Best Way to Duplicate Whole Kronos

[Equalizer23]

In a week I'm flying to 2 different places, playing the Kronos for the first time on tour.
At home I own Korg Kronos X73, and I made programs, combis, downloaded some EXs, made some new samples and created a set list for the show.
At one venue I get Korg Kronos 1 88, at another I get Kronos 2 73.

What I need to know is how to:
-Backup all my user samples, programs, combis & setlists
-Transfer those to the Kronos 1 and Kronos 2 and making sure the EXs work (do I need to use the korg site for every EX on the new machines?)
-When done, revert to the previous state of the new machine and leave it as I got it

I need to be very precise and not forget a thing because I'll be far away from my Kronos and only have about 15 minutes to do the transfer before the show

[GregC]

In a week I'm flying to 2 different places, playing the Kronos for the first time on tour.
At home I own Korg Kronos X73, and I made programs, combis, downloaded some EXs, made some new samples and created a set list for the show.
At one venue I get Korg Kronos 1 88, at another I get Kronos 2 73.

What I need to know is how to:
-Backup all my user samples, programs, combis & setlists
-Transfer those to the Kronos 1 and Kronos 2 and making sure the EXs work (do I need to use the korg site for every EX on the new machines?)
-When done, revert to the previous state of the new machine and leave it as I got it

I need to be very precise and not forget a thing because I'll be far away from my Kronos and only have about 15 minutes to do the transfer before the show

I see 1 issue. 3rd party samples , the EXs are not transferable . They are locked into your home Kronos

[Equalizer23]

I only downloaded 2 free EXs.. So I need to authorise them on every new machine? that's gonna take some time..

[GregC]

I only downloaded 2 free EXs.. So I need to authorise them on every new machine? that's gonna take some time..

I am not sure if your 2 free EXs are free more than 1 time

[Derek Cook]

Hi.

If the EXs are free and you didn't need to authorise them, then you should be OK. Can you get the providers of the Kronos to download them and load them for you to check?

Other issue I can think of is what OS versions are your Kronos and the machines at. If you have a later OS, will your PCG be compatible with the other machines?

[aron]

Please make sure you have several backups. I make 3 backups just in case. Once, for some reason, one of the backups was old (have no idea how). The second time, the Kronos 2 would not read one of the USB sticks.

Unless you really need the additional EXS sounds, I would make an alternate setup with just the stock sounds - that way you can still proceed if something goes wrong with the additional sounds loading.

[chini]

…maybe a moot point but make damned sure the hire model is running the same OS as your saved files! Then you can be sure of avoiding any incompatibility between file formats!

[Equalizer23]

So I need to install the new OS on the new machines. How much time will it take more or less?

So back to my original questions. What is the best way to backup my user samples, programs, combis & setlists? Do a "Save All" from Disk?
How do I transfer the backup to the new machine, and then how do I revert to its original state?

[chini]

So I need to install the new OS on the new machines. How much time will it take more or less?

So back to my original questions. What is the best way to backup my user samples, programs, combis & setlists? Do a "Save All" from Disk?
How do I transfer the backup to the new machine, and then how do I revert to its original state?

Whatever OS you are running take a copy of those OS UPDATE files you loaded into the Kronos and put them on a freshly formatted USB stick to load into the hire machine. (download them from the Korg website if you no longer have them to hand)

Yes! the most comprehensive save is to perform a "SAVE ALL" to an external medium the K is able to read through it's USB port. With the samples in mind you may want to "SAVE ALL" to a FAT 32 formatted HD or USB stick with at least 16gig. I always travel with 3 backups.

The safest way to be sure you have saved everything is to do "SAVE ALL". However before you do this: boot up your normal set up and go through your repertoire making sure everything is playing/playing back correctly. Then check that you have the SetList and Global pages freshly saved. In the global page, if you wish, you can tick the appropriate KSC file you wish the K to boot up with (once you have copied your files to the hire machines internal drive). Most of this will be checked when you go through your patches/rehearse however it's prudent just to check there are none of the colour-block-red warnings signs of samples missing etc. Once you are convinced everything is in order do a new SAVE ALL to your external HD/USB stick and to the internal K drive for good measure! naming it "K latest" or whatever.

