Help Me Decide New Korg Kronos or Norg Stage 2

[bennyray]

Should I go Kronos very familiar with the keyboard. I had Kronos before and loved it especially with the OS3 update. But I see so many Nord Stage 2 on stage and I really like the sounds especially piano and organ sounds. I am not familiar with Nord but I know its built well. It will be used in home studio and playing a couple of weekends a month for now. I am semi-pro player I guess I played on road in clubs years ago but I am getting my chops back and looking forward to playing part time again as well in my home studio. Any help would be much appreciated and by the way this is my first post and new member. Thanks for your help

[AnotherScott]

Kronos is much more capable overall.

 

Nord has a more direct interface, and lower travel weight. If you're going to be playing piano and organ from the same action, the Nord hammer action models are better for that than the Korg hammer action models are.

 

As for the piano and organ sounds you mention, although Korg's piano sample sets are much larger, I've preferred the Nord pianos... but I have no experience with the OS3 update which has improved the piano engine, nor with any piano samples other than the German and Japanese samples they originally shipped with. For organ sounds, I think Kronos has the edge. But of course there is subjectivity to this... there are people who prefer Kronos pianos, and people who prefer Nord organs.

 

You can probably also still glean a lot of useful info from the old thread at

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2262452

[cphollis]

Both are very capable keyboards. I find that real-time tweaking is much more fun/natural on the Nord products. Use a preset to get something in the neighborhood, and then it's all knobby from there.

 

Ditto what AnotherScott said about the pianos, love my Nord samples. Might disagree on the organ sounds, though, hard to imagine a clonewheel that does significantly better.

 

Choices, choices ...

[bennyray]

I downloaded the OS3 and it makes the piano sounds come alive and I am already familiar with Kronos and love the sounds but I love Nord sounds also but Korg is cheaper and I think Korg is more bang for the buck. I have a chance to get the New Kronos 2 So I am leaning toward the Kronos again. Any input would be greatly appreciated

[AnotherScott]

If you're perfectly happy with the interface/ergonomics, travel weight, action, and sounds of the Kronos, and its lower price is an advantage, then it sounds like that's the board for you. If you lust after the Nord sounds as well, the answer is simple, you'll need both. ;-) Seriously, most of us prefer to play piano from a piano action and organ from an organ action, so you may think about starting with one of the boards, and later adding the other in the alternate action. You can always use MIDI so that you can play the sounds in one board from the action in the other when desired.

[orangefunk]

I have a Kronos and Nord Stage 2. Despite the gigabyte pianos of the Kronos I find I gravitate more towards the Nord Stage 2 piano sounds as they actually sound "real" kinda clunky here and there (esp the uprights which are superb!!). Tons of character keyboard action is definitely not the best but its a good compromise weight wise.

 

The Kronos pianos are nice and sound superb on headphones but I find they are of the clean and refined style which isn't always what is needed.. Dare I say they lack a defining character? The new SGX2 engine promises some new pianos so there could be some great developments there.

 

I played a Roland FP80 piano on a gig yesterday and the action on that is superb compared to the above but damn they are so heavy...

[Dglavko]

Have a kronos 61 and Nord stage 2 -76

 

Weighted Kronos is too heavy for me

 

Kronos organ (b3) is better for me unless you add a vent but Nord has no drawbars/faders so kronos organs have the edge

 

Kronos synths and programmability as a workstation is much deeper

 

But Nord pianos esp uprights are better for me and the kronos connection is a bit sterile

 

Hence why I still have both despite intending otherwise....

[Maarkr]

Kronos if it sits in a studio... Nord if you're going to travel with it.

[Moonglow]

I have an original Kronos 88 and Nord Stage 88. I greatly prefer the Stage for piano. I also prefer it for EP, Clav, and VA. The organs are a toss-up, but I always use a Ventilator. If push came to shove, I would probably select the Kronos/CX-3 organs, although it isn't always fun playing them from the Kronos weighted keybed.

