Korg Forums

[Randelph]

Helped a friend by a Kross, a complete newbie to keyboards, and all I could say is wow, you picked an awesome time to buy a low end workstation.

He's a once upon a time piano player (is not so good now), but mostly he wants to record his own backing tracks for his poetry/slammin', and record his voice and record his djembe.

I had the M3, and while I enjoyed it in many ways, it was way too much technology for me to get down to the business of recording. With the Kross, in a matter of an hour or two, I was able to easily
~ Step sequence
~ Record backing tracks to the SD card
~ And freakin' overdub anything- mic, line input, stepsequence, sequence, live playing. And so straightforward.

It doesn't do nearly as much as my M3 did, but the things it does, esp. in regards to recording, are much more user friendly. In fact, given the choice, esp. with the price difference, I'd take the Kross over the M3.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the 61 note keybed not that bad (although not anyway near as good as the M3 of course); I remember the M-50 61 having a horrible keybed, so not that bad is a relief.

For singer songwriters this board is wonderful, esp. if not wanting to deal with excessive amounts of technology to accomplish your ends.

How does the Juno G compare? I know it has recording features as well (up to 8 tracks?). Is it friendly to use as well?

Does Korg still do the 1 year extension of the warranty when you send in the registration card?
_________________
Keyboards: Kawai ES920 / Casio CT-X5000
Instruments: Keys / Alto Recorder and Melodica

[ca27]

Oh yes. Having just entered the technology on keyboards, audio, studio and stuff , the Kross was really an incredible machine to start with. I did not know much about those stuff needed to record decently yet I actually was able to produce my music with the Kross real quick and easily.

[erpaille]

[tommymandel]

Well I just tried this out for you. Made a quick sequence, and went into the Audio Recorder and recorded something. There IS an option to trigger the Start of the Audio Recorder by the Sequencer Start. So there's a start for you. What I didn't figure out yet, might go to the pdf to find out, is whether the Audio Recorder can mix the output of the Sequencer (Kross Voices) with a microphone input/line input. I tried singing into an old mic which I'd plugged into the mic input on the back, but none of that came through, possibly for completely different reasons. BRB.

[tommymandel]

Hi again. Well it DID mix them together.

1.Recorded a Sequence
2.Connected another synth to Line Inputs of Kross.
3.Turned on Audio Input Button, next to MasterFX button.
4.Set Audio Recorder to Trigger (start) from Sequencer Start.
5.Hit Record which is the 4th Button under the Screen.
6.Sequencer started, at the same time that the Audio Recorder started.
7.I played along with the Sequence.
8.Pressed Stop (not Sequencer - Audio Recorder Stop.)
9.Rewound. Hit Play. Heard both Sequenced track and what I'd played along.
10.Turned off unit, erasing the Sequence from the Kross' memory.
11.Dialed up the Audio Recorder Song described in steps 1-9.
12.It was all there.

The Audio Track is capable of multiple overdubs, but as has been previously pointed out here, you get to go back to Track 1, or Track 1+2, or Track 1+2+3, but never Track 1+3 (without Track 2.) It's kind of like sound on sound with unlimited undo's. I think.

[erpaille]

Hey thanks a lot, great infos !

(if it is not too much to ask) i would love to know if the other way round
works, first recording audio and then the sequence in sync ?

I am planning to record electric bass through a DI box going into the mic input.
Since i most of the time compose by first laying a bass riff, it would be perfect if that was possible !

Actually perfection would be to be able to go back and forth !!!

[tommymandel]

would you be recording bass to a click track?

[erpaille]

Yes !

[tommymandel]

OK, I just tried that. It recorded the external audio I was playing (like your first Bass track would be, to the click in the KROSS Sequencer, but when I played back the Audio Song (the Sequencer had no MIDI on it: it also recorded the KROSS's click track on the Audio Track. Maybe someone smarter could explain why this is.

[tommymandel]

(Until someone higher up corrects me) I'm gonna say that your idea isn't really likely to work out - the Audio Recorder has no Click Track - it's like a tape recorder. SO you COULD record a Sequence First, and THEN play TO it on the Audio Track, or tracks (with sound/on/sound 'overdubbing')...but if you just want to record your Bass first as audio, I don't know where you would get the click from...
TRUE, you COULD set it (as I did) to start the Audio Recorder TRIGGERED by the SEQUENCER Start.. .. .. yes that worked, but remember, all tracks will be mixed together. You can go back with (i think) unlimited Undo's, to eliminate the most recently recorded Audio Track. but that's not a whole lot of control.

What you're looking for sounds more like what Ensoniq's ASR samplers did: it gave you 2 Audio Tracks that would play along with its built in Sequencer, and you could record on, 'in sync.'

This WILL work in the KROSS, as long as you play TO a Sequence you've recorded in the KROSS to a click. HEY HERE's an IDEA: sequence an external sound source. then play your bass to that. then record the external sequence into the Kross as your last Audio Track. somehow I don't think that's what you want either though...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this (and I sure could be!) but I don't think Korg is giving us this type of capability for $700US. Maybe they will in a system update. Technology has come a long way since it cost thousands of Euros to do that..

[erpaille]

Thanks again for the help,

I understood only now that the audio recorder can also record the
internal sounds of the kross.
so with what you explained to me i will be able to sequence some drums
then my bass and overdub in the audio recorder with other internal sounds.

As for the controls i will end up anyway finalising my songs on my pc
with ableton live and my audio interface for a better sound.

But it 's nice to be able to have the first ideas/takes without having
to deal with the computer.

i was still hesitating about the quality of the pianos from youtube demos
so i went testing the Kross in a shop and i found the one i needed (dark
piano)

Cheers.