Kronos vs M3

Gargamel314 · Post by **Gargamel314** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 3:49 am

Sina172 wrote:
aron wrote:ignoring the great playing, what exactly are you hearing with this piano patch that you don't hear on other instruments? Just wondering.
I can't put my finger on it, but the tone and the expression is perfect and it sounds phenomenal.

I wonder if he's using the stock pianos or the EX Piano.

Sina

That's definitely the EX3... The piano sounds on the M3 are wonderful... the ones on the Kronos almost sound too bright. I know they're HUGE and can be altered, but the demo's i've listened to don't seem to have as much character as the M3's new stock and EX3 library.

I listen to the piano sounds from the Yamaha and Roland workstations, and they sound great, but they sound soooo generic... the Kronos's sound like that too, they sound like... every other piano sound. Of course they have all that cool extra stuff like mechanical noise and damper resonance too, but they sound like every other piano sound that's on the market.

apex · Post by **apex** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:25 am

is Sina being sarcastic... and making fun of the m3? I thought he was the big oasys fan.... (doesn't he own like 8 of them? or something...?)

Sina172 · Post by **Sina172** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:42 am

apex · Post by **apex** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:44 am

Sina172 wrote:
apex wrote:is Sina being sarcastic... and making fun of the m3? I thought he was the big oasys fan.... (doesn't he own like 8 of them? or something...?)
I own 4 and no I'm NOT being sarcastic. I was seriously BLOWN AWAY!

Sina

so are you going to sell some of the oasys to fund an m3 purchase? or are you still getting a kronos.

just for the sake of asking... why do you have 4 oasys workstations?

Sina172 · Post by **Sina172** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:45 am

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:19 am

1. Hi, Ozy. M3 is a great instrument that can sound beautifully in good hands. That video also proves it. Musician + Instrument = Music. In a lucky/blessed moment all the three with capitals.

2. Me too would like to have more Program slots in OASYS (to be able to store all sounds I like for quick access - several hundred great Programs). Unfortunately, I can't use Sina's solution. And I would like to load my whole library in one instrument.

thekeymaster · Post by **thekeymaster** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:26 am

Sina172 wrote:
I'm getting 8 KRONOS 88's, 8 KRONOS 61's and 4 KRONOS 73's (for backup storage, previewing of PCG Files and playback of Sequences) to start, because I know how much use these will get.

Sina

Holy Crap!!!! Sina you are mental!!!! hehehehehe

Can you give other people a chance please !!!!

thekeymaster · Post by **thekeymaster** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:36 am

Sorry back to the topic at hand.

The M3 is a nice board but its not a Kronos. Yes I know the patches sound nice that are being demoed but technique comes into it to. A sound is only as good as the musician playing it.

A good sound can sound bad if played by a muppet.

As for comparing M3 to Kronos,there is no comparison.You will be able to duplicate the M3 easily with HD-1 and get better results so I wouldn't worry about quality of patches, plus you will have so much more at your fingertips.

Bear this in mind, the M3 was born out of OASYS. OASYS is a superior machine. Kronos is the OASYS and then some so I think you will be fine with your pre order.

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:51 am

apex wrote:TO SINA: so are you going to sell some of the oasys to fund an m3 purchase? or are you still getting a kronos.

don't make fun of Sina.

He is very vulnerable in this moment.

He will have to sell his parents' house to fund the purchase of the M3,

while of course buying 24 Kronoses

And this hurts, hurts...

synthguy · Post by **synthguy** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:32 am

Gargamel314 wrote:That's definitely the EX3... The piano sounds on the M3 are wonderful... the ones on the Kronos almost sound too bright. I know they're HUGE and can be altered, but the demo's i've listened to don't seem to have as much character as the M3's new stock and EX3 library.

I listen to the piano sounds from the Yamaha and Roland workstations, and they sound great, but they sound soooo generic... the Kronos's sound like that too, they sound like... every other piano sound. Of course they have all that cool extra stuff like mechanical noise and damper resonance too, but they sound like every other piano sound that's on the market.

That's an interesting observation. Maybe it's because I play synth stuff all the time, but I listen carefully to the timbre of acoustic patches like piano, and the SGX-1s sound marvelous to me. Having a full note sample instead of a loop makes a surprising difference.

Another factor is how an instrument responds in person. When I go from a KORG to a Yamaha Motif, the difference is apparent that I'm playing another instrument, not just another patch with the same piano samples. It was like that when I bought my Arturia Origin without having played one, just on the strength of the sound of my Moog Modular V softsynth and a few mp3 demos. When I finally turned it on and began playing it, a lot of character jumped out at me that I couldn't catch on any demo, because it responds organically to my playing, and I can hear the way the filters respond to my playing. I suspect my eyes will be opened when I finally get mine, to what the fuss is about the OASYS, and I'm going to see if I can avoid the new SGXs and play only the HD-1 concert grand first.

Another thing I thought was that the pianos on the KRONOS don't sound as light or dark because of programming, more because of miking or a touch of EQ. Like the same piano just in the hands of another engineer. On my M3, a few dark patches sound unnaturally dull, the same with the bright ones, but then I'm not playing them live either, which can make a difference.

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:02 pm

So far I can't hear anything like the Kronos pianos sounding "almost too bright".

Just the opposite is true for my ears: I was rather concerned if they still cut through a mix or are heard well in band context (what they seem to do, judging very cautios from the very low sound quality of available Musikmesse demos with the Tom Coster Trio).

I also don't share the impression at all, that these big grands have less character and sound generic. If they finally sound like the real deal, fine with me. Or does something coming quite close to a German Steinway sound "generic", because you heard more than one Steinway in your life?

I would anytime prefer the Kronos pianos over any M3 piano. Something as rich and deep as the Lyle Mays preset, just to name one example, is simply not possible on any M3 piano I ever heard.

I agree that the M3 pianos have become better than previous Korg pianos, but any judgement further up does not convince my ears so far.
Nevermind, to each his/her own, of course.

Shakil · Post by **Shakil** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:29 pm

One point to remember here is that KORG workstations let you customize all preset sounds.

So if you think the Piano sound needs a little filter opening or closing depending on your taste of bright/dark sound, just edit the filter or any other parameter, then save it over the preset. That's it! You don't have to live with it. Same is true for M3. This is why KORG calls it 'pre-load', not -preset' sounds. You can not do this on other companies' workstations.

To me KRONOS SGX1 sounds much more open and real than the M3 pinao. There is no match for non-looping 4GB piano samples.

MidnightPackage · Post by **MidnightPackage** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:26 pm

Sina172 wrote:My 4th OASYS is actually starting to run out of banks and I'm gonna be looking for 4 more and 8 76-note versions in the next month or so. I'm getting 8 KRONOS 88's, 8 KRONOS 61's and 4 KRONOS 73's (for backup storage, previewing of PCG Files and playback of Sequences) to start, because I know how much use these will get.

So you will have 16 Oasys and 20 Kronos boards? I am new here, and probably just a bit naive. Are you just pulling our leg, or do you have enormous piles of cash that have need of spending, and a studio the size of a large home?

johnnydr · Post by **johnnydr** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 3:09 pm

My God. How big is your studio?

Gargamel314 · Post by **Gargamel314** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 3:23 pm

... can't wait to watch that "Hoarders" episode ... keyboard edition.

Anywho, i didn't mean to say that the M3's were better. Come on, a 128MB sample vs. a 4.7 GB sample? There's just something in the tone of the EX3 that makes it unique.