Owner’s Manual

1
 Precautions
Location
Using the unit in the following locations can result in a
CE mark for European Harmonized
malfunction. Standards
• In direct sunlight CE mark which is attached to our company’s products
• Locations of extreme temperature or humidity of AC mains operated apparatus until December 31,
• Excessively dusty or dirty locations 1996 means it conforms to EMC Directive (89/336/
• Locations of excessive vibration EEC) and CE mark Directive (93/68/EEC).
• Close to magnetic fields And, CE mark which is attached after January 1, 1997
means it conforms to EMC Directive (89/336/EEC), CE
Power supply
mark Directive (93/68/EEC) and Low Voltage Directive
Please connect the designated AC adapter to an AC outlet
(73/23/EEC).
of the correct voltage. Do not connect it to an AC outlet of
Also, CE mark which is attached to our company’s
voltage other than that for which your unit is intended.
products of Battery operated apparatus means it con-
Interference with other electrical devices forms to EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and CE mark
Radios and televisions placed nearby may experience Directive (93/68/EEC).
reception interference. Operate this unit at a suitable dis-
tance from radios and televisions.
Handling
To avoid breakage, do not apply excessive force to the COPYRIGHT WARNING
switches or controls. This professional device is intended only for use with
Care works for which you yourself own the copyright, for
which you have received permission from the copyright
If the exterior becomes dirty, wipe it with a clean, dry cloth.
Do not use liquid cleaners such as benzene or thinner, or holder to publicly perform, record, broadcast, sell, and
duplicate, or in connection with activities which consti-
cleaning compounds or flammable polishes.
tute “fair use” under copyright law. If you are not the
Keep this manual copyright holder, have not received permission from the
After reading this manual, please keep it for later reference. copyright holder, or have not engaged in fair use of the
Keeping foreign matter out of your equipment works, you may be violating copyright law, and may be
Never set any container with liquid in it near this equip- liable for damages and penalties. If you are unsure about
ment. If liquid gets into the equipment, it could cause a your rights to a work, please consult a copyright attor-
breakdown, fire, or electrical shock. ney. KORG TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY
Be careful not to let metal objects get into the equipment. If INFRINGEMENT COMMITTED THROUGH USE OF
something does slip into the equipment, unplug the AC KORG PRODUCTS.
adapter from the wall outlet. Then contact your nearest
Korg dealer or the store where the equipment was
purchased.

THE FCC REGULATION WARNING (for U.S.A.)

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the
limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protec-
tion against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio fre-
quency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio com-
munications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on,
the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different
from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for
help. *Company names, product names, and names of formats
Unauthorized changes or modification to this system can void
etc. are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
respective owners.

2
 Table of Contents
Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Unpacking your CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
About this manual - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Features of the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
A few dos and don’ts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
About multitrack recording - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5
About the Ampworks effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Finding your way around the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6
Setting up the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Connections to the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Connections from the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Connecting the power - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Inserting the tape - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Making your first recording - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
Recording the rhythm machine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
Recording a bass - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10
Recording a guitar - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11
Recording vocals - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11
Mixdown - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12
More advanced techniques - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
Multi-track recording - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
Expanding the inputs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
Expanding the number of tracks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
Using the noise reduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
Ampworks effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
What is REMS? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
Controls - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
Modeling type - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
Effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15
The TAP control - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15
Further uses for the CR-4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16
Using the CR-4 as a guitar combo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16
Using the CR-4 as a pre-amplifier - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16
Specifications - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Cassette recorder - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Physical specifications - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Audio specifications and performance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Effects - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Dimensional drawing - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Block Diagram - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18

3
 Introduction
...............
Unpacking your CR-4
Ampworks guitar effects
The integrated Ampworks guitar effects pro-
When you first open the packing for your CR- vide you with a wide range of guitar and bass
4, you should find the following (as well as this amplifiers, that include high-quality profes-
manual): sional-sounding digital effects such as reverb,
delay, chorus, etc. Just plug into the CR-4 and
• The CR-4 itself
go!
• An AC power adapter
• Your warranty card and other service infor- And you can use the Ampworks effects with
mation. the CR-4 to feed a larger amplification system,
Contact your KORG dealer if any of these or practice your favorite licks and riffs using
items are missing. the CR-4 on its own.
Save the packing in case you ever need to Other Ampworks effects
return the CR-4 for service. The CR-4 also provides two microphone mod-
Only use the AC adaptor supplied with els, allowing you to simulate the sound of two
your CR-4, and make sure that the voltage of the world’s most famous microphones, as
marked on the adapter matches your well as an “acoustic” model bypass effect. The

