Korg Forums

[armandoromeu]

Hi all, I don't know if this is a bug or ignorance on my side but this is what's driving me crazy at this point.
As different voices have different dynamics the volumes must be tweaked from one Keyboard Set to another to achieve a uniform overall mix but when I sustain a note from one keyboard set as I change for the next KS I'm gonna use, the volume of the sustained note raises (or lowers) abruptly on the sustained note as the volume of the new KS for that upper section us higher (or lower) resulting in a very annoying performing issue.
I remember I could do this with my old Tyros and the sustained note volume was kept until I pressed the note again, this time using the programmed volume of the new KS called. This is the way it should work.
Is this a bug or there's a setting I should change somewhere to achieve this same result?
NOTE: We should have a Suggestions Box Section the same way we have a Bug Report section so we can work together with the developers in programming the new updates.

[karmathanever]

I have noticed this too - I don't think it can be classed as a bug because the PA4X is not specified as having SST like the Kronos for example.
If nothing else you will find that the FX of the second sound selected will replace what is currently being played (held) and that alone can have a "volume" change feel about it too.

Cheers

Pete
_________________
PA4X-76, Karma, WaveDrum GE, Fantom 8 EX
------------------------------------------------------------------
## Please stay safe ##
...and play lots of music
------------------------------------------------------------------

[D575]

I wonder....with all the New processing power under the hood of the PA4X then why could we not have SST (Smooth Sound Transition) in a future up date ?? ..... there's one for a possible Suggestion Box and a good idea that would be (Suggestion Box).
_________________
Korg PA5X-76 : Yamaha Montage M8x : Roland Jupiter 80 : Waldorf STVC : Roland Integra 7 : Waldorf Streichfett : Focal Trio6 ST6 : Studio Outboards/RME Audio Interface/A&H SQ Mixer :

[karmathanever]

+1
I was rather hoping for SST in the beginning - changing SOUNDs doesn't work at all but changing Keyboard-sets is often not too bad.
I absolutely love the SST on my Kronos

Here's hoping.....

Pete
_________________
PA4X-76, Karma, WaveDrum GE, Fantom 8 EX
------------------------------------------------------------------
## Please stay safe ##
...and play lots of music
------------------------------------------------------------------

[Stilli]

+1
_________________
Korg PA4X, Kawai MPIISE, Ketron SD4, Roland Integra 7, Motu Midi Express XT, Motu Audio Express, Cubase 9.5 Pro, NI Komplete 12 Ultimate (Collectors), Omnisphere, TC-Helicon Voicelive 3, Bose L1m2 (x2) + B2 (x2)

[armandoromeu]

Thank you so much for your prompt response. The SST (new word for me) feature is really a must for me at this point. The PA4X is an instrument that works very good with the presets that have been factory programmed but for people like me with a desire of creating my own sounds and rhythms is a whole different thing .
I'm a jazz oriented musician and the drum kits provided with the instrument have such a low overall volume with cymbals and many other percussion instruments that can't hardly be heard even when they are set to a volume of 127 within the jazz styles, and this makes it difficult to achieve a good mix. Pop and other sounds are fine, but a good jazz beat mix can only be achieved by lowering all other instruments in the mix and there's when the problem begins when using other styles and sounds. The breaks, fills, intros and endings start being at different volume levels as your mix and the chaos begin.
I've been working around this by choosing sounds and styles where I can keep the preset settings as original as I can but in some situations like using my own latin loops as styles is complicated. I've tried normalizing the loops as much as possible, before and after being added to a style and the result is always at a lower volume level than the factory samples.
So now I'm sure of one thing, when trying to use what I consider the most powerful feature of this instrument is precisely when the peoblem begins. I really think that for now Korg should raise the levels of those drum kits so the cymbals, brushes and all those low sounding percussion instruments so they can be set to a volume of 90 to 96 within the styles to allow the user to raise the percussion in their mix when needed.
Other than this certainly fixable issue, I am very pleased with my purchase and I stll think is the best arranger ever.

[karmathanever]

You could try entering some volume CCs in the style tracks - there are some issues doing that but it might work for you from what you are saying above.
However, changing and setting all those volumes to your requirements should be maintained when you select that entry from your SONGBOOK.

