Best board to pair with Kronos 61?

[aquablue]

I'm planning on getting a Kronos 61 rather than the other models since I find the weighted action rather stiff. I prefer a lighter weighted action or semi weighted such as the Nord Stage 2.

Which boards would be the best board to twin with the Kronos (73 keys +)? I was thinking the Nord 2, but it is rather expensive and there would be redundancy there I'm sure. The other option would be the Motif XF7 or 8, the JP80 (although I'm not sure how good these keys are for triggering the Kronos' pianos), and the Nord Piano 2 (lacks midi controllers/aftertouch).

I would be triggering the Kronos' pianos with this board of course, so I'd need one that won't have issues in this area.

Thanks
Aqua

[MarPabl]

For having a nice experience with acoustic pianos, get a balanced weighted action found on Motif XF 8 or Kurzweil PC3x/k

Roland Jupiter 80 has semi weighted action, just like the Kronos 61 so I don't think it will add anything regarding piano triggering.

[aquablue]

Is the motif XF8 really much better?

I would think that a motif would have a lot of overlap with the Kronos though.

[MarPabl]

Is the motif XF8 really much better?

I would think that a motif would have a lot of overlap with the Kronos though.

Better than what About your original question, I think the balanced hammered action is better for what you're after. Kurzweil also has a balanced hammered action (TP40L) which I think can be right for you. Regarding other points, Motif XF is not the best. Read a comparison I made regarding Kronos and Motif XF here: Switched from Motif to Kronos

If you want a balanced hammered action with no overlap with Kronos, you should consider keyboard controllers instead of workstations. Indeed the only synth with no overlap with Kronos would be a 100% analog, but all of those have synth action or even semi weighted in best case, but you have that already with the Kronos 61

[aquablue]

What makes the Kronos RH3 action not as good as the motif's?

[MarPabl]

What makes the Kronos RH3 action not as good as the motif's?

If you happen to get a faulty RH3 keybed where you get cutoff notes, clunky mechanical sounds, heterogeneous spacing between keys and so many more issues described here, anything is better than the RH3. Luckily a fix for this is now being included on the more recent serial numbers (greater than 3600)

Indeed, in your position, I would not buy the 73/88 Kronos unless I checked the serial number and personally tested the keybed.

Having said that, I personally prefer a graded hammered action (RH3 with fix) over a balanced hammered action. This for piano playing. For synth, organ and in general any other type of sounds, the balanced hammered action (Yamaha, Kurzweil) can be less tiring (I don't feel tired with RH3)

But you specifically said you don't like RH3 because is stiff for your playing style and you talked about Motif XF. Therefore I recommended Motif XF for your playing style based on your requirements...

[SanderXpander]

But if you think the Kronos weighted keybed is stiff I would think you think the Motif even more so. Yamaha keybeds are among the heaviest to play. I like them, but my Kronos 88, Nord Stage and Roland RD170 are all lighter.

[.Jens]

I would be triggering the Kronos' pianos with this board of course, so I'd need one that won't have issues in this area.

If you don't need an additional sound engine, you should consider a pure master key like the Doepfer LMK series. They provide a great piano feel, IMHO, and are nicely configurable - and they are quite "small" and light for having hammer action.

[mathieumaes]

There are a lot of things you need to take into consideration.
- Budget
- Practical issues (weight, connections, ...)
- Your personal needs

If budget is not a factor, and you want to pick even more sounds, I'd say go for a Jupiter 80.

But I personally found that Kronos really has it all for me, so I could stop using my hammond and Fantom XR modules.

If that's your conclusion as well and use Kronos as your single sound generator, you might look for a simple lightweight stage piano. Check out the Juno Stage or a Yamaha CP. Or maybe you could check out the black keys Korg SV-1