Is the Korg Kronos Still Relevant Today?
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2020
- When the Korg Kronos launched in 2011 it was a groundbreaking event. But are all in one workstations still worth it today with so many software options? And has the Korg Kronos run its course. Why would anyone still purchase a Kronos today?
- Hudba
Just take a look at the competition and that will give you the answer. To me, its still relevant.
exactly..nothing close..
Hell a Korg Triton is still relevant it resamples so you can mix your song down time stretch bpm match got tons of effects so this thing is a no brainer.
@@Diddddu I agree with both of you (Have both the ProX and the Kronos X) They are both highly used and relevant in my studio. Triton was my first beast i purchased from Korg and the Kronos X was my next.. Both fantastic and still going strong and have many things to offer.
while watching this video I was thinking how much was KORG ahead of it's time with its workstations . ( especially with Kronos ) . in 10 years they didn't change much to kronos , just some upgrades to the exterior design, and resource upgrades ( mb +cpu +ram +storage ) ... and some software updates .. and still today it's way ahead of the competition .I am really proud to be the owner of a Kronos 2 88 LS .
same as Genos
Even the Korg Triton is relevant today.
I have many different Korg synths. Some new, some old. Someone in a Kronos group said I should just keep my Kronoss' (I have an X and a 2) and get rid of the others because the Kronos was all I needed. I replied that I love all my Korg synths for different reasons and I wouldn't think of getting rid of any of them. Each one is unique in it's own way.
@@vincente9456 got an oasys?
I have a Triton and an Triton extreme.
They will never leave me but I really wish I had a Kronos.
better off with an m3.....
I wish they updated the MOSS board on the Triton, & released it on Kronos
Korg Kronos is the instrument on its very own level, that even in 2020, other manufacturers have not reached its level. Pretty close to it gets only Yamaha Montage, but not quite. So therefore, 2020, Kronos is still the King !! It's the most versatile synth ever, and the quality of its sound is just amazing! I bought my own in 2012, and still loving it...
As a beginner and looking for the best value for experimenting, which Korg Kronos varient would you recommend please?
@@arniet1 All if then are discontinued except the Korg Kronos 2. You may want to look at the Korg Nautilus. It has the same sounds.
@@arniet1 Korg Kronos 2 73, good action and easy to found here in Europe for 2650e. The Kronos 2 61 features a synth action but the price is almost similar to the 73 keys version. As a beginner you better choose for the best action, test by yourself those models before making the final decision.
Technics kn7000
The Oasys was the game changing workstation. The Kronos is a direct descendant of the Oasys at a more affordable price. And it's a computer. So it's just as relevant as a DAW- if you've got talent.
Finally a Kronos video that actually gets into the capabilities and details. Therr are loads of vids that just go through presets, and a number that get into programming techniques, but nome i've seen like this.
Very well done.
Thank you. My pleasure.
Came for the keyboard. Subscribed for the voice. That little ‘isn’t she lovely’ chorus. My gosh, your voice is amazing.
Glad to have found your music. Thank you!
Thank you!
Kurt Adler is the man who show the real power about sounds if you have his library you have a korg kronos you never will sell. I consider to get korg kronos SE. Jordan rudess loves this keyboard to bits and he play ....
It is so cool to be able to benefit from your experience. Thank you for having taken the time to detail so many things and compare with montage as well !
The pleasure all mine. Thank you for watching!
Thanks a lot for posting this video... you have reached levels of details that depict the power of this awesome music workstation and composition tool... I got my Kronos 2-88 in 2017, and I was able to use its engines and Karma modules to create my own tracks recently...
I have ten hardware synthesizers covering most of the major brands. (Moog, Yamaha, Korg, Hammond and Kurzweil) My Kronos is my number one go to machine that I play live every week at Church. I’m the synth guy and play as many as 15 different patches with 20 or so patch changes a week. The touch screen set list is the ultimate live tool. I don’t think any other brand has that. Using a foot switch, I can set up programs and combinations for each part of the song, change on the fly as I play through the song and my hands never leave the keyboard. Voice 1 for intro and verse, voice 2 for chorus, back to voice 1 for another verse. Just program them in the order you need them and step right through. I can build pretty much any sound that I hear on contemporary Christian and pop music. Yes, we play pop music at our church. I used to carry at least two keyboards and twiddle with favorites and write patch locations on a yellow sticky ... Mine is a 1st generation 61 key. Organs sound great. My custom built pads sound great. Platinum strings low register is a killer cello. Horns for the Kirk Franklin and Israel Houghton tunes, Rhodes, Lyle Mayes Piano... plus it does all that other cool synth stuff... The Korg Kronos is relevant... Very relevant...
Great video. I have had my Kronos 61 for 8 years, also have a Roland RD2000, Hammond Xk3c/ventilator, and a 1958 hammond B3/leslie 122. I remember selling my korg cx3 organ that I loved, but never making the mistake of selling my Kronos. Great live and studio keyboard.
This video is outstanding! I have had my Kronos 88 about a year now. Your video opened my eyes to capabilities that I had no idea about. You really made things easy to understand. I am not a gigging musician so my board is used for home jam sessions and private playing. I also have a Korg M3. Keep up the great work. Also, loved your Nord video. I was wondering why I was seeing so many of those on stages. Now, I know why.
Thank you for the compliments and for your subscription! I really appreciate it.
I've had mine about 6 years. When I bought it I was afraid they were going to come out with something better right around the corner. There is still nothing I'd rather own for what I do. And there is so much depth you can just keep learning if that is your interest.
Darrick, if I lived in your neighborhood, I would attend your church just to listen to you play and sing gospel tunes... Thanks for sharing information about your set-lists...
I am working on a project where I perform an entire catalog of Beatles tunes... and the set-list on this instrument is going to be a game changer for me, just as it is for you... Note: I just purchased a Korg Kronos (73-key) and it will be delivered later this week... I am so glad to have the challenge of setting up the Kronos set-list for when I actually begin performing those tunes.
