Vector Joystick - Good or Bad?

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:44 am

What does everyone think of the vector joystick? When I auditioned the Kronos it felt cheap and flimsy to me. It also felt very loose giving the feeling that precise adjustment would be difficult.

But someone in another thread commented that this was the way vector joysticks are supposed to be.

So maybe this is a subjective thing like the preference of weighted vs semi-weighted keys or is it really just a piece of crap? Also, it would be great if someone who has played both the OASYS and the Kronos could post a comparison of the vector joysticks.

Zeroesque · Post by **Zeroesque** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:22 pm

There absolutely no slop and doesn't seem to have a any dead spot in the middle. It's also a metal stick. This is better than my Yamaha SY-35 ever was. I don't see the problem.

Lou · Post by **Lou** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:35 pm

The VJ is not suppose to be stiff nor have a spring to it.
What could possibly be so bad about it.

How bad is the paint job? Are you unhappy because the Kronos didn't come with casters installed?
I don't understand all the complaints (From so many people) on a brand new beautiful machine..
Take a second look and listen to what you have in front of you.. No offense and I'm not being derogatory.

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:29 pm

Lou wrote:The VJ is not suppose to be stiff nor have a spring to it.
What could possibly be so bad about it.

Like I said, it feels cheap but I don't know. Thats why I'm asking. If that's the way it's supposed to be then it's all good.

Lou wrote:How bad is the paint job? Are you unhappy because the Kronos didn't come with casters installed?

Well... for that money I do expect a perfect paint job as well as everything else. But I can wait until the V2 update for the casters.

amosdef · Post by **amosdef** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 3:20 pm

I've never had a keyboard with a vector joystick, but I like the feel of the one on the Kronos. It feels solid to the hand. A bit loose, but that seems to be how it's supposed to be. It stays in place when you let go of it.

Gargamel314 · Post by **Gargamel314** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:41 am

I remember feeling the same way about the Wavestation EX's joystick. I had never seen a vector joystick before and i thought it seemed weird. But it is supposed to be like that. no one's complained about the functionality of the joystick anyway, and i'd prefer it to the M3's touch-screen X-Y controller.

drchris · Post by **drchris** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:06 am

Help me understand the VJ a but better. What is it's main purpose? How do you envision using it? Much like an XY pad?

Thanks!
Chris

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:50 am

drchris wrote:Help me understand the VJ a but better. What is it's main purpose? How do you envision using it? Much like an XY pad?

Yes.
Besides using it to control parameters in a two-dimensional fashion, vector joysticks are used for Vector Synthesis too - as in, having a sound on each corner and blending between them.

The M3 had similar functionality to the KRONOS & OASYS vector joystick, but used the screen as an X/Y pad instead.

ScoobyDoo555 · Post by **ScoobyDoo555** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:30 am

The Vector joystick is designed as a "mixer" control between up to 4 sources.

I've had the pleasure of using Vector joysticks since the old Prophet VS, and later Yamaha machines, right up to my Wavestation A/D (and the keyboard) - they're all meant to be "floppy" in order to get a smooth flow between sources (think of mixer fader - MOST aren't resistive in any way)....

On the several videos I've now seen where the joystick has been flopped from side to side, this seems perfectly normal operation to me.

And as such is not an issue at all.

Dan

SoulBe · Post by **SoulBe** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:59 am

drchris wrote:Help me understand the VJ a but better. What is it's main purpose? How do you envision using it? Much like an XY pad?

Thanks!
Chris

Hi,

I often use the vector stick with my Oasys. It is a powerful tool for dramatic or smooth sound changes but I mostly use it for live performances to fade beetween sounds and give them more life. F.e. when performing with brass sounds I add a growl on the the right side, a cup mute on left side a fall sound on down position etc. You just have to program the volume fading so you are able to switch beetween the different techniques. To reset it after performing you simple tab on the reset controls button and move the stick a little.

best regards
SoulBe

P.S: maybe you should ask Akos Janca who tested the Kronos and owns a Oasys how the VJ is built in the Kronos. in Oasys it is very stable

cynkh · Post by **cynkh** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 3:44 am

I personally love the feel of the VJ, coming from a Yamaha background (SY-35/TG-33). It's used in a lot of factory patches not only in HD-1 programs but pretty much all of the engines.
My favorite is using VL-1: setting up a multi filter with an LPF on A and an HPF on B and morphing between the 2 with the X-axis of the VJ and controlling cutoff of both (linked) with the Y-axis. It's amazingly versatile and just plain fun!

Korg Forums

Vector Joystick - Good or Bad?

Vector Joystick - Good or Bad?

Seems fine to me