She's dead, Jim.

[Tomdini]

Monday before last (so coming up on two weeks ago now) I was in the middle of the piano breakdown going into the 5/4 synth solo of "Trilogy" when my Kronos X 61 stopped making sound. I quickly looked down to see if I'd bumped the power strip..... nope, my other five keyboards all had power and were humming along impeccably. But the Kronos was off. The color probably drained from my face as I reached back to feel the power switch..... and as my intuition expected, it hadn't tripped off, it was still on.

No real troubleshooting possible. I tried a couple different power cables and outlets, then immediately hauled her to A.R.S in Canoga Park for warranty repair. I only just bought this Kronos on Black Friday '14, November 28, at a ridiculous close-out price at GC, so it isn't even six months old and has blown a fuse. Disappointing, but then again, my newish laptop's mobo just fried a capacitor for no real reason either so computers do these things, and the Kronos is closer to a desktop computer than any other keyboard instrument I know of.

SPOILER ALERT!!! They are replacing the switching power supply and associated board, for those interested. The usual suspects. I was told I would definitely have it back today (which is great because I have a marathon 12-hour rehearsal I don't really wanna attend without the Kronos) but I'm going to give 'em a ring to find out if that's a reality. Quite impatient. 2 weeks to replace the power supply is irritating for a working musician who gigs near nightly. Glad the warranty process was smooth and quick, though. Always register those warranties!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Tom

[JohnDonovan]

I've had exactly the same thing years ago with an SG ProX stage Piano: the internal psu blew on a jazz gig so that was the end of my gig that night!

I've seen reviewers in magazines like Sound On Sound criticise some keyboards for having external 'wall-warts', and implying that it's somehow more amateur than having an internal psu, but in situations like this it would then be a really quick job to swap for a spare psu

[Tomdini]

I totally agree. I used to be a bit of a snob myself when it came to internal power supplies. I wish I could just grab another external power supply for the Kronos and have been back at full capacity by now, no warranty RMA's, virtually no down-time. But wall warts are a pain in the butt sometimes with regards to their profile and conflicting with multiple power supplies and other wall warts, and aesthetically kinda look lame, too.

I rather like the compromise Roland's external PSU's have taken in the current generation. Basically like a laptop power supply, a small block with a a center-positive cable going into the board and a normal two-prong electrical plug for the outlet. Doesn't block outlets on any standard power strip and looks neater, as well, than actual wall warts.

It's pretty prog to blow out your prized workstation in the middle of an ELP tune. Wakeman's organ tech would chill underneath the instrument during shows, ready to pounce on any failures. This is the first time I've gigged a keyboard to death!!!!! A badge of honor, in my book.

-Tom

[KMP]

The same exact thing happened to me...right down to the blowout price, rebate from Korg, 6 months in and BOOM goes the power supply. What do I conclude? When the price drops and the rebate is available, QC issues can be expected!

[jackh]

Sorry to hear about the power supply. I'd love to hear your version of Trilogy.
I've played Eruption into the 3rd section of Trilogy at NAMM shows.
Here's a Sound cloud link:
https://soundcloud.com/jack-hotop/tarku ... d-movement
Tarkus (Eruption) & Trilogy (Third Movement)
Keyboards: Jack Hotop (Triton)
Drum pads & drum track: Dave Penna
Vocals (samples): John Teto

[Joe Gerardi]

...and has blown a fuse.

They are replacing the switching power supply and associated board

Interesting. Did they put another fuse in and see if it blew as well? That would be indicative of the power supply, Otherwise it might just have been a slight spike in the power, and the fuse worked as advertised- it blew before the 'board got cooked.

I wonder if the PSU was actually bad or not.

..Joe

[Tomdini]

Sorry to hear about the power supply. I'd love to hear your version of Trilogy.
I've played Eruption into the 3rd section of Trilogy at NAMM shows.
Here's a Sound cloud link:
https://soundcloud.com/jack-hotop/tarku ... d-movement
Tarkus (Eruption) & Trilogy (Third Movement)
Keyboards: Jack Hotop (Triton)
Drum pads & drum track: Dave Penna
Vocals (samples): John Teto

That is positively lovely playing. Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!! I enjoyed the hell out of that. When I get some spare time, I'd like to explore more of your recordings.

I adore the Triton Extreme I played for years at church, circa '08 - '13, that was a kickass board and was the one that first made me a fan of Korg. Was always a Yammie boy for years (still am, but I've grown to like all the synths, really), and never considered getting a Korg workstation for my own until I touched and programmed that keyboard. The Kronos is one of my favorite all-time instruments.

