Should i sell my Kronos??

JPROBERTLA · Post by **JPROBERTLA** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:13 pm

I have have my K61 for two years tomorrow. Many problems I have seen on this forum and elsewhere seem to be either software related or user error; except for the RH3 keybed problems which I believe are design/build/quality control issues and are for real. Thats why I got the K61.

That said, with every OS and firmware update the software issues continue to be corrected and it becomes more stable. Mine re-booted twice during start-up very early on (perhaps a home power fluctuation), but it has never flinched during many performances. My only problems have been sequencer freezes during intricate track editing and an occasional software glitches which are corrected by turning in off and then back on, and then finally by doing a factory re-install.

All that said, and in my opinion, no other keyboard comes even close to it's capabilities and flexibility as a workstation. I have never experienced a insurmountable limitation or innate deficiency that prevented me from doing anything that I needed to do. My only work-around has been occasional polyphony shortages because I use the Kronos sequencer for everything but percussion for live performances in a duet. I believe that has been addressed in 2.1.0.

geofio · Post by **geofio** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 5:58 pm

Thank you all for the replies to my question, i have used korg gear for years and currently still own an m3 as well as a kronos, i think its more the design of the kronos, based around a pc motherboard and seeing the complaints on the forum that makes me nervous, i did not know until i purchased it that it was pc based, it is so unlike any other korg keyboard. will keep it for now, the drums are amazing i use them a lot. thank you all again for responding. cheers ps i really enjoy the forum some very good comments about a lot of korg equipment, no intention of not enjoying the forum.

NuSkoolTone · Post by **NuSkoolTone** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 6:42 pm

Every once in awhile small "glitches" come up, but overall it's been pretty solid. The reoccurring theme I see is if it's mission critical, a solid UPS is recommended.

TheWolf · Post by **TheWolf** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:32 pm

Why should be PC-based worse than not PC-based? People have expressed great satisfaction and happiness about the capabilities of the Kronos as a bundle of nine fascinating software synthesizers and as a music workstation. Some are not so happy about the sequencer, tough.

Being an old Unix/Linux hacker, I couldn't help myself and just had to snoop around a bit inside the Kronos' Linux operating system to satisfy my curiosity. And it seems to me that Korg has taken great care to get things right. So, please don't let your experience with widely available but less than brilliant PC operating systems scare you off.

And having the Kronos based on a standard PC components means that you might be able to replace at least some parts of possibly failing hardware yourself once the official support for the Kronos has ended in the far future. Try to do that with a machine that is exclusively based on custom parts.

geofio · Post by **geofio** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:40 pm

very true sir.

shaneblyth · Post by **shaneblyth** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 4:11 am

I did a survey on here a month ago about how often does your Kronos crash. Well the vast and I mean just about everybody had never had a crash even in 2-3 years or maybe one. So I was relieved to here that. It made me aware mine had a problem, which in the end turned out to NOT be the Kronos itself but more of my UPS being a bit cheap and playing in a place with power issues. I'd suggest a quality power conditioner like a Furman and or a decent Sinewave UPS that way you'll probably be very happy for a very long time. Also carry your unit yourself and don't let anyone else come near it so you can treat it gently.

Dniss · Post by **Dniss** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 5:37 am

If you're asking yourself the question, don't hesitate, sell it ASAP! You'll make someone else very happy.

Vlad_77 · Post by **Vlad_77** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:33 am

Two years and no issues at all. And actually for a long time I was still playing with the 1.60 OS and still no issues. Now I'm using 2.02 - yeah I am slow at upgrades - and this beast roars and purrs along perfectly.

Keep your Kronos; in terms of hardware workstations available today, the only real competition it has is its predecessor OASYS.

As far as other fora, I have seen virtually every instrument slammed at one time or another, and one forum in particular bashes everything released from the DX-7 onward.

And if you think the hate for the Kronos is bad, try defending a Jupiter 80, another great keyboard that gets unfairly slammed because it isn't a Jupiter 8! GASP!!! As if Jupiter owners can't read the top and rear panels and hear how much more massive the 80 sounds. I've read people's posts whining that the Juoiter 80 is a shallow synth - no more than a pimped up Gaia - which is patently false. I've read posts falsely reporting hundreds and hundreds of Kronos (Kronoi?) dying every day, again, patently false.

Will you run into a glitch as some point? Probably, just as every once in a while your PC or Mac gets dodgy. Don't let the haters make you paranoid.

As the old meme goes, "haters gonna hate."

xfoadx · Post by **xfoadx** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 10:00 pm

K61 for 18 months with no problems, added 1gb ram I had lying around myself with no problems. Yet to add extra ssd. Upgraded to 2.1 with no issues.

I wouldn't swap it for anything. I'm just a casual hack who is learning and I think you could use this keyboard for a lifetime and not master all the parameters.

I still wish for a good old fashioned piano roll in the sequencer as well as an xoxo for the drums, but I use fruity loops or my Spectralis to sequence lines then add to the Kronos sequencer.

PianoManChuck · Post by **PianoManChuck** » Sat Nov 23, 2013 4:07 pm

I've had my Kronos 88 for over 2 years - still works great! I've had my wife almost 2 decades - still works great! Read the forums on either subject and you'll find negatives - the complainers are very vocal

JPWC · Post by **JPWC** » Sat Nov 23, 2013 10:36 pm

Only sell your Kronos if you are prepared to buy a new one! Because that's what you'll do.

Vlad_77 · Post by **Vlad_77** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:49 am

JPWC wrote:Only sell your Kronos if you are prepared to buy a new one! Because that's what you'll do.

Nice!!! I wish there was a "Like" button.

shaneblyth · Post by **shaneblyth** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:56 am

the more i use mine the more I realise theres noting else I'd go and buy.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:21 pm

PianoManChuck wrote:I've had my Kronos 88 for over 2 years - still works great! I've had my wife almost 2 decades - still works great! Read the forums on either subject and you'll find negatives - the complainers are very vocal

Another possible problem with the complainers is they don't carefully read directions and/or get very impatient. I had a successful 2.1, V2, KRS06 upgrade on my Kronos.

I made sure my USB drives were Korg formatted, and carefully followed each step.

PCFREE · Post by **PCFREE** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:07 pm

I wouldn't sell mine even if it crashed every day! It's awesome! I would only get another!