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Korg Kronos X or Kurzweil PC3K8 or else ?
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cyyap95



Joined: 15 Jun 2012
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:43 am    Post subject: Korg Kronos X or Kurzweil PC3K8 or else ? Reply with quote

Korg Kronos X or Kurzweil PC3K8 ?(or any other u personally think is better?)
First, when they talk about the sound.. i have a question.. isn't that with a proper tuning or setting they all can sounds the same ? and if they say the strings sounds bad.. can't it be load in some "good" strings sound ?

So i want to ask what's the correct way to choose between this 2 models ?
Depends on sound ? (really ?)
Or depends on the layout, what can you do on the board, and the keyboard feel ?

so what's your suggestion ....and point of view..


Ohh.. i didn't own any of these and i am totally new to this ....
i wanted to know more before i make the purchase..
and why i come into synth/workstation is because i know synth/workstation can do more things than just a digital piano..(wrong?)

i know i might not be able to get "unbiased" reply... but just let me know more
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ahutnick
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have the Kurzweil PC3K8 as well as a Kronos 61. The best thing to do IMHO is to go and play them both in person before buying and note what you like and dislike about each keyboard before deciding to purchase.
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cyyap95



Joined: 15 Jun 2012
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ahutnick wrote:
I have the Kurzweil PC3K8 as well as a Kronos 61. The best thing to do IMHO is to go and play them both in person before buying and note what you like and dislike about each keyboard before deciding to purchase.


so is it "with a proper tuning or setting they all can sounds the same ?"

i heard someone says that 61 keys has better action
and X version weighted key.. is too heavy...
is that real ? or that's just like the real piano weight but just not suit for other instrument player that comes to make music ?
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runningman67
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:54 am    Post subject: Re: Korg Kronos X or Kurzweil PC3K8 or else ? Reply with quote

cyyap95 wrote:

So i want to ask what's the correct way to choose between this 2 models ?
Depends on sound ? (really ?) Well yes, if you like the sound, it helps.


Or depends on the layout, what can you do on the board, and the keyboard feel ?Well yes the layout and feel, also important

so what's your suggestion ....and point of view.. I like the sound and feel of the Kronos



i know i might not be able to get "unbiased" reply... but just let me know more
try them, thats the least biased opinion that you will ever get

Very Happy
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EvilDragon
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ahutnick wrote:
I have the Kurzweil PC3K8 as well as a Kronos 61. The best thing to do IMHO is to go and play them both in person before buying and note what you like and dislike about each keyboard before deciding to purchase.


This. Just try them both. Both have things to like and dislike about.
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Low Class
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have both the Kronos 88 and the PC3K8. The Kronos I've had about a month and the PC3K8 about 3 months. As mentioned, each has its strengths and weaknesses, but if I had to choose one based on the sound it would be the PC3K8. Each day that goes by my love for the sound of the Kronos is diminishing. It's a great keyboard, but the sound of it has struck me as rather 2 dimensional and cold. The only reason I don't regret buying the Kronos is because of the great deal I got on a non "X" unit, especially with the $200 rebate. But if I had to do it over I would have looked closer at the Motif XF8 with the 10th Anniversary package.
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cyyap95



Joined: 15 Jun 2012
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Low Class wrote:
I have both the Kronos 88 and the PC3K8. The Kronos I've had about a month and the PC3K8 about 3 months. As mentioned, each has its strengths and weaknesses, but if I had to choose one based on the sound it would be the PC3K8. Each day that goes by my love for the sound of the Kronos is diminishing. It's a great keyboard, but the sound of it has struck me as rather 2 dimensional and cold. The only reason I don't regret buying the Kronos is because of the great deal I got on a non "X" unit, especially with the $200 rebate. But if I had to do it over I would have looked closer at the Motif XF8 with the 10th Anniversary package.


I think X unit didn't have any changes on keybed but extra ssd and extra libraries ?

about the sound.. can't we use some sound libraries that can be found on internet to offset this weakness ?

and how do you think on kronos key ? is it near the real grand ?
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Vlad_77
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Obviously try them both as others have suggested. I have a PC3 as well as a Kronos and frankly if a gun was placed to my head and I had to choose one, I would tell the miscreant to just pull the trigger.

Both instruments are insanely powerful. The trick with any synth or workstation is IMHO to get a sense of the sound by listening to some of the factory patches. But what's more important is exploring what sound creating options the instrument offers you. In the Kronos and Kurzweils you have perhaps the deepest sound creating engines of the big four synth/workstation manufacturers.

Kronos: nine synth engines that you can mix and match. The engines run the gamut from simoler subtractive synths like PolySix to the esoterically exciting MOD-7 and STR-1

Kurzweil: A multitude of modulation possibilities, programs that are 32 layers deep, and the ability to roll your own algorithms among many other things. I would love to trade up my PC3 to a PC3K just for the sample import function but that's not possible.

I don't envy your dilemma at all. These instruments are a sound designer's dream and either one offers a lifetime of exploration.

Keep us posted on your decision! Smile
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Low Class
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cyyap95 wrote:
Low Class wrote:
I have both the Kronos 88 and the PC3K8. The Kronos I've had about a month and the PC3K8 about 3 months. As mentioned, each has its strengths and weaknesses, but if I had to choose one based on the sound it would be the PC3K8. Each day that goes by my love for the sound of the Kronos is diminishing. It's a great keyboard, but the sound of it has struck me as rather 2 dimensional and cold. The only reason I don't regret buying the Kronos is because of the great deal I got on a non "X" unit, especially with the $200 rebate. But if I had to do it over I would have looked closer at the Motif XF8 with the 10th Anniversary package.


