Think Kronos has some time left?

[Purpleibby]

Never heard of the Thomann sales rankings. Is this a ranking of ALL keyboards, or just a selection? (I'm not doubting the number, just want to understand the context.)

It's a sales ranking per category, in case of workstations it looks like this.

Wow. I would have thought Yamaha would have ranked higher than that. Interesting.

No doubt Korg owns the hi end workstation market right now and the midrange too. Kronos is dominating the 2,800-3 grand workstation market. Others have competition in the sub flagship range but korg is on top there too it looks like.

Kronos is a really good deal IMO. Korg have an awesome price/value ratio with the Kronos. Good price for the best out there IMO. They have a home run product. Want one so bad!

My 2 things I wish it had:
piano roll
wavestation EXi


Long live the Kronos! Another thing I love about the Kronos which I'm probably in the minority on this, maybe not....but I LOVE that they went back to their classic stylings(black synth)

[jeremykeys]

I used to use the Kronos sequencer a lot but that was for recording rock songs. I would use various drum tracks and configure them so that I would end up with a total Drum track that I liked and could work with. Most of my keyboard tracks were organ based with palm smears and other organ style playing bits.
This meant that having a piano roll in the sequencer was unimportant and it still sits that way with me. Piano roll doesn't count in my opinion of my Kronos. It's all about the sounds for me and nothing else touches it. Guitar sounds don't matter because I play guitar.
I don't plan on replacing my Kronos for at least another five years, unless of course I win a big lottery and Korg comes out with something that is totally reverse compatible with my baby and just blows it so far out of the water that it just doesn't matter.

[Bachus]

I think it all comes done to time and money. If you can wait until the winter NAMM show, maybe Korg will have a new flagship.

Why would they invest heavilly in a new flagship? i still dont see much competition for the current Kronos.....

There is a reason that Yamaha stepped away from workstation for now, and that reason is Kronos...

And if they would come up with a new flagship, how much and where should it be improved over the Kronos to make sure the majorrity of Kronos players would want to upgrade to it? And should a new Flagship be backward compatible with the Kronos, so all your performances can easilly be converted for your live gigs?

Thats a lot of questions before making a decision...


Personally i think most people are like me and cant wayt to see what Korg will come up with, but i am also realising that if the new Flagship is only a minor upgrade, i will be dissapointed and stick to the Kronos.

[Broadwave]

If Korg came up with a new, better, faster Kronos beater tomorrow, I doubt if I would be tempted to buy it.

I'd much rather keep my Kronos - I've still got so much to discover as I've barely scratched the surface of the STR-1 and MOD-7.

So many people ditch perfectly good synths/keyboards in favour of the latest and greatest, and not give themselves the chance to get the best out of what equipment they currently have.

[kronoSphere]

I agree with you Broadwave. One of the greatest composers of our time, Jimmy Webb, said that sometimes, just one synth sound have done him a great idea for a great song. There is still so much to discover with our Kronos. It is somehow sad and disapointing that many people, when they enter a music instruments store, just wanna hear already made press-button-easy-tunes from so great adventurous and wonder synths though.

[GregC]

. . It is somehow sad and disapointing that many people, when they enter a music instruments store, just wanna hear already made press-button-easy-tunes from so great adventurous and wonder synths though.

bah. I don't concern myself with what 'many people' will think, especially given they likely change their mind every day or upon whatever shiny new object they see.

[GregC]

So many people ditch perfectly good synths/keyboards in favour of the latest and greatest, and not give themselves the chance to get the best out of what equipment they currently have.

Thats true. There is a mind set in our country, that mostly everything is disposable, a quickly replaceable commodity. And there is the instant attraction of the latest shiny new thing.

The Kronos is still new to me every day. However, I look forward to expand with an incredible new model. I would likely keep both. Us Kronos owners don't necessarily follow the crowd.

[chini]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

[GregC]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

maybe both will not happen

Anyway, I am willing to make a small wager . I say a new gen workstation is more likely , a Super Kronos ( more robust) vs a , what, a Kronos type rack ?

[chini]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

maybe both will not happen

Anyway, I am willing to make a small wager . I say a new gen workstation is more likely , a Super Kronos ( more robust) vs a , what, a Kronos type rack ?

'allo Greg!

Who knows! Whatever comes out the current model has more than enough features for anybody including me!… There are a few niggles here and there most of which are things I have been discussing with Korg directly this year; but to be honest it's what you do with the fantastic facilities the Kronos does have that counts rather than moan about what it might lack.

