Korg Zero 4 & 8

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:34 pm

Tuur wrote:
subterFUSE wrote:The Zero8 only allows you to route audio to one of the eight mixer channels. You cannot route directly to the Master Bus or Headphone Bus. So what this means is.... when you are setting up Ableton you must assign the Master output to one channel on the Zero8 and then assign the Cue output to another channel.
I don't get it. You can't use it in some sort of 'channel direct mode'?

I was planning on using a Zero4 with 4 Live channels 'hardwired' (audio/midi) to the 4 mixer channels (without using the Master out from Live and doing PFL on the Korg - just like any other audio source). Is this possible?

Yes. You can tell Ableton to simply bypass it's software mixer, and route audio directly to each channel in the Zero8. But this method means you are giving up the ability to record your Ableton Set..... unless you re-route the audio back into your laptop and record a WAV file.

I do not prefer this method for using Ableton. I like to use a MIDI controller to mix within the software, and to record my sets that way. Then I simply use the Render to Disk function. Saving my sets this way saves hard drive space, and also allows me to go back and edit recorded sets.

But due to the way the Zero8 routing is set up, you can't use all 8 channels as MIDI controllers and use the Cue feature in Ableton. You must give up one of your MIDI control channels to play in your headphones.

Tuur · Post by **Tuur** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:23 am

subterFUSE wrote:But due to the way the Zero8 routing is set up, you can't use all 8 channels as MIDI controllers and use the Cue feature in Ableton. You must give up one of your MIDI control channels to play in your headphones.

Now I see what you mean. I'm not surprised it works that way though, but that's probably the engineer/nerd in me.

Thanks for the info!

chrysalis33rpm · Post by **chrysalis33rpm** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:21 am

Tuur wrote:
subterFUSE wrote:But due to the way the Zero8 routing is set up, you can't use all 8 channels as MIDI controllers and use the Cue feature in Ableton. You must give up one of your MIDI control channels to play in your headphones.

Now I see what you mean. I'm not surprised it works that way though, but that's probably the engineer/nerd in me.

Thanks for the info!

That seems insane to me...and not in a good way!

Kosmos · Post by **Kosmos** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:27 pm

Alright so I'm about to get the Zero 8 from a friend for a ridiculously good price, but before I get it, I have a few concerns. Someone mentioned the sound quality is somewhat poor (or at least in comparison to the A&H mixer). May I ask if you were using the exact same settings and buffer sizes as you were on your A&H mixer? I currently use my Access Virus to render my tracks which has the same resolution capabilities, but more importantly, it's the high quality of converters that it uses. The only problem with the virus, however, is that I've run into some glitches when recording - well when recording and using it in general - argh...guess I shoulda gotten a Virus C ehh?

Anyways... I'm coming over from producing into DJing and it seems to me that the Korg Zero 8 is the best possible option for two reasons. First of all, I would like to use song elements and create a lot of loops before the set. This may take away from some elements of being a 'DJ' but will give me the option of working with my own loops and creating some interesting live mixes. I also want to be able to use this for producing final versions of songs. For me, I write songs better if I write the loops and then record them into a song live. In this way I can really feel the song and have easy access to filters and effects rather than all that tedious work of slowlllllllllly drawing the lines for each filter and effect. Has anyone had some good experience producing tracks with the Zero 8? If so...has it been a good experience? lol

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:40 pm

Kosmos wrote:Alright so I'm about to get the Zero 8 from a friend for a ridiculously good price, but before I get it, I have a few concerns. Someone mentioned the sound quality is somewhat poor (or at least in comparison to the A&H mixer). May I ask if you were using the exact same settings and buffer sizes as you were on your A&H mixer? I currently use my Access Virus to render my tracks which has the same resolution capabilities, but more importantly, it's the high quality of converters that it uses. The only problem with the virus, however, is that I've run into some glitches when recording - well when recording and using it in general - argh...guess I shoulda gotten a Virus C ehh?

Anyways... I'm coming over from producing into DJing and it seems to me that the Korg Zero 8 is the best possible option for two reasons. First of all, I would like to use song elements and create a lot of loops before the set. This may take away from some elements of being a 'DJ' but will give me the option of working with my own loops and creating some interesting live mixes. I also want to be able to use this for producing final versions of songs. For me, I write songs better if I write the loops and then record them into a song live. In this way I can really feel the song and have easy access to filters and effects rather than all that tedious work of slowlllllllllly drawing the lines for each filter and effect. Has anyone had some good experience producing tracks with the Zero 8? If so...has it been a good experience? lol

My sound quality comparison came from my first impressions after plugging up the unit, and playing a vinyl record on it. So I wasn't using the soundcard yet. My impression was that the Zero8 is slightly lacking in bass level output when the EQs are set flat. If I turn the EQ up slightly, then I get the sort of bass response I am hoping for.

