Traded for a Krome 88

[DaveMcM]

I just traded in my Roland RD700GX w/SuperNATURAL Piano Upgrade for a Korg Krome 88. What a great decision that has turned out to be. The acoustic and electric pianos sound and respond beautifully. There are a huge selections of strings, brass, synth, etc. and killer drums. While the jury is still out in my mind as to whether or not I like touch screens, it is growing on me. I havent used a touch screen since owning a Trinity Pro which was smaller and grey scale. The larger color screen on the Krome does help a lot. One of the coolest things about this instrument is how easy it is to edit/create your own sounds and combinations, in part due to the huge display and also the UI design. Zoning parts across the keyboard, routing effects, adjusting levels, etc. are a real joy compared to what I just left. In just 30 minutes or so I have been able to re-create all of the set-ups I had in the RD700GX only with far better sounds and far more control over them. The only thing I will miss is the mostly metal case of the RD700GX versus the mostly plastic case of the Krome. But then again, I bought a decent case for the Krome and nobody touches it except me. There is one major downside to owning the Krome as I see it This thing makes me want a Kronos really bad.

[Analogaddict]

I love my 61 too, right now I'm using it for all sounds (except B3) in my compact rig..!

[RandyFF]

I just traded in my Roland RD700GX w/SuperNATURAL Piano Upgrade for a Korg Krome 88. What a great decision that has turned out to be. The acoustic and electric pianos sound and respond beautifully. There are a huge selections of strings, brass, synth, etc. and killer drums.

 

While the jury is still out in my mind as to whether or not I like touch screens, it is growing on me. I havent used a touch screen since owning a Trinity Pro which was smaller and grey scale. The larger color screen on the Krome does help a lot. One of the coolest things about this instrument is how easy it is to edit/create your own sounds and combinations, in part due to the huge display and also the UI design. Zoning parts across the keyboard, routing effects, adjusting levels, etc. are a real joy compared to what I just left. In just 30 minutes or so I have been able to re-create all of the set-ups I had in the RD700GX only with far better sounds and far more control over them.

 

The only thing I will miss is the mostly metal case of the RD700GX versus the mostly plastic case of the Krome. But then again, I bought a decent case for the Krome and nobody touches it except me. There is one major downside to owning the Krome as I see it This thing makes me want a Kronos really bad.

 

So for piano and eps you like the finger to sound connection and keybed better? This is an interesting review, haven't seen a direct comparison like this. How would you describe the difference between these boards for the ap and eps?

 

Yeah, it seems like the Krome has hit a sweet spot- at 33 pounds it's very reasonable weight for an 88 note, with the expanded ac and ep samples they've done a good job on the most wanted sounds, and with the large screen, full complement of additional sounds and sequencer, you've got a board that holds its own in direct competition with stage pianos with a good dose of workstation capabilities.

 

My only wishlist even for an affordable board like this would be to have mic inputs and usb recording.

 

The most obvious things I don't like about the board is its physicality: the board is very deep, and the pitch/mod joystick to the left of the keybed makes it unnecessarily long.

[Song80s]

I just traded in my Roland RD700GX w/SuperNATURAL Piano Upgrade for a Korg Krome 88. What a great decision that has turned out to be. The acoustic and electric pianos sound and respond beautifully. There are a huge selections of strings, brass, synth, etc. and killer drums. While the jury is still out in my mind as to whether or not I like touch screens, it is growing on me. I havent used a touch screen since owning a Trinity Pro which was smaller and grey scale. The larger color screen on the Krome does help a lot. One of the coolest things about this instrument is how easy it is to edit/create your own sounds and combinations, in part due to the huge display and also the UI design. Zoning parts across the keyboard, routing effects, adjusting levels, etc. are a real joy compared to what I just left. In just 30 minutes or so I have been able to re-create all of the set-ups I had in the RD700GX only with far better sounds and far more control over them. The only thing I will miss is the mostly metal case of the RD700GX versus the mostly plastic case of the Krome. But then again, I bought a decent case for the Krome and nobody touches it except me. There is one major downside to owning the Krome as I see it This thing makes me want a Kronos really bad.

 

Somewhat similar story. Over 2 yrs ago, went from the GX1 (and M3 and XS Motif) to the Kronos 88. Easy decision

[voxpops]

The most obvious things I don't like about the board is its physicality: the board is very deep, and the pitch/mod joystick to the left of the keybed makes it unnecessarily long.

Yes, I found it too big for one of the venues I play, where the stage is very tight and the stairs are steep and narrow.

 

I agree that the finger to sound connection is very good on the 88, and the sounds are more than acceptable for a board in this price range. I don't trust that power connector, though.

 

After short spells with both the 73 and 88, I now have the 61. I like it as much as any general purpose board I've had in the past, and cannot really see any major downside to the Krome beyond the rather cheap action on the 61/73.

[Synthoid]

This thing makes me want a Kronos really bad.

 

That's the reason I've stopped visiting music stores... every time I play the Kronos I want to buy one. Definitely can't afford it at the moment.

 

 

[EscapeRocks]

Congrats!!

