KORP PA4X HONEST ANSWER- GOOD ENOUGH FOR PRO RECORDINGS?

smifenuf1 · Post by **smifenuf1** » Tue Nov 12, 2019 8:43 pm

Hi everyone,
I'm about to make some investments to create a professional home studio environment to make professional recordings. I do a lot of orchestrating of pop/rock songs - use a lot of different horns and strings. To my ears- the instrumentation is not quite realistic enough sounding for a pro recording. In fact I think my Yamaha Motif that is something like 11 or 12 years old might be slightly even better now in many ways- which is a disappointment as I thought initially the Korg would be better. especially in the horns area- they just don't seem as real as I would want them to sound. Terrific for a one man band live thing or live in general but for a permanent official recording not so much. But asking for your opinion. maybe my hearing is off? what do you think?

D575 · Post by **D575** » Tue Nov 12, 2019 9:12 pm

I think... this sounds like you have already made your own mind up... perhaps if you like the Motif why not check out the Montage or a Kronos or even software instrumentation may satisfy your requirements there are many strong contenders out there...

Biggles · Post by **Biggles** » Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:23 pm

Cannot compare the two if all you have done is listen to the Korg via online reviews or in a Music Store where they have just opened the box and plugged in the 4X.

All Korg PA’s come with a very subdued setup, you have to enable the Eq to make it vibrant and rich.

If you are only used to playing your Yamaha then whilst the piano sounds are good you could be conditioned to the shrill, raspy tone of the wind instrument sounds in keyboard.

karmathanever · Post by **karmathanever** » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:12 am

Quick answer to your topic subject question - yes

For me, Kronos and PA4X are equally as good for professional recording.
It is very hard to evaluate keyboard quality from youtube and others' recordings.

In the end, you will only know what keyboard is for you when actually hook it up to your studio gear.

PA4X is incredibly flexible too - PA4X out-of-the-box is outstanding - sounds and quality are always personal views and very subjective.

So, as a professional piece of gear for performing and recording, the PA4X is excellent.

Cheers

Pete

Aripearlmusic · Post by **Aripearlmusic** » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:54 am

I use mostly the guitars, pianos, EPs, and pads for recording but the internal sounds are incredible in quality and tone but very generic and dry as far as the mix out of the box. I prefer bone dry and flat EQ for recording anyways so it's great.

korg1 · Post by **korg1** » Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:02 am

I ve heard pa4x's bass sound through a hardware Neve1073 with mytek 8x192 converter and it was really great,so yes pa4x is even better than many keybaords/arrangers in the market,but for studio use you will have to use professional hardwares as well for a pro sound,no matter what instrument you use.even a Roland SC55 can sound great .

Minneapolis Musician · Sun Nov 17, 2019 12:52 am

The Korg PA4X is great for pro recordings. Very solid accompaniment that can be adjusted as needed to make it minimal, or quite complex.

I use the PA4X for the basic tracks, and I sweeten the recording with Omnisphere or another soft synth as needed in the DAW.

I did this with the PA4X:

https://www.reverbnation.com/glenngalen ... rsion-2017