I have read a number of comments about how easy it is to just push a button on a Nord Stage 3 and various other keyboards 'on the fly', as if that makes them a better choice than a Korg Kronos. My main argument, in response to this, is that I spend time in my studio creating the exact sound(s) I want for a given song... and when I go on stage with my set-lists in order... I will have no need to make adjustments... Bottom line: The Kronos may be 11 years old... but even the new Korg Stage 3 falls far below what the Kronos is capable of... so go figure. Regardless what we invest in... there will always be pluses and minuses. Thanks for taking time to make your presentation(s).
An excellent display of an incredible music machine, I just subbed due to your thorough review of all it can do. I will be watching your other videos shortly. Thank You for your efforts!
That was a great video. I sometimes forget about all the bits beneath the surface. You just showed me the velocity bias. I never gave it a thought before. Great little tweak. Another hidden gem for me is the TONE ADJ tab on the control surface tab. When you select this, all the knobs and sliders react to very specific parameters for the sound you are using in any engine, and if you initalize a sound, when you select a sound engine, it will give a default set of parameters, specific to every sound engine. Any time when I wonder if the Kronos can do a particular task, I end up finding out that it can. I am still learning about this great synth. Thanks for the video.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching!
This is actually one of the settings of the XG2 Engine people should really get to know. I found that out after reading how lots of people disses the Kronos Piano sounds for "Not cutting thru a mix" or "sounding dull" and I realiced when I was editing a Piano sound .. that 1. The basic settings of the mid freq. EQ was actually set near the optimal point to make the sound a bit more "bright", and then 2. when I came to the velocity bias I was ooOO .. this the main key .. Like Darrick says it has a very unique effect of compressesing the Piano sound, not as a regular compressor,since it doesn't ruin the actual dynamics of the sound, but more like brings the "brightness" of the softer played notes up or the other way round when turned up/down. It's a bit of what you will normally find in the Filter ADSR of a synth where you usually set a "velocity ammount" from -100 to +100, and again it makes you realise that really many people havn't even tried tweaking their sounds before complaining about certain sounds not sounding good.
All great info thanks love that EP sound. Big help for a beginner like me.
Can't play but love my Korg kronos.
This is the best keyboard I’ve ever used! You have all the editing AND sound power with limitless options. I record my songs on the sequencer and I am amazed on how detailed I can get with my songs! Its been around since 2011 and Once you get your hands on one, its very easy to understand why keyboard players are still using this today. I have the original 2011 version and the recent 2020 Kronos titanium version. These keyboards are keepers! When Using software, you need to have a good quality computer and you need to add plug-ins, ram, etc... Ive never been tech savy, Im a simple keyboard player that just wants to play and start making music. Korg reached the pinnacle in workstations with this bad-boy. The Korg Kronos is still relevant today and will keep being relevant for years to come until Korg reaches a level further than Kronos. The M1 led to the trinity, trinity led to the triton, triton led the M3 and Oasys, and Oasys led to Kronos. What will Kronos lead to???
I think Korg's next move will be a cheaper Kronos. Kind of like the MODX. That product has been a big seller for Yamaha. And with the power of computers people in general are no long creating entire albums on a hardware keyboard anymore. So a younger generation of keyboard players cringe at the price of flagship all-in-one workstations. But I hope they come out with a "Kronos 3." Something that is more user friendly, has a touchscreen more like cellphones and tablets today. Basically something with the reliability of hardware but the power of a computer. Even it cost $6000, I'd probably buy it. But we shall see what their next move is.
Darrick Keels a Kronos 3 would be amazing. I would definitely buy one as well. I like the all in one workstation concept. I hope they don’t change that.
I’m a musician,but I’m not a techie or much of a computer person,will I be able to use this kronos effectively without too much difficulty?like editing the piano to my liking and such.
@@darrickkeels6387 Korg Nautilus
Great upload.
I still have a Korg Triton, of course the Kronos is still relevant - it has 9 synth engines. It reminds me of the Roland W30 workstation and how invaluable that was, I’ve used those for 30 years, sadly now relegated to just a controller, but a beast in it’s day.
The only thing to rival the HD-1 aspect is Kurzweil’s VAST engine; I bought the PC3K 61 - it’s just a shame it doesn’t have the real-time control of the Kronos; being able to seamlessly change timbres without a break in audio, and then have real-time ADSR, EQ and effects across all 8 layers is great - guitarists are constantly changing the tone whilst playing, why wouldn’t a keys player? I love the Kronos, I can’t imagine a time that it won’t be used - it lacks the sturdiness and refinement of the OASYS, but that thing needs a permanent home, a Kronos is the closest to having a tour version of one. In my humble opinion as a drummer.
I’m not a drummer - but I am on the Kronos, the drum kits are incredible.
I appreciate the effort and knowledge of this vid so I subbed!
I have a MODX 61 and I got the new MPC ONE to go dawless, now I want a new workstation. I'm tempted to get either this the KROME or the Korg Kross. I'm hesitant because I'm paranoid that AS SOON as I get a new Korg, they'll drop something to compete with the MODX, like an M4 or something crazy! I'll be so upset!
I think the KROME (maybe the KROME 2, I don't know, I don't have one of those) is already in competition with the MODX. Indeed, the KROME has a sequencer built in to it which I am not sure if the MODX does. Of the two you are thinking about, I would suggest the KROME. I would be interested to know if you have decided since you posted this, and what you went for in the end. x
Nautilus
My main ax for my Sweet Crystal live events. Finds it way onto every SC recording. Love my KRONOS.
Amazing and in depth demo of the capabilities of this keyboard. Its pretty incredible.
