KORG KROSS 2 Program Mode - Suck or Success?
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- čas přidán 17. 06. 2022
- Let's leave those impressive Combi sounds for a while and explore the simple Program presets of the KORG KROSS 2 SYNTHESIZER MUSIC WORKSTATION to see if they are any good.
These are the most important sounds I might actually use when creating my own compositions, piano, organ, electric piano, rhodes, bass, pads, strings, drums and other keyboard and synth sounds.
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#korgkross2 #synthesizer #korg - Hudba
AT 17:42 Howard Jones 1984 hide and seek is just fabulous
From what I know this keyboard has been used in, I can say it's a success. There's a fairly popular band from the town I used to study in for high school - their former keyboardist uses this thing pretty much as his main keyboard and he's gone very far with it. He's used it while performing with the band in tours, in festivals with thousands in attendance, in recording albums, and even in a small gig in a resort with Quino McWhinney of Big Mountain - Quino just visited Palawan Island in the Philippines then and he chose them as their backing band when he decided to stop by.
Midrange workstations like this one, as well as the Roland XPS-10 and XPS-30, are rather popular for modest bands as well as for church and wedding uses here in the Philippines largely because they're good enough for what musicians here can afford. If he had the money, the keyboardist I mentioned would have bought a Korg Kronos, and I do hope he gets a high-end synth someday - I think he deserves it :) Meanwhile, the band continues to do festivals with their new keyboardist who uses a Yamaha MM6 as his main workhorse.
I'm amazed at how $1,000+ synths are quite common among keyboardists in the West, but this is just the case when you're comparing countries that have GDPs per capita 10-20x larger than your country's GDP per capita. Seems like most of us here will continue rocking $800 synths here for quite some time :)
Been saving for a while and due to your vids and coverage of the Kross 2, I have purchased one this week! Thank you for all the hard work making these vids! Regards Graham.
I now use Jump as a benchmark for the brass sounds of an instrument, the closer it is to that classic OBX sound the happier I am with the brass sounds of a particular instrument.
Curious as to why you would think that's a useful benchmark, since so many PCM sample based synths include a straight sample of the exact "Jump" OBX sound? Going all the way back to the mid-90's, (give or take), it's sort of been a required sample for every "rompler"....
Bagpipe Hater! 😉 I am fan of workstation keyboards in general. The Korg Kross 2 is a good example. It may not deliver the best sounds for any particular genre, but it makes up for it in the diversity of sounds available which are "good enough." As a true workstation, it allows you to sample and edit sounds, compose, sequence (using a linear sequencer, not a functionally-deficient pattern sequencer), and record your song to audio WAV using only the keyboard.
Can this keyboard make a complete song using the onboard sequencer only without using an external sequencer software on he laptop or iPad?
Yes
This is the video I needed! Thank you for the honest and comprehensive rundown.👍
This is inspiring. Thanks a lot :) Super synth strings. Great examples you bring up.
No worries, playing Jump is just a moral obligation whenever a keyboardist happens to find that patch ;) Nice sounds.
As for finding your favorite sounds or whatever, there is the " Favorite" tab which allows 8 banks of 16 touch pads where you store your creations and favorite combi's and sounds. Very few synths in this price range allow you to tap one of 16 pads for a sound, and gives you 8 banks of those 16 pads
Great Video graham - thanks for posting 🙂🙂🙂
the synth and keys patches tend to be my patches of choice, too, but I do love and use the ensemble strings
Found one used in a shot this morning and bought it right away. Not that it's the best kb ever, but it is super light for a 5-octave kb, and that was what I needed for some rehearsals. Nice keybed, pretty decent sounds, and lots of connectivity options.
nice, congratulations on the pickup!
@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks! I'm already loving it even if I have many keys & synths. It does sound great. Tomorrow, first band practice with it. Have a lovely evening. Cheerio!
Woody. This is a really capable (Budget synth)... One thing that Korg does well without question is pads: Your OMD rendition of Souvenir @ 21:22 is Haunting... Nice playing!
well spotted and thank you!
