How to improve the Kronos?

Discussion relating to the Korg Kronos Workstation.

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enigmahack
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Post by enigmahack »

michelkeijzers wrote: Maybe PCG Tools might be helpful ... from the website you can load a so-called virtual banks PCG file for the Kronos. This contains about 200 banks for programs (and combis). So you can store everything you want. This file cannot be loaded in a Kronos, however, you can easily copy/paste everything you need for a band/situation into a dedicated PCG file which can be loaded. So you can see the virtual file as a sort of 'database' of all your sounds.
I'll take a look - I tend to be a lot more 'manual' with my Kronos than I think I should be. My workspace doesn't lend itself well to using the PC with the Kronos on a usual basis and there's no good space for me to put my tablet (Surface Pro 3) to control it, so I feel like there could be an ergonomics issue with my studio at the moment (at least for creating sounds)

I'll take a look though and see what I can come up with. I'm tempted to just back everything in my Kronos up, wipe it completely clean and start from scratch to get rid of things I don't use/need.
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Re: Improving Kronos

Post by Ottawa58 »

enigmahack wrote:
Ottawa58 wrote: A similar option would be to offer a rack-mount Kronos (without keys) and allow players to use their own controller.

I do sound work at my full-time job sometimes, and I would absolutely LOVE a rack version or even a soft-synth version that I can control while at my PC at work, make what I need to without actually being at a keyboard and control everything with the sound editor and have the sounds ready for when I head to the studio or get back home.
"what are those weird noises coming from David's office?" --- "Don't worry, it's normal when David is on the rack..."
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michelkeijzers
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Post by michelkeijzers »

enigmahack wrote:
michelkeijzers wrote: Maybe PCG Tools might be helpful ... from the website you can load a so-called virtual banks PCG file for the Kronos. This contains about 200 banks for programs (and combis). So you can store everything you want. This file cannot be loaded in a Kronos, however, you can easily copy/paste everything you need for a band/situation into a dedicated PCG file which can be loaded. So you can see the virtual file as a sort of 'database' of all your sounds.
I'll take a look - I tend to be a lot more 'manual' with my Kronos than I think I should be. My workspace doesn't lend itself well to using the PC with the Kronos on a usual basis and there's no good space for me to put my tablet (Surface Pro 3) to control it, so I feel like there could be an ergonomics issue with my studio at the moment (at least for creating sounds)

I'll take a look though and see what I can come up with. I'm tempted to just back everything in my Kronos up, wipe it completely clean and start from scratch to get rid of things I don't use/need.
Yes, I completely agree that PCG Tools involves some overhead (like transfering a PCG file). However, it also has benefits (like you don't need the computer to be near the synth.

You could start over, but it might take a lot of time and it will be very hard without PCG Tools to find out which programs/combis are used or not.
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Developer of the free PCG file managing application for most Korg workstations: PCG Tools, see https://www.kronoshaven.com/pcgtools/
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Aziz1008
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Post by Aziz1008 »

Lately I've found a great project - Linux From Scratch. I think it is the best way to learn how Kronos works - to make your own Linux from scratch. Then may be someone makes an open source Kronos clone some day)
Current hardware: Kronos-1 61+1GB RAM+2nd HDD 320 Gb, Triton Extreme 76+MOSS+RAM+dual microSD to CF adapter+64 Gb microSD card, Roland GW7, Casio WK-3300, Casio CTK-631, Farfisa child synth, laptop HP Envy dv7 16Gb ram, Core-i7, 128 SSD+720 GB HDD, E-MU 0202 USB Audio Interface.
Midi: M-Audio Keystation Pro 88, E-MU X-Board 61, launchpad mini, 3 Korg nano controllers, AKAI LPD+LPK, Behringer C2000.
My Kronos wish-list: www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtop ... 561#661561
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Post by gjvti »

