Kronos 61 - semi weighted action

[MrVegas]

I have a Kronos 88 with weighted keys which has, understanably, a pretty stiff action. When trying to play the CX-3 organ programs, it's not too good.

 

Curious if anyone has experience playing Hammond organ parts using the Kronos 61 with semi-weighted keys. I'm not a professional B3 guy that requires TRUE organ action like a real B3, just looking for feedback.

 

Maybe I should look into a decent 61 note controller that I could route my Kronos CX-3 sounds into. I am currently routing my CX-3 patches using a separate mono audio output into my Ventilator. Could I just connect a cable using the same audio out on the Kronos into an audio input on a 61 note controller? What I'm trying to avoid is having to use midi or other more complicated arrangements which I don't have the patience for.

[Doerfler]

What I'm trying to avoid is having to use midi or other more complicated arrangements which I don't have the patience for.

 

then you will need another keyboard with sounds. What is your budget?

[ElmerJFudd]

The Kronos 61 has a pretty nice feeling synth semi weight action. So it"s a good compromise for jumping between piano and organ and synth/orch sounds. Does it feel like an old school Hammond? No and yes. Those tend to be pretty worn in spring wise and obviously they have waterfall keys. But feel wise I"d take the Kronos action over other Swiss Army knife boards like the Nord Electro.

 

In the opposite line of thinking - you can plop any number of stage pianos under the Kronos61 with or without MIDI and cover a lot of stuff nicely.

[drawback]

Are you considering replacing the Kronos 88 with a 61, and if you still want to control the Korg"s AP/EP with weighted keys, using the MOXF8 as a controller?

[Docbop]

You need Robert Glasper's setup from 2019. He has his Kronos 88 facing the audience used it a lot of piano sounds and background. Then at right angle facing the band members a Rhodes with a smaller Motif on top of the Rhodes. He seems to do a lot of soloing and lines on the Motif and uses the Motif for organ sounds. He seems to use the Motif a lot I don't know if it's because the difference in keys or that the Motif is facing the band so he can interact with them.

 

Looking at earlier and later Glasper setups he's moved things a bit. He has the Rhodes still facing the band, but nothing on top of it. Then a Motif 88 key facing audience and the Kronos at 90 degree angle to it. So seemed like a 2nd smaller workstation would give you two key types and whole other world of sounds to use.

[Dave Bryce]

I use my Kronos 61 for organ all the time live. No problems at all.

 

dB

[MrVegas]

So I guess that's a NO. If I conceded that a midi cable (or USB cable?) is necessary to play the Kronos sounds from another 61 note controller, then maybe I should go that route. My gut feeling is that replacing the Kronos 88 with a Kronos 61 is not very smart because I think I would get killed on trying to sell the 88 used and replacing with a 61 which are $3,199 new.

 

So, two questions now. Is it relatively easy to marry a Kronos 2 with a decent 61 note controller using Midi or USB? Any recommendations on 61 note controllers with semi-weighted keys? I'm not looking to go ultra cheap, just not ready to plunk $3200 down and then try to sell the Kronos 88 at a deep discount.

[ElmerJFudd]

If you"re going to carry two keyboards anyway - screw midi and the CX-3. Just pick up a Hammond XK-1c.

Or Mojo61 or Numa Organ 2.

[MrVegas]

you might be right about something like the XK-1c. By the way, new XK's are only about $1400. Why is the XK-5 Heritage so darn expensive? There's one on Sweetwater for $3,700???

[ElmerJFudd]

Yes wide pricing. But the XK-5 is a different animal in build quality and R&D they"ve put into it. The other XK"s are entirely plastic and have been around a good while. For your purposes I imagine the XK-1c would be just what the doctor ordered.

[jerrythek]

I too use a Kronos 61 for organ and other things. My rig is always a lighter-weight 88-key weighted action lower board for piano/electric pianos etc. and the Kronos above for all the rest. While it doesn't have high-trigger, it works out OK in a band context for playing organ. One thing that helped me greatly was replacing my fader caps with drawbar caps.(Clonk)

Even with the V2 update to the CX3 in the Kronos, I find it sounds even better with an external Leslie pedal. I chose the Lester K for budget reasons, and it works well. No doubt the Vent is the ultimate, as so many people have attested to here, but it wasn't in my budget. I don't always use the Lester, and my CX3 patches all have the dual Leslie programming trick that Dave Polich first shared (link), and I have adjusted to my taste. It works well.

 

Jerry

[Moonglow]

Another vote for playing organ on the K61. It is a really nice action.

[AnotherScott]

Curious if anyone has experience playing Hammond organ parts using the Kronos 61 with semi-weighted keys. I'm not a professional B3 guy that requires TRUE organ action like a real B3, just looking for feedback.

As others have said, organs play very well from the 61. But pianos don't, so if you were thinking about swapping out your 88 for the 61, as drawback suggested, you'd probably want to use your Yamaha to drive the Korg's piano/EP sounds, assuming you still want to use them.

 

Maybe I should look into a decent 61 note controller that I could route my Kronos CX-3 sounds into.

You don't route sound into a controller. You route MIDI out of a controller, to trigger the sounds that reside elsewhere.

 

I am currently routing my CX-3 patches using a separate mono audio output into my Ventilator. Could I just connect a cable using the same audio out on the Kronos into an audio input on a 61 note controller? What I'm trying to avoid is having to use midi or other more complicated arrangements which I don't have the patience for.

Picking up from the previous comment, not only do you not send audio into a controller (controllers typically don't even have audio inputs), but if you have actually already generated any sound on the Kronos (i.e. which you would need to do to send its audio anywhere), it means you've already played some keys somewhere. What you want to do is play the keys of the controller, and then the controller sends MIDI commands to the Kronos to tell it which CX3 organ notes to play. You can do this either with a single cable from the controller's MIDI OUT to the Kronos' MIDI IN, or you can do it with a USB cable (Kronos being one of the few boards that permits that option). Once the Kronos received the MIDI commands from the controller, the Kronos will generate the audio which you will out into your Vent as always.

 

If you"re going to carry two keyboards anyway - screw midi and the CX-3. Just pick up a Hammond XK-1c.

Or Mojo61 or Numa Organ 2.

Also a very viable option. The advantage of a controller is mostly just that it could be the cheapest way to go. Also, if you want to use it for things besides organ, you can find low cost controllers with aftertouch, if that may be deairable.

[drawback]

+1 to all AnotherScott's points in the previous post.

 

Once you start down the road of a controller for organ aspects, you will have some difficulty finding something that works satisfactorily for the low price you think you'll pay. Considering that many of them don't have 9 drawbars, or positioned in the right place, and some don't have expression pedal inputs or even half-decent action (none with waterfall keys) you'll find yourself in the higher price category which in turn are more complex, with bells and whistles you don't need as an organ controller in the first place (ie VI control software, pads). So the pretzel logic then leads to a clonewheel, as EJF suggests, which begin at approximately double the price of a high end controller for at least double times the satisfaction with close to zero learning curve & effort.

 

Or, lose potentially a similar amount of money trading down to a 61, and control the Kronos pianos from your MODFX88 (as AS said, assuming you will still want to use them).

 

And all that said, once you try a modern clonewheel you may not want to touch the CX3 engine again.