New baby, KRONOS 88

[1jordyzzz]

after 5+ months of waiting and 1 month of rigorous testing from the QC at BMI indonesia (official korg distributor on indonesia), finally i have it, the kronos 88 SN 3344

first impression.. as it came out from it's box for testing at the shop, it does looks like a beast!! the build quality is superb (though i found the keys on the keybed wobble around sometimes but it's fine).. it looks pretty tough!!
after it boots up, immediately it displays setlist, and select number one, the kronos german grand... played for few minutes i was quite impressed.. then it returns to the box to be brought home.. also brought a double x stand with second tier ( the brand is superior, which resembles on their superior stands!! i own 2 of them), and then went to another music store to buy a roland DP-10 half damper pedal.. then at home, i unbox it and set it with the psr s910 on the second tier..

this will be a quick review for those who had a doubt of buying the kronos.. just like me before!

for a note, kronos is my first pro keyboards and my first synths ever (and the first to have an analog modelling engine)

ok first the sounds
The pianos...well i'm not gonna lie to you.. i've laid my hands to some of the most considered digital pianos (most of the yamaha clavinovas and the roland RD-700 series (the rd700, rd700sx, and the rd700gx) and also 2 grand pianos (the yamaha GBP series and the essex grand) and countless upright pianos... the kronos sounds.... SUPERB!!!
it's a truly full bodied german and japanese grand with full resonance.. i love them both!! it's truly feel like playing a real grand!! it responds naturally and it sounds... well you have to hear it yourself.. it's uncompareable to those in the rd series or the clavinovas!!!! and the most important thing, you have lots of varieties!!! my personal favorite is the germand dark 3 and the japanese dark 1 s (my god it's truly wonderful!)... never think about buying another digital grand which has little price difference than this beast.. if you are a piano purist, BUY KRONOS!

the EP's.... it's REAL AS HELL!
it's uncomparable to those so called "supernatural" EP's on the RD series...

the synth engine is great sounding... the AL-1 leads ROCKS!!!

str-1... the clavs are great, but the acoustic bass??? no way i'm gonna use them.. i'll use HD1...

the drums and sfx.. AWESOME!!! especially those who has ambience..

all the sounds is VERY PRISTINE AND CLEAR!!

for overall sound, i dislike guitars, and also the brass and woodwinds... i direct compare it to my psr, and the psr sounds better on those area... the strings are okay..

but for piano purists, the piano, EP's are AWESOME!!!
there's so much possibility on the kronos... i have only explored the sgx 1 engine (well maybe just half part of the engine that i have explored... the rest of the engine, i just didn't have a chance to explore it.. kronos is WONDERFULLY COMPLEX instrument... i cannot use it fully yet ....

THE KEYBED..
this is maybe one of the most important aspect to be considered before buying the kronos...
the keybed on my kronos still has the pink (suspected faulty) rubber contact, but i have no rh3 bug right now... when i receive my kronos, the system version is 1.52... i don't know what it means.. does it mean that i has received the new rubber contact?? but why is the color pink??
the action...ok, for piano player and purist, the rh3 keybed has GREAT action and feel.. i can do a triplet repetitive notes with ease.. although it's not the same as the renner action on the yamaha grand, but it's close to it at least!! i can play fantasie impromptu with ease... the other digital pianos ive tried (the clavinova and the rd-700 gx) is not even close with RH3... it lacks that fast key return which required to play fast repetitive notes... RH3 ROCKS!!! and for those who still scared of rh3 bug, i recommend 1 thing to do... PRAY A LOT!!! i do pray a lot for it it seems God has answered my prayer

for those who have complained about the fan, i didn't have a problem with it, and i don't know why much people complain about it... it's not noisy...

the last, i want to thank you to darmin deflern... he has convinced me to buy this kronos... thanks man! and also to God.... and the bigget to my parents.... i hope i can repay this to my parents soon!!!

for those who still has doubts of buying kronos or has a simple question, feel free to PM me or email me to jordi_takarbessy@yahoo.com .....

now i got a baby who still needs to be explored

the last but not least, picture!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80069869@N ... hotostream

isn't it beautiful???

