Rhodes library for Kronos

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:42 pm

At the end of gigs with the Rhodes, while the drummer was busy anyway, my other bandmates always got that absent view avoiding any look at the packed EP besides me.

I'm glad I can carry my Kronos 73 anywhere, anytime.

Ernie Applelips · Post by **Ernie Applelips** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:06 pm

jimknopf wrote:At the end of gigs with the Rhodes, while the drummer was busy anyway, my other bandmates always got that absent view avoiding any look at the packed EP besides me.

I'm glad I can carry my Kronos 73 anywhere, anytime.

That sounds familiar. I had that problem with my Wurli, and then made myself twice as unpopular by trading it in for a Rhodes

BSV73 · Post by **BSV73** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:06 am

Orangefunk - you are 100% right, I'm in the same boat just can't get the sound out of EP-1 that I want.

Kronos really needs a neo-soul rhodes like library.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:11 am

While I personally really like EP1 (in the lower register it sounds so similar to my Mark1 88 that even while directly A/Bing it's hard to tell the difference), some people on here have had great success using the sample based PurgatoryCreek Mk1 and Mk5 from our forum member BurningBusch. They're freely available on his website,
http://thekronosblog.blogspot.com

jimknopf · Post by **jimknopf** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 2:06 pm

The old discussion:

First of all, EP1 covers lots(!) of realistic Rhodes ground.

Second, there IS a hole in the available Rhodes sounds in EP1. It is hard to get the very common more agressive Rhodes tones from it due to three weaknesses, which could be removed by an EP-1 update

- a) sample base for modelling: in the EP-sample base there are two cealrly recognizeable orginal kinds of sound: an (early) suitcase sound and a (later) MkII sound. What is missing, is a typical MKI sound in between these two. And the later MK V sound is definitely better from Buschs free sample library than within EP-1 IMO.

- b) parameters: while the avaliable parameters are simply great for tweaking - and allow to come much closer to any Rhodes sound than some seem to think - there are no parameters which mimic the adjustment of the tines' distance and horizontal position in front of the pickups. But these two parameters are essential for the agressiveness of a Rhodes sound.

- c) amplification modelling: the Kronos is completely missing a well working Fender Twin/ Fender Blues/ Fender Reverb kind of amp model with well working tube overdrive modelling as required for EP sounds. At the moment the only, very limited workaround possibility is using some bass amp models which do not really deliver what would be required.

Looking at the fantastic CX3-Update which pushed the B3 emulation into the absolute top league of B3 modelling sounds, it would simply be great to see a similar refinement for EP-1. Even with these limitations, which only concern a limited palette of Rhodes sounds, EP-1 still is simply the best hardware synth Rhodes emulation out there IMO. From my view there's hardly anything even coming close in quaility and flexibility.

BSV73 · Post by **BSV73** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:27 am

Jim, in that case i'm hoping for an EP-1 update from Namm!
I hear what you are saying about the good points for the kronos rhodes, my problem is for jazz/funk, it just doesn't have THAT sound.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:21 pm

It's all a matter of taste. The Herbie Butterfly one is in my opinion excellently done and certainly fits numerous famous jazz/funk tunes.
Still, it's easy enough to sample your favorite Rhodes.