...............
household AC voltage. If you are in any built-in 3-band EQ features a sweepable
doubt, consult your KORG dealer. midrange frequency control for these modes.
Built-in amplifier and speakers
About this manual To cut down on the number of cables and con-
nections you need to record, you can use the
In this manual, we’ll use the following conven-
built-in bass-reflex speaker system.
tions :
Or, if you get a bit carried away, you can keep
• Steps that you follow are marked in order,
your playing to yourself (and a friend!) using
like:
the dual headphone facilities—this means that
1 Connect the power.
a singer and guitarist can both use headphones
2 Switch on the power switch. at the same time.
• When we mention a control or indicator on
the CR-4, we put it in brackets, like [PLAY]. Easy operation
• This symbol indicates a caution. The CR-4 has been designed to be as easy as
possible to operate. If you can use a stereo cas-
• This symbol indicates advice. sette deck, you can use the CR-4 to make your

............... ...............
• We’ll point you to other pages in the man- own recordings.
ual like this: (→p.6). Read through this manual to find out what you
can do with the CR-4, and how to do it.
Features of the CR-4
Key features of the CR-4 include the following: A few dos and don’ts
High-quality multitrack cassette tape deck There are some basic safety precautions at the
The CR-4 includes a multitrack cassette tape beginning of this manual which you should
deck, allowing you to use everyday low-cost read and note. In addition, please note the fol-
cassette media to make your own multitrack lowing:
recordings. You can record up to four tracks at • Keep the tape heads clean using cassette
a time, mixing guitars, bass, keyboards, and head cleaning kits—available from most
microphone inputs before creating your own electronic stores.
mixes using a stereo cassette deck, CD, or even • Cassette tapes are sensitive to magnetic
to a computer where you can make your own fields. Don’t use the CR-4 near TV sets or
MP3s. computer monitors, and don’t store the
cassettes anywhere near these devices, or
near equipment with large electric motors.

4
 Introduction
• Avoid smoking, eating or drinking over the (left and right of side B) are played back
CR-4. Smoke particles, food crumbs and with the tape traveling in the other direc-
spilled liquids are the enemies of fine audio tion. With the CR-4, all four tracks play in

...............
gear. the same direction. Also, the CR-4 does not
• Use the best possible new cassettes (Type feature noise reduction.
II) wherever possible, for high quality
results.
• Use shorter tapes whenever you can. Avoid About the Ampworks effects
C-90 (or longer) tapes if possible because When you play an electric guitar or bass, part
the tapes are thin, and may stretch or even of the total sound comes from the instrument
break. Because the CR-4 only plays tapes in itself, and a significant part comes from the
one direction, you will get half the stated amplifier and speakers.
recording time on a tape. Although you may love the sound of your
• Keep the listening levels low. High levels favorite guitarist, you know that it’s going to

...............
can destroy hearing (and you never get it be difficult to set up a massive stack of tube
back!). amplifiers and speakers in your home to sound
just like him.
The Ampworks effects in your CR-4 simulate
About multitrack recording some of the world’s most famous and best-
As we mentioned earlier, the CR-4 allows you loved amplifier/speaker combinations, allow-
to perform multitrack recording. Multitrack- ing you to get just the sound you want without
ing allows you to record the different parts of a the large heavyweight stacks.
piece of music separately, meaning that if you In addition, there is a digital effects unit allow-
play a perfect guitar solo, but make a mess of ing you to add reverb, delay and so on, giving
the vocals, you don’t have to record everything that extra professional touch to your playing.
again—just the vocals. Full tone controls, and gain and volume con-
There are three basic phases to multitrack trols, just like on a full-sized guitar amplifier,
recording: tracking, overdubbing and mix- give you complete control.
down. We’ll explain a sample session in this When you use an acoustic guitar, the two
manual (→p.9) and also give tips on more microphone models and the “acoustic” setting
advanced recording you can do with your CR- provide you with added flexibility and control.
4 (→p.13). Full instructions on how to make the most of
In tracking, the basic foundations of the song this feature are provided in this manual
are recorded. (→p.14).
Most people find it easiest to record the
rhythm parts (for example, drums and per-
cussion, bass and rhythm guitar first, and
then add the lead and vocal lines).
When overdubbing, you add other parts on top
of the basic parts you recorded earlier.
And when you mix down, you adjust the level
of the individual parts and their position in the
stereo field (their “pan” position) and make a
stereo recording on a separate “master” cas-
sette, MD or CD recorder.
Note that if you try play back the CR-4
tapes in an ordinary stereo cassette deck (or
the other way round), on an ordinary ste-
reo cassette two tracks (left and right of
side A) are played back with the tape trav-
eling in one direction and the other two

