Korg PXR4 user review please?

  • Thread starter Thread starter chippedeggtooth
  • Start date Start date
C

chippedeggtooth

New member
Anybody know whether you can export tracks from the PXR4 into the computer and use them as audio tracks in a recording software program like Cubasis?

Anybody who owns one got good or bad things to say about it? How many hours does it last on batteries? I've seen 2 hours in one place and 10 hours in another--big difference.

I'd mostly like to use it to record street stuff at misic festivals (drum circles, ect) then use that as track to record on top of in Cubasis... it sucks that it isn't compatible with Win 98. that's what I have.

Do you find it easy to figure out? I've heard that Korg gear is not very intuitive.

Please let me know, I'm thinking about getting one and I have to decide by May 31 or else I can't get it. Thanks
 
Well the fact that no one has responded tells me there is not enough interest in this PXR4 machine as there should be by now.

This also makes a case for the rival pocketstudio 5 by Tascam, which already has it's own forum on the Tascam website and it hasn't even been released yet...
 
man that PXR4 really brings em all out of the woodwork. you'd think someone would have some kind of opinion on the little gizmo... nobody? that bad, huh?

or maybe the lack of response is good: after all, you only need to go to a forum if there's something WRONG!!!
 
you ever get the feeling like you're talking to yourself?
 
hey you cheater! I know EXACTLY what you're doing, you're trying to post away your newbie status... well it ain't going to work....
 
now I see how there's all these guys running around with 2000 posts. it all starts making sense.
 
man it echoes in here. this thread is better than any effects pedal. I should try to record that
 
dude, no. threads don't record at 24 bit so I wouldn't even try.
 
Well, the PXR4 onboard demo sounds darn good,...

and if you've listened to it, you might agree.

The PXR4 is so new, that I don't think there's big user base out there,... maybe in another 6 months you'll have more 'man on the street' opinions.

One thing, is that on the PXR4 track 1 & 3 are mixed to hard left/fixed, and tracks 2 & 4 are hard right/fixed, with no way to adjust relative pan. Also, the PXR4 is geared toward that "fits in your pocket"-market, and little else. There's only one input, and it only records 1 track at a time, [to the best of my knowledge].

It's small, with pretty big sound, relatively speaking, and is most geared toward the "fits-in-your-pocket"/Walkman-style recording crowd.

Go and demo the PXR4 against the BR-532, and then compare them both to the 424mkIII. IMO, the 424mkIII beats both of them, feature-for-feature.

In other words, IMO, the 424mkIII is "feature-rich", and the PXR4 and BR-532 are "feature-lite". The 424mkIII is for the person who wants a full featured recording platform, that has entry-level ease-of-use and also features that the more advanced user will appreciate,... and the BR-532 and PXR4 are for the "I-gotta-have-digital-at-any-cost" crowd.

That's just my opinion, so my recommendation is to go to Sam Ash, Mars Music, or Guitar Center, and demo these units yourself. Sales reps at these stores will be glad to demo them for/with you. That's what I did, and I came away being even more sure that the Tascam 424mkIII blows away both the PXR4 and BR-532.
 
alas... a visitor!

welcome to this solipsistic thread. I didn't know that about the hard left and right pans... I don't like one bit.

As for comparing it to the 424: for my purposes (recording on the fly, camping, scratch pad at work at lunch, on the bus commute home, in the forest) the only thing comparable to the PXR4 is the pocketstudio 5. I'd actually rather have the analog 424 but I'm not home enough to justfy another somewhat immobile device. I also want to use different sounds from the real (not reel) world and work them into my songs, which again makes the 424 impossible (and the 532 for that matter).

Also want to capture my 3 year old in all his hijinx and candid speech (email the MP3's to relatives for brownie points) so I gotta go with the pocketstudios. I did go demo the PXR4 at guitar center and I agree, it sounds really good, but I really like the idea of Tascam doing periodical software upgrades and they already have a forum before the thing even ships out... now that's customer service (unlike the Korg one where I can't even find anyone who owns a PXR4)
 
Well Egg,...

then maybe the PXR4 is more along the lines of what you need.

Also, check the new ZOOM digital 4-tracker, which just came out. [can't remember model #], as it's very similar to the PXR4.

Granted, I don't own a PXR4 or BR-532, and I do own a 424mkIII, so I'm totally biased, but those were my impressions of the PXR4 and BR-532,... that they're digital, yes, but they're "feature-lite".

I can see how you may need a pocket-sized recorder, and that's a legitimate reason to get the PXR4. BTW, did you check the KORG website for more specs and details? That may be worth checking. [I'm just telling you what I could discern from a quick demo, and I don't want to portray myself as a PXR4 expert].

On the other hand, IMO, you can hardly go wrong with TASCAM, and the Pocketstudio5 may be worth waiting for,... [it's not yet released]. I agree, that Tascam support is top-notch in the industry, and that's another good reason to stick with Tascam.

BTW, did you know that the BOSS BR-532 also runs on batteries? [That was not clear from your post]. Battery operation does free you up for "field recording".

Hey, not to go 'retro' on you, but the Tascam PortaOne is a vintage 4-track, [cassette/VU-meter-style], that also runs on batteries, making it more suitable for "field recording" than other Portastudios.

