 |
Korg Forums
A forum for Korg product users and musicians around the world.
Moderated Independently.
Owned by Irish Acts Recording Studio & hosted by KORG USA
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
GiantSonicRobot
Junior Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Posts: 81
Location: Germany
|
 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:18 am Post subject: A short report from Musikmesse |
 |
|
I visited Musikmesse yesterday, and would like to share some impressions.
First of all, I finally got a chance to actually play a Kronos! They had three units (two 61 and one 73) placed in front of the entrances to their demo booth. What was a bit weird was that all of them were powered up, but none of them had headphones attached. (My guess is that this was probably just yesterday, because on saturdays Musikmesse is usually so f***ing crowded.) Lucky me, I brought my own pair of headphones, so nothing could stop me. 
Overall, it sounds fantastic. Especially EP-1 is simply stunning. I have to say I like Nord, but this is better. It is just as authentic (if not more) but in comparison it offers a much wider palette of characters. And playing this thing feels so natural -- quite different from sampled pianos. In my current rig, I am using the Scarbee Rhodes and I was a bit concerned if Kronos could replace that. As of yesterday, these concerns are just gone.
Regarding the actual hardware, my opinion is a bit divided.
Pros: It looks better in person than in all the videos or photos on the web. The casing seems very sturdy and well built. (Mainly metal construction and even the plastic cheeks don‘t bother me.) Also, I like both key-beds. Having never played the RH3 before, I was a bit skeptic at first (judging from various opinions on this forum), but I have to say it has a nice grip to it, just the right weight and is quite responsive. (I like it much better than the PC3K8 e.g.) Of course this is a highly subjective matter.
Cons: The display, even though being clear and bright, requires good eyes. This has been reported in other threads before and I agree that some of the text displayed is ridiculously small (almost like reading the fine print at the end of some contract).
Regarding the controls like faders and knobs, I am a little disappointed. They all bend and wiggle a bit. Particularly the data entry wheel has a cheap and flimsy feel to it. Don‘t get me wrong -- I have seen worse and it certainly isn‘t a deal-breaker, but considering the estimated price tag, it is a bit of a letdown. If you know e.g. how solid a VirusTI feels, that is simply in another league.
Besides checking out Kronos myself, I also got to see some demo sessions. They did a really good job on these! There was a show by Tom Coster playing exclusively on a Kronos plus a bassist and a drummer. Great musicianship by all three of them! Tom didn‘t exactly explore new sonic territory, but it was good to see and hear Kronos in an actual live band context. Luckily I got a chance to tape this. 
Then I also attended the demo session given by Andreas Gundlach who did an amazing job! He is such a fantastic player and I thought his demo was by far the most musical yet. (I liked it way better than the all demoes we know from Youtube.) For once, he showed the CX-3 in a more jazzy/funky context as opposed to those prog-rock-ish demoes from the NAMM videos. Very much appreciated. By the way, I also taped this session.
One thing has to be said about the overall sonic qualities of Kronos: None of the videos on the web even come close to doing it justice. Being in the same room, hearing it directly through the PA without any compression in-between is quite an experience.
_________________
Solaris, Wavestation, Rhodes 73 MKII stage, Access Virus TI, Nord C2 with Neo Ventilator, Kawai MP9000 & MP6, Novation 61 SL MKII
Last edited by GiantSonicRobot on Sun Apr 10, 2011 12:12 pm; edited 3 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
billysynth1
Platinum Member
Joined: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 1148
Location: Australia/Melbourne
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
-
Thanks Robo for the review.
Actually, even just looking at the controls of the Kronos on the net they look flimsy, especailly that rotator wheel, just looks cheap.
Billy
_________________
Yamaha C1 Grand Piano.
Korg Oasys 88, Jupiter 80
Kronos 88, V Synth GT
I am a student of classical piano...I am not a classical pianist. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MidnightPackage
Full Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Posts: 171
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
Thank you so much for the report GiantSonicRobot. I have a 61 on pre-order and you have made me even more excited to get it.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bertotti
Platinum Member
Joined: 10 Jul 2010
Posts: 3384
Location: Middle of nowhere
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
So tell me more about the organ sounds, PLEASE!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GiantSonicRobot
Junior Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Posts: 81
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Bertotti wrote: | | So tell me more about the organ sounds, PLEASE! |
CX-3 is difficult to describe, because it seems to be very deeply programmable. While other clonewheels like e.g. the C2 have one clearly defined personality, the CX-3 has many faces. To be honest, I didn't like the organ demos from NAMM too much because they conveyed a more midrangy and compressed character, obviously to show off the "screaming" qualities of the organ.
But "screaming" and "ballsy" is not always what you want. My impression from Musikmesse is, that the CX-3 can equally well be "juicy" and "woody". Seems like it depends much on the programming which goes far beyond pulling drawbars).