5
 Finding your way around the CR-4
Use this “road map” as a quick guide to find
important features of your CR-4.

Connect the AC power adapter

here, and turn the CR-4 on and off
with this switch

Stereo mastering
cassette, CD, etc. is
connected here

Speakers: turn these on and

off with the rear panel
switch. You can also use
headphones as an alterna-
tive monitoring method.

4-track cassette
deck and
transport controls.
Cassette transport
controls are just
the same as on
any cassette deck.

Ampworks effect. Use this to

give your playing a distinc-
Stereo head- Mixer section. Controls the tive sound.
phones go in input levels, record enabling,
here and output levels of the tracks,
as well as the effects for the
tracks, and the pan positions.

Guitars, basses, microphones, synthesizers and

so on go into these 1/4-inch jacks.

6
 Setting up the CR-4
To use the CR-4, you need to make enough
room on a level firm surface for the unit itself,
and also leave enough space for connections.
...............
Connecting the power
Making sure that the AC adapter is the correct
There are two kinds of connections to make (as voltage for your region, connect the plug of the
well as the power connection): the audio con- power cord to the power inlet of the CR-4, and
nections to the CR-4 and the connections from the plug of the adapter to an AC outlet.
the unit.
Switch on any rhythm machines, synthesizers

...............
You may want to look at the “road map” or other input devices connected to the CR-4.
(→p.6) before going much further.
Then switch on the CR-4.

Connections to the CR-4

Connections to the CR-4 include microphones,
guitars, synthesizers and rhythm units, etc.

Now you can switch on the recorder, if this is

connected.
All of these are made through the 1/4" jacks on We always recommend switching on
the front panel. equipment starting with the source, and
finishing with the final destination. Switch
We always suggest that you connect and

...............
off equipment in the reverse order, ending
disconnect equipment to and from the CR-
with the source.
4 and turn equipment on and off with the
headphone and speaker [MASTER] vol-

...............
ume turned down. This protects your ears, Inserting the tape
as well as the speakers and headphones.
It’s a good idea to invest in a tape-cleaning
kit, and clean the heads of the CR-4 before
Connections from the CR-4 and after every recording session (we do
The connections that you need to make from not suggest that you use dry cassette-type
the CR-4 are the headphones and the connec- head cleaners—cotton swabs and tape
tions to the master stereo recorder. head and rubber cleaning fluid kits are
ideal). This will help you maintain a high
Connect headphones to the 1/4" [PHONES]
standard of recording, and will make your
jacks on the front panel. Use the [MAIN] jack if
work sound much better.
you are only connecting one pair of head-
phones (the [SUB] output doesn’t work on its You may also want to consider the use of a
own). tape head demagnetizer. Follow the
instructions of the demagnetizer for opti-
mum results.
Remember to use only CrO2 tape (Type II)
tapes.
Connect any standard cassette recorder, etc.
using the RCA jacks on the rear panel of the
CR-4. These should be connected to the [REC
IN] or [IN] of the recorder.

7
 Setting up the CR-4
You may want to take up any slack in the tape
cassette, using a pencil, before you load it into
the CR-4.
1 Lift the cassette lid (use your fingers—
there’s no eject button).
2 Mark the tape with your project (song)
name and the date, and add “CR-4” so that
you know in the future that it’s a multi-
track tape.
3 Insert the tape, fully rewound to the start
(with the full spool on the left side).
It’s a good idea to always use the same side
(side A) of tapes for multitrack recording.
That way, you won’t be confused in the
future.
4 Close the cassette lid.
5 Press [PLAY] to play the tape for about ten
seconds, press [STOP] and press the tape
counter reset button.

This prevents you recording on the non-

recording leader tape at the start of cas-
settes.
You are now ready to start recording as
explained below (→p.9).