In its absence, I've used the SuperNATURAL Synth engine in my FA-06 to create that perfect fat, expressive, plucky, slightly glidey lead tone for the third movement (btw, I love that you refer to it like that because I've always considered the title to be directly indicative of the piece's three-act structure, both thematically on a literary narrative level, and musically, like a Sonatina in B for power trio in three contiguous movements). The Roland is a standout unit in its price range, and competes with the Kronos favorably in just about every category, sound-wise, to my ears (which are excellent, as are my programming and engineering skills, so I can really push these units and maximize their potential, and give a thorough evaluation).

We're planning on doing Tarkus and Karn Evil 9 in their entirety, as soon as we've mastered Awaken and Dark Side (the whole thing). We already have a solid three-hour setlist spanning YES to Dream Theater and our chops and repertoire grow weekly. There's a lot on my plate, but it's also a lot of fun. I will have studio recordings to post soon - we just acquired a new room and it sounds AMAZING, with a little treatment it's going to be the ultimate rehearsal and recording spot.

-Tom

[jackh]

Thanks for your very kind words.
Here's another Soundcloud link of Karn Evil #9 that I did with an M3:
https://soundcloud.com/jack-hotop/karn- ... %3Apublish
I've hand-converted all my Triton & M3 ELP programs into the Kronos with improved quality, and results, and I've been using a Kronos & Triton Studio for recent gigs.
BTW - KRS07, & the KRS06 & 06Bonus Organs have several of ELP programs that were created and edited by: William Busch, Machele Pacuilli and me.
Eruption Split (+Upper & Lower), Barbarian Split (+Upper & Lower), Knife Edge Split (+Upper & Lower), Karn Evil #9 Organ, Lucky Man Lead, Trilogy Lead (SW1 1&2 are very cool), Aquatarkus Lead, Karn Evil #9 Lead, and Karn Evil #9 S+H (G4).
I'm proud and very pleased with the general quality, and hope they work well for your gigs.

[Tomdini]

...and has blown a fuse.

They are replacing the switching power supply and associated board

Interesting. Did they put another fuse in and see if it blew as well? That would be indicative of the power supply, Otherwise it might just have been a slight spike in the power, and the fuse worked as advertised- it blew before the 'board got cooked.

I wonder if the PSU was actually bad or not.

..Joe

Wow. I can't believe you posted this!!!!

They replaced the PSU and associated board to no avail. It didn't work. Tells me the PSU wasn't bad, after all. They are now putting in a new mobo. I don't know if that means a new Kronos mobo or a back stock of Kronos X mobos kept on hand for exactly these occasions. If you can simply swap in the Kronos 2 boards, mount the memory, SSD and everything else the same and it all comes to life no problemo, I can't imagine Korg would still have any of the previous generation's mobos on hand.

I'll have been 3 and a half weeks without my Kronos, a highly critical component of my livelihood, by the time it's up and running again. I can't imagine a mobo swap won't rectify the issue. Sigh. I'm glad I took the time building detailed, acceptable backup patches.

Initially, the shop told me I didn't need to call Korg first for an RMA or other authorization to bring them the keyboard, and that I could simply bring it to them direct with my receipt and they'd take care of everything from their end. But he did mention that sometimes manufacturers will simply ship you a replacement keyboard with a return shipping label for the busted one, and so I might benefit in that way from calling them first. I figured nobody is going to send me a new $3000 Kronos to replace my Kronos X without a deposit of some sort and my account is bone dry at the moment. So I didn't do it but I now wish I had called Korg because, 2.5 weeks in with another 7 days, 2 gigs and a rehearsal ahead of me without my instrument, I'm thinking I might have experienced less downtime.

This is my first stint as a regular gigging musician, lacking live performance experience (other than as a pianist playing recitals for about twelve years and leading worship at church with keys and uke, which I guess both still count for something) as I've mostly worked in the studio. I realize stuff breaks as you haul it around, although I do strive to be as gentle and efficient as possible when moving and transporting my keys.

I have never broken or had to repair anything on a keyboard other than a worn, clacking key or a simple knob or fader cap replacement.... maybe four or five such repairs in thirteen years of playing synths. Perhaps I've been spoiled. Or maybe that's just how it is; an analog synth from YES' Close to the Edge tour is going to look like garbage today compared to a Moog the same age that's been sitting in a treated room somewhere in Capitol Records for session musicians to program and play.

It's nervewracking having to learn a very complex setlist on the fly all over again, night to night, what with all the muscle memory I've developed for reaching across to my Kronos, tapping my footswitch to access the next patch, and playing a lead on it while I keep my eyes on a different board the whole time, playing a more complex counterpoint or rhythm part on that hand. Three of my boards are MIDI controllers so only the Roland FA-06 (my third synth is a Moog Litty Phatty) can stand in for the Kronos' EPs, organs, orchestral palette and pretty much inimitable synthesis engines.