One thing that surprised me in a positive way is the quality of the Leslie sim. It may be not the best I've ever heard (currently the Ventilator is king in this respect), but it is definitely very usable.
_________________
Solaris, Wavestation, Rhodes 73 MKII stage, Access Virus TI, Nord C2 with Neo Ventilator, Kawai MP9000 & MP6, Novation 61 SL MKII |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
zahush76
Junior Member
Joined: 09 Mar 2011
Posts: 98
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| GiantSonicRobot wrote: | | In my current rig, I am using the Scarbee Rhodes and I was a bit concerned if Kronos could replace that. As of yesterday, these concerns are just gone. |
Can you say the same about the Kronos's clavs (wether coming from the str-1 or the vintage keys expansion)?
How are they in comparison with scarbee? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rocness
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:07 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| GiantSonicRobot wrote: | I visited Musikmesse yesterday, and would like to share some impressions.
First of all, I finally got a chance to actually play a Kronos! They had three units (two 61 and one 73) placed in front of the entrances to their demo booth. What was a bit weird was that all of them were powered up, but none of them had headphones attached. (My guess is that this was probably just yesterday, because on saturdays Musikmesse is usually so f***ing crowded.) Lucky me, I brought my own pair of headphones, so nothing could stop me.
Overall, it sounds fantastic. Especially EP-1 is simply stunning. I have to say I like Nord, but this is better. It is just as authentic (if not more) but in comparison it offers a much wider palette of characters. And playing this thing feels so natural -- quite different from sampled pianos. In my current rig, I am using the Scarbee Rhodes and I was a bit concerned if Kronos could replace that. As of yesterday, these concerns are just gone.
Regarding the actual hardware, my opinion is a bit divided.
Pros: It looks better in person than in all the videos or photos on the web. The casing seems very sturdy and well built. (Mainly metal construction and even the plastic cheeks don‘t bother me.) Also, I like both key-beds. Having never played the RH3 before, I was a bit skeptic at first (judging from various opinions on this forum), but I have to say it has a nice grip to it, just the right weight and is quite responsive. (I like it much better than the PC3K8 e.g.) Of course this is a highly subjective matter.
Cons: The display, even though being clear and bright, requires good eyes. This has been reported in other threads before and I agree that some of the text displayed is ridiculously small (almost like reading the fine print at the end of some contract).
Regarding the controls like faders and knobs, I am a little disappointed. They all bend and wiggle a bit. Particularly the data entry wheel has a cheap and flimsy feel to it. Don‘t get me wrong -- I have seen worse and it certainly isn‘t a deal-breaker, but considering the estimated price tag, it is a bit of a letdown. If you know e.g. how solid a VirusTI feels, that is simply in another league.
Besides checking out Kronos myself, I also got to see some demo sessions. They did a really good job on these! There was a show by Tom Coster playing exclusively on a Kronos plus a bassist and a drummer. Great musicianship by all three of them! Tom didn‘t exactly explore new sonic territory, but it was good to see and hear Kronos in an actual live band context. Luckily I got a chance to tape this.
Then I also attended the demo session given by Andreas Gundlach who did an amazing job! He is such a fantastic player and I thought his demo was by far the most musical yet. (I liked it way better than the all demoes we know from Youtube.) For once, he showed the CX-3 in a more jazzy/funky context as opposed to those prog-rock-ish demoes from the NAMM videos. Very much appreciated. By the way, I also taped this session.
One thing has to be said about the overall sonic qualities of Kronos: None of the videos on the web even come close to doing it justice. Being in the same room, hearing it directly through the PA without any compression in-between is quite an experience. |
Dude ,your giving us a musikmesse report and didn't mention Roland Jupiter-80 one time , are you sure you went or are you a spy because musikmesse was basically the Roland show ? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GiantSonicRobot
Junior Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Posts: 81
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:59 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| Rocness wrote: | | Dude ,your giving us a musikmesse report and didn't mention Roland Jupiter-80 one time , are you sure you went or are you a spy because musikmesse was basically the Roland show ? |
Well, except for what ever they had inside their demo booth, there was exactly one JP80 on the Roland stand. (sitting on a pedestal and switched off of course)
Right next to it they had four or five V-Drum kits, which oddly enough seemed to attract much more attention. 
Oh and by the way: Even the Roland guys couldn't resist paying Kronos a visit:
Recognize him?
_________________
Solaris, Wavestation, Rhodes 73 MKII stage, Access Virus TI, Nord C2 with Neo Ventilator, Kawai MP9000 & MP6, Novation 61 SL MKII |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Teh Mick
Full Member
Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 131
Location: Montreal, Quebec
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I wonder what's his opinion on the Kronos
_________________
Korg Kronos 61
Korg Karma
Korg Radias
Roland JD-990
Novation Remote SL Compact |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rocness
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:33 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| GiantSonicRobot wrote: | | Rocness wrote: | | Dude ,your giving us a musikmesse report and didn't mention Roland Jupiter-80 one time , are you sure you went or are you a spy because musikmesse was basically the Roland show ? |
Well, except for what ever they had inside their demo booth, there was exactly one JP80 on the Roland stand. (sitting on a pedestal and switched off of course)
Right next to it they had four or five V-Drum kits, which oddly enough seemed to attract much more attention.
