Using Kronos as arranger

[Bugra Ekuklu]

Hi again Bugra

As I mentioned in my earlier response, I have both PA3X and Kronos
For years, 95% of my keyboard playing has required arranger keyboards and I have progressed through many Yamahas, Rolands and now the best - Korg.

Recently a great Forum colleague (Rob Sherratt) ask me a leading question.
Rob's question was this:
He asked me "...if you were in financial difficulties and HAD to sell one of your keyboards, which one would you keep?...."
I answered that quite easily - Kronos. The stange thing is that I previously owned the M3 (only bought my Kronos a few weeks ago) and I would have answered Rob differently a few weeks ago - definitely keeping the PA3X - the M3 was awesome but i find the Kronos much more "performance friendly" - e.g. with its set list feature etc...

If I was in that position and forced to sell one, although I would miss the PA3X, I could still use the Kronos for backing my band as well as have all the outstanding sounds and features of this amazing workstation. I realise that if left with Kronos I would have to put in some time and effort to tweak the KARMA to satisfy the band and our numbers.

I am currently preparing a number of KARMA "backings" to suit some of our songs previously using the PA3X.

Don't get me wrong - PA3X is awesome - vocal harmoniser alone is hard to beat - has great great sounds and fabulous styles.

Anyhow, for what it may be worth, thought I would respond again.

All the best with your decisions

Pete

I digged PA3X, 76-key version seems well but the problem is there is no weighted key version. I mostly play pianos, EP's and I want the feeling of weighting, also I have a A-800 PRO which is in my pleasure to meet my synth needs from Kronos. So the option PA3X is unreasonable for me.

Besides all, the KARMA's prefabbs can be enough for me. I don't need such special things for special songs. The fact is KARMA gets me more excited about improvisioning. Instead of just playing songs solo (which I do rarely), I need KARMA to help me about it.

Buğra

Edit: Unnecessary use of BBCode /quote.

[daybyter]

You could connect an arranger module to your kronos via midi.

[QuiRobinez]

Besides all, the KARMA's prefabbs can be enough for me. I don't need such special things for special songs. The fact is KARMA gets me more excited about improvisioning. Instead of just playing songs solo (which I do rarely), I need KARMA to help me about it.

That's what KARMA is doing the best, it's an inspirational tool that supports giving you new improvisation ideas.

[vipmusicos59]

In fact, just carefully test each combi or program (with karma off, then Karma on), and don't stop testing at the first "scene arrangement" you hear=

1) for Toto's hit, "Africa", it's obvious when immediately play the preprogrammed chords on the pads... (Africana SynthBrass A074).


2) To get the U2 Edge-ish guitar riffs, for instance, just run GrandLegatoStrings B022 combi, turn karma on on scenes 3,4,5, and play just the corresponding basic note of each chord (left hand/one single key/ C, then Bb, then F , and loop/chain those three "notes" on the echo rythmic guitar riff...)

Those are two examples among numerous hits ("hidden" songs= perhaps Korg didn't have the rights to officially use those arrangements= there's usually the same problem on arrangers= on my Yamaha T4 , Prince's Purple Rain or Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight corresponding styles aren't named as the original hit).
BR
Pascal

[AdDeRoo]

You could connect an arranger module to your kronos via midi.

I own a Kronos88 and my old Korg PA2X arranger, as I like to access arranger capabilities as well. While KARMA can give you some capabilities, it's not an arranger.

My advice: Go for a Kronos, and buy a (simple) arranger in addition. Looking at the specs, a Korg MicroArranger might be a good option (550 Euro). I believe the option to upload user-defined styles is a must, and the Korg's can all do this simply by uploading small midi files.

I trigger the PA2x fully from the Kronos, assigning the part I want to use for chord recognition to Midi Channel 16 External (using Midi cable), and setting the PA2x to recognize chord recognition incoming at Midi 16. Works like a charm. Like this you can use already many leadsplit combi's in Kronos, while you just modify the 16th channel slightly. If wanted, you could have all style parts be played using Kronos sounds. This will be more work, and you'd need to tweak volumes and effects settings, but can be done.

[Shakil]

Hi again Bugra

As I mentioned in my earlier response, I have both PA3X and Kronos
For years, 95% of my keyboard playing has required arranger keyboards and I have progressed through many Yamahas, Rolands and now the best - Korg.

Recently a great Forum colleague (Rob Sherratt) ask me a leading question.
Rob's question was this:
He asked me "...if you were in financial difficulties and HAD to sell one of your keyboards, which one would you keep?...."
I answered that quite easily - Kronos. The stange thing is that I previously owned the M3 (only bought my Kronos a few weeks ago) and I would have answered Rob differently a few weeks ago - definitely keeping the PA3X - the M3 was awesome but i find the Kronos much more "performance friendly" - e.g. with its set list feature etc...

