Are you going to purchase a Korg Krome?

CharlesFerraro · Post by **CharlesFerraro** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:56 pm

I'm interested to see if this was a bad business decision on Korgs part. A poll on the forums isn't necessarily telling of real life but if someone has an M50 or M3 or Kronos I don't see how they can seriously consider getting the Krome...

It may be a repackaged product but Korg did waste R&D on the flashy GUI and probably some preset sound design. Hopefully the decision will pay for itself and Korg will have funds to throw into a real new product.

gino · Post by **gino** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:36 am

The Krome 88 key could be what i've been waiting for to replace my heavy TR88. My back will thank me and i have the benefit of great Accoustic Pianos and EP's,(which are sometimes compromised at this price point) not to mention all the other type of sounds i use as a gigging muso. I will also get to take advantage of the touch screen and any other update in technology since the TR but keep my familiarity with the Korg workflow. I'm excited about being able to demo this soon.
Gino

rob314159 · Post by **rob314159** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:39 am

I'm not sure this is a reliable poll. I think the Korg Krome is meant to draw in new Korg owners and expand the user base, not draw upon the existing owners of recent kit. You are correct if someone has a Kronos or M3, there's probably not much reason to get a Krome. I think most of the people who would buy a Krome aren't here yet.

rob314159 · Post by **rob314159** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:41 am

gino wrote:The Krome 88 key could be what i've been waiting for to replace my heavy TR88. My back will thank me and i have the benefit of great Accoustic Pianos and EP's,(which are sometimes compromised at this price point) not to mention all the other type of sounds i use as a gigging muso. I will also get to take advantage of the touch screen and any other update in technology since the TR but keep my familiarity with the Korg workflow. I'm excited about being able to demo this soon.
Gino

Or this (I reserve my right to expand my previous opinion), someone who has older kit looking for an upgrade at a decent price point - especially gigging.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:28 am

Surprisingly, for me at least, I think the answer may be yes. I say surprisingly because I am in a position of being forced to give up GAS for the last couple of years because there are just too many other things sucking away my "discretionary" budget... a $50K basement remodel among others.

SV-1 didn't entice me because it was something of a one trick pony (EP) and there weren't any of the add-ons I did want - retro styling wasn't enough. And I already had the Triton Extreme and Karma, so didn't see the M-series as a huge leap ahead of my Tritons - after all my KARMA/TrEx had many of the same features. Finally, I didn't spring for a Kronos because I just couldn't justify $3-3.5 grand at one shot, especially since it meant getting rid of much my of older gear; I find there's some level of comfort in not having all of my gigs depend on the health and reliability of a single keyboard.

Still, I do like the idea of a high quality piano+plus keyboard for gig (vs studio) work, with fewer of the bells and whistles that I already have on other keyboards (sampling, MOSS, KARMA) which are, sadly, under used but with real-time useable performance tools like the arps and drum tracks that I actually want, and which I've gotten very comfortable with over the years of owning Triton-line boards and playing with outboard drum machines.

I'm approaching it as a compliment to, or maybe even replacement for, my Triton Extreme. Looked at in that light, and with a probable price tag around $1500 (or maybe under?), it becomes very attractive.

BB

scales · Post by **scales** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:32 am

I'm curious about this "NH natural weighted hammer action". Is this a new action developed by Korg? Is it similar to RH3?

mocando · Post by **mocando** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 2:56 am

scales wrote:I'm curious about this "NH natural weighted hammer action". Is this a new action developed by Korg? Is it similar to RH3?

Sounds Full weighted but no hammer action to me. I kind of like it. I used to have a Roland A33 MIDI controller with full weighted keys, and although not piano like, the feel is good, and it needs less pressure, maybe a bit easier on your fingers. I know it was on my "getting older" fingers

mocando · Post by **mocando** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:13 am

People have been whining that it doesn't have karma, but just wait a bit, maybe it will have software karma implemented a-la M50.
I sold my M50, expecting to find lots of options here in Panama, and to my amazement there is not a single music store worthy of the name. So I will be purchasing on an US store and have it brought here. Thankfully shipping is not that bad between both countries.

Now, for what I need right now, I think a microSTATION might suffice. Really. I just got a cheap Casio WK-3300 "workstation", and although it doesn't have MIDI ports (unbelievable) it does have a very nice drawbar emulation and some basic sampling, so I'm good for organs and basic pianos. I need a Korg workstation for my leads, pads and some strings, since my mellotrons will be sampled on the Casio. So, I will be using my Wavestation for its internal leads (Basic Genesis 1990s sounds) and as a MIDI controller for the MS.
I will not be using the MS keybed too much, as I hardly used my m50s, but just as a sound module.
I will miss the touchscreen, no doubt about that, but since I can build my sounds on the editor, is not really a huge issue. Budget is, so I better get the MS, and use the extra money to bring my WS and the rest of my gear back from Venezuela.

