Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Korg Vox Continental � how's it holding up 2 years later?


Recommended Posts

In a recent thread someone brought up the Korg Vox Continental among the various new EP-centric boards coming out, which got me wondering: who here got one, are you still using/liking it, and why or why not? When it came out I briefly looked into it and decided it wasn't for me, and now looking back at it I can't quite figure out why I decided that. It seems like it would tick a lot of boxes, and I'm intrigued enough that I'd like to try one out. Any thoughts now that the newness has worn off?
Link to comment
Share on other sites



There"s a (long) thread somewhere, best search for Vox Continental.

Anyway, loved it so much, I got a 73-keys to babysit my first 61.

Amazing (waterfall) keys, great (Kronos) sounds, NuTube.

Built like a rock (in Japan), almost all aluminum.

Flat top for iPad or small laptop, XLR outs.

Got a firmware update last October.

Added 50 more sounds (now 150).

And, above all, the requested split.

For me it"s an EP board mainly.

With benefits (organs, etc.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had one for a year and a half. I was very satisfied with it, but eventually found myself with both a Mojo 61 and the Vox and realized that, for my purposes, they were redundant. As between the two for EPs, it's debatable which is better. The Mojo has better sounds and sound flexibility, the Vox more real time controls over effects. Both feel great under the fingers, albeit a little different. The Vox has a less springy, more semi-weighted feel that's a little better in my opinion.

 

Vox has far better APs, but APs haven't been an important part of my band gig rig recently. Mojo far better for organ, which is why I kept the Mojo and sold the Vox.

 

That's all by way of explaining why I no longer have the Vox. But I think the Vox is a great instrument. It excels at filling the niche of an ultra lightweight bottom board. However, that's probably not a widely sought after category. I think most folks want a weighted action for the bottom board. But if you can roll with a really excellent semi-weighted instead of weighted, the Vox is a great way to go.

 

I don't think it has aged poorly in two years. Although it's splittable now, that's only in a very limited sense (no independent octave shift, no independent expression pedal use). If splitting's not important, then I'd say the Vox is as much of a standout instrument now as when it came out.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never had one, but i am thinking about. It has some limitations like no dedicated controls for chorus/vibrato and percussion, just on/off. But with the new update you can split organ with piano/keys!

Kurzweil K2661 + full options,iMac 27",Mac book white,Apogee Element 24 + Duet,Genelec 8030A,Strymon Lex + Flint,Hohner Pianet T,Radial Key-Largo,Kawai K5000W,Moog Minitaur,Yamaha Reface YC + CP, iPad 9th Gen, Arturia Beatstep + V Collection 9

 

https://antonisadelfidis.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 73 and use it with a Hammond SK-1 on top. I've really grown to love the sounds and the keys. As mentioned they're not springy, so far more comfortable for playing AP or EP. Actually I'll second everything Adan wrote. The touch strips make editing the synth section a doddle and I've done a few 80s covers gigs recently and there's been nothing I couldn't nail. Love the Oberheim brass emulation (synth #1), fat, warm, just miles ahead of anything I've heard short of an actual Oberheim, and the strings and brass are solid, EPs are great, I really don't care for the CX-3 but then I have the SK-1 (and an HX3 module). Despite the update that allows for splits, as mentioned, you can't octave shift either sound, so except for a bass/piano split I've found it useless. So one sound at a time. But for me definitely a keeper. And yes built like a tank. I also like the really low profile, so I can get the SK-1 above it pretty close.

