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Hallo Korg Fans, especially Korg Kronos Fans...

Today I have been looking at a presentation of the Windows-PC based synthesizer workstation called “Nexus 3”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB4e_wYqYfg

I thought it is - from the technical capabilities viewpoint - quite similar to a Korg Kronos, but finally there are so many more libraries available, for a very wide range of music styles, as a look at the website is showing us:

https://refx.com/nexus/

But if we look at the Korg website, it looks like they got stuck in the 1990s.

http://shop.korg.com/Kronos

They did not change anything since 10 years. Korg - but also third party developers - do not produce any similar musical content. My question is: why?

Technically it would be absolutely possible. The sound engines and the synth capabilities, as well as the Karma capabilities are absolutely on the same level.

Its much closer to the pa4x than the kronos in terms of fx routing but has some fx options that the kronos doesn't have. Most of the nexus presets can be made on the kronos but would be much easier to do on the Nautilus because of the sidechaining option

Nexus sounds good for writing jingles for cell phone commercials and for music played at empty dance clubs/bars. But it's the hardware keyboard vs software VST market, distinct and separate, that makes this an apples to oranges comparison.

bpoodoo wrote:Nexus sounds good for writing jingles for cell phone commercials and for music played at empty dance clubs/bars. But it's the hardware keyboard vs software VST market, distinct and separate, that makes this an apples to oranges comparison.

agreed. Little similarity with a Kronos.

Lots of audio vocal loops triggered by a key press. Nothing new there.

lots of reverb and delay . for a demo, I want to hear sound quality not heavy FX
over sampled sounds.

Is it a keyboard heavily reliant on EDM ? EDM won't last forever. IMO, there is already saturation, in 2 or 3 years EDM could fade. Other sub genres like house etc, have been around for 20 years.

I think long term on a expensive keyboard. It has to be highly versatile for my money.

Nexus ability to edit existing sound is very basic, and it’s ability to make new sounds is pretty much non-existent. It’s strengths, it has a vast library of presets and in generally they are all pretty darn good. With 20,000 presets to choose from, do you need to make your own?

The KRONOS on the other hand, the KRONOS is a real synth. Much of the content in Nexus is made on synths like the KRONOS and then sampled for Nexus presets.

Just my 2 cents.
Sharp.

But you all missed the central questions:

Korg (and third party developers) did not change anything since 10 years.

Look at the websites

https://shop.korg.com/kronos

https://www.kidnepro.com/

http://www.soundsofplanet.com/

https://www.karma-lab.com/sounds/kronos.html

It looks like they got stuck in time. Around the year 1990-2000?

Korg and also third party developers do not produce any similar musical content like e.g. reFX for Nexus. My question was and is: why?

And here is another why: Why you guys focus on EDM and miss the central point?

I was showing the link to the vast variety of different styles of sound libraries made for Nexus 3. They cover ALL modern and cool styles of music. Hundreds of expansions:

https://refx.com/nexus/

Where are these libraries for Kronos?

I did not say that Nexus 3 and Korg Kronos are absolutely the same from the detailed technical view on the synthesis engines!!

I know that Kronos has 5 sound engines.

But Kronos HAS the sample playback engine HD-1, the KARMA arpeggiator engine and a powerful FX processor. That means it HAS the same capabilities of Nexus (and much more, but this was not my point).

In the reFX Nexus 3, samples can be modified in different ways. You have 3 ADSR, for amp, for filter on for additonal param. You have 3 LFOs, for amp, pitch, for filter. You have keytracking for filter or amp. These are basic synthesizer functions, similar to what Korg Kronos has in the HD-1 engine.

And IF - like you said - much content of Nexus was made on a synth like Kronos, why we dont see these kind of libraries on the Kronos?

From Sounds of Planet, from Kid Nepro, from KARO or Karma-Lab?

Why these companies are not putting efforts in producing libraries with modern new unheard and cool sounds, loops, combinations with different Karma scenes, means: variations of drum loops, accompaniment bass and chord loops and so on... to make the Kronos a perfect music producer workstation, like it is intended to be?

Its called a "Music Workstation", it is a music production workstation, similar to Nexus 3?

I can tell you why:

Because Korg Kronos is used by old people, who play always the same outdated Piano and Organ sounds, again and again. Even for synth sounds, these retired people prefer always the old and well known pad and lead sounds, boring and always the same, again and again.

Thats the key group, that Korg focuses on for the Kronos.

It's like in the old song: "Play it again Sam, again and again."

The young crowd has now moved forward into the soft-synth area, that's why the innovations are now there. Sad, but true.

