So who's tried the Karo libaries?

NuSkoolTone · Post by **NuSkoolTone** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 3:02 pm

Ok, so now that there's an option to uninstall, I downloaded and tried all the Karo Libraries in addition to the Korg.

I won't make a full review here, but just some general observations. I'm curious if anyone else feels similar.

1st the string libraries (Which I think most of us had the most interest in) are pretty great. I think there's a little more noises, artifacts, thumps and the like for the price, but overall I think there's worthwhile stuff here. I also notice a LOT of overlap and duplication between the string libraries. In my opinion, it's only worth deciding on one and going with that. I don't feel there's much value add getting the 2nd or third library just to get the handful of (At least noticeably) different sounds.

I like the Acoustic Piano a lot. Has a unique character and is fun to play. Nice bite to it too. Price is reasonable.

Now we fall into the rest. I found a couple of the libraries to be pretty cool and unique like the granular library.

However some of this stuff I feel is really, REALLY expensive for what it IS. Assuming there's no looping involved as they are streaming libraries, that takes out a lot of work. The 2nd part is there's most likely no micing involved. Just plug it in through a professional recording chain and hit record! Aside from some basic editing, I don't see what's so hard about this other than sourcing some of the material/instruments. $150? Are you KIDDING me? Plus some of this stuff just sound like old re-worked libraries to me no better than what I already own. It's prompted me to go dig into my Akai collection. Can we PLEASE get that user streaming Korg so I don't eat up all my RAM?

blinkofanI · Post by **blinkofanI** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:59 pm

Hi,
I bought the KSL and KCS. KSL is great. I would have liked to compare it to the Korg LS EXs but i just got tired of waiting. The KCS is not a must since, as you say, there's some resemblance between the two. But after trying it, i judge the additional samples would make a complete kit with KSL and Korg EXs 3. I now have an Orchestral Music Workstation and it's very inspiring!!

Since i have a 2Gb Kronos i had to let go of both Ambience drums and the Japanese Grand. Never liked the J. Grand much and i prefer to use multi-out Drums VSTs. Much easier to my workflow than use the Kronos for this.

The down side of this is that i only have 2 banks left for my own sounds. But there's quite a lot of programs in both kind of banks that i'll never use so it's no big deal.

Blink

ferchis · Post by **ferchis** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:25 am

hi, blinkofanI and the rest, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation about the different additional/optional libraries and got curious about the amount of banks and "empty"/usable space in the kronos. I'm really sorry to deviate from the main topic, but you're both already owners, and maybe could give me a hand with this...

I'm thinking about getting one, and was wondering about the standard MB or GB space WE users have left for new sounds and sampled media. how much is it? I mean, in terms of computing space, is there enough for creating new programs/combis and sampling new external media to use within, say, a combi?

thanks a lot in advance!

RonF · Post by **RonF** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 1:01 am

I purchased the Scores and Textures, Granular, WaveStation, and Movie libraries, and I think they are pretty slick. Its not just the content being very useful...cause I eat up such sound source material in my own programming. These four libraries bring a lot of interesting source material to the table.....but the programming is pretty good too. I am liking some of the controller assignments, and especially some of the combi selections. There is also some very creative drum patterns they have created with pitching kits around and adding effects. The wave sequences are great~! Some patches lack any controller assignments, which is disappointing....but all in all...these four libraries add a lot of sonic candy to the K, and its all streaming, and programmed for you. Pretty nice for my purposes. I think it opened up the K's potential as a synth, for me, quite a bit. Now if only the editor included multi sample patch editing....but I digress!

mathieumaes · Post by **mathieumaes** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:06 am

So far I've tried the first string libraries (EXs50 and 51). I like a lot of the sounds of the EXs 51, it appears to have some good brass sounds as well.

I think the prices are on par, if I compare it with a piano-expansion I got for my Yamaha S90.

It cost me 300 eur and it had less programs and sounds.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:48 am

Ferchis, there are at least 8x128 completely empty program slots to fill with your own edited or created sounds. These might fill if you buy expansions, but since you can easily back up and replace any single sound or complete collection of banks to the internal HD it's more a question of what you need at the same time than one of enough space in general. The entire collection of programs and combis of the Kronos backs up to about 43 mb. With cheap usb sticks available everywhere, the amount of sounds you could store is virtually limitless.

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:22 am

With PCG Tools you can easily remove unwanted programs, see the manual for the needed workflow.

billysynth1 · Post by **billysynth1** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:10 am

I just purchased EXs50 Symphonic Library...so what's so shiiiit hot about this library? I dont hear anything exciting about it and i dont have experience with vsti's to compare it to, i can just hear that this library is gutless, its not giving me power, there is nothing exciting about it to get me to improvise as i can normally do with the stock orchestral combi's on the K.

Why are there jazz combi's included in this set? The brass is just loud noise without any meaning, there seems to be noise eminating from sounds.

I never spend anymore money on Kronos again!!

Regards
Billy

RonF · Post by **RonF** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:16 pm

billysynth1 wrote:I just purchased EXs50 Symphonic Library...so what's so shiiiit hot about this library? I dont hear anything exciting about it and i dont have experience with vsti's to compare it to, i can just hear that this library is gutless, its not giving me power, there is nothing exciting about it to get me to improvise as i can normally do with the stock orchestral combi's on the K.

Why are there jazz combi's included in this set? The brass is just loud noise without any meaning, there seems to be noise eminating from sounds.

I never spend anymore money on Kronos again!!

Regards
Billy

Then why did u buy it? Especially when you can demo it for as long as you need to establish if the library is to your liking?

ferchis · Post by **ferchis** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:47 pm

thanks SanderXpander for the reply. by mentioning the usb sticks, do you mean to say that I could actually LOAD the samples and sounds FROM within it and use them in real time?

my guess is not, I think what I should do then is preload them ONTO the available/free space and then use the sounds/combis. is that right?

thanks!

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:06 pm

ferchis wrote:thanks SanderXpander for the reply. by mentioning the usb sticks, do you mean to say that I could actually LOAD the samples and sounds FROM within it and use them in real time?

my guess is not, I think what I should do then is preload them ONTO the available/free space and then use the sounds/combis. is that right?

thanks!

Sander is talking about PCG files (i.e. programs, combis, globals etc), not (user) samples.

PCG files are typically 42 MB for a complete OS1.5 or OS1.6 Kronos and a lot of them fit on one USB stick.

Samples is another story. Also a lot will fit on a USB stick but those are mostly far bigger than 42 MB.

Morten'J · Post by **Morten'J** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:58 pm

I going for Movie Collection,Granular Atmosphere,The MOOG Taurus Exs
also KVA,KTC and KMP is on my buying list.

cello · Post by **cello** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:00 pm

Karo Movie Collection and Karo Symphonic Libraries were amazing for the OASYS - highly recommended.

NuSkoolTone · Post by **NuSkoolTone** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:48 am

cello wrote:Karo Movie Collection and Karo Symphonic Libraries were amazing for the OASYS - highly recommended.

Do you still have them? Do they load in the Kronos and are they the same? This would not surprise me.

motic · Post by **motic** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:25 am

NuSkoolTone wrote: Do you still have them? Do they load in the Kronos and are they the same? This would not surprise me.

Doubt that 'cause you need a specific autorization code

Bought yesterday the Granular Athmo's (EXs54) and the Virtual Analog (KRS54) and had started with the KRS04 Pro Splits and Layers while ago to try it out... IMHO, there is best a lot of potential in those.