Korg Forums

[boogieboots]

Hi Guys,

I have been a Korg user for years and have always struggled getting an even balance for my combis to use for live performance, whether it be on the Trinity, Triton or the Kronos.....
Obviously, some programs cut through the mix b etter than others.

I just wondered if any of my fellow Kronos users have any tips to overcome this problem?

[geoelectro]

The easiest is to use Set List mode. Every Set List slot has its own volume setting.
I have a "standard" combi I use as a reference. In fact, I use it as a starting place for all my combi's. As a result, I can set a "standard" volume there and it will follow into newer combi's.

Geo
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[19naia]

Balancing the volume of each timbre to blend them all in together as one sound in a combi, I always use timbre EQ.

Timbre EQ is a simple 4 band EQ but i noticed that the right relationship between the the two in the middle, gives a serious ramp to the volume without doing too much overwhelming of the Lows or highs.
Not the high treble end and not the Low bass end, the one just below the highest treble and the one just above the lowest bass.
I use those two by turning the lower one up and the higher one to somewhere around the mid range.

I use external bass patches when i need a deeper bass sound to cut through the more complex mixes. Anything really deep and loud from Kronos program options, ends up cracking up the smoothness of sound i dial in between other blended programs. Not really an issue if it is just a program or two with a bass end added.

I have tried turning up the programs in program mode and tweaking other program mode parameters, but when i pick a program to use, i don’t want to alter what i have chosen to blend in, i dnt like to alter a chosen program just to be able to blend it in well. Rare cases the program actually needs volume to be turned up in program mode. Sometimes a little increase there does a bit.
So i use Timbre EQ to give a sharp cut to the program sounds that struggle to blend in.
I also start all timbre volumes at 117 as i fit in each program and then work the volume up or down as needed. I prefer to keep the less sound impacting programs at 117 and the high impact sounds i wind down below 117. Some sounds i can take all the way up to 127 without issues.
Of course my final volume settings are after using timbre EQ to strengthen any programs with weak volume response.

[psionic311]

This is an issue I'm struggling with as well. Here are some things I go through that may help:

BASS levels
I play a lot of songs with keyboard bass instead of or in addition to bass guitar on a song. So balancing bass levels is really tricky. I've learned not to trust what I pre-mix in the studio with what works on stage. The studio's small room will artificially boost the bass, but at the same time, boosting low EQs at low volumes doesn't work either, because at live volumes the bass will be overwhelming loud. So I have to stay aware of room resonances, loud to soft balance, whether I'm listening thru studio monitors or headphones or a live PA. First thing I address live is matching bass levels.

EQ cuts
EQ levels can really make or break a combi's mix. Vocals are the most important live, so the combi should not step all over those frequencies (1k to 3k).

I tend to EQ by notching out frequencies, rather than boosting. The Kronos will often boost the low EQ on the Timbre EQ page, so I set all instruments to 0db or even -3 to -6dB. There are no usable frequencies down there for non-bass instruments, that frequency area takes up much more energy, and it's selfish to boost one timbre in that region while solo because in the mix it will fight with those low end instruments. Cutting lows helps the overall mix breathe better.

Likewise for most instruments, there is no need to have the high EQ boosted, so cutting there really helps keep it in the background.

For the sweepable mids, I take 1 of 2 basic approaches, depending on whether the sound needs fixing or whether it's fine but needs to be adjusted to fit the overall mix:
1) find the ugliest frequency and cut it (by first boosting to +18dB the mid gain then sweeping the mid freq to find the offender, then cutting the bad freq gain by -6dB or so).
2) cutting around 1-2k any sound that might step over the vocals.

BASIC sound levels
When I installed Enigma's 80s-90s pack, the levels were way too loud for my taste... everything was cranked near 127. On the other hand, I previously thought that having sounds at around 10-40 was a good idea, at least in the studio, but live that just didn't cut it. So I generally aim for 90-110 as the ceiling and where the prominent sounds live. In a complex combi with many parts I'll have layers and background parts lower around 40-80. Note that I also have the MFX master volume at 110. The Kronos is very hot.

PAN
Not everything needs to live in the center of the mix. Like old records, I'll pan an organ more to one side, spread strings out left and right, same with pads, put brass parts in individual pan "lanes" to increase the illusion of a group of them, etc. Signature solo parts will go more center.

I also like to use auto stereo panning effects. This really adds motion and life to the combi, something the other instruments can't do, and it has the bonus of letting you bring those panning sounds down a bit in volume because their motion draws the ear, so they don't need to be as loud to be noticed.

Kronos gain structure in the mixer
I start with the Kronos channel gain to minimum, with Kronos main volume knob at 12 o'clock. I'll put the Kronos channel faders almost at 0dB, then adjust the gain, if needed, to get good levels. But I always leave the Kronos volume knob at 12 o'clock at the start of the night. This gives room for turning up if needed.

Play along with the song
Play and match levels to the reference song. For example, I've made a Spotify playlist for one of my upcoming gigs. I have my iPad running through my mixer with no gain and iPad at near max level.

Then I pull up a song on Spotify and the same cover combi on my Kronos, and play along. For now I'm using headphones, and I'm matching levels to match the CD. I use the same lessons I learned about being a good member of a musical group -- play at a volume you can hear yourself but also listen to the others and make sure you can hear them. So I'll tweak a timbre level to match the level of the original recording so that it's just as loud as its counterpart. Once that's done, I'll go to the next song and repeat the process.

Keep in mind that these are general ballpark adjustments, and that the bass instruments will need to be fine tuned much more in a live open space to match the room. Later at practice, if I have time, I'll do the same thing with the full PA on. HTH

[ronnfigg]

If you are talking about being able to cut through in a live band situation, there are many factors that come into play. I have chosen to use IEMs to help alleviate ambient noise, room acoustics, volume level variations by other band members, etc. psionic311 brings up a lot of good points. I find if parts of a Combi are supposed to be at a very low level and I need to here them, then the loud parts of the mix can get out of hand. It's a never ending battle.
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[GregC]

Its also a struggle for us song writers to get levels consistent.

Using 16 instruments or tracks is my norm. Every song seems to generate work with getting volume levels ' just right '

If I only had 4 parts in a song, that would be an easy piece of cake.
16 parts is a different context.

And when I line 12 songs on a CD , my volume levels will vary. Generally
my mix is on the hot side with plenty of bass/drums.

Since I am a piano person, the piano part will be loud in a song.
This is my passive/agressive way of getting even with drummers who drowned
me out in rock bands from decades ago.

Not complaining about the K. I understand each instrument has its own sense of
dynamics. And the K's FX are huge on sound quality.
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[boogieboots]

Thanks for the useful tips guys.
I have a couple of weeks off gigging coming up so will experiment with these suggestions.

Cheers all.

[jeremykeys]

For live I'd suggest figuring out which is your quietest sound. The one that isn't cutting through and then try and first pull all of your other sounds down to that level. This way they are all the same volume. From there, turn up your rig to the volume that make your quietest sound fit in the mix. It this point you may want to start adjusting your other sounds and you may even find your are turning a lot of them down even more.
At least this way you won't have any sounds that are jumping out too far.
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