Korg Forums

mailman00 wrote:my impressions after having my 61 key for a month...i write and score for movies and film and i also write newage/eletronic music.i was dissappointed with the selection of orchestral sounds with the kronos and was hoping to get the orchestral patches from the oasys,some are there but not the vast array i was hoping for and brought the kronos for as i am doing more film scoring and the demmands for orchestral music.i hope korg will update this without buyers having to dish out another $300.00 to get.as far as the newage/electronic side.i have never seen a keyboard so vast in this area,it's like having 5 or 6 different keyboards in one with the addition of the al-1,ms-20x and polysix engines and with the added sampling this area of sounds are vastly covered.like the oasys it will take a yr for the keyboard to get the added goodies some of us are hoping for.

I find the orchestral capabilities of the Kronos very good actually. I do the same type of film score music, and am having some great success with Kronos. The thing about Kronos is....its is VERY tweak-able to get the results you want. The out of the box Factory patches are what they are....and as expected (as is the case in every keyboard I know of) they tend to have a consistent signature sound. You may or may not like that signature sound in Kronos. For example....most if not all of Kronos presets use a similar effects mix....which is very "clean". That's the "Kronos sound" out of the box.

But what sets Kronos apart, is how easy, deep, and moldable these programs are for arriving at your OWN sound. With just a little tweaking, (often just the effects balance), you can find a completely different sound. This is not only true of orchestral, but also of just about all of the patches. Even the "lackluster" guitars can be beefed up nicely. In fact I have recently discovered that while many Kronos guitar presets sound "meh" when played on the keyboard...they sound GREAT when played using a Midi Guitar Controller. Go figure!

Anyways.....If what you seek is the best preset machine (nothing wrong with this, its immediate and allows you to focus on your performance) then I can see where another board might suit you better. But if you seek the most capable sound design engine....one that WILL lead you to the results you have in your head and your ears....the Kronos in my view wins out!

copajaus wrote:..

IMPORTANT:

If you plan to record VOCALS with your KK, think about the fact that THE FAN CAN BE QUITE LOUD especially during hot days... it does not disturb me but it could impede a recording session. I haven't precisely measured the Db output of the fan but I guarantee, it is substantial...
YES it takes 2mn 10s to boot... it might annoy some people. Realistically any basic computer does the same... so I got over it.

Nonsense.....unless you are pointing the mic at the fan and aiming your voice there too....and you are using no processing whatsoever on your recording.....the FAN is not going to impede a vocal or other recording. Silence is over-rated in todays recording technology.

RonF wrote: I find the orchestral capabilities of the Kronos very good actually. I do the same type of film score music, and am having some great success with Kronos. The thing about Kronos is....its is VERY tweak-able to get the results you want. The out of the box Factory patches are what they are....and as expected (as is the case in every keyboard I know of) they tend to have a consistent signature sound. You may or may not like that signature sound in Kronos. For example....most if not all of Kronos presets use a similar effects mix....which is very "clean". That's the "Kronos sound" out of the box.

But what sets Kronos apart, is how easy, deep, and moldable these programs are for arriving at your OWN sound. With just a little tweaking, (often just the effects balance), you can find a completely different sound. This is not only true of orchestral, but also of just about all of the patches.

Excellent observation concerning the "signature sound": that's not the Kronos, but just one possible way of programming it.

I have never played a keyboard which gives you as much space and possibilities for soundshaping, as the Kronos does. And the response you get is so direct and variable, with fast and effective results, across all these engines.

Hard to describe, but after a while of playing this machine, it gives me the this positive "it's possible" feeling, all the way from basic sound shaping up to (from my view) first class effects, as if the question were no longer IF it is possible, but how it can be achieved.

I must admit though, that the electric HD-1 guitars on board of the Kronos still belong to the rare problematic areas on the Kronos for me, and I just don't get a clue how to make something really useable of them (just for arranging and recording ideas, not even for any kind of live use).

I will be thankful if anyone else comes with useful patches here. And I'm not talking of the completely distorted Monster Lead type of guitar sound, but of more cutting and melodic overdriven leads of the Jeff Beck, Alan Holdsworth or Carlos Santana kinds.

jimknopf wrote: I must admit though, that the electric HD-1 guitars on board of the Kronos still belong to the rare problematic areas on the Kronos for me, and I just don't get a clue how to make something really useable of them (just for arranging and recording ideas, not even for any kind of live use).

I will be thankful if anyone else comes with useful patches here. And I'm not talking of the completely distorted Monster Lead type of guitar sound, but of more cutting and melodic overdriven leads of the Jeff Beck, Alan Holdsworth or Carlos Santana kinds.

Yea I'm not loving it for over-driven guitar leads, which is surprising since that is the quintessential use for a keyboard player with guitar patches. But it is surprising me a bit how good Kronos is with a midi guitar controller when strumming! Particularly with clean patches or slightly over-driven or chorused patches. Overall I find the guitar patches to be too thin, and need to be tweaked (EQ, filter, effects) to beef them up...to my ear. But after tweaking, and particularly with strummed or pick-arpeggiated rhythms, they sound great. Check out a song I just posted in another thread which uses this a bunch....it sounds very "convincing".

