More Live Korg PA3X recordings

I have posted some more songs, done live last night, including a new recording of My Valentine. (it is named Valentine new). Still not happy with the vocal sound, so I keep experimenting.
Anyway, maybe those interested can hear a few more of the styles in action.
Criticize all you want, I appreciate it. And I've been married three times, I can take it.

http://donmasonmusic.com/Valentine2012/
Don

Don

Thanx for doing these demos. These are about the first demos I've heard of the PA3X doing real standard type music that we play out in the trenches. You, as always sound great. The instrument itself sounds really good, with the sounds and styles your chose, a pleasant surprize after hearing all the less than good demos out there. This sounds like an instrument I might consider now. First time I've ever said that about a Korg.

I would still need to hear more horns and horn sections and big band etc type things. Seems to me though the Korg is more geared to the kind of sounds and styles you are using.

Hope to hear more if you get the chance.

ScottL

PS, I had a dream about you last night Don. Kind of scary when you think about it

Thanks you Scott, I will do some Big Band stuff for you.
Don

Nice job don...first two songs were very good but a bit over modulated and distorted?....the rest were sounding great as usual....how were they recorded?..

DNJ, I think you are hearing the distortion guitar sounds. Now that I've listened some more, I will not use that guitar again--too much distortion or overdrive or something. I don't believe it's the levels.
All the songs were recorded on Tascam PR10 ($59.) directly from tape out on mixer. All I did was covert from WAV to MP3 so they would be faster to upload and download.
DonM

Must not sound too great--129 views and two comments!
DonM

At least you know what to do to correct it.......
I know you will shine as always

Morning Don

Now thats more like you, I was I admit, disapointed with the first Valentine song, the guitar and the backing was very good in fact excellent but the vocal not for me.

The vocal on the new version is nearly there, not quite but damned close.

As for the other numbers most of them are new to me but they sound really great the guitar work is exceptional for a keyboard.

Congratulations, it was a good listen to start the day.

If the sales of the Pa3x do not increase from these demo's I would be really suprised.

Kind Regards

Col

PS: As we say over here, "Proper Job"

Don
Great work, and very good to finally here some music from a "live" musician, and not just these "Funky" PA3X demo's. The Korg sounds good, your guitar work is great as always, you should have done some demo's when this KB was released.
skude

Skude,

Break loose of the Audya and get that Pa3x it will do you for a while.

Tony

Don, Nice job! That's a fine sounding keyboard., Of course we all know it's who is behind it! I'm sure you'd make the Tyros4 sing too

Like Scott L I'd like to hear the big band stuff too.

Thx, Donny.

Hey Don, that's a good rockin' barrelhouse set there - well the ones I like anyway. Nothing says Louisiana like Amos Moses. Keep 'em coming.

Hey DonM,

Nice job as usual. I wonder if you would elaborate for me and the group about styles, especially C&W! At one time you told me you had most of them covered, except a good shuffle. Have you found anything?

Also, since you've owned abt every arranger out there; As it stands right now, how would you rate the PA3X for your needs? From 1 to 10!

Thnx for posting! We're going to get over to LA. again real soon.

Thanks for sharing some of your live work. The styles are GREAT! Vocals were real good too. Are you using the on board VH? I must say you do the best vocal harmony that I ever heard. Not too much and just at the right time. A good lesson for all of us that use a vocal harmonizer. The guitar and sax playing were fantastic however I did not care for the sounds. Distored guitars sounded realistic but didn't seem like a good fit for the song and the clean guitar on "You Send Me" was bit overbearing and fake sounding- same thing for the sax. Just my 2 cents...

Hey, we need you a new name as a "standards" kind of singer. Let's see: there's already "Old Blue Eyes". How about "old Red Eyes"? Sound good, by the way.


Russ ("Old Black Eyes")Lay

Real nice work once again, Don ... thnx for sharing ...
What style do you use for "My Valentine"

