Day 1 with a Kronos 73

[jimknopf]

After preordering a Kronos 73 in January and confirming the order on day one of German availability, I have been unexpectedly lucky to receive one today. Screen and slider check went ok (sigh!), wheel isn’t loose in any way, fan is just so so ok, but could and should be more silent (will be replaced by a silent high-quality fan as soon as guarantee allows). RH3 works VERY well for me: no quality issues so far, good keyboard action from dynamic piano play up to slides. Everything below extreme organ runs and smears is possible with this keybed.

Phase 1 will be simply checking patches and Combis and learning OS basics. That alone will probably last the free hours of not so few days. Here at home I could listen with the head-phones I know well (AKG K 702) and am really, really impressed by the clarity and directnesss of the overall sound character. After some more hours of use (I already had some on a testing device), despite just beginning the exploration, I can tell one more thing already now:

This „thang“ is an incredible treasure chest of sounds and sound shaping possibilities! The different engines do not just sound like some more ROMpler sounds for different areas, but give the sound spectrum quite a stunning range, letting you dive into completely different sound shaping worlds. It really sounds like several keyboards in one, and not just like one with many different sounds. You get great sounding bread-and-butter sounds, warm vintage stuff, cool FM soundscapes, and at will wild and crazy stuff.

The second thing showing itself: you are immediately in sound shaping heaven: well accessable parameter pages up to complete synth architectures, on the fly, a small-but-well visible touch screen, well accessable and flexible controller routings (with enough controllers! – I’m only missing a dedicated octave switch).
That’s really a sound shaping pleasure ground directly at your fingertips!

I’m only just beginning, but I can’t deny that this is something that is MUCH FUN!

Hope to add more substantial things after getting into it a bit …

[franzlp]

Major Jim... Check

Check hoses.... check!
Check chassis... check!
Check key C3... check!


I wouldn't be worried about being inspector 12 to you new Kronos... I am sure it will work just fine. You are just in the twilight zone of keyboards except in this episode everything has come true....

You don't need a dedicated 8va key as you can assign any button or even key to trigger that. Start simple.

[EvilDragon]

You don't need a dedicated 8va key as you can assign any button or even key to trigger that. Start simple.

And do it for every program/combi? Not very simple, nor intuitive, and most of all, time-consuming. Dedicated buttons are DEDICATED for a reason. You don't lose time by programming them when they should've BEEN THERE by default. For every program, every combi, NO programming needed.

Some programs do have a button assigned for octave up/down. But even that's not ideal. What if you want to go two octaves up or down? You cannot. Or if you want to transpose? You cannot - you must go to Global mode.


This has been discussed at large already. I find it very disappointing that such a feature-packed board doesn't have dedicated octave and transpose buttons! They don't even have to be physical - they could be on the touchscreen, visible at all times on the main pages of each mode.


Just like on a Kurzweil.

[franzlp]

You can always assign this feature to a foot controller but you don't see this feature as a common feature throughout keyboards. Much less transposing dedicated key. Expectation are that you should be able to transponse musically within your playing during performance. In a studio environment you have the luxury to do it programatically. At some point I think you need to do some programming as you can't have it all on a silver platter.

[EvilDragon]

Doing programming for freaking transpose is ridiculous. I rest my case.

And sometimes you need a quick transpose and not all of us are gifted being able to play in all keys at a drop of the hat. Screw "expectations". I am EXPECTING to see dedicated transpose buttons on a workstation that I'm going to use. Physical or soft-buttons, I don't care. I want them there.

Thankfully, Kurzweil had this over 20 years ago, and still does. That's why if I get a Kronos, it will be slaved to Kurzweil, it will not be a master controller.

[franzlp]

Well my reply to being gifted to change keys at a drop of a hat? Well please keep in mind it's my opinion that if you are spending a large quantity of money in such a complex instrument, the bigger investment should be in the musical skills. It's like in other things in the world... if you don't learn the math you're not going to be able to make change. I would never bring up the issue of a facility to easily transpose and why? Not because I am a virtuoso on the keys as very few of us actually are and I am certainly not but when I run into a wall like that I don't yield to the mechanics I simply pick up the theory book and then augment my capacity. In my opinion you can let the instrument augment your limitations. What happens when you don''t have a workstation and you are placed in front of an acoustic piano and have to try the piece in several different keys. It's part of the mechanics we all should know in and out. Again, just my opinion.

[danmusician]

Quick question on the 73: Is the keybed range "C-C" or "E-E."

