KORG Please bring back the 76 Key of the Triton Extreme76 !!

schmidti · Post by **schmidti** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:56 pm

I think a lot of guys would buy it!!!

I don´t want Hammer Action for organ and synth sounds...

I want the great keyboard from the Tex 76

Please agree if you think the same

P.S. sorry for my bad english I´m from germany

MartinHines · Post by **MartinHines** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:04 pm

I doubt this will happen. As Dan Philips of Korg R&D mentioned in another thread, Korg normally produces 3 versions of a workstation -- 61, 73 and 88.

The 73-key models are always the worst sellers, so Korg decided with the Kronos to mimic what they did with the SV-1 stage piano, creating the 73 key model to sell to people who want an 88-key keybed but with less keys.

Korg people do read this forum so you never know!!

P.S. -- No one will ever be producing a new keyboard with the TEX 76 keybed, since it was the Yamaha FS synth action keybed (same as in the Yamaha Motif and Motif ES). Due to RoHS compliance, Yamaha replaced this keybed with a lead-free version, the FSX keybed. Korg then created their own new synth action keybeds for the M3 (and Kronos 61).

tritonlover2000 · Post by **tritonlover2000** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:53 pm

There is no way this is going to happen. it takes several years to design a product and build a prototype for testing and several more months to set up tooling for manufacturing and outsource parts manufacturing to contractors.

if the release date is april, there is no way in the hell korg can change from 73 to 76 in 3 months or less.

i like 73 keys only i wish it started at a C just like with the M3.

McHale · Post by **McHale** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:08 pm

1st, Let me say how awesome that Yamaha 76 key keybed is. If there was a KRONOS sold with it, I'd pay top dollar for it. It's glossy texture and fast action allows me to play runs I can't play on any other keyboard.

2nd, The more I think about it, 88 keys is better than 76 (or 73) for me due to the fact that I split my keyboard for live use. I also play a couple songs that I don't split my keyboard and use all of the keys (mainly piano stuff).

Once I got over my fondness of the Yamaha 76 key keybed and the sad realization that I can't have it, I'm actually looking forward to the RH3-88. There have been a few classical pieces that I just can't play on synth or semi-weighted and the 88 key is a very fast weighted keybed. Palm smears will be tricky, but I'll adjust.

And schmidti, your English is quote good. No need to apologize. It's better than a lot of Americans I know who have been speaking/writing it their entire lives!

-Mc

sani · Post by **sani** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:09 pm

It's clear that it will not happen, but it certainly doesn't need years of testing a 73 non piano weighted keybed now. It's already there (M3-73).
I'm not saying that it can be done within days, but since Korg already developed, tested and used that keyboard, deciding how big it will be and from which key it will start is the smallest problem in the whole part. Only problem is that the Kronos-73 can't accept a bigger or smaller keyboard. But the parts are already invented and there.

uhura · Post by **uhura** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:20 pm

Yes, yes yes! I want 76 light weighted keys too!
And if it's not possible then at least a 73 version.
According to the specs (12kg for 61 keys) this would be a mere 15kg to handle (M3 73 was 17kg)

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:48 pm

But it's not gonna happen, so forget it.

GiantSonicRobot · Post by **GiantSonicRobot** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:10 pm

The decision to put weighted keys on the 73 actually seems pretty reasonable to me.

I think with Kronos KORG are shifting their focus a bit. Obviously one of the main selling points for a keyboard workstation is that you get everything in one box. In a traditional studio environment however, this doesn't count nearly as much today as it did in the past. There is no denying that the competition from software based solutions has a lot going for it.
On stage however, this is a completely different business. Here the all-in-one concept of a good workstation really shines. Consequently, Kronos seems to be very much geared towards live players. Just look at where the evolution happened compared to the OASYS: They added setlist mode and smooth patch transitions but the sequencer seems to not have been changed.

My guess is, that KORG are hoping to sell Kronos to gigging musicians in quite substantial numbers. And of course, in this arena portability is one major issue. Sadly, there haven't really been a lot of options for those who needed weighted keys besides actually lugging a heavy 88 key instrument around. To those guys (and I count myself among them) a weighted but still somewhat transportable keyboard is a highly attractive option.

McHale · Post by **McHale** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:47 pm

GiantSonicRobot wrote:Sadly, there haven't really been a lot of options for those who needed weighted keys besides actually lugging a heavy 88 key instrument around. To those guys (and I count myself among them) a weighted but still somewhat transportable keyboard is a highly attractive option.

