Korg Zero 4

[Cupe]

EDIT: I tried to take mostly close up shots, because you can see the macro shots with a simple Google search.

Hey folks,

So this is my short, sweet “initial thoughts” review for the Korg Zero4 mixer. I’m arranging things in bullet point form for easy browsing. For every pro, I’m going to list a con. This mixer is extremely powerful in some places, with some mis-steps in others.

Biggest PRO: Effects

I love the effects on the Zero4. Having multiple effects per channel AND an assignable effects section is really terrific. Also, Korg shows off their synthesizer and Kaoss Pad experience in the sound quality of these effects. Every effect sounds terrific, even if some of them are somewhat hard to use (Pitchshifter, I’m looking at you).

Having four knobs to control effects on each channel gives you a lot of soundshaping control, and the wet-dry fader on the main effects section makes it easy to slam effects in and out on the beat.

I’ve started to do experimental music in Ableton with a friend, and the effects come in a lot of handy here, allowing me to do out of the box mixing using many different effects. Using the Zero4’s built-in effects is a much more satisfying experience than using in-the-box Ableton effects controlled with midi knobs.

Also, there are a bunch of little things that show you how much thought went into the channel strip effect implementation. For instance, when you use the metal bumper switch to turn off the delay, it slowly dies out, instead of turning right off. And if you slam the bumper down to track mute, you can hear the delay continue while the track is muted. And if you want to kill the delay entirely, and don’t want that decaying tail, just turn the wet/dry knob all the way to the elft. This allows a pre-fader delay to be much more useful than it otherwise might be. And you still have the main assignable effects section delay if you want post fader delays.

It’s going to be hard for me to settle for another mixer that doesn’t provide this level of effects control.

Biggest CON: Sound Quality

While I am considered an audiophile compared to most non-DJ civilians, I am not a crazy stickler for sound. But let me take a moment to say:

The ONLY time I could get the Zero4 to hiss was when I selected the mic input in the channel strip, activated the high gain setting, and used my Shure Beta 58A with it. There is NO hissing otherwise. While I know some other people have encountered this problem, it was NOT a problem for me. There is a little insert that comes with the mixer that tells you how to properly set the gains and volume on the mixer (volume faders at 7, gains at 12 o’clock, volume at 3 o’clock). This may have something to do with that.

That being said, I can’t say I’m really impressed with the Korg Zero4’s sound quality. For a $1300 (now $800) mixer, I was expecting clear, pristine highs, distinct mids, and deep, thumpy bass.

But the sound that I get is very, very flat. It’s clear. I wouldn’t says that any particular frequency feels rolled off.

But the sound just feels lifeless, and this has already put me on the prowl for something different. I never thought SQ would be an issue for me, given that I’ve fooled with the PCV-275, AEM-100i, AEM-100, DN-X100, and DXM06 and never saw a reason to get even vaguely cranky about the sound except on the DXM06. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I feel that for the cost, the Zero4 just doesn’t stack up in this department.

PRO: MIDI clock sync

When you install the 1.6 firmware update, the Zero4 gains the ability to send and receive MIDI clock data. While this might not seem like a big deal to some people, it’s really amazing for any DJ using midi clock-capable DVS or Ableton. The MIDI sync works fantastically well with Torq’s sampler or Ableton’s MIDI clock.

When I’m using MIDI clock sync, I NEVER have to tap in a BPM on the mixer, and my effects will always stay in time with the music. Also, loops played in Torq’s sampler will always stay in sync with the track playing, allowing some fun on the fly layering.

This is particularly important given that the Korg’s auto-beat detection isn’t that great. Overall, this was a much needed firmware update, and something that takes the Korg Zero4 from cool to formidable.

CON: Sampler

While I admittedly only skimmed the manual for this once or twice, I found the sampler confusing, a bit unintuitive, and generally pointless considering I had Torq and Ableton available to me. I would’ve much rather seen an additional effects section in its place.

PRO: EQ

There are several different settings, which allowed me to dodge my pet peeve of “Friggin mid EQ knob takes too much out of the track!” You get non-kill EQs, isolator (full kill) EQs, filters, and an EQ bypass setting.

The filters are particularly fun, especially for some of the experimental stuff I’m doing now. They’re very powerful, and turning either the high EQ or low EQ knob all the way to the left will kill the entire track. This can be neat when you’re using the Korg Zero4 as a live production mixer. I got some great effects using the filters and my bandmate’s voice, accordion, and accelerometer (which was creating sound via the program Super Collider)

The zero detentes are a little deep on the Zero4, and I have to twist a little harder than I’d like to get it out of the detente, but some people will surely appreciate these deep detentes for a quick and easy return to zero.

CON: EQ

Despite the multiple settings, I can’t say I’ve managed to find a setting that I truly adore. However, the Zero Edit software apparently allows tweaking, so this isn’t really the end of the world.

One problem I find is using the isolators. I’d say most of the frequency kill happens in the first quarter counter-clockwise turn of the knob, which means that you don’t have a lot of control over sound shaping.

This is the “resolution problem” that people often talk about regarding EQ sound shaping with isolators - because each millimeter of twist in the knob knocks down so much of a track, it’s hard to have precise, subtle EQ control.