Yeah, i've been waiting for that video... since you inspired me to get a Kross 2 for myself, i have a lot of fun with it and i love it's combo sounds. but i'm open minded for all the category sounds as well... i hope there will be some more Korg Kross 2 videos on your channel... i love this "mellow" thing from 8:30. it would be nice to know what sounds and pads you're playing and a camera view from above would be nice, too, to recreate your chords. ;-) thanks for sharing good content..!
hi, yes for owners and curious people it's always nice to know the patch name, overhead cams are a pain to set up tho and filming the washed out LCD is tough too, i know from experience. have one with yours!
I got kross one in both models. I’m thinking about the kross 2. I use the original kross as a main a lot. I love that the kross 2 have a filter knob. The original, you had to hit into the menu page to get to the filter. People do to understand that kross is basically a krome without a touch screen. And since krome is a piece of Kronos, that makes this keyboard very acceptable
The presets are really good!
I love videos like this over product videos. I would be doing the same thing just going through the sounds checking them out and this i consider to be more real world and wow....I was considering the korg kross but after seeing this i think we have a winner...
Loved the video.
You can change the octave with the Select and Switch buttons, a bit fiddly. You'd need to switch it off after as well as it stays turned on.
For that future Kross as a sound module video - When making a combi the effects from combined programs will change and some will be discarded. The programs may not sound the same when added, something to be aware of. The manual does explain how the Kross decides what to keep.
thx for the tip!
YOU SOLD ME I MUST GET THIS
i hope korg makes more, otherwise im hitting up Reverb, thank you for this video!!!!
buying used always a good idea, that's what i did for this one!
thanks again for this enthousiastic video. I enjoy. I am struggling of deciding what to replace my old PSR 730 in the arrangeur category. I had a MODX but resold, and Kross apperas to be more in this category. Is not it ? Are combis usable as real tie arrangements ? Thanks
I was waiting for the intro to INXS "Never tear us apart" when you played orchestral strings/lush strings 😁. Sounded almost identical as the original. Nice Elaine Paige/Chess "I know him so well" outtake there whit the bells. sound.
oh yesh, i missed a trick there, would have worked nicely!
yes my keyboard as a build in samples on the very last voice, E463, which as over 700, I like the FM as to the square waves basic shapes the old sythes had.
The arrpeggios on the Kross2 are the best ive ever heard from usable in songs perspective.Currently i have mine in the closet in favor for the MoDx but its so much bang for the bucks
Steppin Out!
Queen.. One vision= orchestral strings🏴🏅
Brilliant upload Woody , That Korg sounds really good , lots of cool preset sounds on it , like all home keyboards the manufactures seem to always fill them with jazz and country crap that will never be used ....kinda a big waste of the built in memory ....if I could delete them they'd be gone in a flash lol , Me thinks that Korg will be stuck on your table for a few weeks while you dive inside in it , big thumbs are flying high once again from a galaxy far far away ......
Sounded great musts goes to show if you are a musician on a low budget you can get a great sound from a lower end keyboard
"Souvenir" by O.M.D. is fantastic! 😜 very nice and useful video..
I just got a Korg Kross 2 on reverb. 550 Euro. It's a little beast. I've gone down the daw route, but at heart, Im a workstation guy. This sounds great. 16 track sequencer, audio recorder, etc. This is a great keyboard. Thank you for helping make the right choice.
congrats on your pickup. enjoy!
Joe Jackson! ❤️🔥 It’s been a while.
The Kross 2 is a little bit of everything, but really is most useful as a "second tier" keyboard for gigging - it's lightweight, it has a "fine" keyboard for pads and comping and light-lead duty, and sounds pretty solid. It's not really good for the primary performance keyboard since it lacks some features and hides others that would be useful for primary duties. But I would put one on the upper tier of my Ultimate Support stand and not break my back, which you certainly can't say of Kurzweil or Yamaha or Roland bigger boards. (Or the Kronos either - that sucker is heavy.)
Well said. The Kross 2 perfectly compliments my Roland RD88.
Just bought one. I will use it that way myself. Nord electro 73 on the bottom. Possibly combine it with my stage piano.