Oh and by the way: Even the Roland guys couldn't resist paying Kronos a visit:
Recognize him? |
Yea, I recognize him from all of the Jupiter-80 videos on you tube. What I don't get is how you missed all of the Jupiter-80 stuff but manage to get a pic of the main guy who shows off the Jupiter-80 looking at a kronos. I'm sorry but you sound like a korg rep . but nice pic. I just don't get how you know nothing about Jupiter-80 when on gearsluts there are thousands talking about it right now but i'm sure you had a great time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
EJ2
Approved Merchant
Joined: 13 May 2002
Posts: 2292
Location: Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| GiantSonicRobot wrote: | | Rocness wrote: | | Dude ,your giving us a musikmesse report and didn't mention Roland Jupiter-80 one time , are you sure you went or are you a spy because musikmesse was basically the Roland show ? |
Well, except for what ever they had inside their demo booth, there was exactly one JP80 on the Roland stand. (sitting on a pedestal and switched off of course)
Right next to it they had four or five V-Drum kits, which oddly enough seemed to attract much more attention.
Oh and by the way: Even the Roland guys couldn't resist paying Kronos a visit:
Recognize him? |
Yep... that looks like Scott Tibbs.
_________________
Cheers,
Jim (aka EJ2) Karma-Lab Associate Combi Developer
CATALYST v 2 Blast of Inspiration for KRONOS & OASYS: http://www.karma-lab.com/sounds/catalyst2.html
CATALYST v 1 Combi Explosion for KRONOS, OASYS, M3, & K-M50: http://www.karma-lab.com/sounds/catalyst1.html
CHEMISTRY 3, a Groove Injection for Your Karma: http://www.karma-lab.com/sounds/chem3.html
SoundCloud MP3 Demoshttps://soundcloud.com/ej2-sc |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GiantSonicRobot
Junior Member
Joined: 23 Jan 2011
Posts: 81
Location: Germany
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:57 pm Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| Rocness wrote: | | What I don't get is how you missed all of the Jupiter-80 stuff but manage to get a pic of the main guy who shows off the Jupiter-80 looking at a kronos. I'm sorry but you sound like a korg rep . but nice pic. I just don't get how you know nothing about Jupiter-80 when on gearsluts there are thousands talking about it right now but i'm sure you had a great time. |
I am sorry, but I fail to see the point in that Kronos vs. Jupiter discussion. To me they are very different instruments which cater for very different needs. As a musician, I am just not interested in emulating violins and guitars. If want a guitar, then I work with a guitarist and if I need a Saxophone, I work with a Sax player. So while Roland's behaviour modelling technology is impressive, it is just not my cup of tea.
And one other thing: Musikmesse is vast, so you need to focus on what is really important for you, otherwise you get lost. So I spent my time on what was most interresting for me: The Kronos, the Nord Stage2, the Solaris, the PC3K8 ... oh and of course that Schmidt Polysynth (which is completely mental, yet at the same time a work of art).
_________________
Solaris, Wavestation, Rhodes 73 MKII stage, Access Virus TI, Nord C2 with Neo Ventilator, Kawai MP9000 & MP6, Novation 61 SL MKII |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
billysynth1
Platinum Member
Joined: 22 Jan 2005
Posts: 1148
Location: Australia/Melbourne
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hi RoboCop
Did you happen to take any picts of the Schmidt synth...there is a nice video of it with the inventer demonstrating it.
Sorry, yeah, i hijack the thread 
Regards
Billy
_________________
Yamaha C1 Grand Piano.
Korg Oasys 88, Jupiter 80
Kronos 88, V Synth GT
I am a student of classical piano...I am not a classical pianist. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bertotti
Platinum Member
Joined: 10 Jul 2010
Posts: 3384
Location: Middle of nowhere
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
GiantSonicRobot thanks for the organ info! Bertotti got my interest peaked a bit again. I don't get the Kronos vs Jupiter thing. For me I am more tempted to make a decision between the New Stage 2 88 and the Kronos. Completely different animals, I know but a needs and wants thing I tend to go with what has what I want and need without to much extra and the Kronos is packed with extras, incredible extras. I'm glad I have a year to decide.
Last edited by Bertotti on Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:49 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rocness
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:18 am Post subject: Re: A short report from Musikmesse |
|
|
| GiantSonicRobot wrote: | | oh and of course that Schmidt Polysynth (which is completely mental, yet at the same time a work of art). |
WOW ,So will the Schmidt Polysynth ever come out ?
Did you hear what kind of price it might be ?
Thanks |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