I think X unit didn't have any changes on keybed but extra ssd and extra libraries ?

about the sound.. can't we use some sound libraries that can be found on internet to offset this weakness ?

and how do you think on kronos key ? is it near the real grand ?


The only difference in the X in the additional SSD and RAM.

It's a very powerful unit and I'm sure many things can be done to improve any weaknesses, but I still think the Kurz has a fuller and more organic tone.

Keybed is the same RH3. I had a RH3 on my SV1 that I didn't care for, but this keybed feels much different and I love it! One of the better keybeds out there IMO, but you'll find opinions all over the map on that one. I played a Kronos X at a GC a few days ago and it was awful. Keys were sticking and just generally felt bad. The salesperson blamed it on being a demo, but it doesn't say much for its durability if that's the reason.
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EvilDragon
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vlad_77 wrote:
Obviously try them both as others have suggested. I have a PC3 as well as a Kronos and frankly if a gun was placed to my head and I had to choose one, I would tell the miscreant to just pull the trigger.



I would at least try to take over his gun and point it back at him for even asking that kind of question. Laughing
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synthguy
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Low Class wrote:
if I had to choose one based on the sound it would be the PC3K8. Each day that goes by my love for the sound of the Kronos is diminishing. It's a great keyboard, but the sound of it has struck me as rather 2 dimensional and cold.

Well, here I go muddying the waters with the opposite opinion.

My PC3 is gathering dust - literally, which is sad. I love the thing, except for the fact that programming it can be as pleasant as a root canal. It can seriously cause head pain. Some things are easy, some things aren't obvious, and sometimes it refuses to do what you expect. This is the only board I have ever screamed at. I also don't like the filters, other than the "Mogue" model, while I like the 1992 vintage K2000 filters better, go figure. It also sounds compressed, and if you listen to the raw waves, many are, BADLY. The organ is a little better, performance stuff is the same but different, though the PC3 only has an arpeggiator. Plus the sequencer on the PC3 really is a scratch pad with minimal editing.

Everything else on Kronos leaves it light years behind.
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cyyap95



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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmmm ok

erm is that all the sound libraries can be import to kronos/pc3k ?

i means do the libraries over the internet are useable on every board?

or there're few different format that means some sample can't be load into kronos but it can be load into kurzweil ?
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EvilDragon
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

synthguy wrote:
This is the only board I have ever screamed at.


My PC3K8 didn't suffer those kinds of outbursts. My old Korg X5D did, though. Very Happy

synthguy wrote:
I also don't like the filters, other than the "Mogue" model.


That's very subjective. I adore how Kurzweil's filters sound, really.


Last edited by EvilDragon on Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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EvilDragon
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cyyap95 wrote:
Hmmm ok

erm is that all the sound libraries can be import to kronos/pc3k ?

i means do the libraries over the internet are useable on every board?

or there're few different format that means some sample can't be load into kronos but it can be load into kurzweil ?


This depends on the size of memory a board has. PC3K8 has only 128 MB so that's not much. But the good thing is that samples stay there even after you turn the machine off, and you don't have to wait 2+ minutes to start it up either.

But no - libraries can come in a vast amount of formats. Not all are supported by Kronos or PC3K. You can load pure WAV in both of them, but you will have to do the mapping on your own then. Korg supports loading Akai and Soundfonts if I remember correctly. Kurzweil supports its own format (KRZ, K25, K26), WAV and AIFF.
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jeebustrain
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

synthguy wrote:
Low Class wrote:
if I had to choose one based on the sound it would be the PC3K8. Each day that goes by my love for the sound of the Kronos is diminishing. It's a great keyboard, but the sound of it has struck me as rather 2 dimensional and cold.

Well, here I go muddying the waters with the opposite opinion.

My PC3 is gathering dust - literally, which is sad. I love the thing, except for the fact that programming it can be as pleasant as a root canal. It can seriously cause head pain. Some things are easy, some things aren't obvious, and sometimes it refuses to do what you expect. This is the only board I have ever screamed at. I also don't like the filters, other than the "Mogue" model, while I like the 1992 vintage K2000 filters better, go figure. It also sounds compressed, and if you listen to the raw waves, many are, BADLY. The organ is a little better, performance stuff is the same but different, though the PC3 only has an arpeggiator. Plus the sequencer on the PC3 really is a scratch pad with minimal editing.

Everything else on Kronos leaves it light years behind.


I have the same sort of mixed feelings about my PC361. My Kronos definitely gets the lions share of the sound work these days, but I honestly still prefer the sound of the PC3 organ leslie/overdrive than the Kronos. There are also some orchestral programs that I really like. Other than that, I don't use it much. Actually, when it's on, I usually just leave it on the #50 organ program (that I tweaked slightly) and use it as if it were just a standalone organ.

Although I am quite curious about the upcoming Kore64 expansion for the PC3. I know there will be a bit of redundancy with the Kronos, but I'm all for more options. There are a few holes in the Kronos (IMO), soundwise that the PC3 has the potential to fill (new guitars, cymbals, Oberheim SEM sounds).
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