Korg Kronos?

vEddY · Post by **vEddY** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:48 pm

Rocness wrote:How long do we have to wait for official Konos info release ?

Some four more hours.

TSUNAMI · Post by **TSUNAMI** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:48 pm

Doors open at NAMM 18:00 GMT

Rocness wrote:How long do we have to wait for official Konos info release ?

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:51 pm

maybe we had too high expectation on Kronos...in the last months there were several topic on M3 and M50 forum complaining about the fact that piano sounds were horrible, rom was not enough, sound cut off when changing patch, exb-radias was not so good etc etc...

now korg release a new workstation that (if spec are true) is objectively on a higher plane than notif XF and fantom g with 4GB of piano sample, 12 GB of SSD for rompler, other eight different synth engines, not sound cut off when changing patch...

i agree they have not released a revolutionary product BUT if you look to workstation segment, to me it's seems a real breakthrough with respect to other workstation (except O of course) and i do not feel to blame korg to maximize their previous investment in R&D project...

and if the street price will be comparable to Motif, Fantom, V-synth, Virus TI ones, well i would say that they have decided to bring oasys to "mass market" and to me this is a positive thing.

now i would like just to read official specification (how you can mix the synth engines, how and which IFX are inside ....) and hear how it sounds...

ok, maybe they could do better with something like Total Integration or more than 16 tracks or adding audio tracks and so no... but till we have no official details is hard to say...

and i do not think compare this to a midi controller + PC + VST is fair... workstation is a well defined market segment, PC-based DAW is another...they are very different

Timo · Post by **Timo** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:53 pm

Rocness wrote:How long do we have to wait for official Konos info release ?

Technically NAMM doesn't open for another 4hrs, after which dribs and drabs of info come through from journalists and unofficial sources.

Official announcements/demonstrations for all products are usually at different times on different days to each other. The show runs for four days, so announcements are spread throughout.

As Sharp has only just got on the plane from Ireland to California and that he needs to arrive and settle in etc., I'm guessing the official announcement and demonstration will be tomorrow at the very earliest.

Rocness · Post by **Rocness** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:59 pm

Timo wrote:
Rocness wrote:How long do we have to wait for official Konos info release ?
Technically NAMM doesn't open for another 4hrs, after which dribs and drabs of info come through from journalists and unofficial sources.

Official announcements/demonstrations for all products are usually at different times on different days to each other. The show runs for four days, so announcements are spread throughout.

As Sharp has only just got on the plane from Ireland to California and that he needs to arrive and settle in etc., I'm guessing the official announcement and demonstration will be tomorrow at the very earliest.

Thanks guys . I want info now but more waiting . There's still a lot we don't know . Like did they fix the sequencer we have been complaining about for years and what kind of karma is in there .

iksrazal · Post by **iksrazal** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:04 pm

Akos Janca wrote:
rbox wrote:Im FULLY Dissapointed, nothing new here.
I don't want to debate just ask: guys, can you name a certain popular music genre where the best instruments from Korg couldn't be used perfectly? I find these keyboards are very good for rock, pop, country, dance, electro, techno, etc.

Just about all of the Electro / Techno I listen to (big names are chemical brothers, sasha, crystal method ) is mostly if not completely analogue. The 303 is synonymous with acid. The vast majority of label releases for the last 25 years that uses synth drums were made with analogue Roland TR* .

In other words, possible in Electro / Techno? Sure. Can be pretty good too. But the valley between good and great is pretty large.

I love my Oasys - but for techno, I use it to play and sequence my analogue synths.

Miggz McFly · Post by **Miggz McFly** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:09 pm

kronos is new and sexy, but if it only has 4 karma modules
and 5 ifx slots, then im staying with my m3, no brainer

HOWEVER i am very interested in how they enhanced computer integration

TagPass · Post by **TagPass** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:10 pm

Be prepared to be stunned, then.

Well, now that the details are out, I'm actually kinda nonplussed, not stunned. It looks (and probably sounds) like a very nice board... but besides a new piano and electric piano (ho-hum), the rest is already in my Oasys, and Karma 3, unfortunately, is not that big a draw to me.

On the positive side, I'm hoping that having new iterations of AL-1 and STR-1 and MOD-7 means patch compatibility with the O. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it'd be awesome if new sounds could be imported.

On the really positive side, I'm not compelled to spend money on a new workstation!

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:36 pm

iksrazal wrote:
Akos Janca wrote:... guys, can you name a certain popular music genre where the best instruments from Korg couldn't be used perfectly? I find these keyboards are very good for rock, pop, country, dance, electro, techno, etc.
Just about all of the Electro / Techno I listen to (big names are chemical brothers, sasha, crystal method ) is mostly if not completely analogue. The 303 is synonymous with acid. The vast majority of label releases for the last 25 years that uses synth drums were made with analogue Roland TR* .