I would just like to have a rack version simply to give me double polyphony.

A new flagship is bound to appear at some point but people forget that these type of workstations take a hell of a lot of time to program and set up for some players so even if the new model offers mind-blowing new features, for me it would have to have a way of importing my 4 years worth of labour intensive programming patch work! I just couldn't possibly start from scratch!

[GregC]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

maybe both will not happen

Anyway, I am willing to make a small wager . I say a new gen workstation is more likely , a Super Kronos ( more robust) vs a , what, a Kronos type rack ?

'allo Greg!

Who knows! Whatever comes out the current model has more than enough features for anybody including me!… There are a few niggles here and there most of which are things I have been discussing with Korg directly this year; but to be honest it's what you do with the fantastic facilities the Kronos does have that counts rather than moan about what it might lack.

I would just like to have a rack version simply to give me double polyphony.

A new flagship is bound to appear at some point but people forget that these type of workstations take a hell of a lot of time to program and set up for some players so even if the new model offers mind-blowing new features, for me it would have to have a way of importing my 4 years worth of labour intensive programming patch work! I just couldn't possibly start from scratch!

Hello Chini. I agree with you on the programming time. It is a labor of love, etc. If we had to start again , it would be complex. Meanwhile, we have it mostly perfect

[GregC]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

maybe both will not happen

Anyway, I am willing to make a small wager . I say a new gen workstation is more likely , a Super Kronos ( more robust) vs a , what, a Kronos type rack ?

'allo Greg!

Who knows! Whatever comes out the current model has more than enough features for anybody including me!… There are a few niggles here and there most of which are things I have been discussing with Korg directly this year; but to be honest it's what you do with the fantastic facilities the Kronos does have that counts rather than moan about what it might lack.

I would just like to have a rack version simply to give me double polyphony.

A new flagship is bound to appear at some point but people forget that these type of workstations take a hell of a lot of time to program and set up for some players so even if the new model offers mind-blowing new features, for me it would have to have a way of importing my 4 years worth of labour intensive programming patch work! I just couldn't possibly start from scratch!

Hello again, Chini. In terms of new Korg products for us, I think they are going to market to the " i " crowd, all the folks who have apps on their iPad, etc.

It is much cheaper to product develop that way vs the old fashion hardware approach, such as assembling rack modules. So my guess, is a Kronos lite app.

Hard to say how that future wild idea could be timed with all the new Kronos'
for sale at retail.

I have no inside Korg knowledge. An app like this is just an idea on the Internet.

[fcoulter]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

A rack version, coupled with a software upgrade that allows the rack version to be considered part of the keyboard, would be useful for those who love pushing those polyphony limits. Imagine connecting the rack mount to the keyboard Kronos. The idea would be for the rack mount to transparently work with the keyboard, allocating voices back and forth as needed, moving the sounds across the connection so that you'd use the same outputs on the keyboard, etc.

Of course, you should also be able to run the rack in stand alone mode. The question would then be whether they want to replicate the entire Kronos user interface on the front of the rack, or have it mostly programmable via computer.

Interesting philosophical questions that Korg has to face, assuming they're making a rack mount Kronos.

[GregC]

I know I've exclaimed this before but I still believe Korg will release a rack version before they release a new flagship keyboard.

A rack version, coupled with a software upgrade that allows the rack version to be considered part of the keyboard, would be useful for those who love pushing those polyphony limits. Imagine connecting the rack mount to the keyboard Kronos. The idea would be for the rack mount to transparently work with the keyboard, allocating voices back and forth as needed, moving the sounds across the connection so that you'd use the same outputs on the keyboard, etc.

Of course, you should also be able to run the rack in stand alone mode. The question would then be whether they want to replicate the entire Kronos user interface on the front of the rack, or have it mostly programmable via computer.

Interesting philosophical questions that Korg has to face, assuming they're making a rack mount Kronos.

it is assumption.

4 yrs ago, at January NAMM, Rich Formadini was asked about a Kronos rack and said there were no plans. I am not certain what has changed where there would be plans in the past 4 yrs.

[Schmooster]

It makes no difference - I still hardly ever see a used Oasys for sale since the Kronos came out. The Kronos is a keeper no matter where they go next in my opinion. It's unlike any other flagship - except the Oasys, so unless you have an Oasys then get a Kronos, it's a beast of a board.