Still the champ. Fantom has the interface, Montage the super knob and advanced arps, some say Kurzweil has sound but for a swiss army knife at a great price, Kronos wins. Had mine 8 yrs and upgraded memory to 3.0 which was major. I do not expect another upgrade under this platform but a larger internal memory (flash), 32gb ram, 64 bit and a few tweaks an I would re-buy the kronos 2022 if they do it. In the meantime, it is still the one keyboard that can do it all. I use the USB to host a lot too to drive soft synths and the analog in is good too. Extremely versatile. I also have a montage and it is a great instrument except the usb to host broke and that is a motherboard replacement - sort of sours one on the quality aspect, Kronos is rock solid. Sub.
The Kronos is still relevant. The pianos are so underrated especially the German and Italian grands. I have the Yamaha Montage and the Korg Kronos sound and fidelity is still exceptional. This is a great time to be a keyboardist. All of the major manufacturers are creating amazing instruments and technology has come a long way since the Dx7 days.
In all honesty I haven't gotten a chance to play the Italian Grands by Korg. What is the overall tone quality of those in your opinion? And what kind of music do you tend to use them for?
Darrick Keels I use the Italian Grand in a CCM/Piano & Voice setting. It has such a rich sound, and beautiful string resonance. If I’m playing with a whole band, I can a compressed patch to cut through the mix better.
I used it for many different styles but I really enjoy the dark italian grand for solo piano. Here's a sample!
czcams.com/video/EFBq0xy2_4w/video.html
Hey man nice vid. I was completely in your court as soon as you played the Donny Hathaway "What's Goin On."
Love the excellent video, you nailed many of the compelling features that keeps Kronos the King. I’m desperately hoping Korg will add / update the sound engines from their newest digital synths -the Modwave, OpSix, and Wavestate. The capabilities are pretty much already in the Kronos, but the new interfaces are greatly improved. I would love for MOD7 to operate more like ModWave, for instance. Korg, are you listening? Anyway, keep up the great work. You’re playing is also a treat!
I want to thank you so much. By far the best video I have watched on this keyboard. I just bought on about 3 weeks ago. I was originally gonna get a nord stage 3. I was worried about getting the best keyboard for what I want to do. Your video has made me 1000% sure I made the right choice. You are super talented by the way. Thanks for the great video!!!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching. Congratulations on you new Kronos🙂
I just got my SE 2019 88 Kronos, so it is so new to me. Moved from a Triton Studio 88.
Me too! Changed from my Triton Studio 88 to Kronos X with the latest Update (similar to Kronos 2). In no way I got The feeling, that it is an „old workstation“.
You guys made a very very wise choice! Alls I ever owned was Tritons and I loved every single one of them. I actually started with the Korg Trinity which I believe was Korgs first touchscreen ever, but then the Triton came out and I fell completely in love🥰🥰 I ended up going through all 3 key lengths and then the Triton Studio came out and I was just like you gotta be f'n kidding me😭😭😭So eventually I ended up getting the 88 key Triton Studio and that was the last keyboard I had until the Kronos came out. Let me tell you guys, I've had this thing since 2013 and haven't ONCE thought about another keyboard, it's possibilities are endless and there's all kinds of software updates and sound expansions you can get so you really never run out. Best of luck to you both and I know without a doubt you guys will fall in love with your boards.
One day my lady told me to choose between her and my keyboard🤔🤔🤔 I sure do miss her sometimes✌✌
Great Video Darrick. I used to gig professionally a lifetime ago. Had a Rhodes suitcase. Hammond C3 + 760.L. and a hohner clavinet. Now retired just having so much fun with my kronos purchase. Love the Rhodes variations . Your video has inspired me to re try the pianos and play with more of the variations available when editing. PS. I love your voice. If I had a voice , I would enjoy solo performing and maybe write some songs. Thats a gift you're either born with or not. Regards Peter
Thank you for watching and thank you for the compliment!
Great work on the video! Thanks!
How lovely to find a Korg Video very specific to piano sounds and what they can do. And now a question: Have you ever found a way to record a combi setting from the Korg into Logic Pro x and have logic accept all the arpeggiation patterns from the combi? I have found that the piano roll in logic only accepts the solid chord I play and not the arpeggiation. That would be a wonderful thing to be able to do when writing/recording/editing music. Great video and I appreciate your kind and Godly spirit!
With the updates and the added piano selections, it sounds amazing! And is still the first weapon choice for the master wizard Jordan Rudess!
The answer is that it is more than the sum of its parts. One can look at it as 9 synth engines, sequencer, sampler etc. - but the key to Kronos is that it is an integrated workstation. Sure, it essentially runs a software stack on a proprietary OS, but... it is a physical workstation keyboard. It still is way beyond any multi-engine workstation (not claimed-to-be but fundamentally not belonging to workstation category hyped misnomer-filled product launch from some I'd rather not name). There are some contenders, Zen Core with multi-engine but it is a phenomenally short-sighted and terribly limited offering from someone else... As an all-in-one physical workstation, it still has no actual competitor, anybody hyping similar features turns out to be numerically 4x below the specs of the Kronos :)... it is hilarious to read the increasingly desperate overstatements from big names launching "flagship" nonsense that is, at most, an arranger keyboard and not a workstation. Anyway. Let's see what future holds, but there is not much vast R&D investment incentive if you have a product that nobody comes even close to in terms of specs. And then, if anybody actually used Kronos as a sound design and full production, rather than just a preset playback gizmo, then knows what one means by it being way more than the sum of its parts. The integration between its architectural components doesn't seize to amaze me, and I make my living from system design in signal processing area, so...
This is exactly what people miss about the Kronos. Yes its technically specced hillarious outdated .. even a dirt cheap Ryzen entry lvl cpu is like 20x faster than the Atom processor in the Kronos. Yes its limited to 3Gb usable ram due to being a 32bit OS. It's also a monster to learn if you want to take full advantage of the vast posibilities in combining it's 9 synth engines for sound creation. The problem with the Kronos is, there simply isn't very many people .. musicians or sound programmers that is able to use it effectively cause it will take you years of daily 14 hour work with it to even get thru a small fraction of its possibilities. We live in a world where people want a Synth with at least 1000 or more .. " fresh" sounding patches. People don't WANT to take the time to learn their instrument fully, and this is why so many in pure frustration over that they know they don't have the stamina or the technical skills to learn their Kronos goes to call "It need a refresh .. My Modx for 1/3 of the price have better sounds" ..
