I did cough cough Nautilus cough cough A thing

[EscapeRocks]

Yeah well I couldn't pass up the fantastic deal I got from my local store on a brand new Nautilus 61

 

I knew there was a reason I beefed up my Gibraltar stand. I'll chime in after a bit on the Nautilus thread.

 

[miden]

thanks David. Personally, I'd be interested in how you find using a top keyboard (as in the upper tier) without aftertouch. Being Korg, I'd assume the sounds would be top notch!

[rickzjamm]

Great investment, it's a utility board on steroids!!

[Skinny]

Nice, David. I"m GASsing for the 88.

[CowboyNQ]

Looking forward to your review.

[aellison62]

Yep, I picked up the 73 Nautilus, testing it it out for the 45 day grace period.

[tunaman]

I picked up a 61 key Nauty, must have been a lightly-used demo, off of Reverb several weeks ago⦠price was too good to pass up. I bought it to use in place of my 61 key TeX which I"ve been using MIDI"d to the Kronos. I was prepping for a gig at that time, so opted to just do the same (MIDI) and use it as a controller.

 

Since then, I agreed to go play a gig with my old band up north so I"ve been in crunch mode - going to take the same approach.

 

I did have a few chances to poke around and test out some of the voices, and what I did check out seemed to be decent. There appear to be far more differences than similarities, from what I saw.

 

I don"t care all that much for the new UI. Some parts are better, perhaps, but as I"ve been a Kronos owner for a couple of years I"m very fluent with it. It is prettier in some respects, sure, but it seems more cumbersome with the page layouts. Also, the smaller screen is a step backward IMHO, and the screen is less sensitive as I"ve seen many reviewers note.

 

I started to dig in to see about the compatibility, and find this to be a significant challenge. Going through the VNL, there are enough differences in voices and locations that simple reorganization or methodical Prog/Combi arrangement will be challenging. Also, the installed sample libraries are different enough to make voice porting a struggle.

 

I"ve tried using the newest version of PCG Tools to help with migration and organization, but find that I can"t even copy and paste a Setlist slot between the two PCG file versions.

 

Again, these observations are all made with extremely limited time spent. Once I get through the gig next week, I will be able to dedicate more quality time trying to determine how I can incorporate it into my rig in a more native manner.

 

The key bed feels fine. The lack of physical controls is a major drawback, having become accustomed to the voluminous control surface on the K2.

 

The fact that they included only a single USB-A port sucks, and the fact that they placed them squarely in the middle also sucks as I use Ultimate Apex stands which block access when it is fully seated on the rails.

 

That"s about it from me so far.

[sherry]

I know it sounds silly, but why in the world is the casing of the Nautilus so much bigger than the Kronos, when the Kronos has more controls?????? Plus, the design of the Nautilus just looks plain weird IMHO. That's all.

[Stokely]

Is that taking the place of the modx7? I"d be interested in hearing pros and cons there.

 

I like most things about the modx7, but I'm love/hate with the plastic build...nice that it is so easy to manhandle but it literally feels like a fisher price toy. And the wall wart, bleah. I am using the ipad with it and that's kind of become part of my rig now, so I'd need some substitute for it unless whatever I got had a good organ.

 

If I could find a kurzweil repairman in my area I might just start using my pc361 again, that would be ironic!

[AnotherScott]

I know it sounds silly, but why in the world is the casing of the Nautilus so much bigger than the Kronos, when the Kronos has more controls??????

Interesting observation! Someone would have to open them up to see if there's just a bunch of "empty space" or if the guts of the Nautilus actually take up more space, regardless of there being fewer panel controls. Other than needing room for components, the other possible reasons for a bigger chassis could be better cooling, or in some case, it can be cost effective, i.e. if it's sharing design with other models. Though that's more an issue with plastic than metal chassis, since so much of plastic chassis cost is in initial fabrication.

[Docbop]

A new Nautilus thread look what pops up in my YouTube feed Jack from Andertons demoing a Nautilus.

 

 

[video:youtube]

[EscapeRocks]

Is that taking the place of the modx7? I"d be interested in hearing pros and cons there.

 

I like most things about the modx7, but I'm love/hate with the plastic build...nice that it is so easy to manhandle but it literally feels like a fisher price toy.

 

I go way back to MOX8 then MOX6 then MOXF 6, and now MODX 8 and MODX 7. The plastic has NEVER been an issue in years of regular gigging. They are actually really strong. Just take care of them. I don't get a toy like vibe from them.

 

I am preparing a first impression, out-of-the-box review that I'll post here shortly.

[Michael W]

The only Korg I've owned was an M3-61 for a couple of years back in the day. My biggest pet peeve (after years of playing mostly Yamahas) was the lack of dedicated OCTAVE +/- buttons. Does the Nautilus have those?

 

Thanks.

[EscapeRocks]

The only Korg I've owned was an M3-61 for a couple of years back in the day. My biggest pet peeve (after years of playing mostly Yamahas) was the lack of dedicated OCTAVE +/- buttons. Does the Nautilus have those?

