Korg Forums

[muzikalgeeneeyus]

Hi,

I was wondering, can the Kronos HD1 be progammed to have sample programs/patches that contain many different sounds with the own synthesis on the same layer/oscillator? ie, like the Akai/Emu/Roland, Keygroup/Voice/Partial structure you find in their samplers programs.

I have studied the manual, just don't know if its possible though. Hope this all makes sense.

Any confirmation/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[voip]

The Kronos' 9 engines form the basis of so called Programs (Patches on other keyboards, and in Omnisphere). The Programs can then be used as building blocks to create Combinations, or Combis, which combine up to 16 Programs, which can, if desired, be split across the keyboard, layered, velocity-switched and might be considered the equivalents of Partials on other keyboards. Combinations are equivalent to Multis in Omnisphere, or Performances in the Roland Fantom.

The Kronos HD-1 engine is sample-based. It is not a synth engine, as such. An HD-1 Program can contain two "oscillators", and each oscillator can comprise up to 8 different sample layers that are velocity-switched, and don't have to be the same sound type e.g. one layer could be a piano sample set, another could be drum samples, a third could be a synth sound sample set, which leads to some interesting possibilities, especially as the samples that are triggered by a particular note velocity can overlap, giving rise to mixes of samples forming the "oscillator" output, with the amounts in each mix being determined by key velocity. The samples can be your own, or derived from so-called EXs libraries. EXs stands for Expansion Samples, and not to be confused with EXi libraries, which are Expansion Instruments. The HD-1 engine can use EXs, but it cannot use EXi.

The remaining 8 Kronos engines can use EXi libraries, and Programs that are not of the HD-1 type, can use any combination of these EXi types for each of their two oscillators. Think about that for a moment. So it is possible to combine, say, an AL-1 Analog Synth type oscillator, with a MOD-7 Waveshaping VPM synthesiser in a single Program, with several different Programs being combined into a Combi, the possibilities are seemingly limitless. The only real limiting factor to ambitiously complex Combis is probably polyphony, but the resulting soundscapes can be so sonically rich, that the player only has to hit a couple of notes at a time.

.

[ronnfigg]

In program mode you cannot mix EXi with HD-1. You can layer 2 EXi oscillators and 2 HD-1 oscillators. And in HD-1 you can have up to 8 layers of waveforms. Otherwise in Combi mode you can have 16 of any type of synth engine, but the more you use the more polyphony will suffer.
_________________
"To me the synthesizer was always a source of new sounds that musicians could use to expand the range of possibilities for making music."
Bob Moog

[muzikalgeeneeyus]

[ronnfigg]

Combination Mode & Sequencer Mode are 2 separate entities and cannot be run at the same time. They look a lot alike but have some signifcant differences. You can bring a Combi into Sequencer mode by holding the Enter button & then pressing the Write button.
_________________
"To me the synthesizer was always a source of new sounds that musicians could use to expand the range of possibilities for making music."
Bob Moog

[ronnfigg]

Are you new to Korg workstations? If so, you have a bit of a learning curve ahead of you. Try using the operations guide. It has some procedures to help get you headed in the right direction.
_________________
"To me the synthesizer was always a source of new sounds that musicians could use to expand the range of possibilities for making music."
Bob Moog

[kronoSphere]

Concerning the use of more than one combi into the sequencer.
As you already know : a combi is made with more than one program.
Si if, as an exemple, the first combi you want to use into the sequencer, contains 5 programs, this first combi will use already 5 channels and some effects too.
So, and not just in theory, you can add another combi at the channel 6, and, if this second combi contains (as an exemple) 4 programs, you will see the channels 6, 7, 8, and 9 occupied by this second combi.

I have effectively been able to use 2 different combi into the sequencer but remember that there are other paramaters that can make that diificult. If for exemple the different combis needs too many differents effects.

But in practice, if the combis are not too large you can effectively use more than 1 combi in a sequencer song.
Take care !
_________________
trees are going fast.

https://www.lairdeparis.fr

Current Gear : Kronos 88 / Seaboard Rise / Triton Extreme / Sequoia / Motif Rack XS / TC Helicon voicelive rack /Awave 11 / Audio & VSTi plug-ins connected /wide touchscreen / iPad Pro 512.

[ronnfigg]

[Hector Space]

What’s being said here is that you can add the contents of a second or third combi to the first manually, provided there are enough spare timbre slots in the first combi and enough ifx slots available to configure the additions. As you have up to 16 timbre slots in a combi this is quite a reasonable approach but it is not as simple as just running multiple combis nor should it be because combi level should really be considered as system level and as such combines resources in complex ways from all angles of the Kronos which is why the Kronos system doesn’t directly support running multiple combis.

Over the years I’ve heard many similar concerns voiced on a range of top end keyboards. The Kurzweil Forte is a classic example where people try to combine factory programs together into a multi (the Kurzweil Forte equivalent of a combi) only to run out of resources. The usual complaint is the sounds in the combi don't sound as good as the original program. But of course it’s a matter of learning. 99% of the problems are caused by a failure to understand the effects needed and simply copying them over is just duplicated over kill.

Really you need to adjust your understanding of the Kronos structure and build your designs to take advantage of what it can do. Simplistic comparisons to other manufacturers keyboards miss the depth and power available in the Kronos. But maybe simple is exactly why people buy Fantoms and Nords.

Nothing great happens without a good deal of work.

[ronnfigg]

Point taken Hector. I was addressing KronoSpere's assertion that two Combis can be combined in a Song. Since a Combi can be migrated into the Sequencer I was thinking there might be something I missed about a Kronos shortcut. I am sure migrating multiple Combis into a Song would be a nightmare.
_________________
"To me the synthesizer was always a source of new sounds that musicians could use to expand the range of possibilities for making music."
Bob Moog

[janrhansen]

Generally speaking, you can say that the Seq mode is equivalent to a Combi. It holds up to 16 program sounds , Effect settings etc. You can control both internal and external sound sources (midi). Seq mode also holds full 16ch daw recording beside the internal and external midi parts.

If you run out of resources in a song, you can downmix channels to audio channels and add a new "combi" or 16 program tracks.
_________________
Korg Kronos 2-73, Crumar Mojo 61, Roland A90ex, Yamaha P9000Pro, Korg T3, Roland PK5, Roland R-8m, Roland SC-88, Digitech Vocalist-II, Presonus AudioBox 22vsl+Studio one 2 Artist

[muzikalgeeneeyus]

Great,

Thanks to you all for helping me understand more about the Kronos and its architecture.

Its most appreciated

[kronoSphere]

Hello Ron,
If I quite remember well, that some years ago I succeeded (manually &with a lot of difficulties) to put 2 different combi in a single sequencer song, I must admit that I absolutely don't remember how I did it and in what song it was.
Maybe I was drunk !
_________________
trees are going fast.

https://www.lairdeparis.fr

Current Gear : Kronos 88 / Seaboard Rise / Triton Extreme / Sequoia / Motif Rack XS / TC Helicon voicelive rack /Awave 11 / Audio & VSTi plug-ins connected /wide touchscreen / iPad Pro 512.

[ronnfigg]