[MarPabl]

Glad to know you don't have any issue with your Kronos 88 If you have 1.5.2 the most likely reason is that the RH3 fix has been applied, maybe the color is not important on that serial number or this one has the "old" full keybed replacement fix on it. I'm posting your image directly here:

[SanderXpander]

I need a Kronos like yours, if it lets you play fantasie impromptu with ease.

[1jordyzzz]

I need a Kronos like yours, if it lets you play fantasie impromptu with ease.

what do you mean?? your kronos didn't been able to do it with ease??

@marpabl
thanks for the repost!

[Darmin De'flern]

after 5+ months of waiting and 1 month of rigorous testing from the QC at BMI indonesia (official korg distributor on indonesia), finally i have it, the kronos 88 SN 3344

first impression.. as it came out from it's box for testing at the shop, it does looks like a beast!! the build quality is superb (though i found the keys on the keybed wobble around sometimes but it's fine).. it looks pretty tough!!
after it boots up, immediately it displays setlist, and select number one, the kronos german grand... played for few minutes i was quite impressed.. then it returns to the box to be brought home.. also brought a double x stand with second tier ( the brand is superior, which resembles on their superior stands!! i own 2 of them), and then went to another music store to buy a roland DP-10 half damper pedal.. then at home, i unbox it and set it with the psr s910 on the second tier..

this will be a quick review for those who had a doubt of buying the kronos.. just like me before!

for a note, kronos is my first pro keyboards and my first synths ever (and the first to have an analog modelling engine)

ok first the sounds
The pianos...well i'm not gonna lie to you.. i've laid my hands to some of the most considered digital pianos (most of the yamaha clavinovas and the roland RD-700 series (the rd700, rd700sx, and the rd700gx) and also 2 grand pianos (the yamaha GBP series and the essex grand) and countless upright pianos... the kronos sounds.... SUPERB!!!
it's a truly full bodied german and japanese grand with full resonance.. i love them both!! it's truly feel like playing a real grand!! it responds naturally and it sounds... well you have to hear it yourself.. it's uncompareable to those in the rd series or the clavinovas!!!! and the most important thing, you have lots of varieties!!! my personal favorite is the germand dark 3 and the japanese dark 1 s (my god it's truly wonderful!)... never think about buying another digital grand which has little price difference than this beast.. if you are a piano purist, BUY KRONOS!

the EP's.... it's REAL AS HELL!
it's uncomparable to those so called "supernatural" EP's on the RD series...

the synth engine is great sounding... the AL-1 leads ROCKS!!!

str-1... the clavs are great, but the acoustic bass??? no way i'm gonna use them.. i'll use HD1...

the drums and sfx.. AWESOME!!! especially those who has ambience..

all the sounds is VERY PRISTINE AND CLEAR!!

for overall sound, i dislike guitars, and also the brass and woodwinds... i direct compare it to my psr, and the psr sounds better on those area... the strings are okay..

but for piano purists, the piano, EP's are AWESOME!!!
there's so much possibility on the kronos... i have only explored the sgx 1 engine (well maybe just half part of the engine that i have explored... the rest of the engine, i just didn't have a chance to explore it.. kronos is WONDERFULLY COMPLEX instrument... i cannot use it fully yet ....

THE KEYBED..
this is maybe one of the most important aspect to be considered before buying the kronos...
the keybed on my kronos still has the pink (suspected faulty) rubber contact, but i have no rh3 bug right now... when i receive my kronos, the system version is 1.52... i don't know what it means.. does it mean that i has received the new rubber contact?? but why is the color pink??
the action...ok, for piano player and purist, the rh3 keybed has GREAT action and feel.. i can do a triplet repetitive notes with ease.. although it's not the same as the renner action on the yamaha grand, but it's close to it at least!! i can play fantasie impromptu with ease... the other digital pianos ive tried (the clavinova and the rd-700 gx) is not even close with RH3... it lacks that fast key return which required to play fast repetitive notes... RH3 ROCKS!!! and for those who still scared of rh3 bug, i recommend 1 thing to do... PRAY A LOT!!! i do pray a lot for it it seems God has answered my prayer

for those who have complained about the fan, i didn't have a problem with it, and i don't know why much people complain about it... it's not noisy...

the last, i want to thank you to darmin deflern... he has convinced me to buy this kronos... thanks man! and also to God.... and the bigget to my parents.... i hope i can repay this to my parents soon!!!

for those who still has doubts of buying kronos or has a simple question, feel free to PM me or email me to jordi_takarbessy@yahoo.com .....

now i got a baby who still needs to be explored

the last but not least, picture!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80069869@N ... hotostream

isn't it beautiful???

