How do the Kronos Mic/Line inputs work and how to hook up?

[Hal2001]

I understand that you can hook up two microphones to the Kronos rear Mic/Line inputs but .... I want to hook up the stereo audio output from two devices (TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 voice processor to which my mic is connected + a Yamaha QY100 rhythm box - Both put out stereo audio signals, the TC Helicon from two TRS plugs and the QY100 from the earphone out jack which splits into a pair of stereo phono plugs). What is unclear to me is: If I push in both audio input Mic/Lin buttons to put them both into the "Line" setting - Will I then have two "stereo in" jacks (stereo on single plug) or can I only use one device and then have to split left and right into audio 1 and audio 2? If there's only room for one stereo signal to go in (L to 1 and R to 2), then I'll, instead, hook up the the TC Helicon and QY100 to a mixer and get the combined output to go out as one pair of lines, L to 1 and R to 2). Thanks for any help. I was confused because the Line Outputs were described in the manual as working in any combination of mono or stereo and I did not know if that was true for he Line In also.

[Mystic38]

you have two inputs.. each can be a mic or line input.. so that means one stereo pair.

rathern than a mixer you are better off recording in two takes.. set to line input and simply record the rhythm box..then record the vocals on a separate track

[Lou]

VL2 also has a coaxial s/pdif. If you had an adapter you can then go into Kronos digitally and the QY100 line ins.. Just a thought.

[cynkh]

I've just confirmed what the docs and our forum members have already stated: the inputs are balanced but mono (I ran my microKORG headphone outs to both Kronos inputs 1 and 2 individually and played with the micro's pan control and was unable to pan in stereo).
You'll have to do 2 takes using both inputs as a stereo pair (which is their default configuration, conveniently enough) to get both sources into the Kronos in stereo.
Or, as previously suggested, you can use the analog TRS independently of the S/PDIF inputs and utilize 1 take in stereo by aggregating the inputs.
Hope all of this helps.
Cheers!

[Hal2001]

Thanks very much all of you for answering my question. You were very helpful.

[cynkh]

btw...I love the Kool-Aid Man reference in your sig! Oooh, yeah! Definitely worth bragging about the K88!

[Hal2001]

Yes it is a cooool machine. Just got it yesterday. Not ever having a Korg before, I'm starting from scratch and am embarassed to admit I don't even know how to layer yet - and I love creating Phil Spector type "wall of sound" massive combos for live performance - that's why high polyphony is very critical to me. I sold my Fantom X8 to get this and it was very logically laid out for relatively easy play, buttons, screen, etc. For my newest keyboard it was either going to be Kronos or Motif Xf. Many on this forum said Korg is easier to learn/play than Motif but maybe that's cause of familiarity (e.g. this is, after all, a Korg forum). It even took me a while to find the category patch/program listings for actual names of patches rather than the Bank alpha ID designations, whereas on the Fantom it pops up with one menu button press and you see every voice named for auditioning plus get a melodic sample to hear it in context. So, I think, the fact that I am not familiar with Korg, and can't transfer previous learning (e.g. from the M3 or the like) is a distinct disadvantage to me. So, I'll have to work a bit harder to figure it out.

[shap]

VL2 also has a coaxial s/pdif. If you had an adapter you can then go into Kronos digitally and the QY100 line ins.

If you have a firewire or USB interface, it may well have both optical and coaxial S/PDIF. With a little help from the interface's routing software and/or your DAW software, you should be able to directly route one to the other. On some of them, like the motu 828mk3, you can save that routing so that it will be available even if the computer is turned off.

Just a thought.