Need advice before I buy a Krome

[xpoizone]

Hey guys. Thought this forum would be the best place to ask a few questions.

1.) The gold version of Krome 61 is available to me $100 cheaper than the other versions. Does it look good? I'm assuming it's the same gold King Korg has, but does it have the red lighting accents instead of blue?

2.) I am a very experienced keyboardist and I have a lot of gigs under my belt but I don't plan on gigging anymore since I left my high school band and am in University (the Krome will just sit at my home). My last keyboard was a PSR 550 (laugh all you want, it got the job done and it had an amazing keybed).

The nearby store has an 88 key Krome and I loved it for the sounds/functions, but I have heard horrid things about the 61/73 key Krome keybed. People say it's usable but it feels cheap and it's hinging is not done properly. They also say Kross has the same keybed (which by the way I did play and didn't like at all, felt like a toy).

The Krome is so good I am ready to let a slightly bad keybed go. But if it's bad to the point that I can't play stuff properly with my fingers at the top of the board, please do tell me! I really want to get a Krome but this thing has been stopping me for the longest time...

Hope I get a quick answer...cheers from Toronto!

[CherryPistolKeys]

I'll try to answer from my perspective.

I had used Roland, Moog and Yamaha keys almost exclusively during my life, with some small additions such as string machines, Rhodes and Clavinet back in the day. Had a Hammond for awhile too, but that keyboard is like no other so we won't discuss that here.

That said, when I bought the Krome, I bought it for what it could do at the price point. Yes, the keyboard (at first) was difficult to play at the top of the keys (the point closest to the control panel). However, as I have continued to play it, I believe that it has become better than it was.

I mean, I knew about the issue, but after seeing many posts about it, I checked again now that I have about a year's worth of gigs on it. I have to say that the keybed appears to have been "worked in". Kind of like when you put new strings on a guitar; they need to be stretched out before they'll stay in tune. In other words, I enjoy playing the beast much more now than when I first got it.

That's my two cents worth anyway...

[xpoizone]

I'll try to answer from my perspective.

I had used Roland, Moog and Yamaha keys almost exclusively during my life, with some small additions such as string machines, Rhodes and Clavinet back in the day. Had a Hammond for awhile too, but that keyboard is like no other so we won't discuss that here.

That said, when I bought the Krome, I bought it for what it could do at the price point. Yes, the keyboard (at first) was difficult to play at the top of the keys (the point closest to the control panel). However, as I have continued to play it, I believe that it has become better than it was.

I mean, I knew about the issue, but after seeing many posts about it, I checked again now that I have about a year's worth of gigs on it. I have to say that the keybed appears to have been "worked in". Kind of like when you put new strings on a guitar; they need to be stretched out before they'll stay in tune. In other words, I enjoy playing the beast much more now than when I first got it.

That's my two cents worth anyway...

Will I miss not being able to load samples or edit waveforms? I'm kinda torn between this and the moxf6. Krome has the better interface, I love the joystick and it has some amazing sounds but I feel like I'll be stuck with them forever.

I plan on importing a ton of sounds - have you heard of space4keys? They sell sound packs and stuff....I'm probably gonna buy a huge lead pack from them as I am a big Dream Theater fan and will not feel comfortable without a nice liquid/wah lead in my machine. Somehow I feel the Yamaha will do better but the clunky interface and low end pitch bend/mod wheels are putting me off of it.

[CherryPistolKeys]

Will I miss not being able to load samples or edit waveforms? I'm kinda torn between this and the moxf6. Krome has the better interface, I love the joystick and it has some amazing sounds but I feel like I'll be stuck with them forever.

I plan on importing a ton of sounds - have you heard of space4keys? They sell sound packs and stuff....I'm probably gonna buy a huge lead pack from them as I am a big Dream Theater fan and will not feel comfortable without a nice liquid/wah lead in my machine. Somehow I feel the Yamaha will do better but the clunky interface and low end pitch bend/mod wheels are putting me off of it.

Only you can answer the question of what sounds/samples etc. you need to realize your music. Both keyboards can work as a mother controller, which means you'd also have access to sounds from nearly any other manufacturers modules. I have used my Krome with Roland, Alesis and Kurzweil modules.

