Korg Kronos Keyboard Workstation: Just bought a new toy!

elevated wrote:

Askia Shaheed wrote:
Start saving your pennies so you can join the club.

Creative!

Built in solid-state drive, this keyboard is nuts.

Ruslanio wrote:Built in solid-state drive, this keyboard is nuts.

Yeah...it is projected to be available around April 9. That is what my income tax return check is going to be spent on.

Askia Shaheed wrote:

Ruslanio wrote:Built in solid-state drive, this keyboard is nuts.

Yeah...it is projected to be available around April 9. That is what my income tax return check is going to be spent on.

My house costs as much as the keyboard.

Here's a first impression I foud over at harmony-central's forum:

Highlights:

* sound definition IS oasys-like.

Let's forget the motif.

Impressive.

* best EP emulation I ever heard. Very, very, very good.

The plus is: it's pair or better than cp-1, but you have the full palette of effect modeling and programming.

Kronos wins hands down.

* ws-like pads 90% of WS.

* analogue emulations very good, jury still out about their modularity [I am afraid Korg personeel is spreading conflicting versions]

* HD-1 is "mature". Meaning: it's at the end of the road, its boobs are sagging. Can't be improved.

* the LCD is unsatisfying. They crammed too much definition into a too little screen..

not very detailed at touch, controls are very small and will need a pen. Difficult to read. Too many pictures, too little info. Can't ever imagine playing pads on it.

Bottom line:

a) if Korg releases an SV-2 based on the Kronos' piano & EP emulations under 2000, Clavia is dead. DEAD!

b) the rompler as a concept is dead. physical modeling is too advanced.

Brass and winds are ashamed by comparison to plucked strings (the fretless are huge) or EPs.

c) the Kronos is "incomplete". It's a transition machine.

sampled brass and strings, choirs, whatever seem to belong to a DIFFERENT synth.

If you split (piano/brass) the keyboard, it's like your playing a cp5 on the keft hand and an M3 on the right. The ears just revolt.

d) until they develop a decent orchestral physical modeling, korg will live a dichotomy.

Marginal comment:

build quality is not good.

visually it doesn't look 3/4000 euros, and functionally it's not-so-tough metal... and the part most exposed to live and transportation damages, the side panels, is... rigid and fragile plastic?!? Come on, THAT's the part that should have been wood or soft plastic or steel.

Further "news" from Korg personnel:

* no chance of a rack. never. the concept is DEAD.

* Sv-2 could be in the making, with Kronos' ep, hammond and piano engines.

Also a "pure synth" could be in the making (a few light keys, only VA synth engines, no hd, no sequencer, just a performance polysix+ms20+etc etc)

"in the making" meaning: AFTER the kronos has been throughly MILKED. NAMM 2012?

I can wait.

My final decision:

a) no final decision, I'll wait for the reference guide because I need testing the conflicting information about the Kronos' modularity [I am afraid I believe Danatkorg (=no modularity), not Mirabella (modularity)]

b) if SV-2 is released tomorrow for 2000 eur, I'll immediately buy one.

See ya tomorrow

Ive been thinking about the KRONOS too till I found this system the StudioBlade thats like a Neko but at a better price.
You can work on the system yourself and update the system firmware over the net and upgrade your own harddrives.
I trying to find out if this system can do things with the sounds for smooth sound transitions. Using just software packages.
The hardware looks real nice on the StudioBlade made by musiccomputer.com just doing more research on it.

KRONOS does have patch remain. They call it Smooth Sound Transitions. It means you can switch from one sound, or song, or combi, to any other, and the notes will ring out. It also has Set List Mode which lets you have a grid of programs/combis/songs on the screen which you can page through to select them by one touch instantly whilst playing.

I looked at this studioblade, but it, and the company are too new me right now.

The ceo of the company use to be with the Openlabs company and then went out on his own. Some of their ideas
seem to be pretty nice and lower price.They made a 88key version of theirs and its lighter and thinner then a Neko and will fit in
a standard road case.

videorov wrote:The ceo of the company use to be with the Openlabs company and then went out on his own. Some of their ideas
seem to be the same.

Pretty much. Couldn't resist fixing that last part.

I had a shot at an openlabs, but I passed on that also. I do like the way they market it and the features that they describe. So I will wait and see where it goes. I seem like AKAI needs to step their 88 key controller up to something like this. Imagine if they did a MPC4000, DAW, Controller unit like this.

The Kronos is projected to be in stores as early as this weekend (Japan).

Sound and Sound did a review in their May issue:

PROS:
- The expanded HD1 libraries are superb
- Korg's piano's are finally up there with the best of them...as are their orchestral sounds
- The EP1 piano engine would justify a keyboard in its own right
- It offers fabulous FM capabilities
- It offers three flavours of virtual analog including the enhanced MS20 soft synth
- It includes the best "clone wheel" organs
- Its workstation capabilities are unsurpassed
- Transitions are now smooth when changing sounds

CONS:
- It takes a long time to boot
- A quieter fan wouldn't go amiss
- Its screen can't be angled
- There is no built-in CD/DVD drive
- Even today, polyphony can drop as low as a single handful of notes

Summary:
Given that Korg have discontinued the OASYS, all I need to say is, "The king is dead, long live the king."

shit, i was wondering whn this thing is dropping stateside. looks and sounds crazy from the little i've heard on the videos
not that i can get one right now, but you never know,
lmao

i can't wait! i preordered mine back in february.

Ain't had a new board in years. Now I've got a reason to grab this joint.

Askia Shaheed wrote:The Kronos is projected to be in stores as early as this weekend (Japan).

Sound and Sound did a review in their May issue:

PROS:
- The expanded HD1 libraries are superb
- Korg's piano's are finally up there with the best of them...as are their orchestral sounds
- The EP1 piano engine would justify a keyboard in its own right
- It offers fabulous FM capabilities
- It offers three flavours of virtual analog including the enhanced MS20 soft synth
- It includes the best "clone wheel" organs
- Its workstation capabilities are unsurpassed
- Transitions are now smooth when changing sounds

CONS:
- It takes a long time to boot
- A quieter fan wouldn't go amiss
- Its screen can't be angled
- There is no built-in CD/DVD drive
- Even today, polyphony can drop as low as a single handful of notes

Summary:
Given that Korg have discontinued the OASYS, all I need to say is, "The king is dead, long live the king."

I was waiting for you to put the word out on the Kronos. It won't be long now, huh?