The New Korg Kronos 2 is a wonderful technological achievement! And if you own a previous version (Kronos or Kronos X) you can upgrade it to be right on par with the Kronos 2.
I am using my Korg Kronos 1st version from 2011. By now, with a simply mind that I have, I think I'd say that I've learned approximately almost half of the whole capabilities of this beast. I was sold on this unit by being inspired by a Christian dude who was doing comparisons of the most current keyboard workstations then. Because of that one video, I knew that this was going to be for me. When I received it, opened it up, started it up and then, I said to myself, "what in the heck did I do?" lol."How am I going to handle all of this?". But I decided to just dig in and go for it. Being the case, and 10 years later, I realized, that this was the best decision I ever could have made for a workstation. It surprises me yet, with new things I constantly find that I can do with it. Who needs a band, when I can play my Kronos, live. Now if only the vocal programs that I made on it would only have the actual ability to make it sound like the voices are singing the lyrics and not just the vowels with all the shades, nuances and vibrato, as well as other things. Such a beast. But I have a question for someone, anyone,, being that this is 10 years old now, and we know how long computer based products seem to last anymore, should I upgrade and get the newest version?
FINALLY!!! 😄 After ONE HOUR SEARCH(!!!) I found the correct answer about the difference! Here are quaddeling alot of people, explaining nothing but hot air about the Kronos-Family. „The Key-Attack! WOW!!! Remind the KEY-Attack!“ and nothing else… Here are sooo many „Pros“ and „Specialists“!!!
Thanks for your review, it helped me pull the trigger and buy a new Kronos. It is now 2018 so the comparison between the 2011 and 2015 isn't a factor for me, but your love for this instrument is quite obvious.
I Still have my Kronos X and my Triton Pro X. I won't part ways with any of them lol Fantastic boards. Lately i found most of my gear being Korg (which wasn't intended, but the way it turned out). Basically both were purchased and put in my studio and are in Mint condition. I have managed to do some upgrades to the Triton to get rid of the floppy drive by making it Flash and USB driven. Not perfect by any means, but does allow me to keep all my Triton Content on one flash drive now. I am waiting to see where Korg goes next with the Kronos Line before shelling out another 4k, but i am hoping they continue to innovate and give us more amazing products like the ModWave, Kronos and Prologue. Great Coverage of the Kronos Chuck!
LOVE IT. Nice video. I just ordered the NEW KORG KRONOS LS. 88. Cannot wait until it comes in. FOR MUSICIANS This is a GAME CHANGER having 88 WATERFALL KEYS
That's been helpful to me, Sir :) Now I want a Kronos 2015 (which I can't afford) I also own a Nord Stage 2 (with the horrible suspicion that a Stage 3 lurks on the horizon), I was considering opting for a Kronos instead because the physically modelled electric pianos and string modelled Clavinet patches were so brilliant compared to the downright bad Nord samples - but it was the acoustic pianos and organs that won me over on the Stage 2. Now however, I don't know what to think..
Benedict Johnson I hear you.... but keep in mind that the Nord Stage 2 STILL has some of the best sounding pianos out there! Despite lack of memory, despite not being the "latest & greatest" model, despite not having newer bells & whistles, the piano samples on that Nord Stage 2 are so good that you can use it for professional recordings (film industry, record industry, etc). It was the piano samples in the Nord Stage 2 that drew me to it in 2011, and that was a year before they released the (free) Fazioli sample! There are still (many) people today who'd give anything to have a Nord Stage 2... so you should relax, knowing you still have one of the finest in the world!
PianoManChuck They are the best sampled pianos in the world, aren't they! I haven't spent much time with the Kronos pianos - how do they compare (baring in mind the sample sizes)?
Benedict Johnson Kronos' German Grand piano is also quite excellent! You'll find a mix of people - some of which like the Nord's pianos better, and others who like the Kronos' pianos better. You can't go wrong with either, and as far as I'm concerned, they're both way up there at the top of the list!