Then verify the files you have saved by loading the ("K latest") PGM file. This loads everything. BTW it's worth keeping in mind it's prudent to always use "SAVE ALL" whatever small edits you have made as you then save all portions of the Ks makeup together. Saving "Songs", "Programs", Combies" or anything else separately can run one into confusion when you suddenly find that last update you made to a patch is not there! Always best to save everything together as "SAVE ALL" in my experience!

When you are in front of the hire K, once you have updated (or perhaps downgraded) it's OS to match the K OS your files were saved through, copy your files into the internal drive. (Uploading the OS takes a couple of minutes only). If this hire K is an "X" version or K2 it should have 2 drives: copy your files to both drives for good measure! Once in their you should be able to switch off the K - switch it back on and it should boot up with all your repertoire in place (if you did tick your appropriate KSC file in then global page!)

If you are hiring a K from a reputable service you shouldn't have to worry about the original state of the hire K! They should have back up files to restore the instruments original data. If you are worried about leaving your own files on there simply go into the Utility page and delete them!

Have a great tour!

[aron]

> Whatever OS you are running take a copy of those OS UPDATE files you loaded into the Kronos and put them on a freshly formatted USB stick to load into the hire machine. (download them from the Korg website if you no longer have them to hand)

You are so right about this! Thanks for the reminder.
It's scary to update someone else's Kronos to another OS but if you have to....

[Equalizer23]

So my flight is in 2 days
I figured out how to SAVE ALL and have the KSC preload, but all the user samples i created (sampled some Nord sounds) do not load with it
So I did "Save Sampling Data" after loading all the KSCs that I had and making sure the samples worked before doing so. I then preloaded the new Sampling Data KSC and the SAVE ALL KSC but still it says "Sample Not Loaded"
Isn't there a way to load all the KSCs I need and save them as one big KSC with the user samples?

[aron]

I thought Save All did this? This is the only thing I get worried about - when using 3rd party EXS samples or user samples. This is the one thing I don't want.... is to go on tour and not be able to get my sounds and get errors. I will be following this thread closely to see the answer.

[chini]

So my flight is in 2 days
I figured out how to SAVE ALL and have the KSC preload, but all the user samples i created (sampled some Nord sounds) do not load with it
So I did "Save Sampling Data" after loading all the KSCs that I had and making sure the samples worked before doing so. I then preloaded the new Sampling Data KSC and the SAVE ALL KSC but still it says "Sample Not Loaded"
Isn't there a way to load all the KSCs I need and save them as one big KSC with the user samples?

I think I see your mistake! … When you say you "preloaded the Sampling Data KSC" it sounds like you physically loaded this yourself from the directory before loading the PGM file…? If you load your samples first, followed by the PGM file you are effectively loading 2 unrelated things. The choice of KSC on the global page is the all important directory to the samples and their related combie/program and song patches where they are used. I know! it is a little confusing! … I must admit there is a caveat to the booting process regarding everything getting loaded together which I did not mention in my last post which I will come to. Furthermore when loading the PGM I also failed to detail you with the correct settings that are demanded on the pop up screen! So to make the procedure much clearer here is exactly what I do to get everything working/booting together from scratch:

1. Ignoring whatever current KSC choice you have made on the Global page, get the Kronos set up the way you want with everything organised making sure you don't have any samples missing from your patches THEN….

2. Perform a fresh "Save All" calling it something specific perhaps "set up attempt 2" (!) If you watch the screen while the K saves everything you should see it go through the various folders including all the samples you have currently loaded in RAM. On mine for example I have all the original sample waves (with varying ENV release times) from my old Korg EX-8000 and the Ensoniq ES-M rack synths: that's about 100 samples that I see getting saved one after the other if at a fair rate of knots!