I don't normally like running my EQs past the center detent position, so this is a minor annoyance. I did find a workaround by applying the Drawing EQ as a master effect and increasing the bass levels slightly.

What concerns me more about my Zero8 is the fact that when using it as a MIDI controller for Ableton, I must give up one of the channels for my headphone cue. So instead of being an 8 channel MIDI controller, it becomes a defacto 7 channel. Again, not the end of the world... but annoying just the same.

Kosmos · Post by **Kosmos** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:38 pm

hmmm....well perhaps the Zero 8 is tuned for a club? Are the higher ranges also a bit lower?

Anyone have any feedback on the audio interface quality?

Still sounds like the best solution to me as someone that doesn't use tables or CD-Js - I'm coming from a producer background so this is the best place for me to start I would assume

mrideas · Post by **mrideas** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:27 am

Hi I'm very new here so forgive any ignorance...

I'm looking to buy a Zero8 later this year, and use it for both dj'ing (Live&cdj's/vinyl), and production.

I'm reading through the issues (which i hope are sorted out b4 I buy), and can see this cue'ing problem as a fairly important one to get around. (for ableton that is).

As an idea/question, is it worth trying to cue via another option such as the soundcard on the PC we are connected to? I see the issue (as a newbie), being that we are trying to do two different things at once with Abelton and the Z8 ie using it as a dj mixer but expecting it to 'listen' to the cue'ing inside ableton, where all the midi&audio is. So I kind of understand where the problem stems from.

Is it possible to set up the z8 as midi controller to control Live, but cue from Live via the PC soundcard (possibly via firewire card without headphone out), but also use the Z8 to mix cdj/vinyl, or even final scratch/traktor and moniter that mix via Live, by routing the output of the cdj's through the Z8 at into two channels in live and into the main mix out of live?

Does that make sense?

Cheers.

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:13 pm

So, am I right in assuming that the Zero8 can't control more than 8 tracks?

In other words, if it is just being used as a MIDI controller, and I've got 9 tracks in my session, what happens with the 9th track? Can I bank over like with the Mackie Control stuff?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:22 pm

Thinktanx wrote:So, am I right in assuming that the Zero8 can't control more than 8 tracks?

In other words, if it is just being used as a MIDI controller, and I've got 9 tracks in my session, what happens with the 9th track? Can I bank over like with the Mackie Control stuff?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

I don't think so.

There are 4 MIDI banks, but I think they only control the 8 rotary encoders.

I will try it out tonight and get back to you.

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:41 pm

subterFUSE wrote:
Thinktanx wrote:So, am I right in assuming that the Zero8 can't control more than 8 tracks?

In other words, if it is just being used as a MIDI controller, and I've got 9 tracks in my session, what happens with the 9th track? Can I bank over like with the Mackie Control stuff?

Thanks in advance for any responses.
I don't think so.

There are 4 MIDI banks, but I think they only control the 8 rotary encoders.

I will try it out tonight and get back to you.

Cool, thanks a lot.

Kinda limiting for studio use if that is the case. OTOH, I guess you can automate eight channels at once, which is enough. Then shift tracks 9-whatever over, and do another automation pass. It's not a deal breaker for me.

And the 8 rotary encoders can also be pushed, right?

bildeaux · Post by **bildeaux** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:03 pm

The rotary encoders can be pushed.

b.

danielwilber · Post by **danielwilber** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:00 am

Does anyone have any information on syncing/slaving Ableton to the Zero's MIDI clock?
I'd like to simply control the tempo from the Mixer.

Jonny Thrice · Post by **Jonny Thrice** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 12:50 am

There is also the new ECLER EVO5 for you guys to check out. You can route Ableton to the MIX and/or PFL inputs on the EVO, so that might solve your CUE problem. I'm no Ableton expert, but I do have an EVO5 and Ableton 6, so if you tell me exactly what to check, I can do that for you.

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:21 am

Anybody using the Zero8 and have any new comments/thoughts??

Also, does anyone have a link to the Future Music review? I missed the print edition, but would very much like to read what they had to say.

Right now, I'm torn between the Zero8 vs. a comination of the Mackie Control Universal Pro and the Remote Zero SL. I don't really have any doubts that the Zero8 would be seriously rad for playing out live, but I'm not sure about it in the studio. The MCU/Remote Zero combo would cover all the bases in the studio, but the Remote Zero would, it seems, fall a little short of the Zero8 live.

So, the crux of the matter is how well the Zero8 performs in the studio. If any of you are using it extensively on the production side, I would really like to hear your experiences, workflow, opinions, etc.