Korg Forums

billbaker wrote:All,

My local GC just got the Krome.

I sat down with the 88 version for about 45 minutes just seeing if I could put it through its paces.


BB

What did you think of the keybed on the 88?

Low,

I was trying to evaluate the sounds and functions more than the keybed itself. With that caveat, here are my impressions.

I found it to be very smooth and responsive. It didn't feel at all clunky - there was no feel of a hard bottom or click-y action.

With the stock set-up I had no trouble with volume as far as reaching what I perceived as maximum volume (or close to it) - it was particularly responsive using the EP's; I felt like they were particularly well programmed, too. There was a natural "dig" with harder play.

I played a couple of the clav presets - I'd have liked the unweighted keys for that, I think. I felt like I was working a little too hard with the weighted keys, but I play with the same constraints on my Triton Extreme 88 -- it's something that you eventually get used to but if you play two boards (like me) you want to make sure one of them is unweighted.

I think as well that that set-up - one weighted 88, one unweighted 76/73 - gives your the best set of choices from a performance standpoint; one for nuanced, emotional playing and one for speed and facile play.

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Regarding drum variations: in either program or combi mode, once you access the page with drum pattern and highlight it you can access a new pattern just by pressing the onscreen select (small arrow). You'll see a short list of maybe six to eight patterns - current is highlighted. You can select the next to play by highlighting it (touchscreen) or using the inc/dec (+/-).

So for a given pattern there are usually several right next to it within the same genre (i.e., there might be "Jazz 1,2,3...8") so it's fairly easy to witch between them and keep the same general feel, but with a noticeable variation.

If you wanted to switch between specific patterns that were not close together there are user pattern locations where you could copy them to be adjacent (+/- one button push) which would give you more exact control - without necessarily using sequencing or RPPR.


BB

Thanks Suiciety and Bill..I will have a play around wiht thsoe. Although I was more after a "while playing, push a button to activate a variation" type of thing rather than stop find another one and then play on..

Sort of like jamming with variations on the drumbeat...

Dennis

Miden, that is exactly what you do, once you are in drum patterns you press up or down to go to the next pattern or simply select whatever pattern that is on the screen you wish to use. I am not familiar with kromes architecture but you get about 8 choices to choose from on the screen of the M50 and perhaps more on the larger screen of the krome I might imagine. Just leave the screen up and the changes can easily be done as you play with just the touch of a button like you said... If you have access to an M50 or M3 you can do the same to see just how easy switching patterns can be. you can also set them up in sequence mode or combi mode under different kits and get even more variations at your fingertips. Most Korg workstations have incredible drum capabilities to choose from.

Ahhhhh cool!!!! thanks csteen...perfect

Dennis

Csteen,

Unfortunately, Krome didn't display more than the single column of the patterns menu; as I said above, about 8 pattern names.

Other patterns can be accessed using the usual L/R slider at the bottom of the pop-up sub-menu (took a bit for me to see that).

Miden's "dedicated button" for variations is not there, but the touch menu essentially acts as one once you're in that DT edit mode -- a matter of only 2 or 3 quick touches in program (from play menu select DT / Pattern menu (arrow) / New pattern) and maybe 1 or 2 more in combi mode since you have to dig down into an edit screen rather than direct access from play.

Once you get to pattern menu things work exactly the same.

I'm not sure you can set up different patterns for different kits in a combi -- my guess is that there's only one DT per combi.

On the other hand a combi has DT + Arp 1 + Arp 2: DT is on/off with a dedicated switch and both arps could be set up as Drum arps (of which there are 200-something). So you could have as many as three variations running individually or mixed several ways. You can even set up the Arp Drum Kits to cross fade using a knob or data fader. There's a lot of flexibility there to be tapped. (O no, pun!?!)


BB

Cool Bill...that sounds like it might work even better...

Thanks

Dennis

So, I finally caved and purchased the Krome today. GC sent me a $200 coupon and I decided to use it.

I only messed around with it for a few minutes, because I have to head out for lunch with my girlfriend. All in all, I like!!!