 

Thanks.

 

Yes it does

[eric]

Gear Acquisition rules! Can"t wait to see the review and how the latest rig version is working for you. How does the Nauty overtake the MODXs or will you still use them interchangeably?

[EscapeRocks]

Since people are asking questions on this thread, let me provide a brief first impressions review:

 

• My first foray into workstations was the Korg Triton EX61. As such, I understand the basic Korg Workstation ecosystem.
  • First thing I noticed is my new Nautilus 61 is built like a tank. It reminds me of my old Fantom X6
  • Internal Power Supply for the win!
    
  • After getting it on my stand I plugged it in, and hit the power button. As expected, it did its long boot up time
    
  • When booted up, you are presented with a crystal clear touch screen in Setlist mode
    
  • The touchscreen is incredibly responsive, and I did not feel the need to menu dive to calibrate it
    
  • I plugged in my headphones, and began exploring the sounds, the first being the Italian Grand. As provided by the factory, it is dialed in very nicely
    
  • I also auditioned a Piano/String sound on he setlist. Very nice. As a test, I wanted to see about assigning the expression pedal to only work the strings. On the setlist screen I could see it was a Combi, so I went to the combi screen, and then to the timbre parameters, and turned off expression for the strings. Yay! I remembered how Korg does it...
    
  • Speaking of expression pedal, my trusty tank like FC-7 works perfectly (yes, full range and no jumps during the sweep)
    
  • After getting lost in program mode for quite awhile, I came away very pleased with my purchase
    
  • The classic synth sounds, and the string sounds especially, are something I've missed.
    
  • Conclusion: Initial Impression is FANTASTIC
    

   

   

  Now then to answer some questions and do some comparison:

   

  Not having aftertouch is no factor for me. With the exception of my Arturia 61, every hardware board I have used and gigged with the last 17 years has not had it. Even when I use my Arturia with Mainstage, I don't use aftertouch with the way I play.

   

  Lack of sliders: Yes, it would be nice for organ sounds. If I have an organ heavy gig (i.e. not my tribute gig) I'd use my Arturia and Mainstage. On my MODX and now my Nautilus once I start programming, I would simply set different drawbar settings and morph between them using the Mod Wheel or Scene Selection (MODX)

   

  Comparison to MODX:

   

  The MODX is also a fantastic board. The scene buttons, and especially the Superknob introduced a new way of controlling my sound setups. I really like the Bosendorfer pianos you can install on the MODX, especially after you go in and edit them a bit.

   

  The Nautilus, on the other hand, has reminded me I really have missed having a true workstation board in my rig. While I know the MODX is a "performance synth" and I never complained about that, as time moved on I really came to dislike the lack of MIDI control on the MODX compared to what you can get on a true workstation. This is especially true if you want to control the board from another. Sure, I could finagle all manner of work arounds, but I missed things like Master Mode that even my lowly MOX had.

   

  Still, the MODX/Montage is a hell of a good board with great sounds. I am not unhappy I had it.

   

  As I've been playing with the Nautilus, though, the sound palette seems much ore robust. I've started learning my way thru some of the engines, especially the AL-1 and HD-1 synth engines. This is going to be fun

  Also, the CX-3 is the best (very subjective, I know) organ built into a rompler I've played in a very long time. I like it better than my Roland VR-09 and even better than my now departed Yamaha YC61 Again, very subjective, but the internal Leslie sim on the Nautilus is better than the VR-09 and YC61.

  If it gets down to it, the 4 additional assignable outputs would let me easily route organ sounds to a good outboard device like a Vent or my Lester K

   

   

  All in all, I am pleased. As I said up top, thankfully I am familiar with Korg systems, so now it's a matter of really learning the various engines and other unique things about this.

[rickzjamm]

David,

I'm thinking of pairing the Nautilus61 with my YC88, I was using the MODX6 but something tells me the N61is the way to go for everything the YC88 is lacking beyond the APs & EPs & organ(I do love the piano action on the YC88).

[AnotherScott]

I really came to dislike the lack of MIDI control on the MODX compared to what you can get on a true workstation. This is especially true if you want to control the board from another. Sure, I could finagle all manner of work arounds, but I missed things like Master Mode that even my lowly MOX had.

While it's true that the MODX has unexpected limitations and complications if you want to control it from another board, Master Mode on the MOX was actually for the reverse function, controlling other boards, not being controlled by them. And in that category, MODX is actually better than the MOX. MOX permitted control of up to four external zones in its Master Mode, MODX permits control of up to 8 external zones by turning on the Zone Master function in your Performances.

 

Maybe you were thinking about Song (Mix) mode on the MOX. That's the mode that made it easier to control, because you could put any of its 16 sounds on any channels. That functionality is gone on the MODX.

[Adam C.]

Awesome Review, David! (You definitely covered most of the things that I was curious about.) My main question would be, how are the actual Keys themselves? (I owned a KROME-61 for about a year when it first came out but I ended up getting rid of it because the cheap feel of the Keys was a deal-breaker for me.) Any other well known Keyboard Synth-Action that you would compare the NAUTILUS to? Thanks!

