Hey, great channel! I totally agree with you. I have a Montage M8X and a Korg Nautilus AT. I will be selling my Nautilus and getting a Korg Kronos 3 when it comes out. I always wanted one but the second hand market for used Kronos 2's were very hit or miss, the internals are getting old and failing so I was forced to get a Nautilus. So glad the Kronos is back, it has a fresh look, new motherboard, more responsive screen and quicker boot time!
I'm in the exact same scenario. Have the M8X and bought a Nautilus 88AT. Signed up for the pre-order for Konos 3. Will sell the Nautilus when the Konos 3 arrives.
Great video. I agree with you over all points. I always hope also Yamaha renew the Motif line with some new stuff, like a sequencer with a dedicated version of Cubase, so you can export and work in just seconds
The Montage is the natural iteration of the Motif, just the way they for 4 years refused to give it a sequencer was beyond me, I could understand it if Yamaha had put out a killer cubase hardware Daw, but it’s still where the Montage M is subpar to the competition. Pretty sure Korg IS working on something to blow us away, but most likely it’s taking Them longer as antisipated. They probably thaught the Nautilus could be the gap filler but realiced that there where many muicians that was worried about loosing their trusted workhorse on stage cause of not being able to repair Them if the mobo gets fried.
Great video. I never had a Kronos and went with the Nautilus AT and it's great. I'd love to "upgrade" to the new Kronos, but, the big issue I have here is Korg having marketed the Nautilus as their new flagship leading people to think that's the one, and no new Kronos. Sadly, as I understand it, you will not have the ability to import all your Nautilus programs, combis, etc. into the Kronos as they are not compatiable. You'd think they would understand that people chose the Nautilus thinking there would be no more Kronos and they could at least provide some capability to transfer your Nautilus stuff into the new Kronos. If they don't provide that I'll pass.
I think it's fantastic that Korg released the Kronos. I am partial to the Nautilus, which has all I need really, and I like the aesthetically pleasing front panel of the Nautilus, including the redesigned graphical interface on the smaller LCD. But it's very good news that the Kronos is back, and with a new motherboard, perhaps a new microprocessor. Also, at $3,599.00 the 88-key version of the new Kronos is priced very competitively compared to the 88-key Fantom EX and Montage M8x. I mean, what's not to like? The Kronos is fantastic.
When the Kronos was release in 2011, it blew every other workstation out of the water. You got 9 synth engines in one box! 14 years later it's still unrivaled. Korg putting their flagship back in production is a no-brainer, plus resale value on previous models has now gone up for everyone that owns one.
Yes, I still remember the sudden influx of Kronos users everywhere back then. And I guess it also helped that the price felt super affordable when compared to the OASYS that would have been the direct comparison at the time. It must mean something good when it still holds up to the day.
Great video, thanks, just to be clear about the Kronos 3, it has a brand new Motherboard, start up time is now 48 seconds! It has an improved screen, it has double the SSD 120 GB, it has hundreds of new sounds, programmes & combies, its still the King of workstation keyboards 🎹, its also cheaper than the original 2011 models!😊
It’s an amazing machine!!! I’m glad it’s back as well! I do all my music on my Kronos and I honestly feel I’ll retire an old man and I’ll still be recording on my Kronos. This is a great video!!!
Thank you so much! And I agree, if my current Kronos dies, I will get another Kronos. I've been with this synth for so long, it's a keeper for me too :)
I bought Kronos 2 88 Gold back in 2018. Still there is a lot to learn :)...When you buy EXs + KRS and sample own sounds, there is so many 9/10 or 10/10 sounds available that atleast to my needs it covers all....I've added TC Eletronics Plethora X5 and Zoom MS-cdr70+ pedals lately, just for fun and beef up the sounds. Still relevant and excellent synth/workstation.
There are iconic keyboards that in their own way are still loved by users like the Yamaha DX7. I wonder if the Kronos is entering that stage with 14+ years being more or less the same :) ...maybe we'll need a couple more decades, but I think it has potential to get there.