So I have a quick question, if I upgrade the software on my Kronos X to the 3.0 version, will that change any of the sounds that I use in sequence mode to make songs with?? I have so many songs, or actually just instrumentals that I've composed over the years, and I'm afraid the upgrade might rearrange the sounds from the sequence mode or do something that I might not like, is that a possibility? And btw very very nice video, I thoroughly enjoyed it and even learned a little👍👍
Thank you Chuck for your enlightening demonstration! I have to say that that was one of the best demos for me in all time:). It was very useful tool for me.
Hi Chuck! I have a question about the Kronos. I already have a kronos 2, but I think it is kinda heavy to carry around for gigs. If i wanted to buy an extra Kronos 1 to carry around with less keys (let’s say 61 key so it’s the lightest possible) would I be able to transfer combis, programs and setlists from kronos 2 to kronos 1?
I am still deciding to get Kronos the original second hand for half the price or Kronos , this makes things clearer. Btw, totally unrelated, I am I the only one who think Chuck got the vibe of Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad?
the regular kronos would not work properly with the sistem of the new Kronos 2 vr 3.0 because its not design for that version, until korg promote the oficial update of OS 3 i would not recomend you guys to jump,
Johan Andres Hmmm... my facts come directly from Korg and those who've beta tested OS 3.0 with the original Kronos ( link: www.korg.com/us/news/2014/111802/ )Where are your facts coming from to back up your statement?
I was about to purchase a Kronos 2 here in the UK but I’ve read on Korg Forums that there are problems with the Keybed and Sticking Keys and with the Berlin Grand I think there was something about double striking notes,I’m trying to choose between the Kronos 2 and Yamaha Montage 8.
Good overview of the new Kronos 2. Now that Korg has put wood siding on the Kronos, 2 does it still feel as plasticy (I don't know if that is a word or not but does describe what it felt like to me) as the original .? Now don't get me wrong, I like the Kronos and found it to be an excellent board, but for the price of over $3000, the housing just felt "inferior" to its competitors.
Many "competitors" are using plastic... but I can definitely relate to what you're saying... I get a completely different "feel" when playing a Nord Stage 2 or a Kawai MP11 (both are metal with wood side panels). But the Kronos being a workstation (unlike either of the aforementioned models), its in a different class alltogether. I kind of appreciate the plastic in that case in that it contributes to being light in weight... that way if I want to play out with it, I can. But the RH3 keyboard action on it is my 2nd favorite of the boards I currently have (the MP11 being the first).
Hey friend! Nice review on kronos. But i have a question. For now,i cant afford a kronos 2. But i found in the internet some people selling kronos 1. Is it still worth buying kronos 1 nowadays? Thanks!
Purchased the Korg KronosX 88 back in 2014 and it came with 4 GB of ram from the factory.. I didn't know this until i went to take it apart and put more memory in it. I just assumed it was 2 gb... So do you know if any Korg KronosX were shipped with 4gbs or did i just happen to get lucky on this one? I too have the Triton Pro X 88 and just replaced all the tactile switches and now it is as good as new. Was going to part with it after the KronosX but i still find some sounds and the Moss card that i just absolutely love. When you mentioned you came from the Triton Pro X i was like Right On! Great Keyboard. Anyhow was just curious about if anyone else has a Kronos X from the factory that had 4 GB Ram installed.
Just looking at your video on Korg Kronos. I have Korg M50 ( I know its old ) but my friend told me of Korg Kronos (that version $999), but though i use Komplete 9 Ultimate, do I need another keyboard? Of course my keyboard is tapped to my computer and software. I like your explantation and I'm little overwhelmed by the price ( $3000-4000). Of course, that's for the workstation X and the new Kross 2. It's always which one Workstation X or the new Kross 2 or just Korg Kross workstation or the Korg Kross $999? Anyway, hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.