But I have a Korg Kronos, I am 46 years old, and I go with the flow, that means I want to make modern and cool music!

I want to stress the company Korg and also the third party developers to produce modern style musical content for the Korg Kronos!

I am a musician, not a programmer. Thats why I don't want and I am not able to program everything from scratch by myself. Especially not complex combinations and Karma accompany patterns.

I mostly want to play and on top I want to tweak and modify or combine some programs with the given functions of a synth engine.

Aripearlmusic wrote:Its much closer to the pa4x than the kronos in terms of fx routing but has some fx options that the kronos doesn't have. Most of the nexus presets can be made on the kronos but would be much easier to do on the Nautilus because of the sidechaining option

Unless I’ve missed something, the effects routing on the Kronos is identical to that of the Nautilus?

A synthesiser is just that: a device for synthesising (making) new sounds. The Kronos is a synthesiser. It has been designed from its inception to aiding the user to create new sounds.

As far as I’m concerned, the presets that come with a synthesiser are there to give you an idea of what’s possible - a bit like a serving suggestion or recipe that comes with a food processor. It’s not the responsibility for the manufacturer of the food processor to constantly send you new recipes.

There’s nothing to stop anyone making - and selling - new sounds for the Kronos. There’s nothing to stop you making new sounds for the Kronos. If you think there’s a niche in the market, get after it!

GrandMasterKorg wrote:B


I know that Kronos has 5 sound engines.

Because Korg Kronos is used by old people, who play always the same outdated Piano and Organ sounds, again and again.

Even for synth sounds, these retired people prefer always the old and well known pad and lead sounds, boring and always the same, again and again.

.

a bunch of what you posted is argue-worthy.

Some of your statements are practically sticky worthy

See you around the Kronos forum , LOL

Nexus is a very cool, fairly unique software synth. It can sound GREAT in the right tracks. It was built for creating dance music. The Kronos was not. I have tried recreating sounds on the Kronos similar to what you find in Nexus, but it's not particularly easy nor are the results as good.

For example, the Kronos does not have a supersaw function which is critical to that sound. Nexus has a trance gate that's easily accessible and editable. The Kronos does not. I looked at that Complextro 1 patch (demoed above). It has 13 layers and each layer has its own arpeggiator. Now how they created that complex dubstep bass line in Nexus is a bit odd. Normally, you would create the complex modulations in a DAW. Could you do this with KARMA? Possibly, but it would require a lot of work. The Kronos does not have a simple arp function.

On the other hand, the traditional instruments in Nexus, in general, can't compare with the Kronos. The pianos, EPs, organs are VERY basic. The Kronos is completely editable whereas Nexus is very limited.

The Kronos, while a workstation, is as much used for playing live as it is for building tracks. The Nexus sounds are HEAVILY infused with tempo-synced FXs, making them perfect to slip into your DAW tracks. The Kronos is designed to be used by live players and the sounds are along those lines.

I would say, if you like the Nexus, pick it up now that it's on the Xmas sale.

Busch.

Kronos has not only 5 sound engines, it has, if you count them precisely, 9 sound engines. I like the Kronos very much. I don't want to get rid of it.

I want to use it in my home studio, to perform, modern, cool and fresh electronic music.

Here, thats me, performing on Kronos and Virus:

https://youtu.be/DTLT-OlWCyA

Have a look.

burningbusch wrote:Nexus is a very cool, fairly unique software synth. I would say, if you like the Nexus, pick it up now that it's on the Xmas sale.
Busch.

You again missed central questions and keypoints. This makes not wonder, because you didn't check the information in the links that I have provided.

And by the way: reFX Nexus 3 was just an example. I don’t want to buy Nexus, because I already spend a lot of money for the Korg Kronos!

---

My question was again, where is the new, modern and cool musical content for the Korg Kronos, that I demand for?

When you recommend me, to program my own programs and combinations, then you absolutely missed my intention and my key points!

Because I am not a programmer, I am a musician, that wants to use musical content for producing music (live performance), because Kronos is more than a synthesizer, is is a music (production) workstation.

---

There are a lot of examples to proof, that Kronos is made for the music producer. There is a lot of orchestral content from Kurt Ader (KApro and KARO) for movie music producers.

https://shop.korg.com/kronos#KAPROP

Korg has even made a set of 16 programs for EDM drums:

http://shop.korg.com/Kronos/EXS-14

https://youtu.be/znRE7o1bFXU

Just imagine: 16 (!!) programs for 39 Euro. Is this a joke? It is far too less. Just an alibi.