Hint: Everything is possible with the Kronos .. go out sample some sounds you like .. or buy a sample pack of what you like . There is the material you may use to make your "own" sounds that "could be" way better than what a rompler with a FMX engine is able to. The FMX from Yamaha is a great synth engine, but the MOD7 engine in the Kronos is actually way more advanced. Not saying it is better, its 2 ways of enhancing the old 6 op. FM sound from 80'ies that still is the basis for both engines.
The fact is that most Kronos users don't use even 10% of the Kronos features, and most of the Keyboard players today really want to just have some "great" patches out of the Box that they can tweak a little and combine into a combination and then just play.
And really ... I think its ignorance beyond anything when you hear people "dissing" something and pull the "Arranger" card ..
"This is not a professional keyboard cause its just an arranger".
Hint 2: Just to mention one .. The Yamaha Genos is also an "arranger" so its not prefessional ? ... Its more professional than a lot of the so called "Synths" or self proclaimed "workstations" from the competition. And I think we ALL need to ask us self what we really want from an instrument. And for a lot of gigging musicians a Genos would make a lot of sense for bread and butter sounds like Piano's, Brass, Strings.. all those standard sampled instrument sounds that can be used for a variety of music stiles. Its based on the same Yamaha sound library develloped over the last 2 and a half decade that they used for both their home arrangers, their top Tyros arrangers, Motif, Modx, and Montage line, and it has Everything of so called Workstation features that people loved about the Motif, and hammered Yamaha with when they didn't put themt in the Montage at release.
We all have different aproaches to our music, the Kronos isn't for everyone, just as a Genos propably isn't, and if you are really into the "real" Analog sound thing none of these hybrid machines that comes out today with different aproaches to sound generation will be good enough.
I recently just checked out the sound of a Black Corporation Xerxes, and boy do that thing sound good .. but also cost a fortune for being 8 Note Polyphonic programable Analog synth. Perfect for studio and creating retro synth based music, but for my use I would rather spent that amount of Money for a "Kronos 2022" with 32gig memory and a modern 8/16 core hardware with new 64bit OS that supports VST plugins and maybe even have an "arranger" function.... lol.
What I want to say to this is, I think Korg has long ago put the further development of the Kronos system on the shelfs.
But one can only wonder why Korg never spent more effort on getting the Kronos out to a broader audience.
Its like they just thaught. Hey the Oasys hardware is getting outdated, we need to cover our losses. Lets make it run on some cheaper new hardware, make a few more sound engines and then let the community and 3'rd part sound devellopers work with it. That way we can get all the money back we lost on the Oasys project, if we can keep the Kronos alive and still sell it in a decent yearly ammounts for a Premium price for the next decade or 2. Then we can get on with some cheaper projects that is more in line with the younger generation.
What Korg should do imo is:
1. Open up for developpers to make Sample sets for the XG-2 Engine.
2. Set up a decent Website for their sound shop that doesn't seem to be develloped prior to 1990 and don't seem to be run on a Commodore 64 and a 14.4k modem. This is SO embarrazing KORG !!!
3. Get some more work done inhouse on getting some of their own Sample sets available updated and expanded , that favorize more on easy to use high quality instrument samples.
4. Make every registered Kronos user able to put up sound sets either just sound edits or full sample packs
4. Be more observant what goes on in the Kronos community and listen to the users what we would like to see enhanced.
Especially the last point, since it seems to me that, tho it took some years for them to wake up, companies like Yamaha seem to have woken up and made a lot of good updates over the last year and a half to their Montage/Modx/Genos line that people have pointed out were missing
And one easy way Korg could come back in the game is to just license a special version of one of the "Sample converter" programs so ALL Kronos users had a basic working PC/Mac program to do easy "auto" sampling of their favorite keyboard sounds. With the new OS for Montage/Modx you have a build in sample converter in the keyboard (I don't know how well it works but its there).
Just a minor correction: It's not a proprietary OS. It's a forked version of real-time Linux kernel. They are required to publish changes of the kernel as per the copyleft agreement.
@@fmagic2000able Absolutely correct. Admittedly in this context I used OS in the Korg sense, rather than as actual underlying OS. Korg updted the OASYS 'OS' and its various Kronos version updates were realy UI and behavioural updates of course, not actual Linux updates. OS tends to be a loaded word when one comes to these workstations - even my M3 used a cut-down Linux thingie underneath, on a dog slow ARM core apparently, but they called it the "M3 OS" of course - probably it is more accurate to call it UI version rather than actual OS, but for the musician what he/she sees is the "OS". This is one of my favourite misnomers, alongside the use of wavetable synthesis for normal samplers/romplers instead of actual Palm-like wavetable synthesis method :)
@@LeventeZone But if we want to get nitty gritty, you can also say that pretty much all modern keyboards are "soft synths". Keyboards stopped being "hardware" based the first time someone put a simple microprocessor in it, but the problem with such a big workstation like the Kronos is really its based on Korgs own proprietary "plugins" as engines wich is simply not feasable to further develop. VST has become a defacto standard, so if something new should happen, they need to go that way, but on the other hands, they already have the MS-20 and Polysix, wavestation, M1, Triton as VSTs so itsd basically "just" to create their own VST host and make a new model with updated hardware and UI. I just don't think there is that big market for a new top Workstation like the Kronos today. Sure there are some top keyboardists that rely around one or more Kronoses on stage that of cause would love something that is backwards compatible, but most of those are already familiar with working with computer setups, and the Kronos is just a more locked computer eco system you can't really upgrade or purchase your favorite plugins for, so I don't really see a new worstation happening. The Kronos will just slowly die as interest dwindle.