I love the simple ability to transpose individual slots in setlist mode now. One of my bands plays a half step down on some songs and having this edit feature is incredibly helpful.
Chuck - you must have read my mind ! I have a Kronox X and have been hearing about the new Op System 3.0, so your explanatory video was very welcome. Thank you for taking the time to put it together. Best wishes. Tim
With everything in that room being black I was expecting you to perform some magic, other than the magic you show us with all your many keyboards.......
I've seen you're vid about triple sensor would you test out if the kronos also does that specific issue implementation for its keybed. Don't know how Korg does it but they gave me goosebumps on their first Kronos it indeed is a serious Gear addition but expensive.
Thanks for the reply PianoManChuck, However I thought the keybed would be on the 88 key version naively I also thought with RH3 the 3 stood for triple :).
That's weird that you showed both the new Kronos with wood end caps, and a limited version of the old Kronos with wood ends, available only in Europe last year. It also isn't really called the Kronos 2 anywhere, except within Korg's url for the product page, because they needed a unique address to differentiate from the old model's page. The SGX-2 piano engine is important, not only for the Una Corda samples (only contained in the Berlin piano), but for the modeled sympathetic resonance with visual animation. This can be added with variable intensity to the existing German/Japanese piano programs, but turned off by default when you update to V3. This is high-tech math stuff, because you get wildly different strings resonating, depending on the combination of keys you are playing, It's not just an added layer for each key. I think you previously said you preferred the Nord Stage to the Kronos, partly because it did not have sympathetic resonance. The program banks in the new soundset, to be released in Jan 2015, have been increased and totally rearranged. I assume any present songs or custom Combis will not refer to the correct sounds if the new soundset is installed on an older Kronos. This can be rectified using the Korg Editor or PCG Tools, a third-party librarian software. EXs18 is a small group of stereo multi-dynamic multisamples culled from the few Korg-produced optional sample libraries: Strings, Choirs, and Funk Horns. These are used in patches INT-B 00-14 in the new Kronos and in the unreleased soundset for older Kronos. This is to entice you to buy the full libraries, which also come on the hard drive of a Kronos, but have to be authorized to play continuously. In Setlist, you can have as few as 4 pads across the bottom with the rest of the screen for performance notes, and USB keyboards now supported for text entry. There is now a dialog box when you add things to Setlist from other modes, so you can choose what pad it goes to,(showing the current name of the pad) and name the pad without first going to Setlist mode. Before, you could only add something only to the currently selected pad in Setlist, running the risk of blindly overwriting one by mistake from another mode. So, you can make a Setlist without even going to Setlist mode until you're ready to name and save it. You can also set transpose for each pad. Fan Speed control now available in global. If set to Slow (barely audible), it will speed up if the operating temperature requires it. New font used in V3, and in Global, a couple options for text anti-aliasing, to make it less grainy,more bold. There is also a function to load missing samples as needed, Since optional EXs libraries take up precious RAM, and some own more than will fit in the Kronos simultaneously, you can now load only the samples you need from within the specific Program, without loading the entire EXs sample bank. You can now edit a patch from within a Combi/Song, though you must save the Program for the change to be permanent. Combis/Songs do not contain patch data, just references to them.
Can you help me please? So OK, I downloaded the OS 3.02, & I have a USB flash drive that is compatible with the Kronos. Now what do I do with the ZIPPED OS file? Where (on the flash drive) do I put it? Should I unzip it? In the zipped OS file there are more zipped files. Do I unzip those too, & if so, where do I put those files? (or will the Kornos unzip them automatically?)
Just discovering your content Chuck: I like the clear helpful perspective! I am looking at my first Kronos61 (used, running original OS ver.) and I am interested as I understand it can be upgraded and has the same 'sound chips'. I have seen a RU-vid on upgrading the RAM to 4G (3.25G seen by 32bit OS). Can the SSD be upgraded? Fans changed to quieter? Thanks for the notes on the fact that I can purchase some of the new SGX2 pianos.
