Korg PXR-4 Pandora

I was up and running in minutes.

I tried it with various mixes and amplifiers -guitar input, line and mic.

The manual is excellent and appears to have been written in English (probably in Japan).

A good sound quality for Acoustic work (Guild 12 string and Peavey (Custom Handmade in Finland) 6 - both with Fishmans) is difficult to acheive. The PRS wrapped through the Aesis is good. The Strat Prototype is ok.

I realy like the 2X Delay with the 12 string - but can't clean up the distortion.

The Korg line seems to be reliable - so I'll go on the reputation.

I spent an afternoon with the Korg Rep. from Phoenix. He demo'd the box and without that, I wouldn't have bought it. There were several other people there asking questions about 'bouncing' and layering and effects that I wouldn't have known to ask -this guy really knew his stuff.
(Thanks to Cosmo)

I play a lot of original Acoustic (Irish, Southern Rock, Bluegrass) - but have a hard time getting other players to do the other parts as I would like them - now I don't have to I am using this live!.

I can't seem to get the Guitar Effects shut-off completely.

This is the cool part - my 12 year old Daughter and I are writing songs and performing other songs. We can record a track from the CD
and then I will lay down my Guitar rendition on another track.
I set her up for the Vocals and she can her herself and the music
without having to record. She can then practice without me having to play 8,300 times (try that on a 12 string!).

I also record my parts and download them to my web server for my Brother to pick up and TAFMA into his 12 Track Korg (god knows what he uses for that part)!

I would like to be able to simultaneously record multiple tracks
(Guitar & Vocals - 2 Guitars + Vocals).

Not exactly easy to figure out right out of the box but a few minutes with the manual & I was recording away.
Once you understand how to setup recording, it is failry simple to use.
The interface is not that bad - very nice big LCD screen.

The built in USB is great, I am curious if you can upgrade the firmware via this USB port.

The effects are great for such a little unit.
The sound is not bad. Hi Quality mode renders some very good useable quality, but limited recording time.
Economy mode renders maximum recording time ( 270 minutes w/128MB Card) but the sound is pretty bad at this settings.
The headphone output is rather muddy.
If you crank up the levels on the master or track faders everything starts to distort.
Still, all in all - for project & field recording it's very handy.
In my opion Korg should have made the line input RCA or 1/4".
1/8" mini jacks seem so flimsy & most synth/line out gear provides 1/4" outs anyways.

Yes, dependable & battery life is fantastic.
I wouldn't drop it though.

I emailed Korg to ask about future upgrades & they never responded to my questions so that was a bit dissapointing.
I did find a user group on Yahoo at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pxr4-users/

I make / record Electronic Music.
Yes I'd definitely buy another.
For the features, price & portability it is great.
Plus the coolness factor is off the scale.

Relatively easy to use once you figure it out. Although I will say that many functions require navigating through several menus to get to where you want. Patch editing is easy. The manual seemed complete.

My biggest complaint and the reason I'm returning it is that there's no looping feature. You need to hit the rewind button to start over. For practicing solos this is annoying and means you need to record all the measures of the rhythm parts rather than just what's needed and looping the rest.

The other thing is the drum machine will only play one preprogrammed rhythm per song. The drum sequences are preset and can't be edited and are really only good for timing. No more useful than a simple metronome.

Oh, and the USB interface is nice but the tracks are MP2 format. Why not MP3? How do I convert MP2 to .wav to put into my computer multitrack software? Huh?

Hmmm, if you take the time to set the input levels properly, then the sound quality is pretty good for an inexpensive small box. The factory preset guitar effects suck and only one or two are usable without tweaking. I'm using headphones and either a PRS CE-24 or an American Standard Tele. One problem is that there's only one input level adjust and you need to change it if you switch inputs. Plenty of headphone volume.

I haven't had it very long but it seems sturdy enough. It does come with a case which helps.

I was looking for a compositional tool and although the portability of the PX-4 is great, it is limited in how you can record. Think of it as a digital 4-track tape deck. I'll bet the next version of this will fix all these shortcomings.

As easy as anything else with this many doodads in it...

The mixer has no EQ controls, you have to do it with effects...

If you use the high quality mode the sound is fairy surprising, like 128 kHz MP3s (don't quite know how they do it...)

The effects are great but the routing isn't so easy.

It is built well and robust for something you have to drag around with you. It even comes with a little black vinyl case, and we know how we love those!

No opinion yet.

I have a fairly nice digital project studio, and the Korg PXR4 can do MANY of the things my Yamaha AW4416 workstation can, albeit with less tracks and a smaller screen. BUT you CAN edit tracks, change pitch, length, and bounce 4 tracks to two (try that on a portastudio), so it's almost a six track in that respect. The memory use is fair, but the smart media cards are flimsy, so protect them. You have a built in electret mic (for singing into) and guitar and mic modeling effects that work fine for demos. I wish I had this way back when, it kicks but on everything but a workstation or computer.

