Korg Forums

audioird · Guest

Hi,

Here is my case, a few explainations.
My actual config is : Roland RD300sx, a laptop, V-Station, Ableton Live, Korg Legacy suite (MS20 and others).
I do not own Komplete, nor Pianoteq.

I recently sold my Roland to buy a Nord Stage 2 to get a more reliable configuration, a better piano and e-piano.
Than the Korg Kronos appeared !!!
I am now very confused and I want to know what would be the best setup for me.

I am looking for :
- an instrument, I mean real feeling and playability with goods keyboard sounds (rhodes, clavinet, piano) and why not others (Strings ...)
- good analog or wave sounds to overlay
- reliability (always works when you switch it on)
- easiness for live performance
- enough parameters to get the sound I want

The Kronos may be ok :
- if I can try it and if it does not sounds like a toy with bells and whistles (useless features, poor efficiency, poor user interface)
- if the price in France does not exceed 2500 € for a 73 or 88 piano keys.

Or maybe I should buy a Nord Stage
Or maybe I should buy Komplete or Pianoteq and a controller keyboard.

panrixx · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:57 pm Post subject:

Well, I do not think anywhere in the UK is selling the K88 for less than £3,000 so I cannot imagine you'll get one for 2,500 euro - at least not for a while. The cheapest price for a K73 is £2,999, although I'm sure you could haggle that down £100.

EXer

Le Nord Stage 2 semble bien répondre à ton cahier des charges, surtout si tu es essentiellement un musicien de scène. Il peut charger en mémoire flash les échantillons de la bibliothèque Nord Piano (format .npno) et ceux de la bibliothèque Nord Wave (format .nsmp), disponibles en téléchargement gratuit sur le site de Clavia. Attention : je parle bien du Nord Stage 2, pas du Nord Stage.

En revanche, il n'a ni séquenceur ni Karma et il offre nettement moins de possibilités que le Kronos en matière de programmation et de sound design.

Toi seul peux décider ce convient le mieux à tes besoins.

Et si les prix en France paraissent élevés, ça peut être intéressant d'aller voir en Allemagne, p.ex. chez Thomann...

abstract for the non French speaking:
The Nord Stage 2 meets your requirements as a gigging musician quite well. The Kronos is more versatile.

robinkle · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:53 pm Post subject:

My guess is that Nord Electro, DX7 and Access Virus could replace Kronos. But I would rather wait for Kronos. The EP's, FM and even VA synthesis is probably better on Kronos. And you save space. And you can use two engines together in one program and 16 programs in a combi. Less keyboards makes things easier when going live, and Set list might do things even easier for you. Those are my thoughts. Smile

Gargamel314

audioird · Guest

I will assume (because I did not try one myself) that Kronos sounds (and feels) as good as Nord Stage 2 for all a NS2 does : Pianos, E-Pianos, Clavinet, Effects (wah), control, organ, wav, analog ...

And Kronos has at least one (for me, I know it has much more written on specs) thing more than NordStage2 : its HD1 engine.

Indeed, with a NS2, you do not get a good sample playback engine :
- in the piano module can only upload .npno files from Clavia, you can't edit a ".npno" file and make one yourself, and Clavia only has pianos/clavinet to offer for that engine.
- the sampler module has no velocity layers. You can edit ".nsmp" files with Nord Sample Editor and put your own samples key by key if you want, then upload it to the NS2, but I reapet : there is no velocity layers possible for that engine module !

That's why NS2 is not so good for me : I have no good feeling with its new sample playback module (sounds flat).

And with velocity layers (HD1, Komplete ...), I wonder if we can get as good feelings with a sampler as we can with synthesis. That is where pianoteq (fully synth piano) comes as a possible choice. When I play with the pianoteq demo, I forget about realism / comparaison with a real piano, and just play : it gives you more than samples.

The deal is the price.
NS2 costs 2876 € here (thomann NS2 76 compact)
I wonder what the price will be for a Kronos 73 ...

iumpheed · Guest

Sorry that was not clever from me if I did not find the words on the other thread I opened because for me it was another subject. I know there are trolls and this is not my intention. I will be careful with my words if I post again or go somewhere else (other forum) if my words are annoying this Korg forum, which I can understand. I apologize again if I used wrong terms or put annoying ideas.

I will continue to read this forum and keep my comparison with computer solutions to me.

Best regards.

Audioird.

panrixx · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 12:29 pm Post subject:

audioird / iumpheed

If you refer back to the first two posts in this (your) thread, your main decision may be regarding affordability. You indicate you might consider a Kronos 73 or 88 if the price in France is below 2,500 euros. Personally, and I did explain why earlier in this thread, I cannot see that happening certainly for some time yet.

Value added tax in the UK is currently 20% (up from 17.5% previously). What is the tax rate in France as, if its lower, this may help?

Rocness · Guest

biggrime

RKfan · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:22 pm Post subject:

There is no alternative to the Kronos....

Must buy Kronos

Must buy Kronos

No really there is no alternative - it's great, best thing out there (there being US and Japan)

Unfortunately - we are all going to have to wait and save up for one (and if you live in the EU save up for one and a half).

Rocness · Guest

dangerousdave · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:40 pm Post subject:

Waiting 5 months hardly qualifies as an impulse buy.

Rocness · Guest

keyplayer14 · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:59 pm Post subject:

Well I was in the market for a s/h Oasys (couldn't justify the expense of a new one at the time), so Kronos is really a no-brainer for me. Like the look of the Jupiter 80 though, and may consider getting one if I feel it will compliment the K well.