS is quick to respond and works very well. My only issue (unless I have missed how to do it) is that you can only have 1 song in the sequencer at any given time.

I do not use the Songbook feature that much but when I have, it is a bit cumbersome to set up right.

I have not used the sampler portion other than for loading in the piano sample mentioned above.

I also use the input as a line-level source but find that the Line level volume. even at the maximum, is way too soft compared to the overall volume to mix with everything else. I ended up using a guitar level input and add Chorus and Reverb to it, even though it is mono. I have found a slight problem with the input volume knob and it causes the input to not be right and when it is adjusted, it pops until it finds its way. I think that it is broken but since I do not use it much, it is not that big of an issue.

Like I said, I use this unit every day and the more I use it, the more I discover about it and the more I like it.

The sound of the PA700 sounds a bit thin compared to the doctored sounds of the Roland and even the Yamaha. When you add a bit of Reverb and EQ, the Korg opens right up and surpasses its competition.

With regard to key action, it seems fine, but it is light and the B and C keys, if played right after each other (like in a run and the like), they do seem to 'clack' a little. Maybe that is where the joints are for each section.

I have controlled external synths with both the 5-pin MIDI and the USB MIDI and it works just fine. When you insert a USB stick, it almost immediately detects it and you can access the approved content on the drive through the Media section.

Overall, I would say that I really like the PA700, as it works for me in my real world applications both live and in the studio.
I fully agree with Mr.Musicwithharry. I Like this PA 700 Instrument is worthy than Yamaha. (OS is Cute) Fully editable and full functional Arranger. Thanks KORG.
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boxx.dk



Joined: 23 Oct 2018
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:14 pm    Post subject: New owner Reply with quote

Got it yesterday from DanGuitar, ~ $1.230

Wonderful keyboard, I already love it Very Happy

Cheers
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spaceair



Joined: 30 Apr 2020
Posts: 15
Location: Slovenia EU

PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2020 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Musicwithharry wrote:
I kind of agree but if the other companies, right out of the box, have their 'tool' on to make their sounds better, wouldn't it be kind of nice to know that there is a board out there that keeps it 'real' so to speak?

I think that the biggest part of the Korg that I like is the fact that it is totally customizable so that you can get your taste out of it without any preconceived hype of the EQ and such.

The reason I use the Limiter is to limit the full sound coming from the unit at higher volumes because of the realism of the sounds. The acoustic bass, on certain notes and keys (mainly the key of "G") can overwhelm the speakers on the PA700 when it is played too loud. The speaker system in the PA700 is a 25W X 2 affair and only has 1 full range speaker per side. If the speaker system were more robust, say a 2-way design per side, then the bass and treble would be more separated and defined.

I also noticed that the styles I grabbed from the PA1000 seemed to be more 'hyped' in its high end than the stock styles on the PA700.

In real life, the sound of a violin, played in a rather dead sound-wise room, is naturally thin. Only when you either doctor it up with effects and EQ, or play it in a concert hall, does it sound full (at least in my experience). To be honest, my old 1994 Ensoniq SQ-R+/32 rack units still make a better violin sound than any other keyboard I have tried to date. The PA700 violin, with its DNC tricks, helps add to the realism and allows me to use it on certain songs.

I would rather have something raw and thin and build on it rather than have to try to take away from it because it was doctored.

With regard to why I chose the PA700 over the PA1000 - here a few different reasons:

1. Price - with the discount I got, the PA700 was right around $1040.00 USD.

2. Availability - I could get one right at the time I wanted it and the PA1000 took months after the initial announcement to actually see them available for purchase. Keep in mind that I had been using the Roland E-09 for around 9 years in the same homes I was playing in. I wanted a different sound for the songs I play.

3. I did not need all of the extra features available on the PA1000.

4. The reviews on the PA1000 suggested that it had reliability issues. That has been proven true in many cases.

With regard to aftertouch - I do not really use Aftertouch all that much, to be honest. It is not important to me. I would rather control everything from the joystick than pressure on a keybed. Additionally, I believe that the Aftertouch on the PA1000 is channel aftertouch and not poly aftertouch. Only then would I want to have aftertouch. I also own an Ensoniq VFX and a VFX-SD that have poly aftertouch. I am good there if I need it.

I have been playing for over 40 years and have rarely used aftertouch. I learned kind of 'old school' by using the pitch and mod wheels and joysticks that combine both wheels into one. I was trained on piano and pianos do not have aftertouch (unless you include the pedals, but that is more damper resonance than aftertouch anyway).

On a side note - I'd love to see Korg integrate KARMA in an arranger - THAT would be awesome Smile



Is there a video on you tube to manage sounds on korg whit EQ and other effects?
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Randelph
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Joined: 18 Oct 2008
Posts: 604
Location: San Francisco, CA

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2020 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As referred to by other posters in this thread, the improvements to overall sound quality was done by both --GLOBAL-- EQ as well as Compression / Limiting.

By contrast, you can
1. Tweak individual sounds with EQ and then save them as part of Sound Editing (this is where you get into the nitty gritty of sound design, lots of options here). Then you save the Sound to a User slot.

2. Tweak the EQ within a Keyboard Set. Hit Menu and you have many tabs available to tweak the sounds, including EQ. Save your edits by the top pull down menu, WRITE KBD SET TO LIBRARY. This is offset-editing. You haven't changed the original sound, the values are merely off-set from the original for that particular Keyboard Set.

Note, to have an individual song know which Keyboard Set to access, you must go thru another step where you save that edited Keyboard Set to 1 of the 4 sounds in that Songs Keyboard Set.

This took me way too long to figure out and is one of my chief complaints about the user-friendliness on this board.

-------------

So now to your question: to adjust this EQ on the GLOBAL level. As well as compression / limiting.

You need to understand about compression / limiting. Basically limiting is the extreme version of compression, but operates on the same idea of taking a sound and squashing the dynamics so that you can get more volume out of the keyboard and you're more protected from blowing out your speakers.

Setting Global EQ is brilliant on this board- Hit Global - Menu - Limiter/Master EQ, and Bob's your uncle. 4 bands of fully parametric EQ is sweet! Start here and THEN tweak individual Sounds or Keyboard Sets.

If you don't know the basics for EQ and Limiting your best option is to copy the settings others have shared on this forum. The boost in overall volume and sound quality can be dramatic! But this does give you the option of blowing out your speakers if not careful!
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