It's easy enough to get started. It took me ten minutes to scan the manual and lay down four tracks of acoustic guitars and vocals. However, as you get deeper into the machine, it gets more complicated. You have to expect this as so much power is crammed into such a small space. As you get more familiar with the various functions and procedures, you understand the logic of the controls.

The sound quality is excellent. It's digital. Hence it's quiet, clean and everything we've come to expect from digital products. The effects are OK. Like most multi-effect boxes, it takes some trial and error to figure out what sounds best with your equipment. I play a Parker Fly Deluxe into it. I like the compression effects and most of the modulations, but it takes some tweaking to get them right. I don't like the distortions but that may be more a matter of preference than any intrinsic problem with the programs. I traded in a Pandora 3X for this and I can tell no difference in the effects. The pre-sets are mediocre on both machines, but with experimentation I got sound great sounds with the 3X and I expect to with this, too. For a headphone amp/digital recorder, the effects are just fine. If I want better effects, I'll use my Line 6 MM4 or DL4. Same with the drum sets, which are just a guide. I'll rely on my drum machine for something better. Overall, I'm very impressed with how much this machince can do and the flexibility of what's provided. And...the condensor mike works just great for basic strumming and singing.

Hard to say, as I've only had it for a short time. In wouldn't want to drop it and I do worry about the plastic knobs, but they are no more or less sturdy than your portable CD player. Unfortunately, these things aren't built to last long before they're surpassed by something even more poweful. I full expect this to operate fine if it's treated with care.

I wish the Web Site would have effects patches, ideas for use, user groups, etc. It's fun to discuss your equipment with other users and you would think that more active sponsorship of such would be good for the product.

I'm over fifty and I've been playing for almost forty years. I play a combination of jazz and folk/rock. Frisell and Scofield are my heroes. The last time I actively made tapes was in my college days in the late 1960's when it was a luxury to have a reel to reel tape recorder. So I'm very impressed and feel incredibly grateful that there are portable machines like this that can allow me to explore my music in more depth. It was hard to make a choice between this and the BR 532. After spending alot of time with the Pandora and reading whatever I could find about both machines, I'm convinced that they are both terrific as long as you understand their obvious limitations. The BR 532 is bigger (laptop size) and easier to manipulate (heftier and more abundant controls) and probably has several more recording features and assets. The effects and rhythyms are a wash. The sampling rate is 44.1 as compared to 32 for the Korg. But that's marginal for this type of machine. What sold me on the Korg was its incredible portability. I can take this into the woods and record bird songs and streams and mix that with my music. I can stick it in my guitar case or in my pocket. I can tote it around the house from one instrument to another. I can use it on the couch or on my desk, next to the computer. Also, the screen is excellent, superior to the Boss 532, so if visual access is important to you, that may be a consdieration. The USB port is very convenient...no need to get a card reader and download software. It seems to me that if I get more serious about recording I would step up to a computer based system, or a more sophisticated desktop machine. This will still serve me well as a sketchbook, which is how I (and probably you) should come to think about it. I am delighted to experiment with this nifty little device. It will provide me with much learning as an entry level into recording, and it will serve the experienced recording musician just as well as a sketch book. If you want spontaneity and portability, I recommend this highly.

If you can read, the manual will have you recording and using all the features in a couple of days, regardless of previous experience with other recorders. I have never owned a recorder before I got the PXR4 for christmas. I plugged it up, flipped thru the manual and started laying down tracks within 30 mins.

I have only used my Gibson SG Special plugged straight into the PXR4 so far. It sounds good to me thru a decent pair of headphones. I have not played extensively with my effects units or Marshall Amp to see how it will sound then.

Have not had long enough to tell.

Never dealt with Korg.

Overall this has been a great box. Does lots of cool things. I am not a professional musician, just a guy trying to become a better player. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to record their own stuff easily and store it on your computer for editing or publishing to the web.

Unlike the other reviewers, I think the Pandora PXR4 is a very good product. It's very versatile, with effects and cabinet modeling. For those of you who believe it's not up to par, I think you have to take the time to learn how things work. For example, the recorder will not turn the garbage generated from an out of tune Squier with treble all the way up into a symphony. My message to you is.. 1.) Learn The Controls On Your Guitar First 2.) Learn How To Use A F---ing EQ 3.) Try Tuning Your Guitar 4.) Remove Your Head From Your Ass.

The manual reads easily, and is very helpful.

Good things.

Very good things.

94' Fender Telecaster --> Marshall AVT150H --> PXR4.

It's not noisy unless you turn up the SUCK knob.

I'm a big fan of how the chorus sounds, whether it be on a distorted channel or a clean channel. Reverb is lacking a bit.

It's my favorite.

I'm also easily amused.

I wouldn't use it at a gig.. there are a lot of assholes out there.

The salesman I talked to when purchasing this informed me that I would be able to use a Sure SM57 with this. But he was wrong..

It still lived up to expectations.

Needless to say, I did not have to deal with the manufacturer.