Cheers

Pete
_________________
PA4X-76, Karma, WaveDrum GE, Fantom 8 EX
------------------------------------------------------------------
## Please stay safe ##
...and play lots of music
------------------------------------------------------------------

[BR]

[armandoromeu]

Thanks again for all the responses. And I understand what you mean Pete, as a matter of fact I've been solving many issues by inserting volume and expression CCs in the styles, variants and such that I use mostly, but my main concern is not within the styles. The issue I'm talking about is with the Upper section of the Keyboard Sets where I constantly change from one set to another to change the different performing sounds within the style while maintaining the rhythm section playing. The main reason of all this being the extremely low volume of certain components of the drum kits, mostly cymbals, triangles and such that I use so much in my arrangements and are such an important part of our rhythms. That's what force me to lower so much some Upper sounds to bring the drums to the front and those are the ones that cause the volume jump when changing KSets.
In other words, if you listen to the straight jazz styles of the PA4X you'll notice that the drums are way behind and need to be brought to the front in the style mix, but it's completely impossible because they are already programmed with a volume of 127 within the styles. That's where my nightmare begins...
NOTE: Must say that my old Tyros (version 1) this didn't happen and the transitions were smooth and musical. I refuse to believe it can't be fix in a future update. This would end this annoying issue. I now noticed it's been a very popular demand and for a long time now.

[Jonyblues]

Hi Armandoromeu, yes, I agree that SST functionality would definitely improve the PA4x. I actually mentioned the same issue/problem with sound/effects transitions/jumps, when the keyboard was first released but am still hoping that Korg will fix the issue.

In the meantime, a few observations/thoughts for you:

I don't know if you've noticed that despite there being a jump in effects when you change kbd sets (which is a pain!), that if you hold a note on set 1 and press set 2, it retains the sound (and most of the effects) of set 1 for the held note and any subsequent notes that you play use the sounds and effects of set 2.

This means that somehow, you are actually playing the sounds of 2 sets at the same time, which I thought was interesting. I experimented with this and even though it's definitely no substitute for a decent SST function, it may be worth playing around with, to aid smoother transitions between kbd sets (on the upper sounds at least).

I also experimented with the latch function in global but that doesn't really seem to be very helpful for this problem.

In regards to your low drum volume issue. Even though you may have already tried/considered these ideas, it may be worth trying the following to see if any of them solve your issue:

1. I'm sure that you've already done this one but ensure that your drums in "Global: Mode Preferences" are set to 127 (as the volume there is totally independent to the drum volume in the style play window and is an easier way to boost the volume of your drums evenly across all styles/kbd sets).

2. Ensure that the Drum volume in "Style play: Track controls" is set to maximum.

3. In "Style play: Track controls" try increasing the EQ Gain (for Hi, Mid and/or Low) as this will give you higher gain/volume levels for any particular element of the drum kit.

4. If you're using a Jazz kit with Ambiance (ie. Jazz Kit 4 Amb) don't forget you have the ability (in "Style play: Track controls") to increase the Ambiance Volume too as this will often significantly increase the volume of a particular drum part.

5. In the Style Play Mixer/Tuning Window increase the Gain of the Drum Track (equally, if you don't want to alter the tone) and this will boost the volume of the drum part even more. (note that this Gain/EQ is additional/supplemental to the Volume increase that you will get from the Gain controls in the Track controls window).

6. Consider whether your overall MaXX settings are helping the drum parts bite through the mix (in my opinion, Maxx settings can really bring the drums to life, if it is set up correctly).

I hope that these ideas help.

Best wishes,
Jon
_________________
Korg PA4x, HX3 (B3 Sim module), Korg PA3x, Korg i2, Korg i40m, Roland AX-7, Roland FC300.

[D575]

BUT....would SST if ever introduced on the PA4X be Polyphony hungry ?
_________________
Korg PA5X-76 : Yamaha Montage M8x : Roland Jupiter 80 : Waldorf STVC : Roland Integra 7 : Waldorf Streichfett : Focal Trio6 ST6 : Studio Outboards/RME Audio Interface/A&H SQ Mixer :