Aziz1008 wrote:Lately I've found a great project - Linux From Scratch. I think it is the best way to learn how Kronos works - to make your own Linux from scratch. Then may be someone makes an open source Kronos clone some day)
Kronos is not only a Linux PC it incorporates also other stuff including main usb board.
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Post by Melomaniak »

enigmahack wrote:Better/more intuitive sequencer

Dynamic linking of programs and combi's. (Kurzweil has done this incredibly well for years: You can load a combi [A setup in Kurzland], and it asks if you want to load the related programs that go with it instead of just pointing in the general direction. I moved a bunch of programs around yesterday and now a bunch of my combi's are dead because they're still pointing to the old spot. :-/ )
Also TidyKronos do that (and much more). Even with your SNG files!
But yes, it would be great, if this were in the kronos.
<a href="http://www.diesemusik.de/tidykronos" target="_blank">Organize your sounds with the free software<br><img src="http://www.keller12.de/tidykronos/TidyKronos1.png"></a>
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Aziz1008
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Post by Aziz1008 »

gjvti wrote:Kronos is not only a Linux PC it incorporates also other stuff including main usb board.
All the sound generation is done by Linux software, written in C. Usb, adc/dac - these are just pc peripherals, not the Kronos core.
Current hardware: Kronos-1 61+1GB RAM+2nd HDD 320 Gb, Triton Extreme 76+MOSS+RAM+dual microSD to CF adapter+64 Gb microSD card, Roland GW7, Casio WK-3300, Casio CTK-631, Farfisa child synth, laptop HP Envy dv7 16Gb ram, Core-i7, 128 SSD+720 GB HDD, E-MU 0202 USB Audio Interface.
Midi: M-Audio Keystation Pro 88, E-MU X-Board 61, launchpad mini, 3 Korg nano controllers, AKAI LPD+LPK, Behringer C2000.
My Kronos wish-list: www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtop ... 561#661561
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Post by cufc74 »

Have had Kronos 73 for 3 or so years now and spent loads on sound libraries. I would really like a Kronos 2 88 and am prepared to pay £2-3000 on a new one but what's stopping me is that I can't transfer the libraries I've invested in across to a new one. I'd never get the money spent on the old one back if I sold it so I'll stick with the 73. I'll use a Roland if I need the extended keyboard. A pity really - is there no way to transfer bought libraries across?
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Post by Bachus »

First it needs to be 100% backward compatible with the Kronos (x) (2)

From the next generation of Kronos, i would expect them to have a modern updated graphical touchscreen userinterface... Korg has shown with the gadget on the ipad that it can make some really nice touchinterfaces..

And then there is functionallity, i would love to see the gadget sequencer with looks and feels added as a mode to Kronos.. not so much for the functionallity, but more for the opperatabillity...

(this is a personal petpeeve, probably will never happen, but i would love to see pa series style support as another option on the high end workstation, not just styles, but also an easy way to loop midi phrases as well as audio samples))

add 16 drumpads for triggering all kinds of stuff..

rotary knobs with lights..

light indicator next to the sliders

and 32 channel multitimbrallity... so you can use sequencer and performances at the same time.. as well as other functionallity

2 insert effects/sound ... on top of the current effects section


HD2 engine, with added DNC technollogy from the PA series as well as some of the Scripting options from Kontakt.

MOD8 engine, 8 operator FM, just to make Yamaha Cry...

AL2 engine with another oscilator and some other things mixed into..

An improved organ model, that alos supports none tonewheel organs like the Nords, for example Farfisa, Vox, pipe organ, theatre organ)

A new Drum engine, allowing much more advanced roundrobbin as well as setting single effects for every drumsound... There is some very good examples of drum and beat engines available in VST format, EZ drummwe comwa to mind.

and finally a very much improved version of the good old MOSS engine..




Bring back the open format of the OASYS, which allows Korg to build and sell different synth engines trough an online shop model...
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mm-pro
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Post by mm-pro »

I would like a Kronos rack.