The kross 2 is a nice midi controller for playing your Mainstage gig rig and as a backup sound set for when your macbook takes a dirt nap mid song. The main thing I find it lacks is aftertouch.
1k usd midi controller? lol
24:52 It reminds me like Depeche Mode's "Lie To Me"
Was that an ambient version of "Jump"? Like, jumping, but on Callisto or something?
it might have been, I have no idea what random improvs I played...
I'm glad you've gotten a lot of mileage out of the Korg Kross 2, however - I think it would be worthwhile investment for the channel to feature some other synths for future videos. I realize you sold most of them but there's only so much content that can be derived from a mid range workstation keyboard. I still think your most fun video to date is the one where you play classic songs on your DX7 because of the joy that comes across in your playing. Maybe trying some of the more obscure Yamahas which can be had for less than $300? Just a thought
Its very good someone pay attention to the Kross2 its a little bit an under the radar synth
hi and thanks for the feedback, you're totally right, well at least for cranking out youtube videos where some variety is advantageous. for personal more normal use, I'd actually encourage players to get to know one keyboard well, instead of switching between diferent models. fear not, i'm making arrangements to get some new gear for the channel!
btw, haven't sold anything, but it's all locked away in storage until I get a bigger place.
@@WoodyPianoShack If you got some arpeggio stuff for the Kross 2 ... sign me up on the bill list
21:00 not sure if it's better now on the Kross 2, but I tried doing that workflow with my Kross 1 but the plugin is so finicky and it just made things too complicated for me.
Even trying to use it as MIDI sound generator for playing MIDIs doesn't work perfectly. Channels sometimes play the wrong instruments, reverb parameter don't get read, hanging notes, etc.
I did set it to sequencer mode because it just doesn't work when in program or combi mode.
Are you trying to play GM sounds or Kross sound? Your DAW/MIDI fil may miss some of the bank switch messages making the instrument to not be the one expected. If you can monitor the midi data sent to your synth you should check the full program change sent to it.
@@godzil42 I am playing GM sounds (through vanBasco Karaoke Player). I do know some of the MIDI files misbehave because they don't explicitly declare the necessary program change (or incomplete bank select). Thanks for the tip
Woody, how are you soldering some cables and potentiometers? I am developing a midi controller to use all the features of the Kross in real time, soon I will publish the schematics, the code on Github, and some videos showing the benefits of the controller. It's a qwerty keyboard, an Arduino, some potentiometers and a joystick.
interesting project, good for you and best wishes!
Sir please make Full Video On Bow to use This Keyboard and what Function do this keyboard has coz i also have this Same keyboard but dont know Which Button is Use for which thing sir please help me out by making This Keyboard Full Usage Video 🥺🙏
sir, may i ask for that keyboard. i am from The Philippines. i really like that keys but.. 😥 cant afford it.
I need korg kross 2
Just bought the Kross 2 but i noticed when switching favorites the sound just cuts off totally. like say i was holding a note but when you switch sounds the sound actually stops even when youre still holding the key. I wouldn't if it doesnt transition smoothly. Is there a way around this?
Stage Keyboard doesn't have a cut off in my understanding
What song are you playing at 21:25?
Hi Woody. Please do a review of the yamaha psr-e473. I bought that for my kids and I spend more time on that than them
i'm a huge fan of the budget arrangers from yamaha, i'd love too, not quite ready to buy one, unless I find one used.
argh, can somebody please tell me what the very first thing woody plays is? at 1:45 - it's something i've known for decades but my brain won't cooperate and tell me :D
The issue is that the Daw integration does not work on the Kross 2. Impossible to get it running with a nice workflow
Hi, did you create these patches? or are those presets? Tnx
Those are presets. Program Mode
Yay more Korg Kross videos. I own the original Kross and it's... fine. Maybe I am spoiled by my Yamaha PSR-S775 but I can't find a good "all around" piano sound on the Kross. The default piano sounds synthetic and lacks "bite". The "Sad Piano" patch sounds good on certain songs but lacks power etc.