3. Once it has finished saving it all (and BTW I can not remember if it asks you questions during a freshly named "Save All" but answer yes to everything anyway!) in the DISC directory you should see a list of all the various folders one after the other including the KSC one called "set up attempt 2.KSC" all with the same archive date on them (if with slightly differing times). Go to the KSC autoload in the Global page and ADD that new KSC to the directory making sure it is ticked, then save the Global page and perform another "Save All". You must do this to save the new KSC setting in the Global page along with all your other custom directories. This time the K will definitely ask you questions as it saves because you are going to save over the original. It should automatically ask you if you are sure you want to overwrite "setup attempt2" : tick YES for everything! making sure the K has fully completed the save all procedure (there is a final question it asks you towards the the end of its number crunching which sometimes can be slightly delayed at appearing so just be aware of this!) As a matter of course I always allow a good 10 seconds after a save before switching the K off. So... when done switch the K off!

4. Then after another "chini special 10 seconds" switch the K back on! Now as you watch the K screen as it boots up you should see it mention at some point that it is loading your new KSC directory.

5. I mentioned earlier a caveat to the boot up procedure… On boot up the K does not load any custom Songs as a quick glance at the Sequencer page will show you. It is for this reason I always re-load the PGM file and at the same time it makes doubly sure everything has booted in correctly the way I want it!. So locate your new PGM file in the DISC directory and load it. When loading a PGM the K asks you if you wish to load the SNG, KSC and KGE files at the same time: YOU DO! so tick all 3 boxes and the Song Allocation box "Clear All" too! AND V.IMPORTANT! next to "Load method for EXs and user sample banks" make sure this is set to "KSC settings"

The re-loading of the PGM file is an extra chore I know but at least it reassures one that the correct directories have been loaded! Why Korg decided to do it this way I don't know! but in order to load your carefully crafted Song (sequence) files its best to load them in with the a fresh load of the that PGM file. Again as I habitually use "Save All" I can be fully confident when I load my PGM file along with the appropriate boxes ticked as described above, that all my song files, samples, drum patterns, drum kits, set lists, combies, programs, the whole finarky! are all correctly loaded together!

During prep time I used to over-write programs and songs separately but have since changed my habits to only ever using "Save All" because it is the closest thing to getting all the various files relating correctly to each other/everything booting up together consistently.

I hope this all makes sense and works for you!

[Equalizer23]

Thanks so much for the thorough description
I did exactly as you wrote, and after the restart I unchecked all the preload KSCs in the Global page except for the new "set up attempt" ksc. I then pressed "Auto-Load Now" but the user samples were still missing.. When I check the old KSC with the user samples it all works

[chini]

Thanks so much for the thorough description
I did exactly as you wrote, and after the restart I unchecked all the preload KSCs in the Global page except for the new "set up attempt" ksc. I then pressed "Auto-Load Now" but the user samples were still missing.. When I check the old KSC with the user samples it all works

Well… I'm a little confounded by that! I have been constantly reprogramming my Kronos over the years, re allocating the KSC on the global page as I go as I have described.

At this point I would save that Global page in the state where the correct KSCs make it happen for you and then do yet another Save All procedure! As well as this, using the DISC utility page, I would also copy those autoload files you have activated in the global page because you will need them to be present on the hire Kronos too! Then do the same to your backup drives you will be taking on tour. Then test it all boots up properly from the back ups!

One other thing that was mentioned at the start of this thread by someone was the possible conflict of different Korg library samples. If you have patches using samples from a library that is not present on the hire K you will be scuppered!

In fact to be absolutely sure you have access to everything you do on your home K you could of course copy the entire contents of your K hard drives onto external drives! That way at least you will know you will have access to everything you currently have on your own K! I do archive mine this way from time to time. Actually at this late point in the proceedings rather than continue to try and make it work through the filing system I would actually do this! I presume you will have some time when you get in front of the hire K to perform the necessary to get your setups registering correctly?…!

Other than this I can only suggest you give Korg a ring!