Korg Forums

JKBklyn · Joined: 17 Mar 2012 Posts: 1

Hi all. I’m hoping I can get some advice here. I want to be clear that I’m not really looking to start a debate about X being better than Y. What I really want to know is what is best for my situation.

[TLDR version: What advantages does the Kronos have over the NS2 for a non-performing at-home hobbyist just starting to get involved in digital music? (Aside from things like it has a sequencer (which I could replicate with software) and KARMA (which, yes, is awesome).)]

I’ve played piano for years, but do not perform. It is really just a hobby and a way I enjoy spending my time. My wife is making me get rid of my baby grand b/c of NYC apartment space issues, so I’m looking to replace it with something digital. I currently own nothing for digital music (except a decent computer), and I haven’t used a MIDI device since college (15 years ago). I’m looking into making an investment in one 88 key machine to become my piano. Right now, I’m trying to decide whether to buy the Kronos or the Nord Stage 2. I realize these are different tools, and that’s the reason I’m posting.

Primarily, this is going to be for me to just sit down and play for an hour or two, so the sampled piano sound is pretty important. I like both instruments, although I think I like the Grand Lady D on the NS2 a bit better than the German Grand on the Kronos. I realize that the Kronos lets me adjust the lid and other parameters (hammer felt!) so I’m fully confident I can get a piano sound I like out of both. The NS2 has string resonance, but I’m not sure I’m sophisticated enough for that to actually be a major selling point. Unfortunately, I have not been able to really test the action on either, as I’ve only played the 61 key Kronos and the Stage Ex (which I thought was light). I did like the action on the Nord Piano 2 I tested, which also was maybe a little light.

But it has occurred to me that making this move opens up a whole new world of music and playing around. I anticipate that I will want to create small pieces and play with some synthesis. I’m excited about having access to good organ sounds and leslie simulation.

Here’s my dilemma: in my initial research, I fell in love with the NS2. I like the look of the interface, I like the relative ease of use, I like the red (irrational, I know, but I find it a bit inspiring for some reason). But I am one to do my homework, which led me quickly to the Kronos. I think the Kronos may just be a smarter purchase for my needs. My thinking is as follows:

NS2
++Much less intimidating interface. It feels like I can sit down, turn it on, and play.
++Nord Wave synthesis engine. Analog feeling control of synthesis parameters.
++Nord Pedal (+$300!) offers more piano-like control.
--No onboard sequencing, backing tracks.
--(I believe) limited polyphony on edited samples.
--Not really designed to be a MIDI controller.
--Have read about “clicking” key issues.
--Velocity level 1 creates rather loud sound when keyboard is being controlled by another device (not sure this matters for me).

Kronos
++KARMA. I play by myself. The idea of having backup like this sounds incredibly fun.
++Onboard sequencer. If I get inspired, I can record right there.
++More versatile MIDI instrument.
--Intimidating interface, but seems like much more control over the sound once mastered.
--Sheer volume of options makes me concerned I’ll get bogged down just trying to get set up (such as a simple piano with maybe an upright bass split on the left)
--RH3 keybed issues.
--Fan noise.
?? Does it play nicely with Macs? Someone told me it does not like the Logic 9 software.

Is there anything I’m not thinking about that I should be? Again, this is mostly for me to have a piano, but I’m excited to start having more sounds at my disposal (Organs for Bach, EP/Organs for Rock, Synths for whatever the fock) and to begin to record/mix and generally have more fun interfacing with music.

Sorry for the gigantic post. Thank you in advance to anyone that takes the time to read it and give me advice.

SoundsOfPlanet · Approved Merchant Joined: 13 Feb 2012 Posts: 418

Look at the demo Kronos pianos: the answer is simple! KRONOS
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GregC · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2012 8:11 pm Post subject:

if you are an acoustic piano person, its the Kronos 88 by a mile
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Sina172 · Platinum Member Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 1194

Lou · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2012 8:37 pm Post subject:

The NS2 is a great board, if all you are looking to do is play piano.
Looking at your A/B comparison I think speaks for itself, Krono will provide a full bag of toys.
Even children get tired of playing with one toy.. Wink

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SanderXpander · Platinum Member Joined: 29 Jul 2011 Posts: 7860

I think you summed it up quite nicely yourself. The keybed and pianosound are very personal and I honestly don't think we can say much about those to sway you in a significant way. Feature-wise, you're spot on; the Nord is much, much less complicated and can be quite inspiring to just play on and noodle with the fx. The Kronos is less intuitive and requires some more menu-diving to edit sounds.