Which midi guitar controller are you using? Thanks.

Korglee wrote:Which midi guitar controller are you using? Thanks.

Roland GR30 with a Roland GK2a on my own axe.

RonF wrote:

jimknopf wrote: I must admit though, that the electric HD-1 guitars on board of the Kronos still belong to the rare problematic areas on the Kronos for me, and I just don't get a clue how to make something really useable of them (just for arranging and recording ideas, not even for any kind of live use).

I will be thankful if anyone else comes with useful patches here. And I'm not talking of the completely distorted Monster Lead type of guitar sound, but of more cutting and melodic overdriven leads of the Jeff Beck, Alan Holdsworth or Carlos Santana kinds.

Yea I'm not loving it for over-driven guitar leads, which is surprising since that is the quintessential use for a keyboard player with guitar patches. But it is surprising me a bit how good Kronos is with a midi guitar controller when strumming! Particularly with clean patches or slightly over-driven or chorused patches. Overall I find the guitar patches to be too thin, and need to be tweaked (EQ, filter, effects) to beef them up...to my ear. But after tweaking, and particularly with strummed or pick-arpeggiated rhythms, they sound great. Check out a song I just posted in another thread which uses this a bunch....it sounds very "convincing".

Ron, very nice composition and excellent balance on the sounds and the overall recording. I really enjoyed it. Thanks.

DennyC wrote: Ron, very nice composition and excellent balance on the sounds and the overall recording. I really enjoyed it. Thanks.

Thank you so much, DennyC!

EvilDragon wrote:Regarding low headphone output - EXer, if your Senns are 600 Ohm, of course you would get quieter output from Kronos. All the other people using headphones reporting that Kronos is HOT on headphone output, have lower impedance headphones (25-75 Ohm, most likely).

Remember, the output level of the headphones is strictly tied to the MAIN volume output, if that is turned down, so will the headphones...
from the manual's specifications:
Headphones 1/4” stereo phone jack
Output Impedance: 33 Ω
Maximum Level: 60+60 mW @33 Ω
MAIN VOLUME knob (link with AUDIO OUTPUT (MAIN))

Also, as EvilDragon mentioned, once you get to ohms higher than 100, the headphones output power gets reduced.

Hi everyone,

I have discovered a few issues:

- The keyboard is hooked up using USB to my MAC Pro.
When the MAC is ON and the KK is ON and let's say I am in Sequencer Mode, I go away for a few minutes, automatically the KK jump back to SET LIST...!
Anyone has that issue...? MIDI issue...?

- Notes Drop OFF, yes sometimes, it's intermittent for me, only happens when I am using acoustic piano sounds. I think it's probably based on how much system resources are used at any point in time, may be the "Optimize RAM" has something to do with it??? Anyone has the same problem?

- Option "Delete Song" (Not in Disk Mode)... can someone tell me where it is...? I know I just need to not save the work but there is an option somewhere and I just cannot find it...!

- I use most of the time a pair of BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro Headphones. The KK sounds excellent through those (My opinion).
My output goes to a Mackie 1642 VLZ-3 (Analog out 1/2 KK to Analog IN Mackie) which then goes to a pair of Neuman KH120A.
It's fine but not as good as the headphones, I don't get the full sound somehow, difficult to explain...
I have as well a small Roland KC-110 Amp which again is Ok but I don't get the "Full" sound I want.
Any setup you guys can recommend which will suit the KK better...? I am curious to know what you use ...

Thanks in advance for your reply.

copajaus wrote:- Option "Delete Song" (Not in Disk Mode)... can someone tell me where it is...? I know I just need to not save the work but there is an option somewhere and I just cannot find it...!

While in Sequence mode, select the page menu commands (drop down list in top right corner) and select Initialize Song.
This puts the song back to its default state (i.e. clears everything you've added/changed).

Don't forget to save afterwards (Disk mode > Save tab > page menu commands > Save SEQ).

OK thanks for the tip Yuma,

I went through the manual and got some tutorial videos (EBAY) to put myself up to scratch quickly.
I managed to adjust the output to my liking as well and it's excellent.

Very Happy...

Non owner but question about Filters .

Are the filters in Kronos capable of doing some of the advanced Electronica sweeps multi octave reso etc. I sometimes hear in House Music ?

Are the filters about 80% as powerful sonically as say a Virus ?

robertkoa wrote:Non owner but question about Filters .

Are the filters in Kronos capable of doing some of the advanced Electronica sweeps multi octave reso etc. I sometimes hear in House Music ?

Are the filters about 80% as powerful sonically as say a Virus ?

I don't know the answer to the question, but I know some synth models (like MS-20/AL1) are very suitable for house.