Kronos demo by Akos Janca

burningbusch · Post by **burningbusch** » Tue May 31, 2011 12:45 am

Thanks so much Akos for all the hard work and great playing. I appreciate the variety. You don't need to hear a three minute song, 20 seconds can convey just as much info if done right.

Busch.

zahush76 · Post by **zahush76** » Tue May 31, 2011 5:08 am

One of the things i find interesting about this demo is the cx-3.
First, after being "tweaked", it sounded better to my ears.
More importantly, from 04:56 and on - i can see how akos does some hand smears and other organ techniques - although it's a weighted keyboard. That's kinda re-assuring.

OboKeyDrum · Post by **OboKeyDrum** » Tue May 31, 2011 7:04 am

I would also like to thank you for that terrific demo. Above all, I liked the musicality of your playing. It was much more than just showing the programs, combinations and functions of the Kronos. Besides, the visual effects were really entertaining.

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Tue May 31, 2011 8:12 am

Randelph wrote:So- as someone with an Oayses, the inevitable comparison comes up.

I'd be really curious to hear about any increase in playing satisfaction and sound quality in the engines that have changed or been added.

I'm satisfied with my O88 therefore I feel myself at home on Kronos. Regarding playing satisfaction I think the O and K are similar (I tried a 73-key Kronos).

The RH2 and RH3 are a bit different keybeds but both are very usable. The RH3 keys are a bit shorter (very small difference), the feel is a bit more "springy" and maybe bouncing faster (again, very small difference). The gap between the RH3 keys are a little bit bigger and the keys are a bit more "loose" (if you grab the end of a key and move it left or right from its position) than in RH2.

The knobs in Kronos are very nice for me! A bit longer than in OASYS, different feel (hard plastic). Rotating them is very good - not too loose, not too tight.

Sliders are good. Different but I don't think worse than in OASYS.

Joysticks are smaller, have "lighter" feeling. Still usable well.

Ribbon is very similar for me.

Switches: similar feeling but they are a bit smaller. Still usable well.

Data wheel: OASYS is very good. Kronos has some interesting unique strange (maybe "dry"?) feel but works well.

Touchscreen is beautiful, responsive. (Needs calibration once.) Smaller graphic elements, still usable pages. GUI is wonderful, logical. I recognized some pages are rearranged in Kronos but I didn't have the time to compare.

Regarding sound quality, I still haven't done a "scientific" test with recording and analysing the digital signal but for my ears K and O sound identical so far.

The OASYS sound quality IS amazing. Now the Kronos has all of it plus new brilliant engines. The quality and the programming is so high-level that if you choose a Program or Combi *randomly* and you touch the keys and controls it's almost sure that you will be blown away. Anytime. It still happens with me with my O today, after years. I can't help it...

billysynth1 · Post by **billysynth1** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:28 am

Well done Akos, an excellent job for variety of sounds, demonstrations, and playing ability.

Regards
Billy

SoulBe · Post by **SoulBe** » Tue May 31, 2011 10:40 am

Very cool demo Akos,

thanks for the "insight view" by an "Oasyan"

best regards
SoulBe

Randelph · Post by **Randelph** » Tue May 31, 2011 6:01 pm

Akos,
Thanks for the reply- as usual, you're very thorough and thoughtful!

I guess more than anything, I was referring to the comparison in sound and playing satisfaction of the new engines, the SG1-X and the new EP-1 engine.

The Oayses already had a high quality piano and eps on board (higher certainly than the M3), so I'm curious if your playing experience is taken to yet another level: you feel like you're actually playing a Wurli, a Rhodes, a real grand piano, etc. Is the finger-to-sound/expression connection there more than ever (which of course is also connected to keyboard feel and velocity curves)?

Thanks!
Randy

EXer · Post by **EXer** » Tue May 31, 2011 7:04 pm

A true musician's demo. I could hear and feel that you have fun playing the Kronos. Great!

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Tue May 31, 2011 7:29 pm

Randelph wrote:I was referring to the comparison in sound and playing satisfaction of the new engines, the SG1-X and the new EP-1 engine.

The Oayses already had a high quality piano and eps on board (higher certainly than the M3), so I'm curious if your playing experience is taken to yet another level: you feel like you're actually playing a Wurli, a Rhodes, a real grand piano, etc. Is the finger-to-sound/expression connection there more than ever (which of course is also connected to keyboard feel and velocity curves)?

The OASYS piano (HD-1) is very good and usable in almost every situation for me. Dynamic, responsive etc. In short: I can express myself playing it in a way that satisfies me. The electric pianos are also beautiful in OASYS (coming from HD-1, STR-1 for example). They are all tweakable, too, with good results.

In addition to that, the new Kronos engines (SGX-1, EP-1) are amazing. The emulation they provide is unique and even closer to the real things, sometimes very close. (But, of course, not equal. OASYS/Kronos is not an acoustic grand, a Rhodes, a Wurly etc. Don't take it as a devaluation, it's only a simple fact.)