[eric]

Great review and now I'm interested in checking out a Nautilus! I have not owned any Korg gear in ages. I was a die hard M1 user in the early days and also had the CX-3 (the original analog wooden one and the digital version). I had a Triton Extreme for a hot minute and dabbled with a few other rack things like the SG Rack and Wavestation SR. I somehow never had any of the more modern workstations and my rig preferences have been more along the lines of stage piano + clonewheel (e.g. S90 + Nord Electro) or all-in-one stage keyboard (e.g. NS2 and NS3).

 

David, it looks like your rig will now be the Roland digital piano + Nautilus? Any other new gear in mind?

 

Thanks for sharing!

Eric

[aellison62]

Adam C. the keybed on the Nautilus is very nice. I have a Kronos X 61 and the keybed on the Nautilus is very similar (if not exactly the same). I also had an M3, same keybed, as I remember. Quiet, semiweighted. I never owned or played a Krome, but from what I've heard, I don't think you'd have to worry about the Nautilus being like that.

 

The one thing I miss the most on the Nautilus compared to the Kronos (and this comparison probably applies more to Kronos owners) is NOT the aftertouch, it's NOT even the sliders since there are a sufficient # of user assignable knobs in addition to the already dedicated assigned knobs. It is the pads function in the combis. The M3 had it. The Kronos has it. And they are so useful to program and execute chord triggers to use during live performance (I use a Korg nanokontrol to trigger these pads during live play). Each combi in the Kronos (and M3) can have up to 8 chords user programable. This allows me to trigger complex two handed chords with my left hand while my right hand is playing a lead or some other part. This makes for a very full sound. With so much of recent music using multiple tracked keyboard parts, these pads and their functionality make it easier to sound like TWO keyboardists during live play. Of course they aren't needed for recording so much, just live play. Now,... if your current keyboard doesn't have chord trigger capability, then of course you won't miss this at all.

[Adam C.]

Adam C. the keybed on the Nautilus is very nice. I have a Kronos X 61 and the keybed on the Nautilus is very similar (if not exactly the same). I also had an M3, same keybed, as I remember. Quiet, semiweighted. I never owned or played a Krome, but from what I've heard, I don't think you'd have to worry about the Nautilus being like that.

 

That"s great to hear. Thanks very much! ðð»

[CowboyNQ]

Thanks David and all, looks like a great potential replacement for my Krome 61 when it eventually becomes unusable (unlikely to be any time soon). The Krome keybed has never perturbed me as much as it perturbs others but it will be nice to enjoy playing songs in F# Major again without a degree of difficulty of over 3.0.

[Skinny]

Nice, David. I"m GASsing for the 88.

Well, I ordered it tonight. This will replace my trusty old Triton Studio 88.

 

Thanks, David for your review.

[EscapeRocks]

Nice, David. I"m GASsing for the 88.

Well, I ordered it tonight. This will replace my trusty old Triton Studio 88.

 

Thanks, David for your review.

 

[wd8dky]

Hello. Does anyone know, with high confidence, if one can control the CX-3 drawbars with an external USB MIDI controller? I've done a bunch of reading in the Parameter Guide and came up empty. There was nothing on YouTube either. I did find that each "engine" has different parameters that can be controlled via CC's 70-79, but the CX-3 lists no parameters that can be.

 

I'd be very surprised that Korg would leave this out (like they did on the Grandstage), so I figure I'm missing something and need to read up more.

 

Thank you for any comments.

 

V/r

[wd8dky]

Hello. Does anyone know, with high confidence, if one can control the CX-3 drawbars with an external USB MIDI controller? I've done a bunch of reading in the Parameter Guide and came up empty. There was nothing on YouTube either. I did find that each "engine" has different parameters that can be controlled via CC's 70-79, but the CX-3 lists no parameters that can be.

 

I'd be very surprised that Korg would leave this out (like they did on the Grandstage), so I figure I'm missing something and need to read up more.

 

Thank you for any comments.

 

V/r

I found the answer; the CX-3 engine uses Sysex messages for the drawbars, not CC.

[Kurt W]

Ocean Beach DB-1 Drawbar Controller handles the sysex messages needed for the Kronos. Not in production anymore but available second hand: https://reverb.com/item/11003078-ocean-beach-digital-db-1-drawbar-controller

[allan_evett]

Nice, David. I"m GASsing for the 88.

Well, I ordered it tonight. This will replace my trusty old Triton Studio 88.

 

Thanks, David for your review.

 

I went and did the same thing yesterday...Nautilus 61 demo; couldn't pass up an awesome deal. Swapped out my Kross 2 61 for it. Liked the overall setup and sound of the Kross 2, but finally concluded I couldn't work with the action. Greatly missed my original Kronos 61; so there was that too. Looking forward to digging into it more on Monday - have to spend the weekend unpacking a recent move