@@mrdali67 Very true. I had long rants in some threads when some went on about using 'computers' vs. not... Kronos made it very visible with its standard PC motherboard, but even ancient digital synths were already running a software stack on some proprietary or common chipset. So as much as purists would love not to, they have several 'computers' scattered around their studio :) What happens to do-it-all monster workstations is a good question... Waldorf Quantum is not quite a workstation, but at a heck of a pricepoint, it went the multi-engine and expandable architecture way... similarly the new Fantom wishes to be, with its Zen Core, something of that kind (but with actual workstation aspirations. Not many will buy monster workstations for fully using them as workstations, we are in a minority when enjoying their abilities of being (at least looking) like an independent HW keyboard with full sound design, sampling, recording, sequencing etc. capabilities. Many bought and are buying Kronos for its sonic range and performance capabilities - looking in Kronos groups and the posted pictures, the vast majority of users are seeing and using it as a powerful keyboard, nothing more. I'm not product strategist but yes, the future of 'physical'/HW (or at least HW-looking) workstations is a puzzle. SW vs HW is another huge topic with personal preferences from people, and it will play a big role in that puzzle.
It was so ahead of its time Korg have been able to rest on their laurels since 2011. They have been helped by competitors erroneously thinking the computer DAW revolution has made the workstation paradigm obsolete (we still think it’s rather jolly to have BOTH, actually, thank you!). As pointed out by Darrick you want that immediacy of sketching out an idea on a workstation board and polishing it up later in a DAW (or, if you’re a very sick deranged individual, you can complete the whole thing in the Korg sequencer). I couldn’t believe it when I found out the new Fantom does not have the ability to record full tracks of audio in the sequencer. Korg must be laughing their asses off. The frustrating thing about no sign of a Kronos 3 after 9 years is how little is needed to make us happy. Just migrate the O/S to 64 bit and change the commodity hardware to the latest mobile intel platform. It would still be quiet and low power consumption but IMAGINE a Kronos running on modern hardware! Given the polyphony isn’t too shabby even on an ancient Intel Atom I think you’re looking at effectively banishing note stealing even in the most complex of combis or sequences. Korg can also look to unlock other limits imposed by the old hardware such as how many simultaneous effects are allowed, how many tracks in the sequencer, how many timbres in a combi. On modern hardware just up them all. Now, how good does that sound already and all we have done is update the commodity hardware? Korg can even be super lazy and mostly leave the interface alone, pretending that they decided not to update it because musicians are familiar with it (warts and all). Maybe add a piano roll to the sequencer though, sorry Korg you’ve got to address that howler 😆. Anyway. Like I say, frustrating. Tech companies and complacency do not mix. One word Korg: BlackBerry. Now get to work. 😂
It has no piano roll???
This got to be your favorite keyboard!
Also, I had a Korg M3 and I REALLY got into sound design on that board, I even made the synth lead that flux Pavillion uses and it was fairly easy, loved it!
I am also a M3 and Kronos owner. Having the M3 for about 10 years the KK was intuitive to me from the start. Is absolutely love them both.
@@CorkyMeadows Dope! Bruh, remember the Oasis? The Kronos took its place i guess but that M3, it was the successor to the Triton and a lil BEAST! I know they're going to compete with the MODX and they're in the lab cooking up! Also, I'm tempted to buy that new Fantom.
@@jaybeetdown I actually started to sell my M3 when I got the Kronos. I am so happy I kept it. It's a bridge to the Kronos. I think digging into the Kronos would have been a lot harder if I had not had my M3 experience.
I still own a M3, and a DAW. All I need.
I completely agree with the info on 32.04 - I had a Korg M1 and I was able to have 2 sound effects max for all 8 tracks. I truly believe that even today Korg Kronos has so many advantages that even new synthesizers from different companies do not have even half of the capabilities of this model. Love it (still don’t possess it). I even cannot imagine what they should bring on the market (I mean the Korg company) to beat their previous model, it should be something more powerful and spectacular! Thank you for this interesting video!
Thank you for watching!
This is by far the most interesting and eye-opening video I've seen of the korg kronos, and I've seen hundreds of videos about it. Thank you for taking time to share your experiences with the community. you won a subscriber god bless you.
The Kronos is still KING. But it is the keyboard people love to hate on, and I don’t understand because it’s fairly priced. I’ve owned my KKX88 since 2013, and over the years it has evolved so much. I’ve expanded the pianos to the latest versions available, and added some other sound packs that have made it continue to be top of the line. I think people hate it because it’s not easy to operate, and most keyboard players just want to use patches and not dive into the instrument. Most of my keyboard friends have never adjusted the velocity on their keys to suit their playing style! Overall, my Kronos experience has been amazing, and Kronos handles my entire keyboard rig as I run external sounds into it via iPad, MacBook, and whatever my choice of hardware synth is for that set. All of that without taking up more than two channels on the mixer.
I couldn't agree more!!!!
Thanks Darrick, good video. my kronos 88 (v1) hasn’t been used for a while but need to explore it more as seems too difficult sometimes (too many options doesn’t always help me - as i used to be heavily in to arrangers, with instant sounds and rhythms etc) 🙂 a great keyboard that is relevant today, thats for sure (with options to add virtually unlimited sounds via sampler/EX library’s/Karo etc etc).
It is a great keyboard for sure but I must agree it is not user friendly. It takes a while to learn and even longer to master.
Don't care how long it's been out. It's so powerful that I've barely tapped into its amazing potential. Even if I didn't have a day job that kept me away from this keyboard most of the day, and was able to give more attention to it on a daily basis, I'd still be learning new things about it every day for a loooooong time.
Excellent point - 9 years after getting mine I’m still learning it can go way beyond any expectation I have, you just need to keep on drilling down - I don’t think I know more than 20% of this thing’s potential - mostly because I don’t use many features; but they’re there if I ever do. It’s a phenomenal achievement, and if there was a way to get Omnisphere in it and some Kontakt orchestral libraries, I’d never leave the house again.