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm also still very happy with mine after 1 year using it. I use it mostly for rehearsals as a bottom board, and also for some gigs with a SK-1 on top for more organ intensive music. I find the CX-3 engine also useful when using the Vox as a top board, even though you can't tweak all the parameters. But with what is available on the board, you can still get a very decent hammond sound in my opinion. Here, the dynamic and valve drive knobs are very helpful to add some grit to the organ sounds. The Vox and Farfisa, I'm not really using it, but at least for the Vox, I also find the sound quite good. I find the keyboard action very nice to play; whether it be with APs, EPs or organs. I just have a little issue with the width of the keys, but I can deal with it. APs cut nicely through a busy mix, thanks to the dynamic knob, and now they have included a softer piano sound in the latest upgrade, which is nice. EPs are all very good, even the FM ones. You can find very useful additional sounds, especially a nice brass section and some nice lead sounds. I was just a bit disapointed with the split function, because of the lack of independant octave shift, which makes it useless for me. So overall a very positive experience, and I think I will continue to use the board for a long time!! I hope Korg will continue to provide updates with new sounds and an improved split function, let's see... Finally, I'd like to mention that I only received positive comments from my band mates about the Vox.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strange thing is that it didn"t draw me in when it was launched. I thought the virtual (touch) drawbars looked awkward and what not. But when I got my first Vox Continental (the 61 keys version, now almost a year ago) I was mesmerized. The whole package just felt like a total and integral instrument. Then, when playing those (over 10GB of) Kronos sounds on those remarkable waterfall keys, I was completely sold. In fact, I consider it my best keyboard ever, since I bought my first Alpha Juno back in the eighties. Which is why I got a second (73 keys) one.

I"ll add that both versions serve their purpose and I can even use them as two organ manuals on the same (included) sturdy stand. Finally, the Vox comes with a high quality volume/expression pedal, the Korg XVP-20 in Vox guise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the input. When I started the thread I was under the impression that the 73-note version had hammer-action keys. I see now that I was mistaken, though I'm surprised at how many people say it's well-suited for EP sounds. I have a Mojo 61, but I could see myself potentially using this as a bottom board for AP, EP and synth, and using the Mojo for organ and Clav. It is a shame that the parts can't be octave-shifted, so the split function isn't nearly as useful as it could have been. If only I could get one of these, an SV2, a Crumar Seven and a Viscount Legend '70s in the same room...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other thing to consider about the VOX is the low price. I do believe most other Clone wheels are more expensive. Its easier to compromise some features when you don't have to save for a long time to buy one, or run up a big CC debt. The fact there are both 61 and 73 key model is a big plus.

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love mine for the same reasons others have stated. On the subject of pricing, I got my 73 key with the stand from the UK for about $1K everything included.

Thomann in Germany has them now for around the same. I had no import tax to pay either. Retailers in the US are much higher for some reason

A steal at that price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could see myself potentially using this as a bottom board for AP, EP and synth, and using the Mojo for organ and Clav. It is a shame that the parts can't be octave-shifted, so the split function isn't nearly as useful as it could have been

 

This is pretty much where I'm at, but using an SK1 for organ and clav instead of a Mojo. And yes if they'd allow me to edit the key range of the split or layered sounds I would get so much more mileage out of it, but I'm still keeping it. It reminds me that the first thing I noticed about the upcoming YC61 is that Yamaha have chosen to aim for the higher price bracket - much closer to an Electro 6 - and not cut the corners that limit these boards when it comes to splits, layers and fx for each.

 

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How smooth are the MIDI values? Every discrete number, or does it jump a lot, like Fatar and Roland stuff? Does it transfer Note On Velocity, Mono-pressure, Note Off Velocity?

 

I might consider this board if it could also serve a useful purpose in the studio, and if its Farfisa and Vox Combo Organs are better than Arturia's.

 

Right now, I have to use the Moog Voyager for MIDI input because my only other remaining board is the Hammond XK-1c and it doesn't send adequate MIDI for a controller.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's interesting how many people are seeing this as a bottom... which was also how I was thinking about it when I was considering it... i.e. a semi-weighted that was still passably good for pianos when I wanted a super lightweight bottom. I ended up choosing the Numa Compact 2X for that role. Maybe I would have been persuaded to go with the Vox if I'd had a chance to get my hands on one. It seems to have a greater "fun factor." It does bug me that the percussion settings are missing, though, and the Numa does have its advantages in MIDI and split functionality, and aftertouch. I really wish the Numa had a mode to use its 8 patch recall buttons to access user presets, though.

 

The Vox seems to have a lot of the appeal the SV1 has... it doesn't do a ton, but it very nicely does what a lot of people need.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They seem to be holding their value well on the used market- although I found one at a good price, it's on the way.

