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Korg Kronos are showing up everywhere�


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Someday I"ll buy one if they ever get Horn Sections and String Sections w/ assignable articulations.

The various synth engines can do some nice bread & butter sounds too.

 

Guess I"ve been covering Sections too much but if you have great B3/147 sounds and sections you beg for time off..

Actually I"m begging for time on lately, but things will eventually change back.

 

Saw Herbie using a Kronos Clavinet D6 wah wah and a Rhodes Panned, with Solina style strings doing the old hits from the Thrust LP and sounded great.

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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When I decided to finally pull the trigger and buy a workstation a few months ago after all my research it was real close between Kronos and Montage. So then break the tie I make a list of all my personal keyboard heros and ones I was fans of and it was something like 14 Kronos vs 2 Montage, my decision was made. I still have so much to learn about the Kronos it does have a steep learning curve but as a couple people said it's a whole recording studio in a keyboard.
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Timely thread. I've been looking for a top board with aftertouch and a pitch stick which pretty much means either the Kronos or Roland Fantom. The latter was my first pick but no more, so that leaves the Kronos.

It ticks all boxes, but I'm not sure about forking out $3K for a ten year old instrument that may be replaced at NAMM 2022, and the used prices right now are insane.

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I still have a Yamaha MOX8. I still love the piano from it. It's such a great rock piano with tons of sustain, etc. But it was a b*tch to program & I don't think I've touched it since I set it up when I bought it. Yamahas have that reputation. Is the Kronos even worse?

Steve

 

www.seagullphotodesign.com

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As a Kronos owner, I can attest to its best in class soundset, excellent action (I have the 88), and absolute under the hood power!

 

I am mainly doing AP and EP these days, so it"s a bit much for me and I am looking at DPs (Grandstage-which should tell you how much I like the Pianos and action-or NG/NP5).

 

As a side note, I used to be a harsh critic of the RH3 action, but I have done an absolute 180 after using this for over 2 years, every day, for hours a day. The RH 3 has held up admirably and I have no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so through its life cycle, which I expect to be at least another 6-8 years from now.

 

As another aside, I have literally used (in every professional application) or extensively demoed EVERY available stage piano EXCEPT Kawai MP11SE.

"I have constantly tried to deliver only products which withstand the closest scrutiny � products which prove themselves superior in every respect.�

Robert Bosch, 1919

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Someday I"ll buy one if they ever get Horn Sections and String Sections w/ assignable articulations.

The various synth engines can do some nice bread & butter sounds too.

 

Guess I"ve been covering Sections too much but if you have great B3/147 sounds and sections you beg for time off..

Actually I"m begging for time on lately, but things will eventually change back.

 

Saw Herbie using a Kronos Clavinet D6 wah wah and a Rhodes Panned, with Solina style strings doing the old hits from the Thrust LP and sounded great.

 

EXS16 Funk and Soul Brass sounds promising. The articulations are static? Not assignable?

 

'EXs16 delivers crisp and powerful solo and ensemble brass sounds ideal for funk, soul, and pop. In particular, there are numerous sounds targeted at the funk and soul of the 1970"s. There"s also a great selection of richly expressive solo saxophones designed for both recording and live performance, as well as French Horns for film scores and theatrical productions.

 

The library includes a wide range of articulations, including shakes, falls, sforzando, staccato, gliss up, octave, mute, and more. Roundârobin effects enhance the naturalness of the sound through subtle changes each time you play a note. The ensemble samples were recorded with topârated musicians playing together in the studio, producing an extremely natural feel.

 

Solo instruments:

⢠Alto sax

⢠Tenor sax

⢠Baritone sax

⢠Ensembles

⢠Trumpet x 2

⢠Trombone x 2

⢠French horn x 2

⢠Trumpet + tenor sax

⢠Trumpet + trombone

⢠Trombone + bass trombone

⢠Trumpet x 2 + trombone x 2'

 

EXS11 Legendary Strings

 

' Contents: Approximately 2.8 GB of PCM samples, 128 Programs, 48 Combinations, 122 Wave Sequences

This collection delivers a wide vocabulary of string sounds. Choose from solo performances created on coveted instruments such as a Stradivarius, to the sound of a full orchestra. In addition to samples of individual performance techniques such as trill, vibrato, and pizzicato, the collection also includes ensembles offering differing numbers of players, providing everything needed for meticulous production work. Large samples allow the nuances of the performances to be captured, making this the ultimate collection of string sounds.'