@@The.Doctor.149 Had the 88 key weighted key gold ltd. edition for 3 years and still don't know what half of it does it's a behemoth of a synth.
@@dunc1959 : read the manual.
Looking forward for your Yamaha Montage and Roland Fantom va Kronos :-)
Commentary is so good my man great job
Prouda owner since 2014. The improvements i'd like most would be aimed to ease of use (cleaner / streamlined menus) and ability to attach an external monitor (like the Oasys could!) or attach an Ipad. The Remote app helps, but only covers some key areas. I'm very happy with the functionality. Better integration with DAWs would also be interesting
First I would like to say that your explanation is always clear, I never lose your videos. You play well, sing well, man¡¡¡ I admire you¡¡¡.
I have my kronos 2 for about 7 months now, I won't change it for a pretty long time. I own the Prologue too, and these 2 machines toghether are amazing¡¡¡ I spend hours playing¡¡¡
Thanks for the video.
Thank you. I appreciate it. Do you play live, studio, both? And which Prologue did you get? The 16-voice of the 8-Voice?
@@darrickkeels6387 I play both, studio and live. I got the 8 voice prologue. It makes huge souds. I am just learning this analogue thing, but this machine mskes it very easy for me
I had Korg DSS1 ( bought year 1983) with extended memory and hard disk for 16 years on road with Korg Wavestation, then Triton 1999 and Kronos 2013 which I still use for our gigs. Korg is the king!
A very good review upon this "old" beast !!
And we have to add the "huge" *Karma system* , too.
I have the Korg Kronos 2, and it definitely is great! Haven’t really had another keyboard top it.
Great video. I just bought one and I am looking forward to using it in church as well. I really appreciate the demonstrations.
My pleasure!
Thanks for diving into the actual abitilities of the layering feature
Thank you for watching!
I always knew that it would NEVER be out of date as such in my heart. OK there are many software plugins that can create effects and even generate extra content but the basic sounds on the Kronos are never dieing. Kronos Lord of Time
I have been going back and forth on upgrading my rig from a Yamaha line (1st MOTIF, MO6, M0XF) to a more pro rig. It's difficult to look past the new Fantom and the Montage, which sounds awesome in the store, but the Kronos seems to fit the bill for live performance. Thanks for the video!
I have both the Montage and the Kronos. I really like the setlist feature in the Kronos. Of course they are both great for live performances. The Kronos comes up short in its overall dated user interface and DAW integration. I guess there is no "perfect" keyboard lol! Thanks for watching.
Although its now competing with the new Roland Fantom,Yamaha Montage/MODX, Nord & even the new Dexibell...The Kronos is still in the top category of most sought after keyboard on the market today.
I have Kronos 2 88 Gold Edition. It is an instrument which is sure very complicated and "out of the box" experience isn't that great, but after studying it two years, bought some sound Expansions, sampling and making my own sounds, it is excellent "all-rounder" synth. Main thing is that you appreciate and enjoy the time you spend with your instrument(playing and/or studying it). I had Yamaha Motif ES8 once and I didn't like at all, it didn't make goose pumps when played, sounds were dull no matter what etc.
Got the first version and I believe....it’s a great asset to any studio.
I have an 88 key Kronos 2, fully updated. It’s so stuffed with features and flexibility. I love it . . . I only wish the interface was completely recreated because I get lost in the menus. I did buy a Fantom 7. It’s a great compliment to my Kronos. It does som things easier than the Kronos and with the 3.01 software update, it adds 4 classic popular synths as well as now does multi-sampling.
I wanted to get a Montage ‘cause the only Yamaha I own is an 18 year old PSR 4600, but after watching this video, maybe I’ll go a different direction and get an Arturia Polybrute. I own an Integra 7, the Arturia V Collectn and their Pigments 3. I think I’ll be pretty much se then.
Thanks for the video. I have a krome and will be upgrading to Kronos soon.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching
Darrick, very informative video. I have a very early Kronos, so old I may have actually bought it in 2011 (Serial # 000483), I'd have to go find the receipt. This has always been my go to instrument and even after all these years I am finding things out about it. Hey, maybe I'm a slow learner ha ha. Love it, love the sound over my Triton Extreme which is now only a complimentary keyboard to this via MIDI. Just upgraded it to Version 3.1.3 and it handled the upgrade beautifully. So yes, it's still relevant.
After long wait I got one 2023 last keyboard in Australia in box, lucky 😊 enough to own one
Im using korg m50 and it is still relevant for me..😊❤️
Great video! Thanks Darrick.
Hey Darrick! Nice video... very comprehensive! I myself have a kronos 2, modx7, roland fa06. I gotta say I agree that the kronos is the king of workstations and all around keyboard. However... I find myself gravitating towards my MODX for its ease of use and lesser weight. I find that the sounds of the MODX are comparable to the kronos, although if I want more polish and features kronos is the way to go. The Kronos and MODX is my A rig when gigging and offers the best combination, FOR NOW. Roland Fantom, I’m afraid, will overtake Kronos, especially if they keep improving with software updates. You cannot ignore Dexibell as well for its UNLIMITED polyphony. One thing for sure it is a great time to be a keyboardist! Keep up the good work! You might have inspired me to start my own youtube channel!