One thing, [I think you may already know], is that the 32MB of Smartmedia "ram" holds just less than 5 minutes of 4-track data, and then the data needs to be mixed down and archived to another device, such as the computer, or analog recorder. The 128MB Smartmedia boosts that to about 16 minutes, and is sold separately. That, IMO, is a harsh limitation of those "Smartmedia" recorder-devices.

Thanx & good luck. Maybe you could let us know what you decide to buy, and how you like it.;)
 
Wow! Actually, I do have the PXR4 spec sheet!

So, I'll correct myself, and say the PXR4 actually records up to 2 tracks simultaneously.

As for sound quality, it sounds pretty good, but technically, it records in MPEG-2 format at 32Khz, which is adequate, but not what people usually refer to as "hifi".

I think the other "Smartmedia" recording-devices would be roughly equivalent to the PXR4, on most technical specs.

A cool thing about the newer digital 4-trackers, is the 'virtual track' capability, and built-in effects and drum patterns.

The new breed of pocket-sized digital 4-trackers are cool little gadgets, and they have cool features, but they also have some obvious limitations.

They are great for scratchpad-type recordings, and that 'fits-in-the-pocket" convenience, but are probably not as well suited for more serious recording. It all depends on the application you're using it for, and for your stated intentions, the PXR4 or similar unit is probably ideal.
 
well here's another plus for the the Tascam pocketstudio 5: it records at 44.1 kHz, which is "hi-fi" quality right? although it is mp3, which I've heard all over the place here is not pro quality. but good enough? hopefully. I still have a DAW at home I can use if I all the sudden become a pro. But sound quality IS very important to me...

Does anyone know if there will be any degrading of files by converting the MP3's that come from the pocketstudio into the computer into wave files so I can use them as tracks in Cubasis? Word on the street is I would have to get something like Cool Edit to convert them, I didn't know if that would result in loss of sound quality.

Also, as far as the zoom goes, it looked cool but I didn't see a usb connector. does anyone know if this still can connect to the computer?

Thanks Reel Person, and anyone else who cares to join in.

Chip
 
I take it that you've checked the Tascambbs/Pocketstudio forum?

If not, then go check it out. Tascambbs is an invaluable resource, mostly due to the bbs members, and not necessarily the staff, IMO.

As far as MP3 to WAV conversion, my perception of the issue it that the idea would make the hair on the back of "pros" stand straight up, but for the common man-on-the-street home recordist, it's a negligible issue, and one that's just below the perception of human hearing.

[Not a secret, but...] I'm a devoted Tascam-purist, with several 'token' Fostexes thrown in there for balance. I say, when comparing brand-for-brand, you can't go too far wrong sticking with Tascam.;)
 
oh yes, I've all over the tascambbs pocketstudio forum...(that's one of the reasons I want to get a pocketstudio 5). I'm asking the question about converting the mp3 to wav because I got 2 different answers over there. figured I'd get a second opinion.
 
PXR4

Sorry, my DSL has been down. I use PXR4 and it records 1 track at a time except through line level in (stereo mini). I believe panning is a mix down function. I defeat these weaknesses somewhat by running a coincedent pair of small diaphragm condensers (Oktava MC012) through a little Behrenger board (MXB1002) to provide phantom power, into the line level input. This is only 18v on batteries, 21v w/ wall power. You lose a little headroom, so I use the pads on loud sources, but the 18v works pretty well. How long your batteries last is a function of your batteries, and whether you use the backlight function, which drains power. I've gotten 3-3.5hr continuous recording on 2 alkaline cells, and I believe the 10hrs you quoted will be true w/ lithiums. It won't matter though, because the 128MB card will record 90 track minutes in high resolution mode, which is the only one I use, except for a lecture or something. Frankly, when fed a good signal, it can make pretty good recordings, and the on board condenser mic is surprisingly good, if a bit too accurate for unprocessed vocals. In conclusion, I love it. It's a constant travelling companion, tuner, practice amp, stores rythym tracks to jam with, and a spur of the moment tune grabber. I've found it makes better recordings with a little board, and it doubles in that capacity with the Behrenger as a remote unit, 100% battery powered. No, I don't think it'll make "pro quality" recordings, but that's not the point. It's a great toy, and often the perfect tool! As far as your questions about cubase, I have no clue. I know you can get it to your hard drive in MP2 format (MP3 uncompressed, basically) by on board USB port or Smart Media reader, about $25, but what cubase can do with that format is unknown to me. Best of luck-Richie
 
Last edited:
I'm really confused about the I/O on the Pocketstudio. I've even printed out the manual and I still can't tell if it has an XLR or a 1/8" phone jack for input.

Of course, my eyes are pretty bad and these Walgreen's glasses aren't really ground to my prescription...
 
PXR4

There is no XLR I/O on PXR4. It has a 1/4" mono in with a high/low impedence switch, and a stereo mini line in. If you want to use a condenser, you can either use one with battery phantom (AKG C1000S?), a tube mic to a 1/4" jack (power module provides its power), or go through a mixer or pre. Br-532 has an XLR in, but without phantom power, it's the same deal, different cable. Br-532 has no USB out, so you would need a Smart Media reader to get to your hard drive. It is a great constant companion and a fair remote unit with the right peripherals, but come on, it wasn't intended as the center piece of a full contact project studio. It is not "feature light", and is packed with more useful stuff than I ever would have dreamed possible in a unit the size of a walkman. Hope this helps.-Richie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top