The M3-73 is C-C. But the photos of the Kronos 73 show E-E. Wasn't sure if the pics I saw were preproduction mockups. Want to be sure before I decide 73 or 88.

Thanks!

Dan

[GregC]

After preordering a Kronos 73 in January and confirming the order on day one of German availability, I have been unexpectedly lucky to receive one today. Screen and slider check went ok (sigh!), wheel isn’t loose in any way, fan is just so so ok, but could and should be more silent (will be replaced by a silent high-quality fan as soon as guarantee allows). RH3 works VERY well for me: no quality issues so far, good keyboard action from dynamic piano play up to slides. Everything below extreme organ runs and smears is possible with this keybed.

Phase 1 will be simply checking patches and Combis and learning OS basics. That alone will probably last the free hours of not so few days. Here at home I could listen with the head-phones I know well (AKG K 702) and am really, really impressed by the clarity and directnesss of the overall sound character. After some more hours of use (I already had some on a testing device), despite just beginning the exploration, I can tell one more thing already now:

This „thang“ is an incredible treasure chest of sounds and sound shaping possibilities! The different engines do not just sound like some more ROMpler sounds for different areas, but give the sound spectrum quite a stunning range, letting you dive into completely different sound shaping worlds. It really sounds like several keyboards in one, and not just like one with many different sounds. You get great sounding bread-and-butter sounds, warm vintage stuff, cool FM soundscapes, and at will wild and crazy stuff.

The second thing showing itself: you are immediately in sound shaping heaven: well accessable parameter pages up to complete synth architectures, on the fly, a small-but-well visible touch screen, well accessable and flexible controller routings (with enough controllers! – I’m only missing a dedicated octave switch).
That’s really a sound shaping pleasure ground directly at your fingertips!

I’m only just beginning, but I can’t deny that this is something that is MUCH FUN!

Hope to add more substantial things after getting into it a bit …

soooo, that sounds very positive.

what was up with those months of complaints ?

[Randelph]

Congrats! Sounds like the fun has just begun- look forward to more in-depth reports!

Randy

[danmusician]

[quote="danmusician"]Quick question on the 73: Is the keybed range "C-C" or "E-E."

The M3-73 is C-C. But the photos of the Kronos 73 show E-E. Wasn't sure if the pics I saw were preproduction mockups. Want to be sure before I decide 73 or 88.

Thanks!

Dan[/quote]

Never mind, found the answer...

[jimknopf]

what was up with those months of complaints ?

So you remember I complained.
But do you also remember about what and about what not at all?

My criticism of the way Europeans were and are treated up to now concerning communication and delivery stands - see other threads. I won't forget others who still have the same problem, just because I have been lucky.

Am I still allowed to be positive or even enthusiastic about the Kronos in this thread?


@Danmusician: sorry, I was busy for some hours - yes, it's E to E (what I prefer by far).

[EXer]

Well my reply to being gifted to change keys at a drop of a hat? Well please keep in mind it's my opinion that if you are spending a large quantity of money in such a complex instrument, the bigger investment should be in the musical skills.

That's not untrue. But there are several types of musical skills. A complex instrument may be used by a composer who is not necessarily a keyboard virtuoso. And I know good pianists who can *play* in every key but who don't know how to *transpose* in every key without rewriting a new score...

[jimknopf]

The next thing that flashed me by scrolling through presets are some of the synth basses.
They just blow your hat off, with everything from dry over smacking funky up to roaring TB303-like. Pure pleasure ...

[GregC]

what was up with those months of complaints ?

So you remember I complained.
But do you also remember about what and about what not at all?

My criticism of the way Europeans were and are treated up to now concerning communication and delivery stands - see other threads. I won't forget others who still have the same problem, just because I have been lucky.

Am I still allowed to be positive or even enthusiastic about the Kronos in this thread?


@Danmusician: sorry, I was busy for some hours - yes, it's E to E (what I prefer by far).

I stated to you it would all work out. And it did.

Of course you should be positive. Its a good habit.

[jimknopf]

It's all ok Greg, but I won't fit in EITHER positive or negative patterns.
I enjoy what seems good to me and critisize where I have the impression that soemthing is not so good.

That brings me back to the presets: I have problems finding great guitars. Some Nylons seem quite ok to me, some steel acoustics sound rather mixed or even dreadful, and I still don't find a great or even decent lead guitar patch.

Has anyone been more successful in this department?

And one more question:
- is it possible to browse through the patches of just one engine, e.g. through all Polysix patches in a row or just HD-1 patches? I haven't found such a function so far, but not really read the whole manual.