Korg Forums

Kooorgman · Joined: 27 Nov 2013 Posts: 5

I want to use the Kross as a drum machine only sometimes. How do I find a list of patterns and start one of them? I'm hoping that it is as simple as that...not wanting to open a program, adjust the sync setting and then save it.
Also, where do I find the list of available drum patterns? It doesn't seem to be in the user manual.
Thanks in advance.

Bald Eagle · Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:03 am Post subject:

A list of drum track patterns is in the Voice Name List which you can download from the support section on the Korg website.

studio99 · Full Member Joined: 25 Jun 2013 Posts: 103

I don't think though that you can independently change drum patterns on the fly effectively in live performance.
There are 700 drum patterns but the drum track is linked to specific programs or combis.
You could use any of them independently if you were playing another keyboard along but if you had a favorite patch on the Kross that you would like to use with several different drum patterns for different songs, you would have to save a seperate instance for each song with the desired drum track.
At least I haven't been able to figure out a practical way around this limitation.
If anyone knows a trick, I'd be most grateful to hear it

Kooorgman · Joined: 27 Nov 2013 Posts: 5

Thanks for the replies. I would have to concur with studio99's opinion. After searching around it seems that the only way I can use the drums in a live situation (conveniently) is to pre-program each song as a drum track only. I was hoping to be able to view a list of patterns, dial in a tempo and press go.
This is my first disappointment with this keyboard.

PauloF · Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:49 pm Post subject:

studio99 · Full Member Joined: 25 Jun 2013 Posts: 103

I don't believe there is a practical way to do this. The drum patterns can be found in the menu scroll down but with 700 of them, it would be really difficult to move around in a live performance without a lot of menu diving.
The only workaround I know of would be to record your drum patterns as audio files within the Kross.
When using audio files as backing tracks, you can swap around independently.
There is also a $79.00 solution available from our friends at Korg:

http://www.korg.com/KRmini

The KRmini is a very small, battery powered drum machine that will plug into the Kross audio in if desired and function completely independently.
I haven't messed with one but think I'll pick one up as it looks like a handy add on to my Kross and my MicroKorg

Kooorgman · Joined: 27 Nov 2013 Posts: 5

I don't think that drum variations can be activated at will. As a pretty lame work-around I took my set list and for each song I found an appropriate drum beat and then I saved this as a user program and named it something lock "Rock beat 1" or " Country beat 2" . On my set list next to each song I noted the user program (Rock beat 1, for example) and the tempo. Before I play each song I have to bring up the correct beat, type in the tempo and then hit 'play'. Very clunky indeed....and no drum fills possible. The Kross is definitely not made for this application.

billbaker · Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:27 pm Post subject:

If its anything like the krome/kronos the variations are accessed on an edit page where you'd highlight a pattern as part of a sound.

The work-around for pattern variations would be to save them to a user slot(s) such that you could use the increment/decrement buttons (edit: on that page for a given program or combi) to step through each variation.

Saving it to a user slot would eliminate a couple of steps because it would allow you, as those patterns were accessed within a single program or combi, to pre-set things like the kit, tempo, and order of variations.

So the process would go something like this: I want an EP with tracks 039, 200, and 700 to be played sequentially on the hip-hop kit; save them to user slots so that they are adjacent, select hip hop kit as the program/combi kit, select the program/combi, open the page with pattern edit, start playing - use the +/- to step through each pattern as needed.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I would love to see the drum pattern section of the Krome/Kronos/Kross pulled off into a solo drum box/module so that it could be used by those of us with older gear (as mine is getting to be - sigh!) -- no offense intended but the KRmini does nothing that my ooollllddd Alesis SR-16 couldn't do. The feature that would open my wallet would be the 700 patterns of the Krome/Kronos as played by maybe 6 kits [Standard, Jazz, Hard Rock, Hip-Hop, Ethnic, and EDM]. A PC tower can be made and sold for $350 - could a way more limited MIDI player not be made for that or less?

BB
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billbaker

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