Korg Pandora Toneworks PX4 Effects Processor reviewed by The Man in the Jar This is a...
Korg Pandora Toneworks PX4 Effects Processor reviewed by The Man in the Jar
This is a personal Multi-effect processor with 124 effects and 40 preset rhythm and bass patterns. There's a 32 second recording function with key transpose function so you can record and slow down that widdly bit that's defeating you. Also crammed into this tiny box is a pickup modeller, guitar synth, virtual feedback effect and intelligent pitch shifter.
Features of the Korg Pandora Toneworks PX4 Effects Processor
Construction - The first thing to realise is that the Korg PX4 is hardly bigger than a digital camera. As such it makes no pretensions about surviving on a stage floor, being made entirely of plastic. It does come with a clever strap-mounting system, but I'd suggest you blu-tac it to the top of your amp for safety.
Ins and Outs - One in and one out for standard jacks. A mini-jack auxilary in for CD player.
Power - 4 x AAA batteries or 4.5v DC adaptor (sold separately).
Controls - Across the top are controls for the amp models; Gain, treble, bass and volume. Below that is the LCD screen where the unit gives you clues about what's going on. The screen is large for the size of the unit and therefore easy to read. Below the screen are four mode selections and a tap function to set the rate of modulation effects.
In between the two large dials on the lower face are half a dozen small buttons concerned with the detailed functions of editing and saving.
The large dial on the left is the amp model selector the other is the "value" dial that controls master level, edits effects and selects programs.
Side mounted on/off and hi/lo input switches complete the picture.
Sound of the Korg Pandora Toneworks PX4 Effects Processor
As this unit offers so much in the way of editing and storing custom sounds I decided to describe the 50 pre-settings as they are presented from the factory. These are some of the combinations of the amp models and effects available so it gives a solid idea of what's possible from this little box. The names are as they appear on the Pandora's little screen.
1) Wild - Crushing Heavy Metal sound for megalithic power chording;
2) More - Great sound for driving Boogie guitar rhythms;
3) May - Very trebly lead sound with added Phase;
4) Stevie - Quite middley sound with added Tremelo;
5) Blink - Saturated lead guitar sound with great crunch when palm muting. Very nice;
6) Pass - Super open rhythm guitar sound with a nice combination of chorus and phase;
7) Creem - This is an interesting noise with an auto-wah on the attack of the note. It's possible to get "talking guitar" lead runs and great "quacky" noises out of bass strings;
8) Beetle - Brash and trebly with a definite whiff of Rickenbacker;
9) Melissa - Nice mix of modulation and reverb for arpeggio picking and gentle chord strumming;
10) Purple - Good balanced heavy sound, not too foreboding or doom-laden;
11) Pink - Squelchy, fast tremelo with a touch of delay. A very specialised noise;
12) Papa - Brutal Recto Overdrive with a touch of reverb, this is a dangerous weapon;
13) Angus - Very close to the classic Angus sound - if you don'y know who Angus is you shouldn't be playing guitar;
14) Jimi 69 - A heavily modulated mash of sound. I'd need to experiment with this, possibly at the same time as I experiment with a few substances;
15) Mr Sky - A very interesting synth effect. I can't describe exactly what's going on but when you hear it you'll want to use it. Keep your fretting accurate and avoid bends, as the synth effect will follow your bend in steps;
16) ELP - This one is bonkers, but once again you'll want to use it. It's a synth effect that creates a keyboard sound, but not necessarily where or when you played it. Be a one-man Kraftwerk or communicate with whales;
17) Bass Synth - Really fun effect that produces a wandering bass synth note with a lovely "moog-style" distortion;
18) UK 80 - Overdriven rock sound with a touch of reverb;
19) Rectify - Another Recto saturated overdriven lead sound;
20) US Hi G - High gain and high sensitivity which is great for modern metal riffs on damped bass strings;
21) 50 Tweed - Lovely clean sound with bags of character and top end;
