Korg Forums

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:59 am**

What I didn't like about the M50/M3 and previous organ sounds is that without percussion the 'bite' was not really present.

I don't much care about vibrato/chorus and what I really like is the individual drawbar settings.

I think the organs starting on the Kronos at I-A039 (if I remember right) are quite convincing.

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:37 pm**

If I didn't already have an M3 (with Radias module), then the Kronos would be sat here now! It is a great workstation - arguably the best - but as others have said, in many ways the Kronos is too similar to the M3. Much the same way that a 5 series Beemer is similar to a 3 series Beemer! Both are desirable cars, but if you paid top whack for a 3 series only a few years ago, there's not a pressing need to trade up for a 5 series right now ( I on the other hand, am happy with my 1987 Ford Sierra

)

No doubt if you spent the time programming your own sounds, the 9 synth engines go way WAY beyond what the M3 can do - it's just that the factory settings left me thinking "yeah, that's really good, but my M3 will keep me going for a good while yet"...

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:17 pm**

Hi, everybody. I have a similar dilemma. I was at the store last week and have auditioned M3 and Kronos side by side. While Kronos is much nicer machine, franky speaking sound-wise I coudn't hear much difference. Pianos are certainly better and some new sounds but all in all cannot justify the price difference. And for me a M3 tilted screen is a bonus. So I will most probably decide to get used M3 in next days. Then after few years, who knows...

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:43 pm**

apex wrote:DOES IT HAVE A LEAKAGE SETTING.....OMG.....YES IT HAS ONE.

True, however, it makes a mess on the carpet.

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:44 pm**

I have been very happy with my M3-73 for live performance and just "fiddling" with it. In terms of massing many different sounds, however, you just can find a better product than Omnisphere which i purchased last year. Sooner or later, i will definitely pick up an 88 key keyboard however whether it will be a Kronos "2" in an 88 configuration vs. an 88 key board utilizing Omnisphere as a VST will be the question. Great discussion ! GNB

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:02 pm**

Yeah, I've posted a number of times about this subject, M3 vs. Kronos. I agree there is a difference soundwise, but in a band setting most people will never know the difference. I have a 73 version, which is perfect for the weekend warior lugging gear up and down stairs, in and out of everyplace, especially when you throw in a case, those weighted boards can be a back-breaker. I really like using the karma scene buttons for smooth sound transition. The buttons are in a perfect place for changing programs/combis quick on the fly with no sound cutoff. Plus I really like the C-C version with the 73 keys rather than the E-E. I tend to use those lower keys more frequently than the higher ones. I have the radias exp board so I can create just about any analog sound (or close to it) that I need. I use those wonderful M3 pads all the time. I even use them for short melody lines. It's almost like having two keyboards. While the piano and organ sounds are not as convincing as the Kronos, there are third party sounds that bring the M3 real close to the Kronos. If Korg release a 73 key semiweighted C-C version of the Kronos I would buy it today because my M3 has seen better days, but I doubt that will happen so I'm sticking with the M3 and see what Kurzweil or Yamaha have up their sleve at next year's Namm.

Posted: **Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:01 pm**

i totally agree, i use 3 or 4 keyboards for live performance, M3, Yamaha Motif, usually LE61 connected to Omnisphere, maybe my Korg Studio. All keys are in Gater bags, I use Ultimate stands, other than a hockey bag full of gear and a computer case for my i5 laptop for Omnisphere, that's it. Everything fits in the back of my new MDX. I'd like an 88 but will probably go for an M-Audio or equivilent, and connect with Omnisphere. Gone are the days of lugging, i had a horse trailer full of PA plus a Hammond B3 and Leslie 122. Wait til you want to go up several flights of stairs with this stuff. talk about back breaking, i've done it. M3 more than replicates whatever I need for sounds, I do only live work, not in a studio. GNB

Posted: **Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:11 am**

I got a used M3 88 today. So happy!

Posted: **Wed Mar 21, 2012 12:44 pm**

would anyone recommend a good 88 key keyboard for use with Omnisphere as a VST, portable and with a good "touch", feels natural. Will be shopping soon. GNB

Posted: **Thu Mar 22, 2012 3:39 am**

Synthoid wrote:Finally got to play the Kronos yesterday, although just about everyone has had a chance to put it through its paces... guess I'm the last to the party, but these puppies are hard to find around here!

So I drove down to one of the last "mom and pop" stores in the area and gave it an audition (61-key model BTW). Like most people, I lost track of time trying out the various synth engines along with the "Karmafied" combis. Barely scratched the surface though. I really was impressed with it... the build quality is better than some have reported and the screen was much easier to read than I expected. There is a lot of information there though, and some of that type is definitely tiny.

The Kronos was (unfortunately) hooked up to an amp sitting on the floor so I couldn't fully appreciate the new pianos, EP's and organ sounds people are raving about. Also, they just turned me loose without any introduction or demo. Obviously the "keyboard guy" was out that morning. Good thing I'm familiar with Korg workstations.

Conclusion: Hearing the Kronos through that cheap amp was a shame to be sure. I should have brought headphones along... just wasn't thinking I guess. I'd love to have one but I gotta say I'm still happy with my M3. Maybe if the price drops later this year I'll pick one up.

What do other M3 owners think about the Kronos?

I have said it in the past and I will say it again. Yes Kronos is a better keyboard but, sound wise there is not much of a difference. I am not in a rush to get kronos. Kronos does not blow my mind. If you do not have a M3 then I say get kronos. M3 owners who know the board well will still get life out of a M3. Kronos pianos give you more control and extra mechanical sounds but, to be honest there is not a huge difference in sound. Everyone hear stuff different but, for me. Not a huge difference. I say if you have the money get Kronos cause you do get more. More effect inserts etc.. If you know not pressed to get the latest shiny toy get M3.

Posted: **Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:53 am**

good answer biggrime I agree

Posted: **Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:22 pm**

To be fair, I would agree with many of you that many of the sounds on the M3 aren't much better on the KRONOS. However, there are many sounds on the KRONOS that don't come close on the M3.

The ROM samples in the the KRONOS aren't much bigger than the ROM samples in the M3 - sounds like strings and guitars, for example, are very similar between the two. The EDS and HD-1 engines are also quite similar in architecture. For this reason, sounds such as strings and brass are of a similar quality out of the box.

Where the KRONOS is miles ahead though is in the modelled instruments - organs, electric pianos, analogue and FM synths, and sounds where the combination of SSD and HD-1 engine can be put to good use - multi-gigabyte pianos and drums, for example. The KARO string libraries and soon to be released Legendary Strings will mean the KRONOS also wins for string sounds with the expansion.

I know how easy it is to get attached to an instrument though, and if I had an M3 that I loved I'd be hard pressed to trade it in for a KRONOS.

Posted: **Fri Mar 30, 2012 3:16 pm**

The samples on the Kronos are better than M3 in my opinion, but it's not like miles.

However, I noticed that since I have a Kronos I tend to use a lot more of the sounds that have a modeled EXi (like acoustic piano, electric piano, organ and especially synth sounds).

I 'come' from the Korg M50 (sound wise equal to a M3) so for me it was not only a step up only sound wise, but also aftertouch and lots of other nice features.

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Reflections on the Kronos

Re: Reflections on the Kronos