8
 Making your first recording
For this recording, let’s assume that you are Set the [TRIM] and faders of tracks 1, 3 and
starting with a bass and drum part on the first 4 to their minimum levels (this prevents
two tracks and the drum sounds will come any unwanted noise from intruding on
from a rhythm (drum) machine. your recording).
The bass guitar will be recorded on track 1, and 4 Press the [REC/OL] button for track 2, so
the drum part on track 2. There’s also one gui- that the [REC/OL] indicator flashes green.
tar part (track 3) and one vocal part (track 4). Play the rhythm machine again. If the indi-
Of course, your arrangement may be different, cator turns red, the signal is too loud. Pull
but we suggest you read through and follow down the fader a little.
this example as closely as you can.
We’ll record the bass using the Ampworks
effects. We’ll record the rhythm machine
first with no effects, and then play the bass

...............
part, backed by the recorded rhythm 5 Adjust the [MASTER] fader for a comfort-
machine, using the Ampworks effects. able monitoring level from the headphones
and the speakers.
Recording the rhythm machine
1 Connect the mono output of the rhythm
machine to the [TR 2] input.

2 Adjust the level, etc. of the the rhythm

machine and play it. Adjust the CR-4’s
track 2 [TRIM] control so that the red indi-
cator lights very briefly on only the very
loudest parts.
Be careful not to damage your hearing (or
the speakers or headphones).
6 Stop the rhythm machine. If you need to
“rewind” it to the start of the song, do so.
7 Press the [RECORD] button (which also
3 Move the fader up for track 2 so that it’s
presses the [PLAY] button. The tape starts
between [7] and [8] (the unity gain posi-
moving and recording starts on track 2.
tion).
Start the rhythm machine.

You can also use the [PAUSE] button to

prepare for recording without actually hav-
ing the tape moving (press and hold the
[RECORD] button and press the [PAUSE]
button).

9
 Making your first recording
8 When you reach the end of the rhythm There is no “right” or “wrong” model to
track, stop the rhythm machine, press the choose here; different amplifier models suit
[PAUSE] button, and then press the [STOP] different guitars and playing styles. Experi-
button. Rewind the tape to the zero posi- ment until you find the basic sound that
tion (where you started the recording). suits you best.
Turn down track 2’s [TRIM] control and 4 You can add an effect such as chorus, to
disconnect the rhythm machine . thicken up the sound, using the Ampworks
9 IMPORTANT! Press the [REC/OL] button rotary control:
for track 2 to make it safe, and prevent you
from recording over it.

When you start recording, you will record Use the Ampworks controls to adjust the
on any “armed” track, with its [REC/OL] tone of the bass, as well as the gain and
button pressed, even if nothing is con- amount of effect if you use one.
nected to the track inputs! Remember to

...............
“disarm” (or “safe”) a track when you have
finished recording it.

Recording a bass For full details of how to use the Amp-

1 Connect your bass to the [TR 1] input. works effect, see the appropriate section
(→p.14).
5 Prepare the track for recording (“arm” it)
using the [REC/OL] button, and adjust the
fader as you did for the rhythm machine
2 Play your bass and adjust the [TRIM] con- (so that the [REC/OL] indicator barely
trol for track 1 so that the [TRIM] indicator lights on the loudest bass passages).
only lights briefly on the very loudest 6 Press [PLAY] and play the bass part along
notes. with the recorded rhythm part.

3 Now we’ll use the effects. Turn on the effect Use the fader of track 2 (the rhythm track)
for track 1, using the track’s [EFFECT] to adjust the relative levels, so that you can
switch. hear the bass, while still having the rhythm
section loud enough to play in time.
7 Record the bass part as you did the rhythm
part. Remember to “safe” the track by
Select an amplifier/speaker model using
pressing the [REC/OL] button when
the Ampworks rotary control:
you’re done.