Moving from six boards down to five has been quite difficult. Most of our set requires I am playing the bulk of these instruments throughout each and every song. Part of the show is the spectacle of my constantly moving from one keyboard to another.

Also, I sampled many NI synths, including some of their B3's, custom patches from Monark and Absynth, and lots of Eastwest's Hollywood and Stormdrum series so my Kronos is loaded with awesomeness that took a hell of a lot of time to create and customize. :\

I hope my presets survive the mobo swap. I didn't back 'em up. A classic lesson learnt the hard way (knock on wood, it's all good...).

I dearly want my Kronos back.

-Tom

[Joe Gerardi]

I'm a computer engineer for IBM- I keep servers running, and have been doing it since 1986. It really always comes down to the simplest thing- the old Occam's Razor thing - being the problem. To diagnose it, start with the simplest, most likely thing, which in this case would be an old-fashioned automotive fuse in the PS. Once that's checked, you work your way back up the line, bigger, and bigger, until you get to the mobo.

That's about a 15 minute diagnosis, and an easy way to get to the root of the problem quickly.

This diagnostic method comes from playing Hammonds, Arps, Moogs, and EPs in the '70s through old Shure Vocalmaster amps, and having crap breaking regularly. You get good diagnosing when you're onstage at a gig and stuff ain't working, with the audience not-so-patiently waiting.



..Joe

[ronnfigg]

Good point Joe. In this day and age, with troubleshooting being done by swapping out sub-assemblies, things get done a bit slower. Most places that do the troubleshooting don't have the boards they need to swap out so you have to wait for them to get them and try that option and then find out whether or not that was the problem. and of course nobody wants to keep a supply of several assembly sitting on a shelf not making any money. but being as you can't troubleshooting at the component level anymore this is all there is. And not only NOT troubleshoot at the component level but NOT replace at the components level either. When I learned electronics in the Air Force we called that monkey maintenance. Give a monkey a supply of replacement boards and sooner or later he will find the problem. We also learned component level but I hardly ever had to use it, especially on the newer technologies. hopefully the OP will get his Kronos back soon, properly fixed. I took my original Kronos 61 in for service and since it was taking so long Korg shipped a new Kronos to me in replacement. I was told by the shop that that was a California law that if they could not repair it in arreasonable time frame Korg was required to send me a new unit. Also since it was a new board, my warranty was reset for the new Kronos.

[Tomdini]

I was very, very, very close to asking Korg for a new keyboard. 4 weeks without an instrument that puts food on my table and a rent check in my landlord's mailbox is ridiculous. I dunno. I just decided not to rock the boat and let the shop do their thing.

A new Kronos with a new warranty would be fine consolation for the irritation of having my keys rig crippled for a month by faulty parts and a drawn-out repair process lacking finesse or any real troubleshooting.

Monkey maintenance, indeed. Pretty much all the guts have been replaced, they just swapped out board after board until eventually the Kronos turned back on.

I was told this morning that my instrument works and they are waiting for Korg to approve the warranty repair. In a day or two I'm supposed to have my keyboard back (it's been "a day or two" for weeks).

-Tom

[Tomdini]

Taking 5 at rehearsal, thought I'd post a quick follow-up.

I wound up going another weekend without the Kronos whilst Korg approved all the warranty paperwork..... or whatever. She was ready on Monday of this week, and I picked her up Wednesday and have been working with her ever since.

Everything seems fine. No idea if the newer generation motherboard is in there; the tech didn't know which one was shipped to the shop.

I'm so happy to have her back. Nothing else I own does what this board can do. Irreplaceable, as far as I'm concerned.

They delivered her to me in an extremely clean and polished state, totally spotless, not one smudge anywhere, not even on those damnable shiny end caps; it was good to see her well taken care of even if 28 days seems an unreasonable wait time for warranty fulfillment, especially considering I am a working musician who every day gains another slice of bread in the toaster for every few scales he plays...

But in the end, all's well that ends well. We're gigging tonight and it'll be my Kronos' first show since she went up in smoke!!!! I've backed up all my sounds now (great feature) so if she does die on me again, I'm going to adamantly request a new board with zero downtime. I don't anticipate that will happen but then again, I didn't think a 5-month-old keyboard would catastrophically melt down like mine did. In all my experience, I've never had a keyboard die on me, even older and vintage gear. I've been pretty lucky. So perhaps I was thermodynamically due.

I can see that she didn't go back together quite as tightly as Korg originally delivered her from the factory, but it's nothing you could notice unless you have my OCD eye for detail.

-Tom

[benny ray]

Good for you and may your Kronos stay healthy.