Which two keyboards would you use? Kronos and .....

[JimH]

Nord stage 2

Nord keyboards are especially great for older guys because they're light, but in my case they're out of the question simply because they're bright red. That may seem a shallow reason, but bright red just offends my sensibilities too much.
Stage 2 is pretty pricy. Would you spend that much even though some things might seem redundant with a Kronos?

I think I'll end up with a Kronos 61 and a Motif XS6

Can you make do with five octaves? No weighted keyboard?
Actually, a long time ago I gigged for a few years with a Yamaha CP20, SK20, and Moog Source. No more than five octaves there. I'm not sure I'd want to do that anymore though.

Next choice would probably be the Yamaha MOX-8.

I would have never considered that until you mentioned it, but I looked it up and the MOX8 is only 32.6 lbs. (thumbs up!) Some 88 note MIDI controllers are significantly more than that.

forgot one... I think a VAX77 would be a very cool board to put under a Kronos 61... especially since it has polyphonic aftertouch, which the Kronos can respond to (even though its own keyboard doesn't have it)... and people have said it is a good feeling action for piano.

Yeah, I think that would make an interesting and portable combination. But I was just reading the opposite: that the keys don't seem to have enough weight to them.

[JimH]

When this question of which two keyboards was asked last year, I liked Jim Alfredson's choice of Motif XF8 on bottom and Hammond XK-3c on top. The Motif covers a lot of ground but lacks in organ, and the XK-3c makes up for that and I love the ergonomics of it (mmmm....real drawbars, good leslie sim). Then, you can use the unweighted XK-3c for playing strings, synths, etc. from the Motif. I currently have S90ES and XK-3c, but was considering getting the Motif XF8 which adds the flexibility to add my own samples. But a negative with this setup is that it's heavy and rather big. So I held up on that .

When the Kronos appeared, I thought, “Hey great! Just swap in a Kronos 88 on the bottom instead of the Motif XF8. The Kronos 88 is only 50 lbs compared to 64 lbs for the Motif.” So one option is Kronos 88 on the bottom and Hammnd XK-3c on top.

But Kronos, including it's CX3 engine, can probably cover everything soundwise. So the XK-3c isn't looking as as necessary now. That's when a Kronos 61 starts to look better on the top and a possibly lighter 88-key controller for the bottom. That has the advantages GiantSonicRobot pointed out: it's easier to see the Kronos screen and also, to be ultra portable, you could just take the Kronos 61 at times. So far though, I'm not sure what is a good 88-note controller that's also no too heavy.

For playing at home though, I would want to sit down at the Kronos 88 and have everything in front of me at close reach. So I'm still undecided between the 88 and 61. If I were Bill Gates I would get both.

[zahush76]

I think I'll end up with a Kronos 61 and a Motif XS6

Can you make do with five octaves? No weighted keyboard?

That depends on your style of music. Didn't see keyboards longer than 61 keys on Depeche Mode or Kraftwerk. Just a small example.

[Lando]

Kronos 88 and Nord Stage 2 for me.

[Link]

My most wanted synths ever:
Kronos
Nord Modular
Alesis Andromeda
Kurzweil PC3
V-Synth

For the sake of this thread, I would say I'll get Kronos first and hunt down Alesis Andromeda after that. But I'm going to get rest of them later, perhaps at that point there will be their sequels.

[robinkle]

My most wanted synth doesn't exist, I have this great idea for a synth, I wish I could make one. But Kronos is the closest there is.

[Link]

With Nord Modular you might be able to build your dream synths.

[robinkle]

With Nord Modular you might be able to build your dream synths.

I had a Nord Modular G2x, it was not my dream synth. I didn't like the Sound, or the front panel, and it's lack of total integration. The flexibility was ok, but I was tired of watching that boring screen. I lost inspiration.

[mm-pro]

With Nord Modular you might be able to build your dream synths.

I had a Nord Modular G2x, it was not my dream synth. I didn't like the Sound, or the front panel, and it's lack of total integration. The flexibility was ok, but I was tired of watching that boring screen. I lost inspiration.

Yeah, I sold mine as well...just didn't like the sound. It had a cold quality that I did not find to be musical. The flexibility of what you could build was appealing, but the sound itself was not rewarding.

That said, it could be the perfect instrument for someone else. That is what makes electronic music varied and interesting to me.

Regards,

MM

[Scott]

forgot one... I think a VAX77 would be a very cool board to put under a Kronos 61... especially since it has polyphonic aftertouch, which the Kronos can respond to (even though its own keyboard doesn't have it)... and people have said it is a good feeling action for piano.

Yeah, I think that would make an interesting and portable combination. But I was just reading the opposite: that the keys don't seem to have enough weight to them.

That's odd... every reference I've found has said that it is excellent for piano, except for things that were written before the unit was released, where the person had only played a trade show prototype. If you look for more references, and double-check the dates to see if they were before or after the design was finalized, I expect you'll come to a different conclusion.

[apex]

My most wanted synth doesn't exist, I have this great idea for a synth, I wish I could make one. But Kronos is the closest there is.

you don't have to make it or wish you could make it.

just copyright the idea and then try to shop the idea around. someone may bite (even if you went with a smaller company (that may pay you more attention), like casio, GM, etc... you never know someone like it and develop it.

[robinkle]

My most wanted synth doesn't exist, I have this great idea for a synth, I wish I could make one. But Kronos is the closest there is.

you don't have to make it or wish you could make it.

just copyright the idea and then try to shop the idea around. someone may bite (even if you went with a smaller company (that may pay you more attention), like casio, GM, etc... you never know someone like it and develop it.

How do I copyright? Never thought of that. Is that same as patent?
I'm actually designing the layout for it.

[JimH]

How do I copyright? Never thought of that. Is that same as patent?
I'm actually designing the layout for it.

If you want a patent, get ready to spend some money on a patent lawyer. You need to do a patent search to make sure it isn't already patented. Then the lawyer needs to write it up in law-speak. (I've been through that, but my company paid.)
I'm not sure how it is in Norway, but in the US patents tend to be easier to get but harder to defend. Better for the lawyers' pocketbooks that way. It's up to you to guard your own patent after you get it.

[apex]

How do I copyright? Never thought of that. Is that same as patent?
I'm actually designing the layout for it.

If you want a patent, get ready to spend some money on a patent lawyer. You need to do a patent search to make sure it isn't already patented. Then the lawyer needs to write it up in law-speak. (I've been through that, but my company paid.)
I'm not sure how it is in Norway, but in the US patents tend to be easier to get but harder to defend. Better for the lawyers' pocketbooks that way. It's up to you to guard your own patent after you get it.

i've heard it's not that complicated. but not sure either way.

[hammondcuni]

Currently: Korg M3 73 on top Triton Classic / SCSI and CD-ROM on bottom.

Will be Korg M3 73 top Kronos 61 bottom. Kronos will hit the road June 24,25,26. I predict a scratch on the 24th. Easy...