 

What I don't like about the Stage is what it doesn't have: Rompler sounds...and I need a ton of them for both of the bands I'm in...and I'm done carrying around a rack of modules. I really like the Kronos Setlist mode and enhanced controller functions, and I remedied the piano situation with a third-party sample. I'm encouraged to hear the new OS helps the Kronos pianos sound more alive; I've always found them to be rather flat/static. I really don't enjoy the added weight of the Kronos, but I transport it in a flight case that has built-in wheels, and always enlist the help of a bandmate when tossing it on the stand.

[AnotherScott]

What I don't like about the Stage is what it doesn't have: Rompler sounds

While it doesn't have everything the Kronos has, most of the bread and butter stuff is in the sample library. Is the problem that you can find the sounds you need? Or is it that they are there but not as good as the Kronos equivalents?

[orangefunk]

I guess its because its an original NS and not the new one. I find there is tons of variety in the NS2 library...

[AnotherScott]

I guess its because its an original NS and not the new one. I find there is tons of variety in the NS2 library...

Oh! Yes, I didn't notice it was the older Nord Stage. Since the OP is considering the NS2 rather then the original NS, the dearth of "rompler" sounds is likely to not be an issue.

 

Moonglow, if you there are some gigs you'd rather use the Nord for but just can't do without a wider range of rompler sounds, if you have an iDevice, using something like SampleTank (in conjunction with the Nord's EXT function) might suitably fill in the gaps.

[Dave Weiser]

In this price range you might want to consider Kurzweil's Forte.

($500 less than the Stage 2)

 

http://www.keyboardmag.com/combo---do-all/1191/kurzweil-forte-reviewed/49389

[Cabo]

I have them both.

 

What sort of band is it? If you mostly will be using just a handful of sounds (mostly piano and organ), then the Nord will probably be fine. But if you need to use a wide variety of sounds and/or change the sounds for every song, I think the Kronos would be better from an interface perspective (setlist mode) and a sound variety standpoint.

 

The other factor for me is the keys -- my Kronos has 61 / Nord has 73. Those extra 12 keys definitely make playing easier.

 

 

[bennyray]

I play in 2 bands so I have to have 88 keys for piano and organ 73 or 61 and I would like to have both but at this time I probably have to get Kronos because it is more versatile for me and I have a KronosX now but I am getting about what I paid for it so I think I will get a new one instead of buying the Berlin Grand and a few other libraries. I am going to check out the Forte that Kurzweil has out. I had a huge rig back in the day but not anymore than 2 boards now

[Outkaster]

Take a breath damn.

[RABid]

I have a Kronos 61 and a Stage 2 76. For mostly piano and organ I would go with the Stage 2. My taste in music lends itself more to the abilities of the Kronos. The ability to do a lot of splits and layers, mixing ROMpler sounds with various synth engines, that works better on the Kronos.

[burningbusch]

Well considering the Nord Stage is nearly four years old and is very likely to get an update in the next few months, it's probably prudent to wait on that one. You also might just look at an Electro 4D which gives you a better organ than the Stage, drawbars and access to the Nord piano and sample libraries. You can't do splits/layers nor does it have the VA, but you can do those things on the Kronos. The Electro 4D is about half the price of the Stage.

 

Busch.

[Moonglow]

I guess its because its an original NS and not the new one. I find there is tons of variety in the NS2 library...

Oh! Yes, I didn't notice it was the older Nord Stage. Since the OP is considering the NS2 rather then the original NS, the dearth of "rompler" sounds is likely to not be an issue.

 

Moonglow, if you there are some gigs you'd rather use the Nord for but just can't do without a wider range of rompler sounds, if you have an iDevice, using something like SampleTank (in conjunction with the Nord's EXT function) might suitably fill in the gaps.

Thanks for the recommendation, Scott. I do have the Nord Stage classic, but I've never much cared for Nord's single-layer rompler-type sounds. IMHO, they pale in comparison to the Motif library, for example. So I used the Stage for AP, EP, organ, clav, and VA, and carried around a rack that included a Motif ES-R and Korg TR-Rack.

[Sam Mullins]

I do have the Nord Stage classic, but I've never much cared for Nord's single-layer rompler-type sounds. IMHO, they pale in comparison to the Motif library, for example. So I used the Stage for AP, EP, organ, clav, and VA, and carried around a rack that included a Motif ES-R and Korg TR-Rack.