If I was in that position and forced to sell one, although I would miss the PA3X, I could still use the Kronos for backing my band as well as have all the outstanding sounds and features of this amazing workstation. I realise that if left with Kronos I would have to put in some time and effort to tweak the KARMA to satisfy the band and our numbers.

I am currently preparing a number of KARMA "backings" to suit some of our songs previously using the PA3X.

Don't get me wrong - PA3X is awesome - vocal harmoniser alone is hard to beat - has great great sounds and fabulous styles.

Anyhow, for what it may be worth, thought I would respond again.

All the best with your decisions

Pete

I digged PA3X, 76-key version seems well but the problem is there is no weighted key version. I mostly play pianos, EP's and I want the feeling of weighting, also I have a A-800 PRO which is in my pleasure to meet my synth needs from Kronos. So the option PA3X is unreasonable for me.

Besides all, the KARMA's prefabbs can be enough for me. I don't need such special things for special songs. The fact is KARMA gets me more excited about improvisioning. Instead of just playing songs solo (which I do rarely), I need KARMA to help me about it.

Buğra

Edit: Unnecessary use of BBCode /quote.

how about Korg PA588..it has weighted keys.

[Bugra Ekuklu]

Hi again Bugra

As I mentioned in my earlier response, I have both PA3X and Kronos
For years, 95% of my keyboard playing has required arranger keyboards and I have progressed through many Yamahas, Rolands and now the best - Korg.

Recently a great Forum colleague (Rob Sherratt) ask me a leading question.
Rob's question was this:
He asked me "...if you were in financial difficulties and HAD to sell one of your keyboards, which one would you keep?...."
I answered that quite easily - Kronos. The stange thing is that I previously owned the M3 (only bought my Kronos a few weeks ago) and I would have answered Rob differently a few weeks ago - definitely keeping the PA3X - the M3 was awesome but i find the Kronos much more "performance friendly" - e.g. with its set list feature etc...

If I was in that position and forced to sell one, although I would miss the PA3X, I could still use the Kronos for backing my band as well as have all the outstanding sounds and features of this amazing workstation. I realise that if left with Kronos I would have to put in some time and effort to tweak the KARMA to satisfy the band and our numbers.

I am currently preparing a number of KARMA "backings" to suit some of our songs previously using the PA3X.

Don't get me wrong - PA3X is awesome - vocal harmoniser alone is hard to beat - has great great sounds and fabulous styles.

Anyhow, for what it may be worth, thought I would respond again.

All the best with your decisions

Pete

I digged PA3X, 76-key version seems well but the problem is there is no weighted key version. I mostly play pianos, EP's and I want the feeling of weighting, also I have a A-800 PRO which is in my pleasure to meet my synth needs from Kronos. So the option PA3X is unreasonable for me.

Besides all, the KARMA's prefabbs can be enough for me. I don't need such special things for special songs. The fact is KARMA gets me more excited about improvisioning. Instead of just playing songs solo (which I do rarely), I need KARMA to help me about it.

Buğra

Edit: Unnecessary use of BBCode /quote.

how about Korg PA588..it has weighted keys.

I don't need arranging function that much. Mainly I'll use my keyboard as a workstation and very simple drum tracks can help me when I'm playing single.

Actually I need something helps improvisioning. Kronos with KARMA is cool for me.

Buğra

[jeremykeys]

If you are looking to use the Kronos the way Rudess does when he does a live solo performance than you need to look at the way he is running his Kronos.

As far as I can tell, he is simply playing along to a backing track. Yes he is changing sounds on the fly but he has a sequence playing as well. I think he is stepping through the sounds that he is actually playing with a footswitch. The next time that I see him, that is one of the questions that I want to ask him. "How do you change your sounds in a solo show?"

[Dreamer]

If you are looking to use the Kronos the way Rudess does when he does a live solo performance than you need to look at the way he is running his Kronos.

As far as I can tell, he is simply playing along to a backing track. Yes he is changing sounds on the fly but he has a sequence playing as well. I think he is stepping through the sounds that he is actually playing with a footswitch. The next time that I see him, that is one of the questions that I want to ask him. "How do you change your sounds in a solo show?"

Yes, he uses a footswitch to step through a pre-programmed set of sounds (he explained that in a clinic on the Kronos he did for Guitar Center; you have to scroll towards the end to hear him explaining that).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n88ABqccErI

[Dreamer]

For quick composing purposes a useful addition to every rig is the Roland BK-7m: small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive.