Some Pa4X questions! - Very tempted to get one

[ponkine]

Hi

After searching and searching for some months, I think I'm about to get one Pa4X!. But I've some crucial questions to me first:

1- Can you import your own sound samples (or downloaded) in audio files like WAV?.
2- Does it have smooth sound transition?. While playing songs, styles, sounds, user presets, etc.
3- Is this a "plug and play" gear, or you have to install softwares on your laptop first?. Does the laptop recognize it automatically?
4- Can the laptop be used simply as a monitor screen with the Pa4X?
5- When you turn it off. All the user presets and everything is saved?
6- At this moment, the version 2 is better than V3?
7- Sound quality-wise, is it better than Kronos 2?
8- all the sounds have the same volume ouput?. A MAJOR issue with the SV1, for example
9- Does it support any damper and volume/ expression pedal?
10- Can it be used with headphones only (not ouput connections) for night and private playing?. How's the quality of the headphones input?
11- How's the quality of the Microphone line?. Is is better than having the mic on a separate mixer/amp?
12- Can you create a sequence song with, let's say, drums starting NOT at the beggining of it? Think about 'Hey Jude' and so many great songs!


Thank you!

[Biggles]

Watching the Korg Video Manual series will give you an understanding of the functions of the 4X.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9z8_-mxWf9o

[QuiRobinez]

1- Can you import your own sound samples (or downloaded) in audio files like WAV?.

yes

2- Does it have smooth sound transition?. While playing songs, styles, sounds, user presets, etc.

no

3- Is this a "plug and play" gear, or you have to install softwares on your laptop first?. Does the laptop recognize it automatically?

yes

4- Can the laptop be used simply as a monitor screen with the Pa4X?

no

5- When you turn it off. All the user presets and everything is saved?

yes

6- At this moment, the version 2 is better than V3?

I think not,

although this is debatable. In my opinion most issues are caused because people are loading backup files after the update instead of the .set (all) backup or they are using custom styles from other / older models.

I didn't experience any problem in the latest v3.01 update yet. V3.00 had some issues but as far as i experienced it they are resolved. But there are still people that mention problems on this forum, so probably there are user cases that makes v2 better for those cases.

7- Sound quality-wise, is it better than Kronos 2?

no

8- all the sounds have the same volume ouput?. A MAJOR issue with the SV1, for example

no, not all, but most of them are on the same volume.

9- Does it support any damper and volume/ expression pedal?

any pedal, i can't confirm, but all pedals in my studio do work on the pa4x.

10- Can it be used with headphones only (not ouput connections) for night and private playing?. How's the quality of the headphones input?

yes, i'm using a Sennheiser HD650 which has a rather high impedance and the quality is perfect.

11- How's the quality of the Microphone line?. Is is better than having the mic on a separate mixer/amp?

no idea

12- Can you create a sequence song with, let's say, drums starting NOT at the beggining of it? Think about 'Hey Jude' and so many great songs!

yes

[ponkine]

Thanks for your reply

Really hope they'll implement smooth sound transition on a future update.
This is crucial to me, since need several sounds for a song.

[QuiRobinez]

Thanks for your reply

Really hope they'll implement smooth sound transition on a future update.
This is crucial to me, since need several sounds for a song.

the Korg Kronos can do it.

In the pa4x you can use the three upper sounds to seamlessly switch between sounds, but keep in mind that the effects are set by the upper 1 sound. So it can sound different unless you modify each sound setup yourself.

If you need more than three sounds then you can switch between keyboard sets, but this also requires some effect programming, because the effects are changed between the keyboard sounds based on the upper 1 sound. If you reprogram' those effects then it is possibe to simulate the smooth sound transition feature which the kronos standard have.

In my demos on youtube i use it this way, here's are two examples where i seamlessly switch between pianos and synth sounds during play by activating first the upper 1 and then the upper 2. Because i reprogrammed the effects for this enty the piano reverb runs fluently in the upper 2 sound which sounds like a Smooth sound transition.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiAg8UJyUx8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mo4Lqz0TIV8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>

[ponkine]

Thanks for your suggestions!

The thing that keeps me off from Kronos is that, according to most reviews, it's very complicated to use it well. Unlike Pa, which is user friendly

[QuiRobinez]

Thanks for your suggestions!

The thing that keeps me off from Kronos is that, according to most reviews, it's very complicated to use it well. Unlike Pa, which is user friendly

i have them both and indeed the kronos can be quite difficult to learn, which is not a real surprise since it's basically 9 synthesizers in one machine.

[ponkine]

In the pa4x you can use the three upper sounds to seamlessly switch between sounds, but keep in mind that the effects are set by the upper 1 sound. So it can sound different unless you modify each sound setup yourself.

If you need more than three sounds then you can switch between keyboard sets, but this also requires some effect programming, because the effects are changed between the keyboard sounds based on the upper 1 sound. If you reprogram' those effects then it is possibe to simulate the smooth sound transition feature which the kronos standard have.

In my demos on youtube i use it this way, here's are two examples where i seamlessly switch between pianos and synth sounds during play by activating first the upper 1 and then the upper 2. Because i reprogrammed the effects for this enty the piano reverb runs fluently in the upper 2 sound which sounds like a Smooth sound transition.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiAg8UJyUx8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>

Wonderful piece and great playing!

Can you programme the sounds NOT to be splitted for, let's say, upper 3 sound, and still having that smooth transition?

I'm thinking, for example, on a classic Pink Floyd song like Echoes, where I need a piano first on the entire keyboard (let's say user 1), then piano and organ split (user 2) and then organ on the entire keyboard (user 3)

Thanks!

[QuiRobinez]

Wonderful piece and great playing!

Can you programme the sounds NOT to be splitted for, let's say, upper 3 sound, and still having that smooth transition?

I'm thinking, for example, on a classic Pink Floyd song like Echoes, where I need a piano first on the entire keyboard (let's say user 1), then piano and organ split (user 2) and then organ on the entire keyboard (user 3)

Yes, you can do this by setting key zones to a sound. But you always have to play in full keyboard scan for this to achieve this. I've demo'd something similar in the keyboard sets video below.

skip to 5:15 to see a split in action. There i used two sounds in one keyboard where the bottom is the arp like sound and the upper keyzones are a string sound.

If you want to use this in three upper sounds it's also possible but in that case you need to create three sounds yourself, one is the full piano, one is the full organ and one sound with the piano oscillators assigned to the lower keyzone and the organ sounds to the upper keyzone.

But this can be difficult to learn if you don't have any sound programming experience. The Pa4x keyboard can do it, but you need to do that work yourself to make those things possible.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fh7PVSx5WrM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>

[ponkine]

Thanks so much!

[ponkine]

I have another question my friends

When you have the keyboard splitted

Can you adjust separately the octaves for the lower and upper sounds?

For example: Lower sound : + 2 octaves
Upper sound 1: 1 Octave
Upper sound 2: 0 Octave
Upper sound 3: -1 Octave

Can these settings be stored?

Thank you!

[pawlikp100]

I have another question my friends

When you have the keyboard splitted

Can you adjust separately the octaves for the lower and upper sounds?

For example: Lower sound : + 2 octaves
Upper sound 1: 1 Octave
Upper sound 2: 0 Octave
Upper sound 3: -1 Octave

Can these settings be stored?

Definitely. I can confirm it.

[seaside]

Press shift + Oct +or - and there you will see the page -Terry