Kronos is only a PC

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:04 pm

ChrisDuncan wrote:If Kronos is a PC, then my laptop has some really funny looking keys.

Chris, you still get credit for the idea.

ChrisDuncan · Post by **ChrisDuncan** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:18 pm

And I wonder how I always seem to get a reputation...

karmathanever · Post by **karmathanever** » Thu Aug 16, 2018 6:17 am

If Kronos is a PC, then why do I never get a "blue screen"?

Schmooster · Post by **Schmooster** » Sat Aug 25, 2018 3:16 am

It’s not a ‘PC’ - it’s a bespoke embedded system dedicated to a specific task and only that task, this makes it faster and far more stable because the OS is also bespoke and specific to the task - it’s a bit of a misconception to think of it as a PC but that’s due to the historical naming in the early days when they actually were stock PC components but still used bespoke coding and booted from a flash card for example.
It’s far more than a ‘Just a PC’ - or far less depending on your perspective; the main point is that it’s programmed for a specific purpose unique to the device it controls. You wouldn’t want it for a PC. A PC is whatever you want it to be, and often used for many varied tasks - the embedded version is stripped of everything that is unnecessary thus making it far more efficient and stable.

KK · Post by KK » Sat Aug 25, 2018 3:37 pm

The Kronos is not only a PC.

It is instead the only PC, which stands for Perfect Clavier.

matro · Post by **matro** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 11:49 am

karmathanever wrote:If Kronos is a PC, then why do I never get a "blue screen"?

Linux don't produce "blue screens" like Windows.
The core hardware, moderboard, CPU, SSD, etc is definitely PC compatible, you could boot Windows on those components.
This does not make the Kronos a "PC".

/Mathias

Yuma · Post by **Yuma** » Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:23 pm

If the Kronos is just a PC, then humans are just meatbags to move poop from A to B.

Liviou2004 · Post by **Liviou2004** » Mon Aug 27, 2018 6:18 am

If Korg is only a PC, try to play a Chopin's waltz on a QWERTY keyboard :3dthumbs:

Joe Gerardi · Post by **Joe Gerardi** » Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:35 am

A Kronos is a PC like a refrigerator is a PC;
A Kronos is a PC like a car is a PC;
A Kronos is a PC like a cellphone is a PC;
ad nauseum.

Just because a device has a processor in it does NOT make it a PC, the same way that just because a person has a brain does not mean he has intelligence.

..Joe

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:03 am

I was having this exact discussion with someone the other day. It drives me mad.

Korg went and decided to build a synthesizer workstation. The fact that they chose to use an x86 platform to run it all does not make it the same as a general computing device. There are loads of 'embedded' device solutions that use an x86 cpu and board. Including vending machines and ATMs. Hell, some ATMs even run Windows. The 'computer' part is just a component that makes up a larger product, and ultimately it is a vessel to run the software that Korg spent years or R&D on. This applies to all other digital synths too; they just happen to not use parts you can buy off the shelf in a computer store.

If Kronos were a PC, you'd have to log in when you turn it on, and you would have to load up the software you want to use for that session. You'd probably have to manage a bunch of plugins, update them one by one, and always have to remember which plugin it was that has 'that' particular EP sound you are looking for today (for example). And then at the end of your project you would go to hit 'save' and it would crash back to the desktop

And then you'd be able to go give up and play Minecraft on it.

xCDx · Post by **xCDx** » Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:56 am

If Kronos is just a pc THEN a car is just a piece of junk.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:24 pm

X-Trade wrote:I was having this exact discussion with someone the other day. It drives me mad.

Korg went and decided to build a synthesizer workstation. The fact that they chose to use an x86 platform to run it all does not make it the same as a general computing device. There are loads of 'embedded' device solutions that use an x86 cpu and board. Including vending machines and ATMs. Hell, some ATMs even run Windows. The 'computer' part is just a component that makes up a larger product, and ultimately it is a vessel to run the software that Korg spent years or R&D on. This applies to all other digital synths too; they just happen to not use parts you can buy off the shelf in a computer store.

If Kronos were a PC, you'd have to log in when you turn it on, and you would have to load up the software you want to use for that session. You'd probably have to manage a bunch of plugins, update them one by one, and always have to remember which plugin it was that has 'that' particular EP sound you are looking for today (for example). And then at the end of your project you would go to hit 'save' and it would crash back to the desktop
And then you'd be able to go give up and play Minecraft on it.

I agree 100%. For years, I have been pushing back on this (only a PC) misconception. I think the misconception can confuse new K owners.

I have mostly said the K is specialized (embedded?) software device running Linux. Somehow this does not always get thru to those who are strictly hardware component oriented.

Anyway, this topic is a funny wind up. The faulty analogy per the title
has been an old beer can thoroughly kicked down the street.

Liviou2004 · Post by **Liviou2004** » Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:37 pm

We could add that if Kronos was only a PC, all digital synth PCs too !

As a matter of fact, all digital synths are based on a software. Whether it is saved in an Integrated Circuit or into a SSD, it doesn't matter. In both cases it's a software.

tdwctdwc · Post by **tdwctdwc** » Mon Sep 03, 2018 1:38 pm

Speaking of X-Trade's mention of plugins, i will share something.

Years after i bought the Kronos, i dove deep into the plugins world (still do). There's not a single piano library i didn't buy, acoustic guitar vsti, amp sims, electric guitar libraries, strings libraries (those are pricey) and so on.

While those plugins sound great and maybe some of them are better in emulating real instruments than the Kronos, but while using them i felt like touching my right ear with my left hand if you know what i mean. Turning on the computer, launching my DAW, Launching a plugin, loading kontakt, loading a library into kontakt ....all this was blocking the instant magical connection we all look for when inspiration hits and you need something real quick to translate it to.

Furthermore, every single person i let him/her hear the same instrumentation of a track made on both Kronos and by using plugins, preferred the Kronos version better.

It took me a long time to find out that with Kronos, not only we have a great sounding living breathing instrument, but we also have the best secret weapon "plugin" that everyone will ask you about and say: "Hey what plugin did you use on this track? it sounds amazing!".

With that said, i think it's time for Korg to release the successor. It's been long overdue and enough milking the cow for 8 years. It's about time.

2019 maybe? I hope!