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Hindley Street Country Club hail from my home town of Adelaide. Hindley Street has for years been ground zero for sleazy bars, nightclubs and strip joints, therefore the band's name is ironic.

 

For those interested, "Hindley" is pronounced "Hind - Lee" (as in hind leg and Bruce Lee). Most out-of-towners mistakenly shorten the "i" vowel sound.

 

I believe co-founder Darren Mullen used to play a Korg Krome 88 when they first started doing YouTube videos. These days he is no longer part of the band.

 

But yes, here in sunny Adelaide the Kronos is as ubiquitous as it is everywhere else - for all the reasons outlined by our brethren above.

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I"ve also watched some of Herbie Hancock recent videos where he plays the Kronos. IMHO it sounds rather cheesy and tasteless. Well, who am I to criticize Herbie Hancock, but he"s been my favorite jazz pianist for all my life (along with Chick Corea) and I think I know what a terrific Herbie is. Well, not this one. It"s a no match for his young years when he had multiple real synths, keyboards and effects on stage. I"ve read somewhere on this board that workstations mostly appeal to older folks and as humorous it is, it seems to be true even for the big legends :(
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As a Kronos owner, I can attest to its best in class soundset, excellent action (I have the 88), and absolute under the hood power!

 

I am mainly doing AP and EP these days, so it"s a bit much for me and I am looking at DPs (Grandstage-which should tell you how much I like the Pianos and action-or NG/NP5).

 

As a side note, I used to be a harsh critic of the RH3 action, but I have done an absolute 180 after using this for over 2 years, every day, for hours a day. The RH 3 has held up admirably and I have no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so through its life cycle, which I expect to be at least another 6-8 years from now.

 

As another aside, I have literally used (in every professional application) or extensively demoed EVERY available stage piano EXCEPT Kawai MP11SE.

 

Agreed on all points.

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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I"ve been using an original Kronos 88 live for ten years. I run the CX3 through a separate output so I can blow it through a Ventilator; it sounds okay. I had trouble with the stock pianos live (unless running stereo), so I use the Epic Grand, which has a dedicated mono patch. I also enjoy the extensive MIDI controller functions of the Kronos, and Setlist mode is the bomb.

 

I"ve been patiently waiting for a Kronos 3, but not sure if that will happen. In the meantime I"ll try to fend off some serious Roland Fantom GAS I"ve been contending with lately. Brother Allan Evett and I had a hang a couple of weeks ago and I found his Fantom 7 highly inspirational.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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I've been using two Kronos since they were brand new, it's still the "best" out there IMHO. I use a Yamaha Montage for a lot of stuff these days, mainly because of the audio tempo sync and possibility to set up sidechaining easily, but the Kronos is more useable in many ways, especially the 16 part multiimbrality and midi channel assignments.

Three things that would improve it a lot, two software issues and one hardware issue:

1. The Korg libraries. They are authorized to the particular synth where you installed them, so if your K breaks down you'll need to re-purchase all of your libraries. I learned the hard way when I switched from 73 weighted to 61 and "lost" all my purchased sounds.

2. The global midi channel. It's 2021. It is not necessary to send midi on the global channel at all times. In fact, it's a PITA since it governs the arp and other performance features.

3. A 2nd expression pedal. I use CC11 all the time but also need to be able to assign filter sweeps and such to a pedal. The Yamaha Montage does this easily with the Super Knob.

 

I could also wish they'd update the engines, CX3 was a bit long in the tooth when it came out and doesn't really compare to new clones at all. The Kronos is still king of the hill, though!