I see the Krome as a natural upgrade to the M50, in fact, for what I've read and saw on the videos, the only real upgrades are the touchscreen, better piano and ep samples, and the piano roll on the sequencer. Not much more.

I could also get an used M50, but since there is no Korg rep nearby, I won't risk buying something that might need fixing in the near future.

So, for me, the answer is No. I will not get the Krome.

hammondcuni · Post by **hammondcuni** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:19 am

Its just cool to have new gear. I voted yes.

CharlesFerraro · Post by **CharlesFerraro** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:42 am

rob314159 wrote:I'm not sure this is a reliable poll. I think the Korg Krome is meant to draw in new Korg owners and expand the user base, not draw upon the existing owners of recent kit. You are correct if someone has a Kronos or M3, there's probably not much reason to get a Krome. I think most of the people who would buy a Krome aren't here yet.

Guess I was trying to ask why anyone would get a Krome when they could just shop around for a used M3 or M50 while also saying that Krome is no upgrade to the current family of Korg workstations, save the MicroStation.

Krome seems like some marketing ploy to make people believe they're getting a mini Kronos... So its catering to a customer base who don't do their research...

Touché Korg, touché.

PS. If Korg is going to repackage something, why not bounce out the AL-1 and MOD-7 engines from OASYS/Kronos and package that into a unit with a bunch of knobs and buttons complete with an envelope follower like the RADIAS, pitch to cv (or more like cc) converter, and *gasp* the MS-20/Monotron filter?? Now THAT would be a winner. Better still, give that puppy 3 stereo outs like the M3 but also have the option to use the outs as one 5.1 output. And don't forget about that dedicated plug-in editor that runs 64bit and includes the ability to stream audio via USB. Finally, call it MMT eXpanded and give it an accessory shelf for my laptop like they did with my beloved RADIAS.

That my friends would qualify as a "big announcement".

gino · Post by **gino** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:01 am

Charles, what if after doing my research...

I decide i want an 88 key workstation to take with me to gigs to play in a covers band on the weekends as part of a 2 keyboard setup. The keyboard needs to have
... a nice variety of sounds, especially nice accoustic pianos/EP's,(so that i can zone different sounds to different parts of the keyboard)
..a sequencer and
...it needs to be at a bang for your buck price (not your M3 or Kronos price)
Also it can't be 26.5kg's like the M3 88 or 23kg's like Kronos or 21kg like my TR88.
I don't need AL or MOD engines, i dont need karma, i just want to be able to do justice to the cover songs i'm getting paid to play. A decent keyboard for a weekend warrior.

After doing the research which of course will involve playing it and listening to it.... the Krome might just fit the bill

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:17 am

I think the target audience is new users who gig or don't want an expensive synth, and people who have (a bit) outdated workstations (or one) and want to upgrade for a small price.

When I had a Triton Extreme I had to choose between M3 or M50 (Oasys was way out of my reach). I selected the M50 because the difference in Extreme and M3 was not worth the price (about E 2000), but the M50 (E 1000) was. So then I could buy the next instrument sooner (Kronos).

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:15 am

well i own an M3 bought after 10 years with a trinity that now is the center of my little home studio and also own a m50 that i use for live gig only.

no need to switch to krome since i don't use EP sounds and i am ok with piano sounds in M3 or from vst, and live the piano available in m50 is more than enough in rock/metal songs.

i am too not leaning to swap M3 for kronos mainly due to price reason, i cannot afford now to buy kronos even selling m3. further i'd prefer to have real analog than emulated ones.

Ojustaboo · Post by **Ojustaboo** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:39 pm

If I was a lot younger and needed a decent workstation for a very good price, I would jump at the Krome.

As it is, my triton extreme 88 and M3M will more than do until I get my Kronos.

I do think this will be a huge success for Korg, the Kronos is way out of many musicians budgets and what you get for the money is superb.

I think they are on to a winner here.

I doubt the vast majority of this forums members who own Kronos, M3 etc will likely be interested in buying one, but I also don't think it's aimed at those customers.

If I was a young keyboardist and I watched that Andertons youtube clip and realised I could get one for £800, I would be drooling.

To go completely off topic, I brought my first synth at Andertons 31 years ago, my Korg Micro Preset, and my Korg Trident and my Ensoniq SQ80 along with many many other purchases.

I remember them inviting me along to an evening demonstration where a brand new synth was demoed, the Korg Poly 6

I remember them when they had 3 shops, one selling sheet music, one selling classical instruments (if memory serves me correctly) and one selling the modern keyboards, drums, guitars and amps etc.

I was also the 2nd person through the door when they originally opened their new current superstore

Was offered a glass of bubbly but was driving.

I've always found them to be a superb place to shop and wish I still lived nearby.

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:57 pm

Ojustaboo wrote:As it is, my triton extreme 88 and M3M will more than do until I get my Kronos.

Dont even think about it...Krome can not even come close to these 2.

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