10
 Making your first recording
............... ...............
Recording a guitar Recording vocals
This is almost the same as recording the bass. For this track (track 4), use a microphone for
Use track 3 for the guitar part. Unplug the bass the vocals. If you use speakers while you
from input 1, and connect the guitar to input 3. record with a microphone, there’s a risk of
Adjust the [TRIM] as you did for the bass (and feedback. Turn the speakers off, using the
don’t forget to turn down the [TRIM] on track switch on the rear panel, and use headphones
1). for this track.
You will probably want to choose another
Ampworks amp/speaker combination and
effect for the guitar as well as adjusting the
tone controls, etc. (→p.14).
Remember to turn track 3’s [EFFECT] switch When you use the [TRIM] control to adjust the
on and track 1’s [EFFECT] switch off (a maxi- input volume, you will probably have to turn it
mum of one [EFFECT] switch can be on at a clockwise in order to get the correct level
time—you can turn off all [EFFECT] switches (microphones have lower levels than other
by pressing the switch that’s on lightly to turn input sources).
it off). There are two built-in microphone modelers
When you have adjusted the guitar recording (VOCAL1 and VOCAL2) which you can use
volume using fader 3, you should use faders 1 with your vocal line as well as the acoustic (AC
and 2 to adjust the playback volume of the pre- EQ) position, but you can use other models if
viously-recorded bass and rhythm to match the you want.
volume of the guitar. Remember that this is You will probably want to add a little reverb or
only to help you play in time—when you’re echo to your vocal line to make it sound a bit
ready for the final mixdown, you can adjust the more spacious.
volumes as you want. Make sure the track 4 [EFFECT] switch is on to
Let’s take a look at the [PAN] controls. enable the models and/or effects.
These allow you to position the tracks Use the [REVERB] or the [DELAY] setting here
between the left and right speakers (or all and adjust the tone, etc. so that it suits your
in the left or right speaker, if you want). voice (you may want to make a few test record-
When you’re recording, especially when ings and listen to them to see how you really
you’re using headphones, you may find it sound. Remember to turn the [REC/OL but-
helpful to play back the previously ton] on while you’re recording, and off when
recorded tracks in one channel, and the you’re playing back).
track you’re recording in the other. You don’t need to record all the vocals in
one take. You can record the first verse and
chorus, for example, stop the tape, record
the next verse, etc. This works as long as
there is a short space between the vocal
passages, otherwise the vocals will start to
Turn down the track 3 [TRIM] control, and
sound a little “patchy”.
unplug the guitar. Turn the track 3 [EFFECT]
switch off, and “safe” the guitar track when Once you’ve recorded the vocals, you’re ready
you’re done, so you don’t accidentally record to start mixing down to make a stereo record-
over the top of it. ing. Once again, remember to “safe” the vocal
track so you don’t record over it!
To prevent any accidental recording on
your multitrack cassette, you can punch
out the write-protect tab from the recording
side (side A).

11
 Making your first recording
...............
Mixdown
tracks hard left and hard right to keep the orig-
inal stereo image produced by the source.
For mixdown, it’s a good idea to use speakers, Typically, the aim is to make the listeners feel
rather than headphones, so turn the speakers as though they are “really there”, listening to
back on. the original performance, but you can often use
pan positions for special effects, and an unnat-
Unplug the headphones to achieve the best
ural pan position (or change to the pan posi-
sound quality from the [LINE OUT].
tion) is an attention-grabber. Remember that
Mixing levels people listening on mono equipment (AM
When you’re mixing down, make sure that the radio, etc.) won’t hear the benefits of this,
master meter’s [+6] indicator is only lighting in though.
the louder passages. If it is continuously lit,
you will overload the amplifier of the CR-4 and
Making the mix
When you’ve adjusted the level, you should:
cause distortion.
1 Rewind the CR-4 tape to a little before the
If you’re recording to a digital recorder (such as
start of your recording.
a CD or MD recorder), remember that digital
distortion is extremely unpleasant—you 2 If you’re mixing to a tape, rewind the ste-
should adjust the input levels of your recorder reo tape to a little before you want to start
or (if it has no recording level controls) the the mix (you don’t need to do this if you’re
[MASTER] fader). recording to disc). Put your stereo recorder
On the other hand, if you make the recording in record ready mode.
too quiet, you may hear background noises 3 Play back the CR-4 tape, and if your stereo
and tape hiss which you don’t want. recorder has meters, watch them carefully
You may want to move the [MASTER] fader to at the loudest parts to make sure that you
about the [4] position, and get a balance before are not recording at too high a volume.
adjusting the master level. Adjust the recording level (or if your stereo
recorder has no recording level controls,
lower the CR-4’s [MASTER] fader).
4 Rewind the CR-4 tape to a little before the
start of your song.
5 Play back your CR-4 tape.
6 Start recording on your stereo recorder in
the quiet passage before the song actually
starts.
7 At the end of the song, stop your recorder,
and then stop the CR-4 tape.
8 You can now listen to the mixed tape. It’s
quite possible that you will not get it per-
fectly right first time, so be prepared to do
There are no absolute rules for mixing, but you it again (and again!) until you get it right.
should try to avoid making one part too loud at
the expense of all the others. When you’ve finished, we suggest you
clean the tape heads of your CR-4 before
Mix positions turning it off and putting it away.
You can also use the [PAN] controls to position
the different tracks in the mix.
Typically, lead vocals reside in the center,
equally balanced between the left and right
channels.
If you have recorded a stereo source (stereo
rhythm machine, synthesizer, etc.) on two
tracks, you will probably want to pan these