My kronos kinda died, so i bought a Kronos x, and when that one passes at least i know that the new kronos will be waiting for me. Kronos has always been king.
I never have a kronos before so is a day 1 buy for me , my last korg keyboar was the korg pax5 and is amazing , in my opinion korg is the best on the market , second is yamaha , and i own the yamaha genos 2 , but the korg pax5 is better , and i can not wait to buy the kronos 3
I agree with a lot of what you say, but unfortunately the sound quality of the piano model is below that of the earlier Nord and Kurzweil models. I have the Titanium model, so other than the loading speed, the Kronos 3 didn't bring anything new. The Italiano piano model is exactly the same quality as the previous ones, so it can still compete with the Roland and Yamaha duo in terms of piano, but the Nord and Kurzweil are much, much better. Fortunately, I'm not like 99% of WS testers, I don't judge a workstation by the piano model, which in the case of the Kronos is about 1-2% of the instrument's utility value.
Assessment is spot on. Korg accepted that Nautilus was never a flagship so we can expect a Kronos 4 in the future which will truly be a flagship without important features missing. However we do need a 73 synth action to return.
Kronos has some wonderful sounds but I only give it 8/10 because they will not add piano roll editing which the M3 had, still no real pattern sequencing and still treats samples and audio tracks as paired mono. This Kronos release could have leap frogged ahead but Korg aren't interested. I can't help but think that an expensive performance only synthesizer is a small market and Korg don't want to put in the work to make it a complete track production machine.
Fair point there. It's probably impossible to be perfect to everybody and I probably am just lucky to not have used those aspects of the Kronos. Thanks for your comment!
You can't really improve on what was already perfection. Yes the previous versions are slow to get going, but once it's up and running everything is instant. Unlike Software versions ie Kontakt where you can wait several minutes for the larger sample libraries to populate PC memory. Pleased we have a K3 to lean on if and when my K2 is no longer servicable. Great channel, btw.
Yeah, software and hardware synths are very different I feel. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but I'm definitely all hardware synths and Kronos kills it in that department.
@@ChameleonMusic2024 That monstrosity that gave us pretty much every bit of tech Korg have released since.. And yes, it does hold up to this day, unlike re releasing a 14 year old synth again
@@NickHowesAstro, I certainly get that Kronos is 14 years old... but it does hold-up surprisingly well. Would I prefer Korg develop a true successor to Kronos? Of course. Korg obviously isn't ready to release that product... so I think the Konos 3 is a decent "stop-gap" solution. For many, it's a better option than taking a chance on a well-used Konos 2.
Hey, great channel! I totally agree with you. I have a Montage M8X and a Korg Nautilus AT. I will be selling my Nautilus and getting a Korg Kronos 3 when it comes out. I always wanted one but the second hand market for used Kronos 2's were very hit or miss, the internals are getting old and failing so I was forced to get a Nautilus. So glad the Kronos is back, it has a fresh look, new motherboard, more responsive screen and quicker boot time!
Thanks for checking out my channel! Glad you like it. Happy to see like-minded people here :)
I'm in the exact same scenario. Have the M8X and bought a Nautilus 88AT. Signed up for the pre-order for Konos 3. Will sell the Nautilus when the Konos 3 arrives.
Great video. I agree with you over all points. I always hope also Yamaha renew the Motif line with some new stuff, like a sequencer with a dedicated version of Cubase, so you can export and work in just seconds
Thanks for watching! Yes the MOTIF line was also very nice. I wonder if they would go for it though, now the MONTAGE series is there...
The Montage is the natural iteration of the Motif, just the way they for 4 years refused to give it a sequencer was beyond me, I could understand it if Yamaha had put out a killer cubase hardware Daw, but it’s still where the Montage M is subpar to the competition.
Pretty sure Korg IS working on something to blow us away, but most likely it’s taking Them longer as antisipated. They probably thaught the Nautilus could be the gap filler but realiced that there where many muicians that was worried about loosing their trusted workhorse on stage cause of not being able to repair Them if the mobo gets fried.
