KORG KRONOS 2 73 Key Synthesizer Workstation

Description

The Kronos is back and better than ever. For starters, its got a beautiful sleek new look with wood side panels that give it class and sophistication. And with an Enhanced SGX-2 Grand piano engine, a massive library of top quality sounds, a flagship RH3 weighted Hammer action keyboard and a complete suite of performance and production tools, the Kronos is one for the professional and the keen amateur alike.

“This latest version of Korg’s workstation, with its super-light and full-on keyboard is all things to all players, whether in the studio or live arena. The screen is its heart and the nine engines its soul and the combination, like recreating those classic Korg synths, is stunning… Everything works beautifully in tandem and operation soon becomes totally intuitive.” – MusicTech

Massive Sound Library

Before looking at any of the bells, whistles and awesome technology on a new keyboard, the first thing on most players’ minds is “does it have a good piano sound”. Kronos has always delivered on this front, sampling some of the top grade pianos for a range of light and darker tones.

The new Kronos now has an enhanced SGX-2 Grand piano sound engine, that not only enhances the original pianos with Sympathetic String Resonance and Una Corda tones, but adds a whole new piano tone. The Berlin Grand offers a resonant piano with fantastic depth for passion filled performances.

The Kronos is not just about the pianos though. This workstation comes with over 21GB of preset sounds and 9 distinct sound engines so that you can process your own sounds and easily make changes and tweak your tone.

Some of the presets available to you are careful recreations of signature keyboard sounds from classic songs that you can use as is, or provide a basis that you can transform into something completely new. The other presets are some fantastic standard sounds that professionals use regularly. Whatever sound you’re looking for, the Kronos has something for you!

Gorgeous Touch Screen Display

To help you navigate the immense range of powerful features, the Kronos includes an enormous eight-inch (800 x 600pixel) SVGA colour Touch View Display. This display is the hub that gives access to all the different features on the Kronos, however it’s nice and easy to navigate. You can simply select a sound or choose a parameter with the touch of a finger, but with the enhanced touch-drag ability allows more detailed control of parameters without having to navigate through unnecessary menus and controls.

You want to have all your favourite parameters at the touch of your fingers and this fantastic display gives you all the control you need, making in-depth parameters available to all and the technology won’t affect your creative flow.

Designed for the Gigging Musician

The Kronos utilises an innovative set list mode that organises all of the resources you need for a song or even a complete set. You can instantly call up the needed preset, combination or sequence whatever mode you are in. There’s a comprehensive 9 band eq, colour options to help navigate, and you can even add performance notes to help you get through the set.

Designed for the Creative musician

In addition to a powerful library of gig ready sounds, the Kronos is also equipped with a number of valuable tools to transform your musical ideas to a complete composition. This includes a 16 track midi sequencer/audio recorder, drum patterns that you can bring out in an instant and an open sampling system to record pretty much anything around you for creative tracks.

Maybe one of the most innovative and powerful creative features on the Kronos however is the Karma engine. First introduced on Korg’s Karma workstation in 2002, this revolutionary algorithmic music technology reads the notes and chords you play and transforms your basic harmony and melody into full blown backing tracks with sophisticated phrases and full instrumentation. You also get a series of knobs, sliders and switches to help get the exact performance you’re looking for and much, much more!

Since it’s inception, the Karma technology has continued to develop and innovate, and now has Wave-sequencing, note mapping and 8 Scenes per layer. Certain instruments that you always found hard to recreate, like the glissando of a harp or rhythmic strumming of a guitar are now made easy with this fantastic technology. It’s not only great fun, it’s incredibly useful for professional musicians who want realistic and full sounding keyboard parts for their performances, and opens the doors to a completely new way of composing and performing.

Here’s what Korg Say about the Kronos

Created by KORG to satisfy today’s most demanding, accomplished performers and producers—as well as tomorrow’s visionary leaders—KRONOS embodies over 50 years of artistic vision and production expertise. With nine distinct synthesis engines and a complete suite of performance and productions tools, KRONOS is simply the most versatile synthesizer ever made.