 

The most important thing is that YOU like it, and it plays well for YOU.

 

 

[DaveMcM]

So for piano and eps you like the finger to sound connection and keybed better? This is an interesting review, haven't seen a direct comparison like this. How would you describe the difference between these boards for the ap and eps?

.....

My only wishlist even for an affordable board like this would be to have mic inputs and usb recording.

 

The most obvious things I don't like about the board is its physicality: the board is very deep, and the pitch/mod joystick to the left of the keybed makes it unnecessarily long.

 

Yes, I think the response is very good. The keys feel a bit heavier than those on the RD700GX which is fine with me since I don't get much chance to practice on my acoustic piano at home nearly enough so the heavier action is a good thing. I sure don't miss those screwy ivory feel key tops; they soak up sweat, dirt and grime and just feel nasty. Disclaimer- I keep handi-wipes in my gig bag just in case there isn't a washroom nearby so I never play with dirty hands.

 

I agree it would be nice to have some additional I/O, but then again that would jack up the price so it's cool the way it is.

 

The Krome 88 is deeper than the RD700GX (thanks for reminding me to pull out my double tier stand and make any adjustments prior to my gig). As for the joystick, all in all I'd rather have pitch and mod wheels, just the 'old school' in me I suppose. But on the other hand, it is useful to have the additional control of pulling the stick down. I used this feature on my Korg Pa588 (also went bye bye for the Krome) to create a lead guitarish sound that included a unison bend. I assigned the pitch of one oscillator to the -Y axis of the joystick. Pulling the stick back, then playing a key while slowly releasing the stick connected with my inner Santana. I programmed the +Y axis to fade to a feedback sound.

[DaveMcM]

.....I don't trust that power connector, though.

 

That is something to be aware. Speaking of power, something I am going to do is get a small UPS to plug in to at gigs. Given the 50 seconds or so of boot-up time and other obvious power concerns at various venues I think that will be money well spent.

[marino]

This thing makes me want a Kronos really bad.

every time I play the Kronos I want to buy one. Definitely can't afford it at the moment.

+1

 

 

[J. Dan]

This sort of surprises me. I love my kronos, but (and maybe I'm spoiled) really thought the Krome was kind of chintzy. Couple that with the fact that it was my impression that most serious DP guys didn't like the Kronos, and now the Krome is twice removed from being a DP user's fav. I can certainly understand you liking all the other features, layout, sounds, etc. But comparing it to what the RD700 was specifically designed for (a DP), do you still like the Kronos better? I mean I do. But I'm not like the guys whose primary purpose is DP. So I figured my opinion on that matter didn't really count.

[Adam C.]

I've never had the opportunity to feel the keys on a KROME 88, but as far as the sounds go, I absolutely l-o-o-o-o-ve my KROME 61. You guys are right though...the KROME definitely does have a "cheaper" plastic-y type feel to it than a lot of KORG's other 5-octave synths, (especially their late '80's/early '90's stuff like the M1, T3 and 01/W), but as far as sound-quality to dollars ratio, the KROME is a hard one to beat for me. I will agree that if they had put a better feeling set of keys on it (as well as one of their more sturdy 3-pronged internal power-supplies), she would've been more of a contender for "classic" status. Still...for $999.00 brand new?!! I remember paying close to double that for my 64-sound, non multi-timbral, non "built-in sequence included" Roland D-50 back in 1989! (And I don't care what anybody says...it was totally worth it just for "Digital Native Dance", "Stereo Polysynth" and "Staccato Heaven" alone man!) Oh how very spoiled we all are nowadays, huh?

[TommyS]

Yep. I really enjoyed my D-50.

[DaveMcM]

This sort of surprises me. I love my kronos, but (and maybe I'm spoiled) really thought the Krome was kind of chintzy. Couple that with the fact that it was my impression that most serious DP guys didn't like the Kronos, and now the Krome is twice removed from being a DP user's fav. I can certainly understand you liking all the other features, layout, sounds, etc. But comparing it to what the RD700 was specifically designed for (a DP), do you still like the Kronos better? I mean I do. But I'm not like the guys whose primary purpose is DP. So I figured my opinion on that matter didn't really count.

 

I don't think I would call the Krome chintzy at all. Not able to stand up to a beating as much as something encased in full metal, true, but it still feels good and solid. I am speaking of the 88 key version since I haven't touched a 61 or 73 key version. The buttons and knobs feel fine, the key action is firm and quiet.

 

I was never thrilled with the stock piano sounds in the RD700GX, so I purchased the Piano expansion card which helped a little, but not that much. IMO the acoustic piano sounds in the Krome have more depth, dynamic range and better responsiveness that what I had previously. Add to that the far more advanced editing and splitting/layering capabilities of the Krome and the ease of performing/saving those edits, makes the Krome a great DP and synth/workstation to boot.

[Synthoid]

Yep. I really enjoyed my D-50.

 

So did I, but to tell the truth... I rarely gigged with it. I loved all those "had to have" D-50 sounds, but for some reason it never quite worked for me live.