Finally, it's very subjective. For me: OASYS is a very good solution but I still would like to have a Kronos because of the brilliant new possibilities (and note that I don't have the LAC-1 and MOD-7 in my O yet). Both O and K are excellent compromises instead of the emulated real instruments, and additionally give modern unique features in an integrated, portable, simple-to-use "package". I would say they are "The Keyboards of the 21th Century".

Randelph · Post by **Randelph** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:13 pm

Akos,
Most excellent reply sir- I appreciate it!

Yes, there's nothing that quite matches playing a real grand piano (assuming its in good mechanical shape, in tune, and you like the tonality!). Haven't played many real Rhodes and Wurlis, so I wouldn't know so well.

The string and damper resonance features are great, but the built-in speakers from the (mostly) arranger world add another level of realism- not only are the speakers perfectly placed and proximal, like sound coming from a real instrument, it adds vibration to the keybed that emulates the real thing. I would love to see a version of the Kronos with high quality built-in speakers!

So, it sounds like, unlike most of us who DON'T have an Oasys, that the leap in sound quality for an Oasys owner would not necessarily be a huge determining factor. They really did an amazing number of things very well with the Oasys!

I really don't get it (unless you are an Oasys owner), when people complain that the Kronos is mostly recycled technology, not new. Maybe technically so, but if the technology is there but not affordable... what good is it! And it takes time to refine and mature any given technology.

As a live player, I'll bet the Oasys being 20 pounds lighter is pretty sweet. I've never heard of any other O88 player that actually gigged with their board.

Thanks,
Randy

PS Do you recall the name of the thread where you gave me a bunch of links to organ players. Didn't follow up immediately, and now I'm not sure which long thread that's from.

And- in the video you do palm smears and other organ techniques- is that reasonable on your hands (if you were playing a fair amount like that), or something you have to save for the occasional effect? With the weighted board, is it possible to get the full effect of these organ specific techniques?

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:57 pm

Randelph wrote:The string and damper resonance features are great, but the built-in speakers from the (mostly) arranger world add another level of realism- not only are the speakers perfectly placed and proximal, like sound coming from a real instrument, it adds vibration to the keybed that emulates the real thing. I would love to see a version of the Kronos with high quality built-in speakers!

Yes, a good point IMHO. However the sound still wouldn't be good enough from the smaller metal-plastic body...

Randelph wrote:So, it sounds like, unlike most of us who DON'T have an Oasys, that the leap in sound quality...

Yes, it is.

Randelph wrote:I really don't get it (unless you are an Oasys owner), when people complain that the Kronos is mostly recycled technology, not new.

What would they say about a new Steinway? "Old technology?"

Yes, it is - fortunately!

Kronos is not recycled but the opposite, using very new technology (based on decades of knowledge and experience). And, honestly, who cares anyway. Musicians need high-quality instruments and Kronos is a pretty good solution. Nothing compares to it except the mighty OASYS.

Randelph wrote:As a live player, I'll bet the Oasys being 20 pounds lighter is pretty sweet. I've never heard of any other O88 player that actually gigged with their board.

I did it. Not easy but not that difficult. Of course, I would do it generally with the Kronos now.

Randelph wrote:Do you recall the name of the thread where you gave me a bunch of links to organ players.

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... 536#387536

Randelph wrote:And- in the video you do palm smears and other organ techniques- is that reasonable on your hands (if you were playing a fair amount like that), or something you have to save for the occasional effect? With the weighted board, is it possible to get the full effect of these organ specific techniques?

Certainly, it's more difficult to do it and not all organ playing techniques are possible on weighted keys. But this RH3 keybed is quite comfortable for substituting many different keyboard types (ac. piano, el. piano, clav, organ, harpsi, celesta, synts etc.) and also usable for imitating other non-keyboard instruments. It is also a compromise that fits well to the various sounds produced by the synth engines.

Regarding organ, it depends on your hands. I can do it much longer but I wouldn't (probably couldn't) play like that all night long.

Shakil · Post by **Shakil** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:53 am

WOW!!! Thanks Akos.... amazing demo and sound quality..... Just wish you could have played some more ethnic sounds, other than that really loved it.

peter m. mahr · Post by **peter m. mahr** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:02 am

Hi Akos

best ad for Kronos. Excellent demo, congratulations and my deep respect.

Peter

ps: btw - the Korg sound programming team did an amazing job.

jazlover · Post by **jazlover** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 2:07 pm

Awesome, thanks for making this happen. A lot of sounds and presets were shown. It was great seeing you teak the sounds as well. I will get an 88.

Hal2001 · Post by **Hal2001** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:30 pm

Kudos and thanks to you for the best Kronos video demo so far and for the additional explanations and elaborations provided on this thread. Now that my excitement for the Kronos is raised even higher, I will have to exert even more patience awaiting my pre-order upon hearing today that the delivery of the first orders is being pushed back to at least August. Have you heard any reasons for the delays?