 

+1. My sentiments exactly. Love my stage 2 but my experiment with using it as my only keyboard lasted about 3 days. Just depends on how important the ROMpler sounds are to you.

(There was also the issue of having no backup and playing organ from a weighted keyboard.)

[burningbusch]

I play in 2 bands so I have to have 88 keys for piano and organ 73 or 61 and I would like to have both but at this time I probably have to get Kronos because it is more versatile for me and I have a KronosX now but I am getting about what I paid for it so I think I will get a new one instead of buying the Berlin Grand and a few other libraries. I am going to check out the Forte that Kurzweil has out. I had a huge rig back in the day but not anymore than 2 boards now

 

The new libraries are very interesting. Besides the Berlin Grand, with EXs18 you're getting a good sampling of the new Funk and Soul Brass, a really excellent brass ensemble library. There really isn't anything like it in hardware, where different brass combination were sampled collectively, with great variety and quality. In addition it has very nice string and vocal libraries. The one that's a killer is EXs19, which current Kronos users can buy for $49 but will be free to Kronos2 users. The ensemble strings are outstanding. They are taken from EXs45.

 

Here are some examples from the full EXs45 library, which yes is an add-on $$$, but you get an idea of the quality of the strings. Listen in particular to Blockbuster Symphony, Movie Intro, Pirates, the Grieg and Beethoven. This stuff is easily software quality.

 

 

I don't know if strings/brass are a big deal for you, but most people doing cover bands need them and most of what you're going to find is pretty bad.

 

Busch

[Tonysounds]

Two different instruments entirely. Really not fair to compare. But I'll say this....

 

If you need a comprehensive keyboard tool for any application, KRONOS.

 

If you need a bread n butter machine, and like to tweak sounds, or their effects, on the fly, NORD.

 

I own a NordStage2 88, but been there and done that!

[burningbusch]

Two different instruments entirely. Really not fair to compare. But I'll say this....

 

If you need a comprehensive keyboard tool for any application, KRONOS.

 

If you need a bread n butter machine, and like to tweak sounds, or their effects, on the fly, NORD.

 

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Busch.

[bennyray]

Thanks for the input and I can tell burningbusch in very savvy and I think I have downloaded some sounds about a year ago from a Korg site by your name. I can get a new Kronos and have to spend 500 dollars after selling my Kronos X although like new but I must have the new sounds and if I purchase the new sounds or some of them I am stuck cause I can not transfer sounds to new one. So I think its better to go ahead and pull the trigger and be broke once again.

[Bachus]

So from this post i understand that the Nord E-pianos are even better then the ones on Kronos?

 

Does that also include the Kronos expansions?

[AnotherScott]

So from this post i understand that the Nord E-pianos are even better then the ones on Kronos?

I think only one person in this thread said that. It's subjective. Some people prefer one, some people prefer the other. I think it's more common that people prefer the Kronos for EP.

[Bachus]

So from this post i understand that the Nord E-pianos are even better then the ones on Kronos?

I think only one person in this thread said that. It's subjective. Some people prefer one, some people prefer the other. I think it's more common that people prefer the Kronos for EP.

 

Thanks...

[Adam Burgess]

If it helps any...

I had both until last month. The original Kronos 61 and a Stage 2 88. A financial complication dictated I had to choose one to let go. It was the Kronos in the end.

 

I will buy another one soon as payday arrives again! Loved the synth action and the ability to split where I like, looked sleek, the MIDI capabilities, yep; the EPs I preferred to the Nord...etc etc blah blah.

 

So, my advice. Save up and get both. Nord first :-)

[RABid]

I upgraded my Kronos 61 to a Kronos 2 73. I've hardly used my Stage 2 73 since.

[Aidan]

I do think that if you're going the Kronos route, it makes sense to get the 61 and pair it with a low-weight, low-cost 88-key controller such as one of the Casio Privias. You can still run everything you need from the Kronos but you get the luxury of both weighted and unweighted actions for their respective strengths, keep the weight and bulk within sensible limits AND have back-up sounds in case of a power disaster or even complete failure on one board or the other.