PRO: Crossfader

For a stock crossfader, the Profader installed in the Zero4 is very passable. Sharp cut and smooth. You can scratch on this fader out of the box, no problem.

CON: Crossfader

Since I’ve been scratching on an Innofader for the last year or so, I’m spoiled. The stock fader is a bit clicky, and not as free moving as the Innofader.

The Innofader install was very smooth, and I really enjoy using it over the stock fader.

PRO: Layout

For such a knob fest, the Zero4 is surprisingly easy to grasp after an hour or two. Everything is laid out in a very sensible manner. Some people might have trouble with getting a hold of the skinny knobs, but my fingers are fairly slim so I do okay with it.

CON: Layout

Only a few niggles here:

- The line faders are a little too close to the crossfader. If you’ve got some of the line faders at zero while scratching, you might smack your hand into them.

- The effect select knob really shouldn’t have been the same color, right next to the gain knob. I accidentally upped the gain significantly while attempting to change the effect. This could have earsplitting consequences on a large system.

On the other hand, I haven’t made this mistake since, but that’s because I always take a moment before grabbing and twisting now. However, I would’ve loved for this to be a bit more intuitive. Come on, Korg, all the other effects knobs are black! Why is the effect selector white?

Review Written by: Punky

Discussion Link: Here

Technical Specs:

Overview

Frequency Response

10 Hz ~ 20 kHz +/-1 dB, -2dB @ fs 44.1 kHz, 10 Hz ~ 21 kHz +/-1 dB @ fs 48 kHz, 10Hz ~ 40 kHz +/-1 dB @ fs 96 kHz, 15 Hz ~ 50 kHz +/-1 dB @ 192 kHz

S/N

93 dB (typical) @ IHF-A

THD+N

0.02 % (typical) INPUT: +22dBu@GAIN=0dB

A/D Conversion

24-bit, 64-time oversampling

D/A Conversion

24-bit, 128-time oversampling

Sampling Frequency (fs)

Internal 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, 192 kHz

Input 1-4 (Line, CD/Line)

Connectors

1/4″ TRS phone jacks (balanced) L/R, RCA jacks L/R

Input Impedance

10 k Ohms

Nominal Level; TRS

+4 dBu@ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB), RCA: -10 dBu@ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ +6 dB)

Maximum Level; TRS

+22 dBu@ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB), RCA: +8 dBu@ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ +6 dB)

Source Impedance

600 Ohms

Phono 1-4

Connectors

RCA jacks L/R

Input Impedance

50 k Ohms

Nominal Level

-44 dBu @ 1kHz, GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ +6 dB), RIAA cobrliant

Mic Input

Connectors

XLR-3-31 type (+48 V phantom power, with switch), 1/4″ TRS phone jack (balanced)

Input Impedance

3 k Ohms/XLR, 5 k Ohms/TRS

Nominal Level

Hi: 60 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB),

Low: -40 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB)

Maximum Level

Hi: -42 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB),

Low: -22 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ 0 dB)

Source Impedance

600 Ohms

Guitar Input

Connector

1/4″ phone jack (unbalanced)

Input Impedance

1 M Ohm

Nominal Level

-6 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ +6 dB)

Maximum Level

+12 dBu @ GAIN = 0 dB (GAIN = -infinity ~ +6 dB)

Source Impedance

600 Ohms

Master Output

Connectors

XLR-3-32 type L/R

Output Impedance

150 Ohms

Nominal Level

+4 dBu

Maximum Level

+22 dBu

Load Impedance

greater than 10 k Ohms

Booth Output

Connectors

1/4″ TRS phone jacks (balanced) L/R

Output Impedance

150 Ohms

Nominal Level

+4 dBu

Maximum Level

+22 dBu

Load Impedance

greater than 10 k Ohms

Rec Output

Connectors

RCA jacks L/R

Output Impedance

150 Ohms

Nominal Level

-10 dBu

Maximum Level

+8 dBu

Load Impedance

greater than 10 k Ohms

Phones Output

Connectors

1/4″ stereo phone jack, mini-stereo phone jack

Output Impedance

100 Ohms

Maximum Level

80 mW + 80 mW @ 32 Ohms

S/P DIF Output

Connector

coaxial

Format

24-bit S/P DIF (IEC60958)

Firewire

Connector

IEEE 1394 6-pin connector x2

Format

IEEE 1394a

MIDI

Connector

In. OUT

General

Power Supply

AC Local Voltage via Three-Pronged IECC13 Power Cable (Model D8B5518003B).

Power Consumption

32 Watts

Dimensions

11.81″ (W) x 15.83″ (D) x 4.13″ (H)

Weight

12.13 lbs.

Included items

Power cable, CD-ROM

Dimensions

11.81″ (W) x 15.83″ (D) x 4.13″ (H)

Weight

12.13 lbs./5.5 kg

Manufacturer Link: Korg

Innofader Link: Innofader

Original document by Stripe on djforums.com

[mo-c]

no bad its no more........it was on my consideration list

[Tomy]

i've got one.

cons - headphone cue / masater mix is up the arse.

- main effect dry/wet is a fader.... yuk.

- sound... is ok. i've got a killer hiss when nothing is playing through the speakers.

- like above eq's cant find a setting i'm happy with so have to edit it myself

pros - pretty much every thing else.

- really good connected with a DAW