 

I will probably park an organ module on top, or run a straight sound through a Vent. Although I found a few clips where the Hammond sounds ok- don't want it to sound anything like the Grandstage I briefly tried out. Never been impressed by Korg's version of Hammond, although I recall thinking the Kronos was improved over a CX3 I owned, in that regard..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ended up feeling that even the Kawai MP11SE has (to my ears) better sounds and a more ergonomic front panel, so I'm definitely out of the market for this boarde, given the price comparisons. leaning more towards an MP11SE once I can find one to try and to compare against a full home-only digital console piano.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ended up feeling that even the Kawai MP11SE has (to my ears) better sounds and a more ergonomic front panel, so I'm definitely out of the market for this boarde, given the price comparisons. leaning more towards an MP11SE once I can find one to try and to compare against a full home-only digital console piano.

Considering the Vox is 16-19 lbs and Kawai is 72 lbs, their market is somewhat different. I guess the main functional overlap is in EP. I'd say the Kawai is stronger on piano, the Vox is certainly stronger on organ and other sounds (which are basically non-existent in the Kawai).

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone owned both this and an SV1, and if so, how did the EPs stack up between the two? I'm wondering if the NuTube allows this to capture some of the elusive SV1 EP magic that other more detailed samples lack.

 

The more I read and think about this, the more I could see it serving three roles for me: a lightweight bottom board; a passable all-in-one board; and a lightweight top board for gigs with a house B3. Currently my VR-09 serves fills all those roles. The Vox seems like it would be superior in all ways except the VA synth, which is the area where my needs are most minimal. I would really love to get my hands on one. At the end of February I'm gonna be driving from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, so if anyone has one of these between those points, I'll buy you lunch in return for letting me check it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone owned both this and an SV1, and if so, how did the EPs stack up between the two? I'm wondering if the NuTube allows this to capture some of the elusive SV1 EP magic that other more detailed samples lack.

quote]

 

I had an SV1 around the time they were issued. I had the Vox Conti several years later. But I've always made a habit of plunking a few notes on an SV1 every time I see one in a music store. It's sort of my way of confirming "yeah, that's why I don't have it anymore."

 

Count me among those who think the Vox has a definite EP magic to it. It's got Korg's best samples, and the finger to sound connection is just amazing. Even being semi-weighted, you can coax as much subtelty out of it as the sample will allow. You can make it purr or growl and you have a lot of control over that. The NuTube works wonderfully to warm up and round out the sound. I've commented many times on the irony that a keyboard that's supposed to be organ-centric ended up (in my and other's opinions) being most special for EPs.

 

Maybe it's special for the transistor emulations too, I just don't know as I'm not a good judge of those and don't use them.

 

This is not to say that the Vox wouldn't be better as an EP board if it had the right weighted action. I'm sure it would be better, but it would also be heavier. And then you have to ask which weighted action are we talking about? Not Korg's RH3.

 

While the Vox's synths abilities are pretty limited, the synth sounds do feel great under the fingers and that alone can help inspire great playing with them. It comes back to the point that so much of what makes the Vox worth playing is the keybed and how it connects to the internal sounds.

 

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have both the SV1 and the Vox and I like both EPs, even though they have quite different characteristics. On the SV1, I"m using only the tine EP from the initial soundpack through the amp simulation model 1. It is quite bright and very clear, with not so much low frequencies but just enough to have a good feeling. The quality of the SV1 EP is coming a lot from the amp simulation. When I switch it off, the sound becomes very dark and muddy and the EP sounds not so natural. I tried to tweak the EQ to come close to the amped sound but did not succeed. The Vox Mark I EP sounds very good without any amp sim or effect. It is less bright and less clear, but you can change this very easily with the dynamic knob, which is very nice. There is also a strong attack on it, especially when the dynamic knob is turned to the right. So you have to find the right balance between the desired brightness and attack level. There are also Mark II with and without amp and a Mark V without amp, and they sound all good, whereas it"s hard to find other good EP sounds on the SV1, despite the one they included in the added soundpacks. So more choices on the Vox. The effect section is way better on the Vox, especially the tremolo. With both boards, EPs cut very good through a busy band mix. So I"m happy to use both the SV1 and the Vox in different contexts: solo practice at home (mostly the SV1, sometimes the Vox), band rehearsals (Vox) or gigs (both of them).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I"ll get an SV2S for the speakers and new sounds, if it goes south of $1800 or so.

Couldn"t be happier with my foxy Voxies but the SV2S seems a nice addition.

If only it wouldn"t have an MDF bottom ...

Thanks for your thoughts, guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although it's splittable now, that's only in a very limited sense (no independent octave shift, no independent expression pedal use).