Great video. I never had a Kronos and went with the Nautilus AT and it's great. I'd love to "upgrade" to the new Kronos, but, the big issue I have here is Korg having marketed the Nautilus as their new flagship leading people to think that's the one, and no new Kronos. Sadly, as I understand it, you will not have the ability to import all your Nautilus programs, combis, etc. into the Kronos as they are not compatiable. You'd think they would understand that people chose the Nautilus thinking there would be no more Kronos and they could at least provide some capability to transfer your Nautilus stuff into the new Kronos. If they don't provide that I'll pass.
I think it's fantastic that Korg released the Kronos. I am partial to the Nautilus, which has all I need really, and I like the aesthetically pleasing front panel of the Nautilus, including the redesigned graphical interface on the smaller LCD. But it's very good news that the Kronos is back, and with a new motherboard, perhaps a new microprocessor. Also, at $3,599.00 the 88-key version of the new Kronos is priced very competitively compared to the 88-key Fantom EX and Montage M8x. I mean, what's not to like? The Kronos is fantastic.
When the Kronos was release in 2011, it blew every other workstation out of the water. You got 9 synth engines in one box! 14 years later it's still unrivaled. Korg putting their flagship back in production is a no-brainer, plus resale value on previous models has now gone up for everyone that owns one.
Yes, I still remember the sudden influx of Kronos users everywhere back then. And I guess it also helped that the price felt super affordable when compared to the OASYS that would have been the direct comparison at the time. It must mean something good when it still holds up to the day.
Great video, thanks, just to be clear about the Kronos 3, it has a brand new Motherboard, start up time is now 48 seconds! It has an improved screen, it has double the SSD 120 GB, it has hundreds of new sounds, programmes & combies, its still the King of workstation keyboards 🎹, its also cheaper than the original 2011 models!😊
Thanks for sharing the details. I didn't mention it in the video indeed.
The Kronos is still the best sounding workstation.
Great content - love to see some deep dives on this in time. First glance it looks like Korg will be expanding this with downloads over time.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, hoping to get my hands on the KRONOS 3. If I do, I'm sure I'll post content on here
It’s an amazing machine!!! I’m glad it’s back as well! I do all my music on my Kronos and I honestly feel I’ll retire an old man and I’ll still be recording on my Kronos. This is a great video!!!
Thank you so much! And I agree, if my current Kronos dies, I will get another Kronos. I've been with this synth for so long, it's a keeper for me too :)
I bought Kronos 2 88 Gold back in 2018. Still there is a lot to learn :)...When you buy EXs + KRS and sample own sounds, there is so many 9/10 or 10/10 sounds available that atleast to my needs it covers all....I've added TC Eletronics Plethora X5 and Zoom MS-cdr70+ pedals lately, just for fun and beef up the sounds. Still relevant and excellent synth/workstation.
There are iconic keyboards that in their own way are still loved by users like the Yamaha DX7. I wonder if the Kronos is entering that stage with 14+ years being more or less the same :) ...maybe we'll need a couple more decades, but I think it has potential to get there.
The Kronos is a feature-rich workstation with endless possibilities. There's always something new to learn every day.
agreed!
My kronos kinda died, so i bought a Kronos x, and when that one passes at least i know that the new kronos
will be waiting for me. Kronos has always been king.
It has been said by Korg during winter NAMM 2025 that the Korg 3 will be now be the flagship and Nautilus will become the "new" Krome.
yeah, I think I watched that same video too. And the decision makes sense.
I never have a kronos before so is a day 1 buy for me , my last korg keyboar was the korg pax5 and is amazing , in my opinion korg is the best on the market , second is yamaha , and i own the yamaha genos 2 , but the korg pax5 is better , and i can not wait to buy the kronos 3
I agree also with you, it was very strange that the Naughtylus was the new flagship. I couldn’t get it..luckally the Kronos came back
Yes, it seemed odd for sure, but who knows, perhaps they had reasons we couldn't imagine. But the Kronos is back so we're good! :)
I love the Kronos lets get a pitch bend mechanism on both ends. and 88 synth action keys.