Thanks for sharing your insight! I have very little complaints about the capabilities of the Kronos. It is in fact a powerhouse. My issues with it are the user interface. The screen is very dated at this point. I knew this but after doing lots of work on the MPC One touch screen it makes coming back the Kronos feel like I am going back in time. Some people kind of like the fact that the Kronos has a steep learning curve. Those who can operate it seem to feel like they belong to an elite club. I however, prefer ease of use. Well written programs are easy to use no matter how "advanced" they are. Think of all of the complicated tasks a person can accomplish on their cellphone without ever cracking open a manual. People can take pictures, capture video, edit photos, take notes, text, send email, video chat, copy/paste, travel in a foreign country without asking for directions, book plane tickets, and even track how many miles they travelled on a bicycle and what their average speed was. All this without being "experts" or engineers. The apps do the hard work for you. The end user is able to focus on content and being creative. I want a powerful keyboard that operates like that. What good is power if you don't know how to utilize it? So like you I have a multiplicity of keyboards. My most "fun" keyboard to play is my Nord Stage 3. It is the least complicated, most limited, but most fun. However when I have a complicated set to play the Kronos is my go to. Most studio recordings I use Ableton and VST's as editing on two 27" monitors is exponentially easier then trying to use the Kronos, not to mention it is simply far less limited. But using a mouse and keyboard sometimes does sap my creative juices so I may start my creation using the Kronos and then switch to a DAW at some point. Right now the Roland Fantom has a lot of potential but power wise it is still a long ways off from the Kronos. But the user interface is much easier to navigate. And there is something to be said for an instrument that is a joy to play. They should however add multisampling, linear sequencing, more available simultaneous insert effects (I think it is at 2 right now), and more up to date editing features not just for synth sounds but dedicated parameters for stuff like Brass, Guitars, String Ensembles, etc. The hardware is in place they simply need the software updates. As for starting a CZcams channel, you should. I LOVE hearing from and watching musicians talk about their equipment, how they use it, what they like and don't like. These types of spaces help me make informed buying decisions and also helps my workflow when I can see how others work. Thanks again for watching. I appreciate you.
You should mention the Help function built in to the Kronos next to the Seq button. It's minimal but quite handy.
I had the kronos x and than upgraded to the kronos 2 because cosmetic sideboards and the sample is awesome I sample all the nord pianos and have the best of both worlds now so it's still REVOLUTIONARY RELEVANT
The ep’s are smooth as butter!
Definitely still relevant. Just wish they did a version without the workstation features and just as a hands on synthesiser with all the sound engines. They could still do the full blown workstation for people who want that.
Now THIS is a good trivia question. :) I think that the machine still deserves respect. It's an all-in-one beast. And the limitations it has actually make it more appealing in some ways.
Absolutely Excellent Demo! Sold! Thank You Brother Darrick
Thank you for watching!
Very well explained thanks,, Kronos all in one music tool 😎
Tq, this is exactly wat i needed..
This is a great video! Korg should pay for this 😂 That Hathaway rendition tho!
oooh now i understand very helpful video thank you
When your editing piano sounds or piano with layers,can you set your settings then have them effect,whatever your playing,and not have to do settings for every preset?
Its more than relevant, its still the main and go to board for many musicians today.
Excellent Video brother! I plan to purchase a Korg Kronos 88 weighted key workstation.
It's an excellent board. Thanks for watching!
Too late for that now get it second hand its discontinued'
I decided in late 2021 that my almost-30 year old Ensoniq TS-10 (which I had been using for all of my orchestral and keyboard sounds, along with all of my sequencing needs) needed to be upgraded; so I did my research and bought one of the last new Korg Kronos 2 73s available, on Jan 15 2022, despite it being ancient tech by then. It arrived, and I LOVED it; was thrilled with exploring it - SO DEEP!
It died less than three months after I bought it - power supply failure. Four months later, Korg Customer Service had STILL failed to fix it, so after many rude and unproductive emails with Korg Service, I swore off Korg forever. F those guys. The vender accepted the return, and I furthered my quest.
I bought a Roland Fantom in Aug 22; they said I'd get it in Sept; then they said I'd get it in Oct. Then they said I'd get it in Nov. Then they said I'd get it in April of '23, and in response, I said "No thanks!", and I bought a Yamaha Genos. It was promptly delivered, and I was bored with everything this keyboard could do in less than a week. It sounds like very real carboard cutouts making music for pay. I didn't want a band in a box that couldn't be directed. I wanted an inspirational tool that could be manipulated in interesting ways. They accepted my return.
There's more to the story - I ended up buying and returning five keyboards this past year, after having my previous one suffice perfectly for almost thirty years. FINALLY... my wife got frustrated with my bitching, and asked "What do you WANT?" to which I replied, "I want my Kronos back!"
She found me another mint condition Kronos 2 73 key, and SO FAR, it works perfectly, and I am once again in love with my equipment. Every day I have something to learn, some goal to figure out about this vast tool.
It all depends upon what you want to do. I want to explore musical sounds... and this is the best tool that I can find in 2022, almost 2023, to do that.
IF you want or need to produce commercial crap quickly, easily and effortlessly, get yourself that Yamaha Genos. It sounds great for what it does. It really does sound like a 63 year old dude with 2500 gigs behind him playing those drums!
I am more interested in playing with sound for my own amusement, so the Kronos is the only thing that could satisfy my needs.
I’ve owned Kronos2 for about 5 yrs now and I love it. My only gripe is the guitar sounds, but I have a MotIf XS for that.
Montages has good guitars and woodwinds. I have rack XS and its not like the Montage.
So you’re an ‘out of the box player’ otherwise you’d have no Kong guitars left on there to whinge about.
Nice video Bruhda, I have the Kronos 2 73, The Fantom 7, an ASM Hyrasynth and a Roli Rise 49, connected to a MacBook Pro M1 Max, but lately I've been getting stuff done on the Akai Force with a Modx7+ that combination is ridiculous.
Yup I use the Akai products myself!
Never been a fan of Nords, I think they're over priced for what the are. I understand that I have G.A.S., I just love hardware. Currently looking at the Kurzweil K2700, curious on your thought about it.
A great video that is different from the other videos on the Kronos, and not to mention the lovely playing! I do agree that it's still very relevant. I'd love to own one someday, and I'm not even a keyboardist!
But after 10 years, it is beginning to show its age in some ways. Korg should really do something and think of a successor (the Nautilus isn't really one).