That said, as far as "being inspired by the instrument" goes, I think Karma and even the drum track should make it a clear win for the Kronos on that front. You're not going to want to turn on the computer every time and go through the bother of finding a good drumloop and whatnot. Sitting down and hitting a key and having something inspiring start is what you seem to be looking for. Even if you like only 10 percent of the preset sounds and combinations on the Kronos, that still gives you literally hundreds of setups to play with, each with Karma and drum-track ready to make music.

Sina172 · Platinum Member Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 1194

Randelph · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:55 pm Post subject:

As a disclaimer, I don't have a Kronos, but I had a M3 and have lusted after a Kronos for a long time.

I don't think the argument is as open/closed as the above responders have portrayed it.

The Kronos does indeed do everything the Nord does, and perhaps 100x more besides. But that doesn't mean the Nord Stage is not a better keyboard for a given user.

Maybe I've lost some of my willingness to dive into digital realms, but having owned the Motif XS and the Korg M3, both of them highly capable and super technical, I found it very distracting. There were so many possibilities and so many sounds to choose between and so many things to learn that much of the time I didn't play it so much as learn and program it.

With my Nord Stage, I mostly just play it and play it! I love the interface, it's fast and effective, the fx are very intuitive and knobby to tweak, the 6 parts are enough to get good splits and layers going, and it suits my desire to be less of an engineer when i comes to music. When I was a studio engineer, I constantly felt that struggle: as a musician I want to let it flow, as a engineer I have to stop and be linear. And like all things, it's important to put it in perspective: compared to a full featured workstation like the Kronos, the NS2 falls way short in many many ways. But the NS2 is not a workstation, and compared to Stage pianos, some of which are even pricier like the Yamaha CP1, it has many more sounds and capabilities than any that I know of.

If I had your choice I have to admit I'd probably get the Kronos, the sequencer, HDD recording and setlist would be hard to pass up. But it would be a close call for a number of reasons:
+ The Stage 88 is 10 pounds lighter at 40 pounds, which is the upper limit of my willingness to schleep, and it's 5-6" shorter, again, very significant in some situations
+ I personally like the light feel of the action- it's heavy enough that I feel like I get the extra expressiveness of a weighted action, and it's light enough that it's not over-taxing for me
+ I get tremendous satisfaction from all the sounds. I don't have the ultimate points of comparison necessarily, like a Hammond organ or a Rhodes piano, but the Wurlitzer gives me incredible satisfaction, there's a few grands that I can play for hours and hours, and I enjoy the organs a great deal. And even with the limited capability of the synth section, it has real sparkle to it, a huge upgrade compared to romplers I've owned.
+ Realtime control that requires little to no programming!

And as for cost- the NS's are pretty robust, I would feel confident buying a used one, which could bring the price down a thousand or so. While I don't appreciate the high cost of the Nord, I do understand its a smaller company doing smaller runs, with an independent distributor in the US that sets their own price. And bottom line, I would have done so much better back in 2007 spending a little more money for a simpler board, the Stage, than thinking I had to have latest greatest technological wonder (the Motif XS). I LOST so much time and money chasing "the dream", which is my own fault for being inexperienced and not doing enough research.

I'm just saying, don't buy the hype, find what works for what you need a board to be. Maybe the NS2 becomes your primary board and you supplement what's missing, as you need it, with an outboard computer for sequencing, different voices, etc. Or maybe you buy a used Nord Stage Classic for a coupla thousand like I did, and take your time and get a good deal on a used Kronos 61. Unfortunately the Classic Stage doesn't accept that spendy but great accessory pedal you mentioned, but it's still a very satisfying board.

The other reason I'd probably buy the Kronos over the NS2 is that the Kronos (apparently) really nails the sounds I appreciate the most in the Stage; and part of the reason why I spent so much time with the other workstations I owned is I found it to be a lot of work finding sounds I really liked; and with the EP-1 engine, reputed to have the best-of-class ep sounds, and super high quality and infinitely tweak-able pianos, a dedicated organ engine, and tons of real synth engines, I suspect I wouldn't have to audition all of the sounds to find satisfaction. But, and it's a big but, getting lost in the endless possibilities is a temptation/distraction best avoided by some of us in the already huge and ongoing task/desire to be an accomplished musician!