Yeh I love the action on the RH3 to superb i have exactly the same sticker but my OS is 1.60 also my SN number seems to be around the same. As for the keybed cant see if they pink or not. CK Music Malaysia coming up to install the extra ram for me soon I wanted to get that sorted out sooner rather than later (and whilest the keyboard was under warranty just in case).

Like you my very first synth as my progression was Techincs KN5000 > Roland VA7 > Roland G70. I love the piano sounds I have said it before but the fully weighted keyboard plus the amazing piano sounds really make this a superb purchase.

I was a little suprised at the lack of ooomph on the strings myself. Even the combis seem to be missing something though I tend to do my own octave ochestra on the other keyboards and havent tried this on this keyboard yet.

Anyway glad you like it I put up my offical artist page on facebook now to lol. https://www.facebook.com/Darmin.De.flern.Music not much on there at the moment as I'm still building it and need about 30 likes to get full access to the page.

[Melodialworks Music]

. . . and then went to another music store to buy a roland DP-10 half damper pedal.. then at home . .

The half damper function of the Roland pedal won't work with the Kronos, sadly. Standard ON / OFF works, though.

[1jordyzzz]

. . . and then went to another music store to buy a roland DP-10 half damper pedal.. then at home . .

The half damper function of the Roland pedal won't work with the Kronos, sadly. Standard ON / OFF works, though.

that explains why the damping didn't reduced when i press half the pedal... worst 38 bucks i've ever spend i think...

but it works fine, i put the switch to continuous state....

[tflynnuk]

Hi there,

After fiddling around with an M3-88 recently where I just wasn't happy with the keybed, I was reluctant to refund it and exchange it for a Kronos-88 given what I'd been reading about the issues with the RH3 keys.

How wrong I was... and how right to take a gamble! My Kronos-88 arrived yesterday, and I absolutely love it!

The keybed feels very "tight" and reactive, there is a good amount of resistance between the keys, especially in the lower register. The build quality to me seems great, and of course it sounds absolutely amazing. I've owned Fantoms and Motifs in my lifetime, and neither of them compare to how fluid and life-like the Kronos feels!

Am looking forward to much more time ahead getting to know this instrument and finding my way around it. It will be a learning curve, but I know that with all the video manuals available and the forums here, it'll be a pleasurable experience!

My serial number is very similar to those listed in this thread, and I'm in the UK.

Cheers
T.

[Darmin De'flern]

Hi there,

After fiddling around with an M3-88 recently where I just wasn't happy with the keybed, I was reluctant to refund it and exchange it for a Kronos-88 given what I'd been reading about the issues with the RH3 keys.

How wrong I was... and how right to take a gamble! My Kronos-88 arrived yesterday, and I absolutely love it!

The keybed feels very "tight" and reactive, there is a good amount of resistance between the keys, especially in the lower register. The build quality to me seems great, and of course it sounds absolutely amazing. I've owned Fantoms and Motifs in my lifetime, and neither of them compare to how fluid and life-like the Kronos feels!

Am looking forward to much more time ahead getting to know this instrument and finding my way around it. It will be a learning curve, but I know that with all the video manuals available and the forums here, it'll be a pleasurable experience!

My serial number is very similar to those listed in this thread, and I'm in the UK.

Cheers
T.

Glad you like its seems that the newer Kronos owners seem to be very postive about build and keyboard. Funny thing is I was humming and hawing at the fantom and motif (latest) but decided to be adventurous and go with Korg. It is very complex for me at least but even the standard programs have some superb sounding instrements and I know it only gets better from there.

The other reason I like the RH3 is that I havent had a proper piano since I was about 14 and this keyboard is giving me back that piano feeling and I love it!

[Melodialworks Music]

. . . and then went to another music store to buy a roland DP-10 half damper pedal.. then at home . .

The half damper function of the Roland pedal won't work with the Kronos, sadly. Standard ON / OFF works, though.

that explains why the damping didn't reduced when i press half the pedal... worst 38 bucks i've ever spend i think...

but it works fine, i put the switch to continuous state....

Interesting. In that case, I imagine if I had calibrated the Roland pedal, it would have worked.