12
 More advanced techniques

...............
Here are a few more techniques that you can 3 Connect the [LINE OUT] of the stereo
use to help with your recording. recorder to inputs 1 and 2 of the CR-4. You
may not want to add any effects to these
tracks just yet, so make sure all [EFFECT]
Multi-track recording switches are off.
The CR-4 allows you to record four tracks at 4 Arm all the CR-4 tracks from 1 through 4
once. The example we gave above only (so that you write over the previously
recorded one track at a time. recorded tracks). Move the [TRIM] controls
If you are recording a group of musicians, you and the faders of tracks 3 and 4 to their
can record more than one track at once, and lowest level (all the way down).
adjust the balance later. 5 Play back the stereo recording, and adjust
You can record on a pair of tracks (either 1+2 or the [TRIM] controls of tracks 1 and 2.
3+4). Press one [REC/OL] button, and then the 6 Start recording on the CR-4 and play back
other [REC/OL] button of the pair to arm. You the mixed stereo recording from the begin-
can also arm and record on all four tracks by ning. Disconnect the stereo recorder from
using four fingers to press all four [REC/OL] the CR-4 inputs, and safe all CR-4 tracks.
buttons together.
If you are recording on more than one track, If you’re using a cassette recorder as your
remember that only one track at the most can stereo recorder, you can take the mixed cas-
use the Ampworks effects. Don’t try to press sette from the stereo recorder and put it in

...............
more than one [EFFECT] switch at the same the CR-4. The stereo tracks will become
time. tracks 1 and 2 on the CR-4. Remember you
cannot use noise reduction on your stereo
cassette recorder, and because the track lay-
Expanding the inputs out of the CR-4 is different to that of an
You can use a small mixer to mix together sev- ordinary cassette recorder, you must use
eral different instruments (for example, a ste- only one side of the stereo cassette.
reo chorus rhythm guitar and a buttonboard 7 Now you can use tracks 3 and 4 for new
with the bass), and use this to feed two tracks. tracks, along with the previous tracks now
The other two tracks can then be used for lead bounced onto 1 and 2.
guitar and vocals. Once you’ve mixed your first four tracks to
Typically, you’ll create a stereo sub-mix using stereo, there’s no way of separating them
the small external mixer, and record the left again! So if you decide after recording
and right outputs of the mixer on two tracks. tracks 5 and 6 that the bass is too quiet (or

...............
When you come to mix down, you’ll pan these you notice a wrong note!), there’s not a lot
two tracks hard right and hard left. you can do about it. You may want to use a
new cassette for the bounced tracks, and

...............
Expanding the number of tracks preserve your first four tracks on the origi-
nal cassette.
The CR-4 is restricted to four tracks on a cas-
sette, but you can record more than four tracks
in a song if you use a mixdown stereo recorder. Using the noise reduction
It’s probably best to use a digital (CD or As part of the Ampworks effector, there is a
MD) recorder as your stereo recorder, to noise-reduction system built in. If you’re play-
avoid tape hiss and noise building up. ing a noisy guitar, or using a microphone in a
1 Record the first four tracks as described noisy situation, this allows you to cut out the
above (→p.9). unwanted sound in quiet passages while let-
ting through the wanted sound when the
2 Mix down to the stereo recorder(→p.12) threshold level is reached.
and rewind your CR-4 tape to the start of
Adjust the threshold level by pressing and
the recording (or insert a new tape).
holding the [TAP] button and turning the
[EFF. DEPTH] control.