I love the bell sounds on the Kross though and I agree the strings here sound as good as the PSR which costs five times as much.
i found the piano to be quite acceptable with a pleasing tone! but prob your psr is more realistic.
I can see the KORG KROSS 2 as an instrument to play in local live gigs. It has all the bells and whistles. 😀 It does the job for a good price. 🙂👍
Korg is weak
Have you tried the Roland Xps 30?
no, closest was XP10 in the 90s!
Hey thanks for the video.....Korg Kross2 is good for workstation and create music...if you use Boss rc 505 and use Kross2 to make your beat and sounds what you want ....make awesome music....
thanks!
I actually think you can get some really good Rhodes sounds out of the Kross- but you do need to jigger about a little as the default programs are a wee bit flat.
Also I like using the brass section to make some interesting sounds- and the orchestral sounds too. But then I am perhaps a little less all the about the synths. It's strange to hear these sounds being played by somebody else though!
I actually do use it as you said you'd like to. Though not done so for a while.
some nice tips here, thanks! yes, I think I heard one of your demos with nice rhodes.
Is the Kross just a repackaging of their old Hi-Synthesis engine?
Kross is more of a repackaging of the M50 I'd say, both of which use eds-i as the sound engine, as did the M3. Hi-synthesis was the Triton engine.
I always wondered if it will does something for me...thanks for the video with exactly the things I wanna see as a composer!!!
May I send you some Toblerone for Chrismas ?(3.! Strike!) ;-)
glad it was helpful, i'll pass on the toble, but thx and cheers anyway!
@@WoodyPianoShack I just wanted the "A Gift from a Stranger" Running Gag Trilogy to be finished before I'm on hollyday, Wooddy ;-)
Actually the Fender Rhodes is IDENTICAL ! I have had a Korg 88 key on top of a Rhodes playing both at the same time and they are indistinguishably exactly the same. Use the mod wheel for filter finer cut off in most pads...
Thanks for "your" sounds. Demos are often made of horrible elevator music. And thanks for playing some Joe Jackson!
The first keys were left unprotected, very exposed at the edges of the keyboard.
yes, you have to be careful
Have you tried the Roland Juno DS? Great alternative to the Kross.
I think the Juno is the better keyboard in some ways.
I have a Juno DS 61. It sounds good, and is pretty easy to use. However, the keybed starts to feel uncomfortable after about 15 minutes for me. I don’t know why Roland put in such a shallow/hard feeling mechanism. I actually liked the key feel on my old Casio better (even if the sounds on the Casio were junk).
I have not seen the Kross 61 in the store to compare the feel, though I did recently upgrade to the Kross’s bigger brother (Nautilus), which has a very nice (61) keybed.
i had a juno-d, decades ago, but didn't bond with it, the newer junos seem very capable tho!
@@Roboprogs Absolutely agree 100%. I have one too. Love the sounds but the keybed sucks big time.. Semi - miniature keys in both width and length and horrible mechanism.
Not a very enjoyable combo.
Juno got good pianos, that’s it. AIX in Casio got better synths than Juno. Juno just has more
ｽﾃｯﾋﾟﾝｱｳﾄ👍👍👍
These program modes drive me nuts. Give me a piano! Hello Yamaha.
The Kross keyboard action is very light - good for synth playing but not the best for piano. For the same price or less, Yamaha and Kawai are good if you want "only a piano". I got a Yamaha because I got a great deal on a P-115 right when the P-125 came out. It was $400 new in the box, and the piano sound is really good. The price has gone up since then, but it's still about the same as Kross. There aren't many sounds, and the piano is the only really good one. That's the trade-off. Both are actually lightweight and easy to carry. For Korg rompler sounds, I like the Wavestate better than Kross, and I can do some unique things. Same keys, but only 37 of them. Kronos/Nautilus have really nice piano sounds, as they should at that price. 1gb sample libraries, and physical modeling in addition.
Piano is one of the sounds that's actually better via software than in digital piano hardware, but for me the digital hardware is good enough. I'm not exactly Hiromi.
Kross is the piece of krome, which krome is a piece of Kronos. Case closed. It’s a pretty good board. This board has more RAM that mane boards beside krome Kronos and oasys
Joe Jackson!