22) Humble - Anther great clean sound full of character but this time more inclined to middle and bass dynamics;
23) Texas - Heavily modulated with nice sparkle and an attractive wobble;
24) Pop - Excellent slow envelope Jet Phase for driving poppy rhythms, one of my favourites;
25) Jazzy - Nicely modulated jazz sound that adds an infectious jangle to your sound;
26) Rock - What it says! Excellent for full barre chords, overdriven but still tight;
27) Blues - A very convincing blues sound, no need to edit with this one;
28) Bubbles - Adds the sound of bubbling water to the sustain of your note or chord. Use this and watch the ladies run for the loo;
29) Whotron - Auto-wah and Phase on a muddy Overdrive sound, makes interesting quacky noises on damped strings;
30) Vox Wah - This sound comes straight from the middle of the Wah's sweep, great sound for chopping chords;
31) Rotary - Perfect for summer funk or disco-style rhythm guitar;
32) Chorus - An excellent variant for funk or disco;
33) Comp CL - Slightly compressed straight sound with just a hint of Reverb that let's the tone of your pickups shine through;
34) Flange - The Flanger is my favourite effect and this is a good solid example;
35) Slow Pan (This is my nickname when I cook dinner) - Good distorted sound with a single, quite long delay. The pan may work through stereo headphones, but into a mono amp is resolves as a raising and lowering of volume. The delay is useful for setting up a rolling wave of notes with hammer-ons and trills;
36) Solo Pan - The pan sweep is quicker and the delay is missing;
37) Feedback - A nice heavy rock solo sound with a twist. As your last note decays the gubbins in the box takes a clue from the harmonic and recreates the kind of feedback howl you might expect if you were standing in front of a stack of smoking Marshalls. Beware that it will go on for ever until you start playing again or turn it off;
38) Talk - Best played on the lower strings this fabulous effect sounds like a jazz singer singing "Yeah!". With a bit of finger vibrato you can change it to "Yay!" The effect holds up on full chords and is particularly nice with full-tone intervals played together;
39) Bow - Good full-on violining effect. Like the feedback effect this will go on until you turn it off;
40) Solo atk - A more subtle violining effect with tasteful delays skipping off in the background;
41) Octave - Good grungy heaviness for old skool metal. I do love this type of effect;
42) Ringer - The kind of audio effect used in 70's movies when a character takes LSD;
43) C Major - Exccellent harmonizer-type bright synth effect, great for single note runs;
44) E Minor - As above in a different key;
45) Acoustic - Not 100% convincing, but it will get you out of a hole;
46) Piezo - An easier acoustic sound to nail electronically and this is a convincing attempt;
47) Synth - Nice old-fashioned synth sound with a gate that shuts off the note like a key being released;
48) Organ - Reedy organ noise with a maverick modulation that jumps out at you every now and then;
49) Low Bass - Squelchy synth bass with no underlying mix of the original tone;
50) Flute - Clean and slightly reedy synth vibe with a fair dollop of delay.
If you can't find what you want amongst that lot there are a further fifty channels to store your own concoctions.
Usefully the Pandora has a fully-adjustable metronome which is essential for practising scales and arpeggios. On top of this there are forty fully adjustable beats with bass synth accompaniment covering all styles including shuffle, 3/4, 6/8, pop, rock, thrash, R'n'B, blues, country, jazz, funk, motown, surf, reggae, dance, euro, bossa and samba.
Overall Impressions of the Korg Pandora Toneworks PX4 Effects Processor
This really is an astounding array of goodies in a very small and affordable package. The programmed beat patterns, the metronome and the auxilary-in make this an invaluable tool for serious practise. Whatever your style of music you will find a suitable guitar sound amongst the presets offered and with the addition of headphones you've got yourself a private recording studio. There are even a couple of effects that I'd like to add to my stage repertoire, "Talk" and "Mr Sky" amongst them.
As an introduction to the scope of modern electronic cleverness this is one Pandora's Box you should open.