[1jordyzzz]

The half damper function of the Roland pedal won't work with the Kronos, sadly. Standard ON / OFF works, though.

that explains why the damping didn't reduced when i press half the pedal... worst 38 bucks i've ever spend i think...

but it works fine, i put the switch to continuous state....

Interesting. In that case, I imagine if I had calibrated the Roland pedal, it would have worked.

well actually, the half pedalling works, but it only works within the 0 to approx 1/10 pedal range (i don't know how to explain it)... if we press the pedal full, then goes to 9/10 range of the pedal, the sound still fully sustain... i think the potentiometer inside the roland pedal has more resistance (or less) than korg kronos specs...

oh yeah the reason i bought the DP-10 in the first place, it's cheaper than the korg pedal (dsh1 i think??), and the korg pedal isn't available on my province...
if only i could replace the potentiometer on the roland pedal according to korg specs???

[1jordyzzz]

The keybed feels very "tight" and reactive, there is a good amount of resistance between the keys, especially in the lower register. The build quality to me seems great, and of course it sounds absolutely amazing. I've owned Fantoms and Motifs in my lifetime, and neither of them compare to how fluid and life-like the Kronos feels!

exactly how i feel!!

It will be a learning curve.....

actually i didnt realize that the learning curve is going to be this steep when i received my kronos... i even get frustrated by buying an expensive keyboard that i can't use properly... but looking at the 1000+ page manual, time to start learning again... (sigh)

to darmin
i also have the same thought like you... i've been roaming around motif (fantom is waaaay too outdated).. but looking at the piano... well this (kronos) is my board to go for years of my music playing...

what i can't understand, is why people keep saying that the kronos should be cheaper than it is??? that it only has an atom processor (2 atoms)???

yet at the same price, you can have fantom or motif... actually, what kind of processor and system did those 2 boards use?? ARM based i think for 3000$??? yet they didn't complain about it...

[Melodialworks Music]

well actually, the half pedalling works, but it only works within the 0 to approx 1/10 pedal range (i don't know how to explain it)... if we press the pedal full, then goes to 9/10 range of the pedal, the sound still fully sustain... i think the potentiometer inside the roland pedal has more resistance (or less) than korg kronos specs...

oh yeah the reason i bought the DP-10 in the first place, it's cheaper than the korg pedal (dsh1 i think??), and the korg pedal isn't available on my province...
if only i could replace the potentiometer on the roland pedal according to korg specs???

Have you tried calibrating the pedal? Instructions are for the DS‐1H, but might work for the Roland pedal.

From Quick Start menu p. 12:

"When using a half‐damper pedal:

1. Set the polarity.

2. After setting the polarity, calibrate the pedal using the Half Damper Calibration menu command on the Global P0: Basic page."

I'm working from memory, and can't test this out at this time. I had a loaner Kronos in the studio for two days last week. Won't receive my Kronos 'till late July. (I previously had two units, both of which had to be returned due to keybed issues. Now, I'm holding out for a s/n high enough to hopefully get a good unit!)

Lawrence

[MarPabl]

I also have the DP-10, but I haven't used with Kronos, only with M3 and worked fine on continuos mode.

Anyway, if calibrating doesn't help you, then feed the Pedal to the AMS Mixer called Offset. Here you must set the Amount to 20 in order to reduce the sensitivity of the pedal (considering it just work on a 5% amount) and an Offset of zero.

If that doesn't work, then try applying a negative offset to displace the values you're getting from the pedal. Read the online help for details about this type of AMS Mixer.

BTW, I've confirmed the Yamaha FC3 won't work with Kronos.

[1jordyzzz]

I also have the DP-10, but I haven't used with Kronos, only with M3 and worked fine on continuos mode.

Anyway, if calibrating doesn't help you, then feed the Pedal to the AMS Mixer called Offset. Here you must set the Amount to 20 in order to reduce the sensitivity of the pedal (considering it just work on a 5% amount) and an Offset of zero.

If that doesn't work, then try applying a negative offset to displace the values you're getting from the pedal. Read the online help for details about this type of AMS Mixer.

BTW, I've confirmed the Yamaha FC3 won't work with Kronos.

hey great idea! but my kronos is going away today for measurements (for flight case)... could you try the dp-10 pedal with kronos to assure that it works??? a favor for me