13
 Ampworks effects

............... ...............
These rotary dials allow you to choose a model There is also another “combination” function:
to add life to your playing, as well as allowing noise reduction (→p.13).
you to select a digital effect.
Modeling type
What is REMS ( )? The models available are:
(Resonant structure and Electronic cir-
cuit Modeling System) is KORG’s proprietary BTQ CLN Clean channel of a high-end 100
sound modeling technology which precisely watt hand-made amp
reproduces the complex character and nature of BLK212 2 x 12 combo amp indispensible
both acoustic and electric instruments as well for country or blues players
as electronic circuits in real world environ-
AC30TB Brilliant channel of a VOX
ments. emulates a wide variety of AC30TB
sound generation characteristics including
instrument bodies, speakers & cabinets, acous-
UK ’80S UK-manufactured 100 watt mas-
ter volume head (from 1983)
tic fields, microphones, vacuum tubes,

...............
transistors, etc. UK MDN UK-manufactured 100 watt mod-
ern amp
NU METAL High-gain amp with metal plate
Controls VALVE A tube bass amp with the ULTRA
LO switch turned ON
[MID-FC/GAIN] With the VOCAL1, VOCAL2,
VALVE, LA STUDIO and AC EQ modeling set- LA STUDIO A bass amp that is typical of the
LA sound
tings, adjusts the mid frequency. With other
settings, acts as a gain control. The higher you AC EQ 3-band EQ for direct line input,
turn this control, the more distortion you will and acoustic guitar
add to the sound. VOCAL 1 Widely used Austrian condenser
[TREBLE] adjusts the amplifier high-frequency microphone sound
range. VOCAL 2 Standard dynamic microphone
[MIDDLE] adjusts the amplifier mid-frequency
range.
[BASS] adjusts the amplifier low-frequency
range.
[VOLUME] adjusts the amp volume.
[EFF.DEPTH] adjusts the level of the digital
effects.
[TAP] sets the speed of some of the digital
effects (→p.15).

14
 Ampworks effects
...............
Effects
TREM Sets the tremolo modulation
speed, from 65 ms to 2 seconds.
In addition, there are eleven digital effects you The tap interval is equal to twice
can apply to your playing and vocals. These the modulation speed.
are listed here: DELAY, Sets the delay time, from 80 ms to
CHO+DL 1 second. The tap interval is
COMP Produces consistent levels and exactly equal to the delay time.
sustain REVERB, Sets the reverb decay time, from
WAH Auto wah, applying a wah effect CHO+RV about 0.5 seconds to 8 seconds.
that responds to picking. When the The tap interval is equal to half
[EFF.DEPTH] control is in the left the reverb decay time.
half, this effect produces a down
sweep, and when in the right half, Note that you cannot use the [TAP] button
produces an up sweep. with the COMP or WAH effects.
CHORUS Vintage chorus. If you want to use an external amp modeler (or
record Ampworks effects without modeling),
FLANGE Vintage flanging.
turn the [MODELING TYPE ] control to AC
PHASER Vintage phasing. EQ. This position turns off Ampworks’ amp
TREM Vintage tremolo. modeling function and allows you to use three-
ROTARY Simulates a rotary speaker. band EQ, noise reduction and effects as
DELAY Delay desired.
REVERB Simulates a spring reverb
CHO+DL Vintage chorus and delay

...............
CHO+RV Vintage chorus and spring reverb.

The TAP control

Use the [TAP] control to match the timing of
the digital effects with your music.

Use it in the following way—press the [TAP]

button a number of times. The last two taps
determine the timing of the effect. The indica-
tor by the [TAP] button shows the current
effect speed.
Use tap timing with the following effects:

CHORUS, Sets the modulation speed for

PHASER, these effects, from 80 ms to 4 sec-
ROTARY onds. The tap interval is exactly
equal to the modulation speed.
FLANGE Sets the flanger modulation
speed, from 160 ms to 8 seconds.
The tap interval is equal to half
the modulation speed.

15
 Further uses for the CR-4
...............
Using the CR-4 as a guitar combo
To use the CR-4 as a very portable guitar
combo, with built-in amp modeling and built-
in effects:
1 Connect your guitar to track 1. Press the
[REC/OL] button and adjust the [TRIM]
and fader levels (→p.10).
2 Switch track 1’s [EFFECT] switch on, and
select your amp/speaker model and effects
(→p.14).

...............
3 Now you can play. Adjust the overall vol-
ume with the [MASTER] fader.

