Korg Forums

Please help me with this logic. I have owned several keyboards over the years (i.e. kurzweil, yamaha, korg). Once I played the Kronos (several times), I was sold. I literally eBayed my Motif, k2600rs, k2600s, TG77, etc. and bought a Kronos x 88. My reasoning is that I would like to have one powerful platform that I know WELL (vs. a little about several types), that I will not outgrow in years, and that is powerful enough to give me just about any REALISTIC sound I need. I have only scratched the service of the powerful Kronos but it delivers so far.

I am primarily a gospel/jazz musician and need to have a 2nd keyboard on top for soloing lead guitar, sax, bass, etc. For this, I think I will get a Kronos 61. The logic is that I have one platform that I know well, I'll always have my Kronos sounds no matter what I'm playing, the 61 can be used for portability to practices, and I have redundancy in the event one unit is not operable. What do you think?

Finally, how do I go about deciding which engine to use and how to program that engine to get sounds like the following? Theoretically, the Kronos should 'easily' be able to replicate sounds like the following:

Korg R3 (bass solo starting at 4:50)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oF2TRxiYDw

Yamaha EX5 (sound starting at 1:47)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-HCyA-fDss

Where do I start in getting sounds like this from the Kronos? Please advise.

Darryll wrote:Please help me with this logic. I have owned several keyboards over the years (i.e. kurzweil, yamaha, korg). Once I played the Kronos (several times), I was sold. I literally eBayed my Motif, k2600rs, k2600s, TG77, etc. and bought a Kronos x 88. My reasoning is that I would like to have one powerful platform that I know WELL (vs. a little about several types), that I will not outgrow in years, and that is powerful enough to give me just about any REALISTIC sound I need. I have only scratched the service of the powerful Kronos but it delivers so far.

I am primarily a gospel/jazz musician and need to have a 2nd keyboard on top for soloing lead guitar, sax, bass, etc. For this, I think I will get a Kronos 61. The logic is that I have one platform that I know well, I'll always have my Kronos sounds no matter what I'm playing, the 61 can be used for portability to practices, and I have redundancy in the event one unit is not operable. What do you think?

.

that is perfectly logical and I have posted many times that the 88/61 combination makes perfect gigging sense. I have taken some heat by stating this , and others claim that 2 Kronos boards is unrealistic,and should not be necessary.

I see the 61/88 as a rational business approach as your rep and livelihood
depend on a quality board with a suitable/quick backup.

I'm a little sorry to say this.....but you really need to develop your skills and understand how to utilize what's in the toolbox, so to speak.

Do some online lessons in sound programming and you won't need to ask.

LZ any good links?

LZ,

Thank you for the feedback. I assume your feedback only refers to getting the sounds that I mentioned and does not speak to my logic of using two Kronos boards in a rig vs. one Kronos & one (different OEM). I agree that I need fundamental programming help. Can you provide any constructive feedback as to how to start this process, what links or documentation to trek through?

Thanks again.

To be honest, I wouldn't be so paranoid about having a "backup" Kronos - did you have two of everything you previously owned?

I bought the Kronos 61 (for general portability) and a compatible USB 88 key weighted controller - there are several that would do the job, Akai MPK88, Studiologic etc.
The controller plugs directly into the USB port of the Kronos 61, and by using Combi programs you basically have a "second" Kronos in a live setup, without the expense.

A Combi allows you to have your 88 key controller playing Piano or whatever, and a synth lead on the Kronos 61 itself. It's been effective for me for the past 3 years, with no problems.

As far as programming is concerned, you really have to dive in and learn what you can, from where you can. Don't rush things, try and learn the functions of one engine at a time, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed.

Take a look at Qui Robinez's tutorial videos on Youtube for starters:

https://www.youtube.com/user/qrobinez/playlists

I'm a little new to programming the Kronos BUT what I'm sure that what I can suggest as a much cheaper alternative is doable on the Kronos. I bought a MAudio 61 key MIDI controller as a second keyboard when I'm using my Kurzweil PC3 live. My setups on the PC3 (combinations on the Kronos) use 4 programs (timbres) that are not triggerred from the keyboard & are assigned MIDI channels 13-16. I connect the Midi out of the MAudio to the Midi In of the Kurz & assign the 4 zones of the MAudio to channels 13-16. Instant second keyboard for horns, bass, strings, leads etc. The Kurz has a way to define default programs for all MIDI channels not used in a setup so there was little extra programming required.

I'm sure some of the better programmers here can tell you how to do this on the Kronos. This may possibly be an inexpensive way to meet your needs.

Larry

LZ wrote:I'm a little sorry to say this.....but you really need to develop your skills and understand how to utilize what's in the toolbox, so to speak.

Do some online lessons in sound programming and you won't need to ask.

Good point LZ. When I watched the 2 clips, I immediately recognized the patches and could probably find a decent fit from the Korg factory stuff, and if not, I could build my own. That comes with experience.
To Darryll- Google and YouTube! learn the basics. When I was in HS I read a book called "The New World Of Electronic Music" by Walter Sear. It explained sound, acoustics and a host of other things "necessary to understand the Concepts and Functions of the Synthesizer". From there I built on that through years of experience. You can find a quick fix in getting the fruits of other people's labors, but you will feel so much more fulfilled in exploring and creating on your own. It is a marvelous journey! It's akin to the old "give a man a fish..." analogy.

Here are some starting points:

http://beausievers.com/synth/synthbasic ... rsandwaves

From one of the founding fathers

http://moogfoundation.org/learning-synt ... damentals/

This should work really well. A Moog Music production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leZP_s_z0DI

I downloaded a book based on other forum members recommendation called Steal This Sound. Great book!

I use tons of sounds in one gig and only use one Kronos 88. With the program up command, triggered with a switch pedal, I can switch easily from one combi to the other within a song without taking my hands off the keys. Of course, within each combi I program layers and splits.

So, I don't understand why you would need to carry around two boards. After all, you only have two hands.....

I agree with those above that are questioning the need for 2 Kronos boards.

I used to use a RD-700GX on the bottom tier and that gave me plenty of room to play the sounds I needed, I used a different board on top just to add sounds the RD couldn't pull off. It's hard to imagine that an 88 key Kronos couldn't be set up to fill you needs. Assuming it doesn't though, I would still argue for a 61 key controller for the top tier, hook it up to the Kronos and play additional zones from there... save a BUNCH of money.

Has anyone ever tried to do a palm glissando on an 88 when playing organ patch? I have. And still have the blood stains on the keyboard to prove it!

Having a 2 keyboard rig is great idea if you're playing acoustic piano patches and organ/synth sounds. Like ronnfigg said, palm glisses are real pain on a weighted board.

If money is no object, go for the double Kronos rig - why not?!?

For me, if I was going with 2 boards, I'd go with a K61 and a Casio PX-5S - only because the PX is SO much lighter than the K88 and smaller, too.

One other thing to consider - it's often a good idea to mix timbres from different manufacturers to get a fuller sound. That would be the main downside - other than cost - to using 2 Kronoses that I could see.