I think it would be nice for Korg to come out with an updated flagship workstation. I love my Kronos and still use it all the time but like you said its age is beginning to show. The Nautilus is a stripped down cheaper Kronos with a user interface refresh basically. However, it is "old" too just like the Kronos. I personally have no use for one. It would be nice to really see something completely brand new. I use my MPC One for all of my sequencing and sampling because it's simply more powerful and more intuitive than the Kronos. Its 7 inch touchscreen has pinch to zoom functionality, gives me 128 midi tracks vs the 16 I get with the Kronos etc. It's simply more modern. So I use it in conjunction with my Kronos and Montage.
@@darrickkeels6387 Agreed! The Nautilus is in a very weird position right now. On one hand, Korg probably don't want to cannibalise the Kronos by releasing the Nautilus at a lower price. But then, you can easily find a Kronos used for quite a lot less than the Nautilus! Their relationship is not the same as that between the MODX and the Montage from Yamaha.
It might be really difficult for Korg now to release a new game-changing product like they did with the OASYS and eventually the Kronos, but let's see what the future holds!
Great job Derrick. This presentation should help other musicians who use the KORG Kronos. Also
the difference in the Montage & Kronos was pointed out when it comes to sound effects and voice utilization in combi or or program modes
Yes I think the differences between what Yamaha offers and Korg offers is important. It is hard to tell from a spec sheet oftentimes. Furthermore, watching a ton of videos of people just playing the two boards doesn't help in that department either. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
I changed my setup 2015 from korg workstation (not Kronos) to a Nordstage 2 with Apple mainstage 3 and Ipad using setlistmaker.
Today 2020 still the best decision for me I‘ve made 🙂
stagechris good move. Apple Mainstage 3 blows Kronos away. Not even close, bud.
Yes the Kronos is still relevant. If you look what is around, the Nord 3 has a bit more memory than the last one and some nice reverbs, but essentially the same. The Montage is an update on the Motif, and Roland are just regergating what they have done in the past with the Fantam. All good keyboards, just a matter of budget, taste and styles of playing ☺
Hi Darrick, what a great video. As a jazz pianist, I had been thinking about getting a digital piano, largely for Rhodes and Hammond sounds for over a year. I had intended to go and play some in a store, but never got around to it. When the Coronavirus lockdown came around, I thought I would just get one, and opted for a Kronos 2 88, based on several CZcams videos, including your comparision with the Nord (which was my initial choice).
I am SO glad I bought the Kronos. OK, so I have no personal experience with any other boards, but I cannot believe that anything else could sound any better. After a few months now, I feel reasonably comfortable with the basics. Still working on getting a great piano sound.. I suppose I will have to read the manual at some point !!
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has recommendations for speakers for home use. I'm using a pair of old Yamaha monitors, but wonder if there is something better? I'm also wondering about stacking an unweighted controller above for organ playing?
Cheers and keep up the good work!
Ursus thanks for the compliments! I am glad that I could help. As far as monitors, if I were you I would take a look at the Yamaha HS7's, HS8's or even the HS5's. The Adam Audio T7V's are also an excellent choice. A good midi controller is the Arturia Keylab 61 MKII. That is the controller I use (but in 49). I have a short video on this controller as well. You can find it under the "My Gear Series" playlist. The build quality really is excellent and you could map the 9 sliders on the controller to control the drawbars on your organs with the Kronos. Congratulations on getting the Kronos. You have many years of fun ahead of you.
Amazing playing and great discussion!
Every workstation has its relevance. I always wanted to own a Kronos, but I have been satisfied with my Motif XF having 2 GB of flash memory, 20 plus expansion libraries, and a pattern sequencer that has a 16 x 16 grid. If things were different I would have loved the Kronos.
I got Roland Jupiter X, Novation Summit, Elektron Analog Four and many other synths which can not simply dethrone my Korg Kronos.
Thank you for the video
Informative video, nicely done
Thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it.
Use to be a gear head, but now only have Roland fantom 6, Mpc x, and ableton. As for Mpc key 61 you already have it the Mpc. I just spread the Mpc across the fantom keybed
Very relevant!!! Maybe not the best sounding workstation, but is the most complete allround workstation and because the aftertouch I would choose a 2nd hand Kronos over a new Nautilus.
I have it I got mines in 2015 and I’m always finding something new and I still haven’t wrapped my head around
I got the Kronos 2, still working well after all these years. The only issue I have is with the touch screen. The touch is very imprecise and the calibration don't fix this issue. I believe the humidity of the room may had affected it (but I have an M3 with a smaller touchscreen from the same vendor TouchView, and that works just like new). I still love the Kronos, and even to date, when I bring it to perform somewhere, it still turn heads like if I was driving a Ferrari 😆😁😎 I wouldn't discard any of the new instruments from other vendors... If I had the money I would have them too. But I'm not tempted to switch it, yet...
The Kronos is absolutely still relevant. The functionality of the Kronos compared to other workstations is comparable and in most cases still ahead of its competitors. It's so powerful (i.e., complicated) that people that have used it for years still end up discovering things that they had no idea about. I own a Kronos 2 61 key and am still amazed at what it can do if you put your mind and the time in to it.
What attracted me to kronos was karma , how you can interact with it rhythmically in real time like nothing else.
Thanks for video.
Not only is it relevant, it is still the gold standard. It was 12 to 15 years ahead. The one I paid 2,700 for, 5 years ago, is worth even more now.
Please make a video on
How you use (fantom, montage, kronos ) all three keyboards in your live performance.
And please explain. Which keyboard is best for which situation .
How to use all three keyboards in a live performance 🙏
They need to update the OS to look like it doesn't still belong in the 80s, move onto 64 bit, and come stock with at least 1 TB of storage. If not, make it easy to upgrade, without voiding warranties.
Didnt know it was released almost a decade ago. If I had one, it would be relevant to me.
Probably one of the best informative videos from a real pro. I own a Kronos X and learned more from your video than anyone else. Your presentation is outstanding please keep doing more like this video on the Korg Kronos. Thank you
It was truly my pleasure. Thank you for your kind words!
Any workstation with Sampler is always relevant.