Maybe this set of at least 128 programs called „Nu Electro“ could be interesting for me. But it is just one set, where other companies like reFX have hundrets, and it is not containing full combinations, with drum loop variations and accompaniment styles:

http://shop.korg.com/Kronos/KRS-03

Or look at this library. Sound Iron, „Sounds of Rage“. It's really cool and it’s clearly not made for live playing on stage. It's made for heavy metal music production:

http://shop.korg.com/Kronos/EXS-198

But it again contains only programs, not full playable combination, with accompaniment styles and variations.

SeedyLee wrote:A synthesiser is just that: a device for synthesising (making) new sounds. The Kronos is a synthesiser. It has been designed from its inception to aiding the user to create new sounds.

It all proves you wrong, that Korg Kronos is just a ordinary synthesizer. That is clearly wrong. It is a music (production) workstation. That’s printed on his backside.

Here, another example, that is interesting for me: The Karma-Labs „Catalyst Vol. 1 and 2“ shows the music production and live accompaniment and arranger functions, that a Korg Kronos is capable of, but the release date is 6 years ago, and it is a colorful mix of different styles, it quite limited, so there is only one guy behind, there is no vast variety of different music styles.

https://youtu.be/KDsGINvrDSg

So it is absolutely proof, that you all are wrong.

The simple truth behind, is just, that the focus of Korg on Kronos users, is, that most of them are 50 years and older, they are just playing classic Piano, E-Piano or Organ in a Band context of a style of the 1970s or 1980s, or they are movie music producers.

Korg has to work hard, to open new customer fields and fullfill the demands of younger people, or they will lose market shares to Arturia or Native Instruments or they will be overtaken by Behringer!

burningbusch wrote: I have tried recreating sounds on the Kronos similar to what you find in Nexus, but it's not particularly easy nor are the results as good. For example, the Kronos does not have a supersaw function which is critical to that sound. Nexus has a trance gate that's easily accessible and editable. Busch.

Thank you, for your detailed reply. I guess you are the guy behind purgatory creek, a third party sound designer for Korg Kronos and other workstations and synthesizers. Unfortunately you have nothing I am looking for. No electronic music combinations, with loops and variations for accompaniment and production.

Kronos don’t have supersaw but you can have an unisono function, where you can let the Kronos play different voices on one key and detune the single voices to each other. It gives you the same fat sound. On the other hand you can sample the supersaw and you get the same result.

About the sidechhain (or trance gate) I found something for you. Here is some info about side chaining on the Korg Kronos. Finally it is possible to use the Kronos internal compressor FX to provide side chain / trance gate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZfox4VwAk

It’s a pity that Kronos third party developers are not using the functions I mentioned in this post, to cover the modern music styles and provide no content in this field of music.

Ah there it goes - my troll/bot/agitator alarm is going off. Time to abandon this thread!

If your alarm is going off, it’s just fine. Because I am no „Troll“ or „Agitator“.

I believe if you have no arguments left in a discussion, then this is the last possible argument: you are a troll. I don’t want to discuss. I leave the discussion. That’s clear and easy for you.

But I am just an ordinary Korg Kronos user. I spend a lot of money for my Korg Kronos X 88. I am of the younger age, I am 20 years away from the retirement and I am demanding for young, fresh, modern and cool sounds and musical styles for my Korg Kronos.

My writing style is a little bit polemic and provocative, but this doesn’t mean I am a troll, only because some (older) people are not used to it.

In my postings I am referring to different links and examples to proof my statements, because I really think that I am right.

I purchased the following Korg Kronos libraries (this screenshot from my Korg account will be deleted after one month):

<a href="https://ibb.co/4NRfLV5"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/XJx4PCv/5961-BE39-244- ... D652-D.jpg" alt="5961-BE39-244-E-482-A-A997-762-D717-D652-D" border="0"></a>

Some of them are useful and I like them

1. Sounds of Planet - „Protein No. One“ and „Electronic Natural“, „Neo Endorphine“
2. Karma-Lab „Catalyst Vol. 2“


Some of them are a Ok, but not so useful:

1. KARO - „Granular Atmospheres“
2. Sound Iron „Beat Boxing“
3. EDM Drums

Some of them are really bad and a waste of money:

1. Kid Nepro - „Dark Energy“

So, you can see that I spend a lot of money on purchasing sound sets for my Korg Kronos and I can tell you that I love my instrument.

Here you can see me performing on my Korg Kronos and my Virus TI:

https://youtu.be/DTLT-OlWCyA

So I made proof that I am an ordinary user and no so called „troll“.

Thanks.