I really appreciate the feedback. After listening more critically, I totally agree with the comments about the sounds used. I will make those adjustments for tonight.
I think I finally got the vocal right last night on My Valentine, but I won't subject you to another version.
The style for it was an Orchestra Ballad. I just got the tempo from Sir Paul's recording, put on tempo lock and went through some styles until I found one that seemed to fit. Then I added a text file of the lyrics and saved it to Songbook. I will double check tonight to see the exact style name.
DonP, I have to rate the PA3X as the best fit for me right now, when you take into account size, weight, features, sound, and reliability. There are, of course, things I like better on other brands, but the total package is serving me very well. I have come up with some good Country styles, including shuffle. The PA3X has some great current country styles. It's the old-fashioned ones that I had to look for a little. Between tweaking some factory styles and receiving some from older Korgs, I'm fine with them now. I'm not doing as much Country in my current situation, but it is still my first love. I can do New York, New York and it sounds country anyway.
Regarding Vocal Harmony, it is the onboard processor and harmonizer. My primary harmony setting is one voice above. I adjusted the gender to sound like a girl. I reduced the effects on the harmony voice so it doesn't get lost in the mix.
On certain songs I will use as many as three extra voices. There is also a quick switch to make an immediate change in the vocal. I don't remember what they call it right now. Anyway I set it up to do a female voice an octave up without hearing the original voice. I use it for the high part on Bread and Butter and for joke songs. I do a little "bit" about every female singer that ever sets in wanting to do Crazy, then I do it myself.
There are almost limitless capabilities with the built-in TC Helicon harmonizer.
Russ, since Willie, Rod Stewart and now McCartney did albums of standards, I figured maybe they know a little bit, so I am again doing more of them. Years ago, I did a lot of them. It all depends on what goes over with your audience. (And your boss).
During last night's gig I did L-O-V-E, Fly Me To The Moon, New York, Danke Shein, It Had To Be You, Scotch and Soda, Georgia, Misty, Summer Wind, The Way You Look Tonight, You Belong To My Heart, and others. Still some Waylon, Willie, Merle and Johnny in there, and a large portion of Elvis as well. It all depends on who is there, what they request and what is going over well.
Jack of all trades, master of none--that's me.
Again, thanks for your help guys. Sorry for the long ramble here.
Don

Don ... never apologize for a posting that is informative and provides some light-hearted humor as well ...
I was neglectful in my post in that I wanted to compliment your use of the harmonizer ... not over bearing and very effective when used ...
I was happily surprised to hear you sing "Scotch and Soda" ... that is one of Lydia's favorite's that I do ...
BTW ... you been sneakin' a peek at MY playlist ???

Tony, I suppose that's why they are called Standards, everybody does 'em. I sometimes play a little trivia game and tell the audience that whoever tells me the name of the artists that did Scotch and Soda gets a free drink--no Googling though. Nobody has ever come up with the right answer.
DonM

There is actually a very interesting story about that song - taken from a youtube site ...
Dave Guard, a member of the Trio, first heard it while he was dating the older sister of baseball's Tom Seaver at their home. The song had been a favorite of Seaver's parents since they first heard it played in a piano bar on their honeymoon back in 1932, and they decided to make it "their song" and had the piano player write down the music and lyrics. Guard loved the song, the Trio recorded it, but they never discovered who wrote it although they searched for years to discover the composer.
It's a shame the composer never got the rightful credit for it ...

I didn't know THAT, and I know everything! I heard the K3 do it in person many years ago, and they did it straight, no jokes.
DonM

Hi Don

It seems to me you didn't like the PA800 but you like the PAX3. Are they that much different? Are you able to play it right out of the box and it sounds good, or do you have to tweak, tweak, tweak to make it your own?

To me if it doesn't sound good right out of the box, then it's probably not the right instrument.

It sounded good out of the box, but there was certainly tweaking necessary to optimize it to my best use. In fact, it's still going on. However, virtually none of my tweaking had anything to do with the sound, it is mostly adjusting style part levels or changing sounds to better fit certain songs.
As I've mentioned before, the PA800 I bought was literally the first one to hit the U.S. The Rep handed it to me personally. It sounded awful. After I sold it Korg did a major overhaul of the OS and I'm told that it totally changed the sound of it.
Having said all this, I really believe the PA3X is a major step up from PA800. For sure it is from the one I had!
DonM

"t sounded good out of the box, but there was certainly tweaking necessary to optimize it to my best use. In fact, it's still going on. However, virtually none of my tweaking had anything to do with the sound,"

Yes, that;s what I meant also.

There hasn't been an arranger made yet that I'm happy with the out of the box sound...the fun for me is to make the sound
"MY OWN" with different blends of Rt 1,2,3 sounds, styles edits, sound choices and efx settings which isn't very hard to do ....once you do your "homework" your done..no manufacturer knows how I like my musical sound so as a pro performer tweaking is a necessity for me Always,in all aspects of my music...the arranger KB is just a tool. good luck to all.

Very Nice Don...smooth and clear.