The vast majority of gigging musicians I see are playing mainly synth and organ patches and have very little use for weighted keys. If I were playing holiday inns and piano bars, I could see weighted keys being desired, but I'm just not seeing 73 weighted keys doing better than 73 unweighted keys. We'll never know what the sales numbers are though...

I wonder what sold more - 76 key OASYS or 88 key OASYS. If it was the 88, I would think the 73 weighted keys was the right move for Korg.

GiantSonicRobot · Post by **GiantSonicRobot** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 8:24 pm

McHale wrote:The vast majority of gigging musicians I see are playing mainly synth and organ patches and have very little use for weighted keys. If I were playing holiday inns and piano bars, I could see weighted keys being desired, but I'm just not seeing 73 weighted keys doing better than 73 unweighted keys. We'll never know what the sales numbers are though...

Well, of course it depends on what kind of music you are playing. Piano bars and holiday inns certainly are not what KORG had in mind when they designed Kronos, of course.

But look at it this way: The two new engines which were added (in comparison to what was available on the OASYS) are SGX-1 and EP-1. Both are aimed at piano players.

McHale · Post by **McHale** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:03 pm

GiantSonicRobot wrote:But look at it this way: The two new engines which were added (in comparison to what was available on the OASYS) are SGX-1 and EP-1. Both are aimed at piano players.

I kind of attributed that to the nasty pianos on previous Korg instruments. I prefer the piano on my Triton over the piano on my M3. That tells ya something...

tritonlover2000 · Post by **tritonlover2000** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:22 am

sani wrote:It's clear that it will not happen, but it certainly doesn't need years of testing a 73 non piano weighted keybed now. It's already there (M3-73).
I'm not saying that it can be done within days, but since Korg already developed, tested and used that keyboard, deciding how big it will be and from which key it will start is the smallest problem in the whole part. Only problem is that the Kronos-73 can't accept a bigger or smaller keyboard. But the parts are already invented and there.

Its not just about the testing, its about the arrangement and setup for manufacturing. the R&D drawing boards for the internal mechanics now probably accomodate weighted keys, and the dimensions to tightly fit in the keybed to the chassis to create the full product. changing from weighted to non-weighted is not as easy as it seems in engineering terms. to do a change like that will probably take several more months than april (since its always a chain effect: modifying the keybed will require modifying chassis, mechanical parts, etc) and that will throw a lot of customers off.

I think people can forget about semi-weighted keys for now. Now if a lot of people want it and the Kronos is indeed successful, korg may decide to add a non-weighted version later in the future (just like how synth manufacturers use the tone generator circuit boards from the keyboards to create rack mount versions).

Bach42t · Post by **Bach42t** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:00 am

I have this key bed in my Trinity and Z1, I know why you guys like it.

Look at the 76-key Fantom G7, it's discontinued. The 76-key Motif XF7 is no longer carried at Guitar Center, that's huge. There's a lot of consolidation going on with product lines and such. Use what you can on other lines.

MrT-Man · Post by **MrT-Man** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:05 am

I'm prone to repetitive strain injuries (tendinitis, carpel tunnel, or whatever -- have had difficulty getting a precise diagnosis) so weighted keys aren't an option for me. I've got an Oasys 76 so I'm fine for now, but it sucks that I don't have the option of replacing it / upgrading to a Kronos. Grr.

I guess all I can do is hope that Korg reconsiders at some point in the future, but at the moment that's not sounding likely...

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:58 pm

GiantSonicRobot wrote:My guess is, that KORG are hoping to sell Kronos to gigging musicians in quite substantial numbers. And of course, in this arena portability is one major issue. Sadly, there haven't really been a lot of options for those who needed weighted keys besides actually lugging a heavy 88 key instrument around. To those guys (and I count myself among them) a weighted but still somewhat transportable keyboard is a highly attractive option.

It's a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't decision. Yes, if you care about portability for gigging, there can be a benefit to a 73 weighted board over an 88. But also, if you care about portability for gigging, there can be a benefit to a 20 pound unweighted 73-key board over a 40 pound weighted 73-key board. Clearly, there would be some market for each... but apparently not large enough to make it worth their making both of them. The only company I can think of who has gone both ways is Nord with the Stage, they have a 73 unweighted and a 76 weighted (in addition to the 88), but they have no 61.

But I do wish they had stuck with the C-to-C layout, regardless.