Randy
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zzz · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2012 11:10 pm Post subject:

Keyboard action is personal, but I don't find the K action light. Apart from that, the K pretty much kills the NS2 on every front. I, too, was torn between the two for a while, then plumped for the K 88, and it's.. fantastic. You find yourself just playing for ages.
Also, being software based, in four years time, there could be fourteen software engines, and extra whatevers, just a download away. The nord stage 3 will be even dearer, I bet!

popmann · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:01 am Post subject:

I've been buying and playing digital keys for a quarter century.

The Nord doesn't hold a candle to the sound to my ear/fingers...ac piano...EP...Hammond? There are some nice sounds in the Nord-the same way every decent board has decent sounds...but, as someone who has played software instruments for the last decade BECAUSE of keyboards that sound like the Nord, I wouldn't even consider it for myself. Different class of sounds in that bread and butter category...

,,,and the action on the Nords I find generic and uninspiring.

I say this as someone who has also in a quarter century never liked a SINGLE Korg synth. Ok...maybe the M1 in the day...but, anyway--NOT a Loyal customer, if you get my drift.

If I couldn't have a Kronos, I'd just go back to software...

That said...I'm also going to tell you that you should buy the one you fell I'm love with. If you sit at both and really like the Nord better--by all means, that's the board you should get.

jeremykeys · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:39 am Post subject:

My advice is "Lose the wife. Keep the piano." OWWW My wife just hit me! Just kidding. I've never played the Nord but I do own a 73 key Kronos and can say that nothing beats it for the price. The keyboard feel is phenomenal and the features are untouchable.
Even if you don't want to get into any of the programming the Kronos right out of the cage gives yu more than you could ever dream. I've had mine since last September and every time I play it I find something new that just blows me away.

I can sit down and play and just let the music flow.
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Gear: Kronos 73, Triton Pro-X, Wavestation EX, Polysix, King Korg, Monotron and Monotron Duo, Minikorg, Moog Grandmother, 1 Roland U-20, Hammond M3, 4 acoustic and 6 electric guitars, 1 Ibanez 5 string bass, a bunch of microphones and other very cool toys, 1 wife and 3 cats!

Sina172 · Platinum Member Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 1194

cobray · Junior Member Joined: 18 Jan 2012 Posts: 60

I am also new at this and have a Kronos 73. Even though it has lots and lots of bells and whistles and goes very deep, it is not that hard to learn the basics. It offers up so much for a fair price. I'll never get sick of playing this instrument.

Have you looked at the Korg SV1 stage piano? That may be more suitable to your needs.

jeremykeys · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:40 pm Post subject:

On another note, here on a Kronos site you are going to find huge fans of the synth. We are mostly if not all biased in favour of the Kronos. You might want to check out a Nord site to get their perspective.
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If music is the food of love, play on and play loud!
Gear: Kronos 73, Triton Pro-X, Wavestation EX, Polysix, King Korg, Monotron and Monotron Duo, Minikorg, Moog Grandmother, 1 Roland U-20, Hammond M3, 4 acoustic and 6 electric guitars, 1 Ibanez 5 string bass, a bunch of microphones and other very cool toys, 1 wife and 3 cats!

JPROBERTLA · Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject: Kronos or Nord

Although I am biased toward the Kronos, I recently tried all the 88 note mainstream synths on the same sound system. Price aside (I don't understand such a high price for the Nord), unless you really prefer the Nord's weighted keybed, the Kronos is the best choice is almost every aspect. And since it appears that you don't move it (much), the lesser weight and size of the Nord is really not a factor.

The Kronos is in the early stages of development and has much more upside if you ever decided you wanted more; the Nord is more limited in that respect. Don't be overly concerned about the user interface, they all appear complex at first. In my 40+ years of experience, Korg ends up having the most "common sense" approach and consistent to work with.
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Kronos2-88, Behringer XR18, Turbosound IP2000 (x2), dbx DriveRack 260, KRK Rokit 8s, Mackie CFX16, Mackie SRM450(x2), Mackie SRS1500 (x2), BBE processors (x4), Roland VSR 880 (x2), Alto TS210, Alto TX10 (x3) and SoundForge