9 Sound engine types

• SGX-2 Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano)
• EP-1 MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano)
• HD-1 High Definition Synthesizer (PCM)
• AL-1 Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling)
• CX-3 Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling)
• STR-1 Plucked String (Physical Modeling)
• MOD-7 Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis)
• MS-20EX Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling)
• PolysixEX Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling)

Features

• Comprehensive keyboard workstation with 9 sound engines, thousands of sounds and effects, extensive hands-on controls, and everything you need to arrange and create original music onboard
• 73-note flagship RH3 weighted hammer-action keyboard with 4 resistance zones provides authentic piano feel
• SGX-2 sound engine takes a no-compromises approach to acoustic piano sound, featuring complex, full-sample synthesis to deliver the character of famous German and Japanese grands, including string resonance and una corda modeling
• EP-1 sound engine employs Korg’s cutting-edge Multi-Dimensional Synthesis (MDS) technology to simulate the precise behavior of reed and tine electric pianos, along with effects and more
• CX-3 sound engine perfectly models timeless tonewheel organ sound, complete with a full complement of vintage effects, tube-amp warmth, and rotary speaker cabinet emulation
• HD-1 sound engine leverages decades of PCM digital synthesis developments to produce wavetable tones ranging from perennial classics to unparalleled futuristic synth sounds
• MS-20EX sound engine utilizes Component Modeling Technology (CMT) to recall Korg’s classic MS-20 semi-modular monosynth down to its finest details, including external input routing
• PolysixEX sound engine faithfully re-creates the original 1981 Polysix, including its 6-voice polyphony, aggressive 4-pole filter, and onboard effects
• AL-1 sound engine puts legendary OASYS technology into action, mimicking the behavior and response of classic analog synth hardware while including modern functions such as filter morphing, complex waveforms, and more
• MOD-7 sound engine uses waveshaping VPM/FM synthesis to generate everything from the classic electronic piano sounds found in countless ’80s ballads to unique and evolving pads and sound beds
• STR-1 sound engine uses advanced physical modeling to synthesize virtual plucked strings for guitar, harp, harpsichord, ethnic instruments, and many other creative sound-design applications
• Sounds include numerous artist signature programs created by top musicians and 16-part Combis with complex sounds covering multiple engines
• Massive 62GB solid-state storage comes pre-loaded with 21GB of sound content covering thousands of sounds, programs, and songs
• Dynamic Voice Allocation manages polyphony for realistic sound layering to keep your performances sounding natural
• Enormous 8″ 800px x 600px SVGA TouchView display makes navigation easy while providing you with detailed feedback and parameter control
• Set List mode lets you organize Programs, Combis, and Songs into a single, easy-to-select screen
• Comprehensive onboard songwriting platform includes powerful 16-track sequencing and 16-track audio recorder, allowing you to create entire songs via an intuitive workflow
• Advanced Kay Algorithmic Real-time Music Architecture (KARMA) technology provides natural-sounding and responsive accompaniment that adapts to your style as you play
• Complex yet easy-to-use drum tracks from the M3 synthesizer allows you to quickly add compelling drums and rhythmic elements to your music
• Create your own unique sounds via the onboard Open Sampling System, which takes external sounds or internal samples to create new instruments
• Enhance your sounds with 16 extensive onboard effects processors and 12 insert effects, plus a 3-band EQ for every track
• USB/MIDI host ports let you instantly add MIDI control surfaces directly to your workstation for even greater hands-on control
• Onboard performance controls include Korg’s classic 4-way Vector joystick and a responsive ribbon controller, as well as two pedal inputs with half-damper support
• Slim body with classy wood cheeks looks great, travels well, and fits on any keyboard stand for comfortable live gigging
• USB Ethernet adapter compatibility enables high-speed data transfer between Kronos and your computer and lets you access the Kronos Editor and Plug-in Editor software

Specs

• Type:Synthesizer Workstation
• Sound Engine Type(s):9 x Sound Engines
• Analog/Digital:Digital
• Number of Keys:73
• Type of Keys:Weighted, Real Weighted Hammer Action 3
• Other Controllers:1 x 4-way Joystick, 1 x Vector Joystick, 1 x Ribbon, 9 x Sliders, 8 x Knobs
• Polyphony:Variable per Engine, dynamic allocation
• Number of Presets:1792 memory programs, 78 drum kits
• Number of Effects:197
• Effects Types:Various
• Arpeggiator:Yes
• Sequencer:16-track (MIDI), 16-track (Audio)
• Sampling:Yes
• Audio Playback:16-track playback (RAM)
• Audio Inputs:2 x 1/4″
• Audio Outputs:2 x 1/4″ (left, right), 4 x 1/4″ (individual outs)
• Headphones:1 x 1/4″
• Digital Inputs:1 x Optical Toslink (S/PDIF)
• Digital Outputs:1 x Optical Toslink (S/PDIF)
• USB:2 x Type A, 1 x Type B
• MIDI I/O:In/Out/Thru/USB
• Pedal Inputs:1 x damper, 1 x switch, 1 x expression
• Expansion:Expandable to 2560 user programs
• Power Supply:Standard IEC AC cable
• Height:5.83″
• Width:48.07″
• Depth:14.61″
• Weight:46.52 lbs.
• Manufacturer Part Number:KRONOS7