If you're into Dream Theater, then you'll absolutely want the joystick above all. That could make the decision for you. I couldn't imagine doing those lead sounds justice with just two wheels, except maybe with an additional ribbon controller of some sort, and this is coming from an old Minimoog guy from the Jan Hammer era.

I've bought a pack from Space4Keys and been happy with it. Dan Stesco also has some impressive packs for the Krome. His videos, and the Progressive Leads pack video on KromeHeaven.com clearly show how the joystick is used. For JR stuff, I think you won't be happy unless you go joystick.

[jggiano]

If it's Dream Theater you're interested in adding--it may be worth your time to check out Jordan Rudess' "JORDANTRON" App (a mere $9.99). If you can connect an iPad to your keyboard (Krome!)--you'll discover that he's shared numerous Signature sounds! Most artists of his caliber wouldn't even think of sharing any of their signature sounds--unless they charged an arm and a leg. Hats off to Jordan for his generosity and expertise!

[xpoizone]

If it's Dream Theater you're interested in adding--it may be worth your time to check out Jordan Rudess' "JORDANTRON" App (a mere $9.99). If you can connect an iPad to your keyboard (Krome!)--you'll discover that he's shared numerous Signature sounds! Most artists of his caliber wouldn't even think of sharing any of their signature sounds--unless they charged an arm and a leg. Hats off to Jordan for his generosity and expertise!

I wish I had an ipad....but I don't. They never develop any app for PC/Andriod which sucks because I have a touchscreen laptop.

Any other alternatives?

[neddycgoon]

Not a great keyboardist by any means but I do have both a MOX and KROME.Basically you cant go wrong with either but the KROME has a much better pitch bender setup for wah type leading no question about it.Having said that the MOX buries the KROME for its USB DAW interface which works flawlessly,using Reaper I have zero latency.
So it all depends what you wish to do with the keyboard.If you just want a standalone get the KROME I have no issue with the keybed but as I say Im not a great player so not really qualified to say.If however you wish to integrate with a pc and do multitrack recording with a DAW MOX is far superior in this department.

[obad2586]

Hi guys. I strongly need help on that matter since i don't have any near by music shops to try these out.

I only play live with bands playing pop/rock/funk/dance cover songs. I rarely record or do any songwriting or composing or any other home stuff. My main patches are brass/piano/e-pianos/synths/organs/pads.

I currently use the Roland Fantom X6 for almost 10 years. The truth is i never liked its sounds specially on stage with average PA systems and mixers. I also own a yamaha MO6 but never liked its sound, interface or effects.

I recently heard the demos of the kronos and find it very appealing. then the krome was released which is more affordable. So is it the right choice for me ? or should i go for kronos ? or maybe a yamaha ? I'm all about the quality of the sounds and the ease of doings splits and combi's during a performance. i love to hear your opinions. Thanks

[hartlas]

obad....

I play live with a funk band and the Krome is PERFECT.

I bought a 73 note (61 key a little small I don't like weighted keys for synth and organ sounds!)

Its very easy to create combinations, the large touch screen makes it a doddle. 16 sounds can be split anywhere and even transposed.

Has lots of Kronos sounds. Apparently the piano and Elec piano samples are the same on both.

The Krome is very light which is a bonus for gigging. Does use a mains transformer though. Plus the keybed has a very light action.

Try one!!

[gnbutt]

For gigging applications, the KROME is perfect. My 61 key is used primarily for pads, chorus, some analog, choir and motion string synth effects mainly. It is very lightweight in a Gator Bag and does the trick for my 4 key live setup. It is certainly not a Kronos. I will be buying the Kronos 2 73 key this year to retire my Yamaha ES7. The M3 and Hammond SK2 are my primary keyboards. I have Dan Stesco's custom samples loaded, they are brilliantly done. I do not believe that you will find much out there at the price of the KROME which gives you a large variety of voices to choose from and straight forward to use, without considering something like Omnisphere or others. It's a practical on-stage keyboard in my opinion. My 2 cents worth today. Cheers ! GNB