I would like a different model for library licensing.
It should be like Apple. One license for all of a single owners machines.

The licensing as it is now is discouraging hardware sales.
I would own more than one Kronos if it were not for the library licensing.

64 bit for more sample memory would be a distant third.

Maybe flash ram for sample storage for faster load times.
Korg Gear: (2) Kronos, PS3100, (2) MaxiKorg, PE1000, Z1Ex, MS20M,(2) OASYS-PCI, Synthe Pedal, Wavedrum WD-1, Prophecy, SQ1, 2600FS, M3M
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Post by Schmooster »

Jakker27 wrote:I would like to see them expand on the Kronos because the frame work is there. Updates on the technology inside or perhaps custom casing designs. Improved sequencer etc.

It seems redundant do do anything else. Most people are happy with their Kronos? When you have that situation, why not keep working on it? Work with it to swap out the internal components to make it even more powerful. Give it a VGA port or something for an external screen.

So a system where we can upgrade our Kronos via them or doing it ourselves, would be a great I think. We're talking about computer components here. It's not impossible
I'm with you on the external monitor, negates any need for a PC as I assume the editor essentially does this anyway.

They're not going to allow motherboard expansion in my opinion, not like a PC, there's not enough demand to justify the manufacture of additional stock items - it's money sat on shelves till it's sold and it won't be cheap either - plus it increases the PCB size if you're adding sockets in place of direct connect - it's more of an embedded PC than a PC motherboard and they're never upgradable except for firmware which it has.

Things like sequencer improvements could be expected with later updates - the mere fact you can expand the 2011 model to the extent you can is a massive gesture in its own right in my opinion - this machine is a behemoth with the ability to make it better for ourselves already - I feel sorry for people like the guy I bought mine from who didn't even know what a System Software update was, let alone adding memory and an SSD. KORG have been extremely generous already - I've never been so impressed with anything made by anyone else except Kurzweil maybe but they are for die-hard keyboard techs - we 'non-pro' players haven't the time to exploit boards like this - well not us with kids n jobs don't in my opinion.
It sounds crazy, but I wrote far more tracks and gave away so many cassette tape recordings (remember those ha ha) on my Roland W30 than with any modern soft synth or hardware synth I've owned since - there's just too many libraries now - I could do more with the basic 14 sounds on the W30 simply because I wasn't spending hours and hours getting lost messing about like when I find a nice patch now I sit and just play - I'm getting no real work done anymore lol, if I do then it qualifies as a jingle than a piece of music - I'm getting too old :roll:
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Post by Bachus »

mm-pro wrote:I would like a Kronos rack.
.
Rack works great if you want to use it as a soundmodule..

However, if you want to use it as a workstation, a desktop module like the virus would be prefered... If you make the desktop model in such a way that it also fits in a 19" rack, you have best of both worlds
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Post by media-igor »

Melomaniak wrote:
enigmahack wrote:Better/more intuitive sequencer

Dynamic linking of programs and combi's. (Kurzweil has done this incredibly well for years: You can load a combi [A setup in Kurzland], and it asks if you want to load the related programs that go with it instead of just pointing in the general direction. I moved a bunch of programs around yesterday and now a bunch of my combi's are dead because they're still pointing to the old spot. :-/ )
Also TidyKronos do that (and much more). Even with your SNG files!
But yes, it would be great, if this were in the kronos.
Melomaniak, your program Tidy Kronos - just great! I have already asked about this - is it possible to do to TidyKronos program can work with virtual banks (PCGTools)?
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mm-pro
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Post by mm-pro »

Oh, and a keyboard with poly aftertouch. Since playing the Roli Rise, I realize how much expression is forfeited by not having it.
Korg Gear: (2) Kronos, PS3100, (2) MaxiKorg, PE1000, Z1Ex, MS20M,(2) OASYS-PCI, Synthe Pedal, Wavedrum WD-1, Prophecy, SQ1, 2600FS, M3M
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