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I've been using two Kronos since they were brand new, it's still the "best" out there IMHO. I use a Yamaha Montage for a lot of stuff these days, mainly because of the audio tempo sync and possibility to set up sidechaining easily, but the Kronos is more useable in many ways, especially the 16 part multiimbrality and midi channel assignments.

Three things that would improve it a lot, two software issues and one hardware issue:

1. The Korg libraries. They are authorized to the particular synth where you installed them, so if your K breaks down you'll need to re-purchase all of your libraries. I learned the hard way when I switched from 73 weighted to 61 and "lost" all my purchased sounds.

2. The global midi channel. It's 2021. It is not necessary to send midi on the global channel at all times. In fact, it's a PITA since it governs the arp and other performance features.

3. A 2nd expression pedal. I use CC11 all the time but also need to be able to assign filter sweeps and such to a pedal. The Yamaha Montage does this easily with the Super Knob.

 

I could also wish they'd update the engines, CX3 was a bit long in the tooth when it came out and doesn't really compare to new clones at all. The Kronos is still king of the hill, though!

 

Is it possible to deauthorize your Kronos before selling and then authorize your replacement model?

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Hmmm,

 

[video:youtube]

 

After purchase and download to your PC, Korg provides you with a Key to authorize your Kronos to use the library.

 

I would imagine it is a good idea to create a text file with your key written into it and save your libraries with the key on a backup disk.

 

When you bring over the new sounds to the Kronos they load up off your USB drive and then get opened up in various locations on the Kronos depending what type of library it is. At the end it asks you for your key. I am thinking at the moment there is no way for Korg to stop you from using your key on multiple Kroni without the Kronos connecting to the internet and confirming you are the owner of the key. I am not sure how it might be linked to your specific Kronos unless - that happens over the internet when you give your unit the key⦠either way it would be total BS if the key is paired with the hardware and not to the user with no way to follow you to another machine. That deserves a call to Korg customer service.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Hmmm,

 

[video:youtube]

 

After purchase and download to your PC, Korg provides you with a Key to authorize your Kronos to use the library.

 

I would imagine it is a good idea to create a text file with your key written into it and save your libraries with the key on a backup disk.

 

When you bring over the new sounds to the Kronos they load up off your USB drive and then get opened up in various locations on the Kronos depending what type of library it is. At the end it asks you for your key. I am thinking at the moment there is no way for Korg to stop you from using your key on multiple Kroni without the Kronos connecting to the internet and confirming you are the owner of the key. I am not sure how it might be linked to your specific Kronos unless - that happens over the internet when you give your unit the key⦠either way it would be total BS if the key is paired with the hardware and not to the user with no way to follow you to another machine. That deserves a call to Korg customer service.

 

 

I agree the Kronos is never connected to the net so it's not tracking the key file. So keep copies of all your downloads before using them and you should be able to use them again. I would assume the only time you could run into an issue is if you connected two Kronos' together and they might compare keys, but that is real doubtful they are doing that.

 

One of the software companies I worked for we had options you could purchase for network server software and they came on a dongle (early flashdrive) that had a key file. Part of installing the option was checking for a key file and the key file being copies over to the server. Well after a while we notice some large companies that had purchased our popular option software had it on many servers yet they only purchased one copy of the option. Investigating what was going on some SysAdmin discovered there was a time lag in the install program between the installer reading the key file, authorizing the option, then moving the key file off the dongle. So they experimented and discovered at what point the authorization took place and would remove the dongle from the server before the key file was copied over. They'd get an error the dongle was missing they'd reboot the server to make the error go away and they now had the option install and the key file still on the dongle to be used again and again. We changed our installer program so no more gap, but that was a pretty cool hack finding that gap and exploiting it. Most software that uses key files can be hacked if you put the time in to look for holes.

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Re: the original topic, have you noticed that once you, or someone you know has a new car, you begin to see those cars everywhere?

 

 

LOL yes you look for a car you think I don't see a lot of these I'll be different, then you buy one and suddenly notice that same car everywhere.

 

When playing music I get something different and not always a good idea in the long run. Especially having something different and trying to sell or trade it later can be a big hit to the wallet.

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