Agreed! Wow
Sigh....yet another comment on CZcams that gets deleted. They just love doing this crap to people don't they? It happens to me constantly and I have to write my thoughts out all over again which I can never remember what I typed. Anyway, I had commented on what happened to your new headphone set and mic? Was it just to cumbersome? What made you go back to the older one? Korg is just awesome for synth sounds and their combies. The digital world we call advanced today from analog is a contradiction since it is always trying to recreate older analog sounds. Well, in my view that is. Even in the software world with the plethora of libraries available, many attempt to capture the old synths of yesteryear. as well. Why not just use, find, keep, or buy the real deal? hahaha.
Another Question for you Woody: What is the difference between the DX9 verses the older DX7? Are they two different beasts? I just don't see or hear much of the DX9 at all so my guess is that the DX7 was better?
DX-9 is not velocity sensitive. Also, they remove 2 of the 6 operators.
thx for the answer, i had no idea. :)
comments don't get deleted, but for some reason comments sometimes end up in my list of comments that need to be reviewed and approved.
@@WoodyPianoShack Oh I see. Isn't it something that is selected while in the process of uploading your videos? I think it is an option you select like, date, description, chapters, comments, made for kids, etc. There is a selection near the bottom if I remember correctly that you determine if all comments go through or need to be reviewed and approved per video. The only other way which I am sure you know already is in "Settings / Upload defaults / Advanced Settings" and all the selections are there. But ya, strange things happen on CZcams haha.
The DX-9, unlike the DX-27 or DX-100 won’t even respond to velocity through MIDI in. It isn’t just a limitation of the keybed.
You might as well get a Korg Volca FM.
25:26 😁😅😂🤣😛🤪🤫
27:42 Plus, you can play these preset patterns into a sidechain input, trigger input, vocoder modulator, and so on. Especially if they don't let you edit the preset patterns, but you can mix and match patterns and kits, or transpose the kit, you can have a lot of fun that way - using it to trigger or modulate a different synth.
KROSS 2 and that free SPITFIRE AUDIO LABS Plugin Woody also reviewed ( link - czcams.com/video/EjFi4KURJLM/video.htmlsi=40nWg5VJt_oCLvc0&t=1029 )seem like a great combo for me! They both have incredible quality in many of the patches!
Don't lower yourself. Just say good or bad.
I'm starting to fall in love with my Kross 2, but the acoustic pianos really suck imo (just not enough multi-samples to give any real nuance and relentlessly bright).
Rhodes and organ ok but that piano is iffy to me ....too short on the decays and not enough layers
Again trying to make me buy one? Not like one has been in my Korg store basket since the last video 😅
not interested in selling korg's keyboards to anyone, but if you do end up buying, I hope you really enjoy it!
Program? Sucsess? Either sound library demo as always, man? 😂
i have no idea what you mean!
The Kross2 has every function I need. But the D/A convertors are from a lower category. That means it won't be hearable in a live band. That's why I bought a Kronos.
The D/A convertors are what? The Kronos is an amazing unit, but if you can hear the difference between different "D to A convertors" I'd sure like to know how you do it. Start by choosing a pure sine wave and capturing them, and then play them back and use a blind test protocol where someone else recorded them, and then let us know you actually A/B blind tested. People often claim they hear this and that and the other, and it's not that the Kronos isn't a whole new ballgame, it's that nobody can HEAR THESE CONVERTORS. You hear the whole thing. The kronos effects section, that, that you CAN hear.
yeah, i'm wirh warren, I don't think converters have any audible effect, but the character of this synth is very different to the kronos, which has a more transparent clean sound, but that's in the programming and architecture. methinks.
I'm pleased with Korg Roland and Yamaha as well as Casio and Alesis and Hammond and EMU, Peavy Viscount, Wultzer, Vox I use all these products where mix and match effects my guitars get the digitech,Korg,Zoom,Boss,Roland, Line 6 ,cry baby wah , I pad ,TC electronics I play guitar too live 6 8 7 4 12 stringed guitars and bass at 5 strings