Yeah, I think the split was designed mostly for left hand bass, though unfortunately, there's still no way to send the LH bass out one side apart from everything else.

 

The more I read and think about this, the more I could see it serving three roles for me: a lightweight bottom board; a passable all-in-one board; and a lightweight top board for gigs with a house B3. Currently my VR-09 serves fills all those roles. The Vox seems like it would be superior in all ways except the VA synth, which is the area where my needs are most minimal.

I think the biggest issue with the Vox from an organ perspective is that it doesn't have the complete set of percussion and C/V options available, so that would be another trade-off from the Roland. Another feature difference of note is that your saved registrations on the Roland can include MIDI Program Changes to send to other devices, you can't do that on the Vox. But if you can live without those particular Roland advantages (the iPad-editable VA synth, the full range of percussion/cv, the support for integrating external sounds), I'd look seriously at the Vox, it's likely to have the edge on two of the most important things... sound and action.

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It"s weird in a way.

I don"t consider my Vox as an organ.

I see it as a 'best of Kronos' waterfall keyboard with a practical, flat surface.

Loving those acoustic and electric pianos, strings and synth sounds, the graphical 'touch' EQ and NuTube.

The latest firmware update last November even added piano lid manipulation.

And yeah, almost forgot, it"s got some mighty fine organs too.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And once again this forum has proven its value; this board has gone from being one I dismissed out of hand to being one I'm seriously considering. Embarrassing as this is to admit, I think my initial gripe with it was simply that I have no love or use for transistor organ sounds, and the fact that the name and "look" focused on those led me to overlook the other things it offers.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not buy this board for the Vox organ at all ;-) I bought it because price is good, it's light, it has good sounding EPs and APs and the keyboard action is good. CX-3 engine was a bonus, and proves to be quite useful for different applications. But my main organ board remains for sure the SK-1. Ah, and one very important criteria: it has 73 keys! Before buying it, i thought about the Nord Electro 6, but I came to the conclusion that the Vox offers much more value for money. Maybe I had bought the Nord if its price was in the range of 1400-1500 EUR. But I don't regret to have chosen the Vox.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And once again this forum has proven its value
+1. I had the Vox pegged as a "VR09 wannabe that couldn't do proper clonewheel (percussion buttons, for example), and majoring on transistor organs". Looking at it as a lightweight semiweighted downstairs board for piano/EP and "some organ", as some have suggested above, casts a completely different perspective.

 

Does anyone know if SysEx/NRPN can be used to switch percussion types in the Vox from an external controller?

 

Cheers, Mike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not buy this board for the Vox organ at all ;-) I bought it because price is good, it's light, it has good sounding EPs and APs and the keyboard action is good. CX-3 engine was a bonus, and proves to be quite useful for different applications. But my main organ board remains for sure the SK-1. Ah, and one very important criteria: it has 73 keys! Before buying it, i thought about the Nord Electro 6, but I came to the conclusion that the Vox offers much more value for money. Maybe I had bought the Nord if its price was in the range of 1400-1500 EUR. But I don't regret to have chosen the Vox.

The Vox is so much cheaper in Europe... about $1000 for the 73, vs. close to twice that here in the states (though that includes the stand).

 

The Nord does a bunch of things better... more split flexibility, custom sample loading, output routing, more user presets, bigger total sound library, informative OLED display, I think most would say better clonewheel organ

 

The Vox also does some things better... synth performance functions (pitch bend, more envelope controls, filter cutoff/resonance, LFO) and availability of monophonic/portamento synth sound, tube, probably better action, I think most would say better EP, some velocity layered sounds besides pianos

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I really don"t get why there is such a price difference between Europe and the US! But here, the Vox is a real bargain, I think. I didn"t absolutely need the Nord better features. So I was happy not to spend 1800 EUR for a 3rd board, in addition to my SV1 and SK1. And my wife was happy too ;-) But before making the final decision, I tried it in a store and the action (which was a very important criteria), EPs and APs sounds made me pull the trigger!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I missed its purpose I guess, as I thought it was mostly meant to be a Farfisa/Continental clone that also does EP's and AP's fairly well. Never occurred to me that a Tonewheel Organ was a big selling point for it, but if it includes the CX-3 engine, that's really its own thing and not a bad extra to have, if one already has a Hammond.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...