In other words, possible in Electro / Techno? Sure. Can be pretty good too. But the valley between good and great is pretty large.

I love my Oasys - but for techno, I use it to play and sequence my analogue synths.

Thank you iksrazal. (One of the rare meaningful comments.)

vEddY · Post by **vEddY** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:37 pm

Akos Janca wrote:I don't want to debate just ask: guys, can you name a certain popular music genre where the best instruments from Korg couldn't be used perfectly?

Me neither but.... I can - jazz. I don't play it much, but the way jazz is supposed to sound isn't something you can get with KORG pianos (either in a synth or EC series or SV series), for example. They're still a bit too harsh and crystal for that. That's ok for cutting through the mix in everything else, but in jazz, all bets are off and that doesn't sound good.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:39 pm

billysynth1 wrote:What is VMT, MDS and Digital Synthesis? I cant recall seeing this in Korg before. The others: CMT, Pys Mod, Wave Seq and Karma i know of.

billy

A few quotes from the Korg.ES website:

MDS technology (multidimensional synthesis) eliminates the transitions between velocity-switched samples and removes the unnatural behavior of sample loops. It also provides the user excellent control over the mechanical and noise that makes up the essential character of these classic and coveted electromechanical instruments. MDS sounds respond gently to the subtleties of interpretation

To accurately capture the rich nature of a concert piano, Korg has put aside the limitations of existing sampling methods and has applied its Virtual Memory Technology (VMT), capable of retrieving large samples directly from the Internal high-capacity hard drive (SSD).

And in the HD-1 section:

The SSD and virtual memory technology (VMT) allows HD-1 to access larger sample sizes (in gigabytes) than might normally be stored using the internal memory.

And for those worried about wavesequencing (well, it was in the OASYS and M3 anyway):

Wave Sequencing (Wave Sequences)

First introduced in the Korg WAVESTATION, and used here as part of HD-1, the wave sequencer played a series of waves over time, creating rhythmic timbres or smooth, complex sounds that evolve continuously. Furthermore, the sequence step outputs allow Wave Sequences to modulate any parameter capable in a program.

Also of note:

Ambient Drums

The HD-1 engine also includes our "Ambient Drums." Take advantage of this great library to create incredibly realistic drum parts. Ambient Drums have two kits. Each one provides three different positions of microphones, capturing every detail (with or without box), plus individual hits. The voice architecture of HD-1 design allows the perfect mix between direct and ambient sound, adding a touch of quality to the track.

Interestingly the OASYS is only mentioned once on the page, and that is in the description of AL-1. I think they should give more credit to the OASYS considering this essentially seems to be a clone of the OASYS with a few more engines in a cheaper box.

A whole universe of sound, the AL-1 is the same advanced analog modelling synthesis engine performed for the first time on the Korg OASYS Open Architecture Synthesis Studio in 2005.

If you want to read the whole thing: Google Translate

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:42 pm

vEddY wrote:
Akos Janca wrote:I don't want to debate just ask: guys, can you name a certain popular music genre where the best instruments from Korg couldn't be used perfectly?
Me neither but.... I can - jazz. I don't play it much, but the way jazz is supposed to sound isn't something you can get with KORG pianos (either in a synth or EC series or SV series), for example. They're still a bit too harsh and crystal for that. That's ok for cutting through the mix in everything else, but in jazz, all bets are off and that doesn't sound good.

amen

another jazz player here.

Korg used to work, doesn't anymore.

Too obsessed with "cutting through the radio mix", too harsh, hasrshness being mistaken for "definition"

Let the techno/trance/bounce/hoover people have their way if that's Korg's target. Fine with me.

But: pianos... hum

electric pianos [let's see the kronos, but sv-1 is lame]... uhm

Brass/winds... eeech (and the kronos doesn't tackle the issue of serious brass modeling. My pet peeve)

Real analogue: totally missing from the catalogue

so...

Hedegaard · Post by **Hedegaard** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:42 pm

Where is this taken from?
Link?

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:43 pm

http://korg.es/workstations/118-catalog ... rprenderte

Akos Janca · Post by **Akos Janca** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:43 pm

vEddY wrote:
Akos Janca wrote:I don't want to debate just ask: guys, can you name a certain popular music genre where the best instruments from Korg couldn't be used perfectly?
Me neither but.... I can - jazz. I don't play it much, but the way jazz is supposed to sound isn't something you can get with KORG pianos (either in a synth or EC series or SV series), for example. They're still a bit too harsh and crystal for that. That's ok for cutting through the mix in everything else, but in jazz, all bets are off and that doesn't sound good.

Yes, if we say traditional jazz (or surely classical music, especially solo pieces) then nothing beats the acoustic piano. I want to hear the physical modeling of KRONOS, how close they could get to the real thing. Personally I think it's impossible today to solve this "problem". (If this is a problem at all. Do I want a real piano? Then I must use a real piano - nothing can substitute that.)