This is a good match for anyone who likes to be creative with their music. I mainly play alternative & acoustic genres, but this would probably be good for anyone who has ideas for songs.

I've been playing for about 7 to 8 years. I own a fender tele and a gibson sg standard. For amps, I own a Marshall Half-stack.

If the Pandora were stolen. I would find out who stole it, and give them a swift kick to the privates, and steal it back.

All in all, it's a great product.

N.o.t. T.o. M.e.n.t.i.o.n.

I LOVE THE LIGHT UP SCREEN!!!

There is a fairly high learning curve on this little box.
You will be giong back to the manual for the first 3 or 4 days if you are using all the funtions. The PXR-4 does "A LOT" in a little space!
The manual is well written and concise.

This is the first submission I have done at Harmony Central.
I felt compelled to do so as I had drastically different results than some of the other reviewers.
I found the effects to be great.
Listing to the PXR-4 thru my Genelic monitors I found the reverbs to to crisp and the amp modeling to be a great improvment from the past Pandoras. I have them all and I A/B them.
Things can get distorted if you overdrive the mixer so maybe that is what peole were hearing as grainy.
Playing source music as well as guitar thu the PXR-4 the effects sounded great.
My only wish is you could use the guitar effect along with the master of final reverb effects.The guitar (amp) effect chains do not have reverb available. This means you have to wait to add it after you record.
The mastering effects are very cool and a great way to tighten up your final mix.
Ok its not my Eventide 4500 but for a little box running on two AA,s
I am blown away.
On the recording side the sound is great.
The only problem I have is some of the editing controlls are a little left handed. This is again because of its size and the limitations of how many buttons you can have on a little box.

I have never had a problem with any of the other Pandora,s so we will see.
There is 100 times more going on with this box and time will tell.

I have never delt with Korg.

I am a studio musician and do between 400 and 500 sessions a year.
I love this little box.
It is WAY fun!

Very easy to use, provided that you are a little familiar with digital multieffects and 4-track recorders.
It is definitely a guitarist-friendly machine. I am a guitarist, I'm a bit on the dense side with regards to technology, but I had it all figured out in a couple of days.

The manual is clear and exhaustive, and you only really need as a reference, rather than a step by step guide.

Sound quality should be rated separately for the multieffects section and the recording section.

The effects quality is definitely disappointing. I have tried the whole Pandora line, PX2, PX3 and this PXR4 and, paradoxically, the PX2 sounds the best, and the PXR4 the worst.
There is a very "digital", unmusical grain to all effects, including the proprietary REMS emulation technology, whatever that means.

There are 3 recording modes, Hi Quality, Standard and Economy. To my ears, there is little difference between Hi Q. and S., while the Economy mode sounds peculiarily cheap. However, the overall recording quality is not bad (16 bit, 32Khz sampling rate). Way better than a cassette tape multitrack, not as good as a full blown, uncompressed digital multitrack.

Bottom Line: multieffects 3, mixer/recorder 7. Overall 6.
Record your tracks dry then, or use your own pedals.

Reliability here is relative to this machine's typical use, i.e. as a convenient musical notepad at home or on the road.

In this context, it is reliable. It may be mechanically flimsy, but it won't let you down. There is no hard disk which could crash and the operating system is simple but stable.
The recording media (Smartcard) is also easily available and reliable.

In line with what you can expect from a big corporation. In other words, pretty bad.

All the above said, this little machine is quite amazing, and I'm happy I bought it.
It is a real 4-track digital mixer/recorder, with fully implemented editing capability (8x4 virtual tracks, copy/paste tracks, time stretch, USB interface etc.). It has some features which you don't find on much more expensive machines (e.g. the "dub" function, whereby you can layer many tracks onto the same track, without bouncing).

It is designed as a multitrack mixer/recorder, with the effects section being a nuisance at best, so don't buy it if you just need a good multieffect.

Also, Smartmedia cards may be easily available, but they don't come cheap. The current price for a 128Mb card, which allows for about 35 mins of 4-track recording in Standard mode is about $ 80.

If you are a guitarist or a home musician, you will love it, even if you already own a "real" digital workstation.
Despite its shortcomings, I recommend it and will give a high rating.

It took me several minutes to figure out how to change guitar effect patches. The interface is very non-intuitive and it needs more buttons or a complete rethink of the controls.

The built-in effects on this unit sound like they are coming from a little dinky plastic box. I could never fool myself into thinking I was getting good tone from it. Usually built-in effects presets suck, but you can find something that you can adjust and get satisfactory result. Don't bother with this unit.

This is a competitor to the Zoom PS-02, which I also own or the Boss BR532 which I owned briefly. The guitar tones are worse than either of the other units. They at least include the case and AC adapter, which is more than Boss does, but it just sounds awful compared to the PS02. The drums may be a shade better than the BR532, but not as good as the PS-02. I sold my PS-02 to buy this unit and I sent it back and bought another PS-02. At $100, this might be a good buy. At $400, its an awful buy.