Using the CR-4 as a pre-amplifier

If the CR-4’s speakers aren’t loud enough for
you, use the [LINE OUT] jacks to connect to a
suitable stereo input of another system, allow-
ing you to use the amp/speaker modeling and
effects through a larger system.
Be sure that the input of the other system
matches the output of the CR-4 (see the
specifications). You can damage the CR-4
and the other equipment if they do not
match.
Simply press the [REC/OL] button of any
tracks that you want to output through the
other system. After setting the [TRIM] levels,
adjust the pan position [PAN] and level (fad-
ers) of each track.
The [MASTER] fader is probably best left at the
[7] or [8] position. Adjust the overall level with
the other unit’s volume control.
You can use the CR-4 to do solo gigs in this
way, if you’ve recorded your backing on
two tracks of a CR-4 cassette. Play back
these backing tracks, with a microphone
connected to one of the unused tracks, and
a guitar connected to the other. You can use
a separate guitar processor or stomp box to
give one set of effects for the guitar, and use
the CR-4’s reverb to add some depth and
warmth to your vocals.

16
 Specifications
...............
Cassette recorder
Headphone outputs (1/4" stereo phone jacks)
Output level 10 mW + 10 mW
Output impedance 30Ω
Track format 4 tracks, 4 channels
Frequency response 50 Hz to 12.5 kHz ±3 dB
Head configuration 1 x 4-track record/replay
Signal-to-noise ratio 43 dB
head (Permalloy)
1 x 4-track erase head Total Harmonic Better than 3.0% (at
(ferrite) Distortion 1 kHz)
Motor type 1 x DC motor (capstan Channel separation Better than 40 dB (at
and reel motor) 1 kHz)
Tape speed

Wow and flutter

Fast wind time
1 7/8 in./sec (4.76 cm/
sec)
0.25%
Approx 120 seconds (C-
...............
Erasure

Effects
65 dB (at 1 kHz).

60 tape)
Tape Compact Cassette (rec- Amp/cabinet 11 models
ommended tape < C-60) models
High-bias (CrO2 TypeII, Effects 11 + noise reduction

............... ...............
70µs+3180µs only) EQ Bass, midrange and
treble controls

Physical specifications
Dimensional drawing
Power requirements USA/CANADA/EX: 434 mm
(17.1")
(supplied power 120VAC60Hz (KA233)
adapter): UK/EUR: 230VAC,50Hz
(UK:KA236,EUR:KA239)
AUSTRALIA/NZ:
240VAC 50Hz (Not
included.)
Power consumption: 13 W, via the supplied
adaptor
Physical dimensions 434 x 103 x 322 (mm),
(w x h x d): 17.1 x 4.1 x 12.7 (in.),

...............
Weight (main unit): 4.9 kg (10.8 lb)

Audio specifications and performance

(0.15") (3.7") (0.2")
4 mm 94 mm 5mm

Mic/line inputs (1/4" unbalanced phone jacks)

46 mm
(1.8")

Input level –50 dBV or higher

Input impedance 1 MΩ 322 mm
(12.7")
Speakers
Speaker type: Bass reflex, 8 cm (3.1")
Peak output power 2.5 W + 2.5 W
LINE OUT (2 x RCA jacks)
Output level –10 dBV
Output impedance 10 kΩ

17
 METER
-10dB -5dB 0dB +6dB
REC FUNCTION
A/D EFF D/A 4ch RECORDER MASTER LEVEL
LEVEL LINE-OUT
CH1
OL
EFFECTOR TRK1 L
PAN L
INOUT 1 R
TAPE OUT
MTR
REC sig
-10dBV/-50dBV
TRIM
EFF SW 1
-10dBV
3
CH2
OL TRK2 PAN L
INOUT 2 R
R
-10dBV/-50dBV
TRIM EFF SW 2
CH3
OL TRK3 PAN L
HEAD-PHONE
INOUT 3 R
SUB
-10dBV/-50dBV SPEAKER SW
TRIM EFF SW 3
ON
OFF
ON
CH4 OFF
TRK4 PAN L
OL
MAIN
INOUT 4 R
Block Diagram

-10dBV/-50dBV
TRIM EFF SW 4
L
R

18
 D00802300A

Owner’s Manual
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS
This product has been manufactured according to strict specifications and voltage
requirements that are applicable in the country in which it is intended that this
product should be used. If you have purchased this product via the internet,
through mail order, and/or via a telephone sale, you must verify that this product
is intended to be used in the country in which you reside.
WARNING: Use of this product in any country other than that for which it is
intended could be dangerous and could invalidate the manufacturer's or distribu-
tor's warranty.
Please also retain your receipt as proof of purchase otherwise your product may be
disqualified from the manufacturer's or distributor's warranty.
1