The wishlist is endless hahaha
They should have added polyphonic aftertouch. That's a biggy these days. Did they even keep the aftertouch with the 73 and 88 at all?
I agree with a lot of what you say, but unfortunately the sound quality of the piano model is below that of the earlier Nord and Kurzweil models.
I have the Titanium model, so other than the loading speed, the Kronos 3 didn't bring anything new. The Italiano piano model is exactly the same quality as the previous ones, so it can still compete with the Roland and Yamaha duo in terms of piano, but the Nord and Kurzweil are much, much better.
Fortunately, I'm not like 99% of WS testers, I don't judge a workstation by the piano model, which in the case of the Kronos is about 1-2% of the instrument's utility value.
I admit I've never heard the Nord and Kurzweil pianos really. Hopefully I get to play them sometime.
Assessment is spot on. Korg accepted that Nautilus was never a flagship so we can expect a Kronos 4 in the future which will truly be a flagship without important features missing. However we do need a 73 synth action to return.
You mean the non-piano keys right? I always wished they kept the "Yamaha-style" 76 key synth action keys instead of moving to the 73 key piano keys.
@@ChameleonMusic2024 That's right. Previous Kronos has the light synth action 76. It's important for synth players.
Kronos has some wonderful sounds but I only give it 8/10 because they will not add piano roll editing which the M3 had, still no real pattern sequencing and still treats samples and audio tracks as paired mono. This Kronos release could have leap frogged ahead but Korg aren't interested. I can't help but think that an expensive performance only synthesizer is a small market and Korg don't want to put in the work to make it a complete track production machine.
Fair point there. It's probably impossible to be perfect to everybody and I probably am just lucky to not have used those aspects of the Kronos. Thanks for your comment!
How can you improve the perfect keyboard?
hahaha who knows, maybe they can? :)
They say nothing about aftertouch on the 73 and 88 key versions. I think I'm dumping Korg again.
You can't really improve on what was already perfection. Yes the previous versions are slow to get going, but once it's up and running everything is instant. Unlike Software versions ie Kontakt where you can wait several minutes for the larger sample libraries to populate PC memory. Pleased we have a K3 to lean on if and when my K2 is no longer servicable. Great channel, btw.
Yeah, software and hardware synths are very different I feel. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but I'm definitely all hardware synths and Kronos kills it in that department.
Definitely, the nautilus was a step back. It is NOT a flagship. It’s a good keyboard but it’s not as powerful as the Kronos!
That same OLD New korg Kronos with that SHORT PIANOS SAMPLE kkkkk lol😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
The Kronos has 9 sliders, not 8. Just listen to what you said and the photo around 8:35.
Sorry I meant 5:11.
You're right. I guess I wasn't counting in the master slider :)
They developed the tech in 1995... It was called OASYS ....this is about as new as a Model T Ford
oh the OASYS - that monstrosity that no one could afford hahaha. But you're right. Amazing that the same tech still holds up today
@@ChameleonMusic2024 That monstrosity that gave us pretty much every bit of tech Korg have released since.. And yes, it does hold up to this day, unlike re releasing a 14 year old synth again
@@NickHowesAstro, I certainly get that Kronos is 14 years old... but it does hold-up surprisingly well. Would I prefer Korg develop a true successor to Kronos? Of course. Korg obviously isn't ready to release that product... so I think the Konos 3 is a decent "stop-gap" solution. For many, it's a better option than taking a chance on a well-used Konos 2.
we'll said. korg is out of their minds. AT feature added later... lol. and other funny stuff
yeah, I really wonder what led to that decision hahaha
I bought a Kronos back in 2018. I was so unimpressed with it that I ended up pooping on it the next day and tossing in a dumpster down the street.