oh wow... the longer the video, the better it is... lovely sounds, especially from 8:45 - 10:45 and 13:00 - 14:10, love it when the drumset kicks in..! :-)
Korg certainly make some sweet keyboards and synths. I created many compositions using the Combos and individual instrument patches on my Korg M-50. I also used to use the built in sequencer. It was a bit of a pain with syncing it to Cubase. Since then, I now use different sample libraries and been using Reaper instead. But there's nothing like dropping your fingers onto some Korg keys and have an instant band accompany you. Immediate inspiration right at your finger tips and a potential composition. Oh and try not to be so hard on yourself when you make a mistake when playing Woody haha. Many times such mistakes end up triggering a new composition. Sadly, the Korg Kronos line has been discontinued. Even more sad is the death of Vangelis who passed away 17 May 2022 at the age of 79. Anyway my friend, great video Woody and some sweet sounds and slick playing. ♪★♪
thanks for the thoughtful comment as always, i'm hoping the pairing of korg kross and daw might bear fruits... yeah rip vangelis, and let's all call our mistakes happy accidents. :)
I've had my Kross 2 for a few years now and have been gigging with it extensively. I have found it to be one of the better boards for live work. I wish Korg would have incorporated some of the live features (like the pads) into the Nautilus. The soundset and live playing features are great, but it is a plastic case, the keybed is a bit light and the sounds are not as "thick" or present as they are in the higher priced boards. However, all in all, I love this board.
thanks for sharing, good to know it's still holding up after a few years on the road. i find the sounds to be pretty "thick" but perhaps not as detailed, crisp and hi-fi as the more expensive boards... but that's not a bad thing necessarily!
Not as "thick"? Just EQ it thicker, no? EQ works for me, but I don't want thickness most of the time, that's part of what helps it easily sit well in a mix.
I had the Kross 2, 4 years ago....wonderful features across the board( but since I was spoiled by the larger touchscreens of the M3, M50 & Krome)...I was unhappy with the Kross's display & I sold it. However though....my recent debacles with my Former Roland Fantom 06, made me realize just what a rare gem the Kross 2 really is( so I ordered another one & should receive it next week.) I returned my Roland, as I was extremely unhappy with the clip-based-only sequencer & just the entire layout of it was far too disorientating for me and I will always have a love for Korg's linear track view sequencers. The Kross 2 is $700 less than the Fantom and yet, it offers so much more for me personally(not just because of it's intuitiveness, as it also has audio recording & WAV exporting...which is very crucial for what I do in my living room studio.) As for Roland.....I am much happier with access to Roland's sounds via the Zenology software and what a fantastic GUI!!
interesting reading, thanks for sharing, as I've been wondering if I should "upgrade" to the F-0, but I quite prefer the physical buttons to the touch screen, even though the kross OS is quite tedious. the F is loaded with controls though, wheras the kross is quite limited as a midi controller. good topic!
@@WoodyPianoShack if you have experience with the FA-08, Fantom-0 is basically that + a touchscreen, and performance controls are now knobs + faders and not knobs alone same over-simplified sampler, same OS (but the FA "Studio Sets" are now called "Scenes"), and the Ableton integration is supposedly really good
And it fits in the cargo ebike! :-) Korg has done a good job "downsizing" their latest tech into affordable (and portable! No way I'm moving my Kronos around!) packaging without really destroying the sound. Everyone remembers the M3 which tried to make the original Kronos sounds cheaper, but was too compromised and oddly still too expensive.
Funny you mention the M3. I had been doing all my gigs with the Kross 2 and just for redundancy, I re-created all the sounds I use for gigging on my M3. I didn't realize how much better the fidelity was on the M3 until I played the same sound, side by side. In addition, the synth action is a huge improvement over the Kross and I have figured out how to use the M3 pads for launching samples and complex chord voicings. I'm not saying the Kross is not good, it really is, but to me, the sound quality and keyboard action is better on the M3. It is a heavy board though!
The M3 was the predecessor of the Kronos actually. It was this thing with the Pads of the OASYS, looking like a mixture of Triton and Radias - which I think you could even attach. Its smaller version was the M50. The first smaller version of the Kronos actually was the Krome and that KROSS even is below that. The Nautilus seems to use the chassis of the Krome.
@@torbenanschau6641 yes I misspoke - the M3 was Korgs attempt to repackage some Oasys tech, and the Kronos was the second attempt. IMO the M3 didn’t really capture the Oasys sound and came across as somewhat plastic sounding. I still have my M3 but it’s developed the screen fault so many of them have, and I’ve found no real reason to repair it since the Kronos can cover all the places I would have used it.
@@my2sons8791 interesting - I don’t have any firsthand experience with the Kross but it’s not really a fair comparison I guess since the M3 was a much more upmarket board. I always felt the M3 was lacking something tho in the sound that the Oasys had. Yeah it was compressed sample set vs the Oasys vast memory, so that could be all I’m feeling.
@@ChrisCebelenski I wasn't intending to compare the two except for the fact that I have both and have used both live with the same set lists/songs. There are things about the Kross I prefer to the M3 (weight, sample playback ease), but the keybed and overall sound quality is better on the M3.
hi barry, totally agree! i've been experimenting with simple setups to see if they are good enough, this wasn't up to par, will make some improvements next time.
No such thing as a wrong note. In fact if you didn't second guess that particular note " flute sound" around 12:55 and carried on playing I'm sure it would have sorted itself
yes, grados, about 4 years old now, still going strong. always been a bit of a rattle/buzz in one of the cans, but only noticeable when playing rhodes sounds!
If you like the Kross Combis better than the Nautilus, the Nautilus should be able to do them, too (if you have a Nautilus) dupe them into the Nautilus
no way to export/import them, but youre right the naut is capable of doing them, or better, but I'm just saying the factory presets aren't as impressive
No way! Just as people love the quirks and artifacts of analog synths, people love the artifacts of digital synths. For example, muddy digital garbage is the Roland JV-1080/XP, but a huge army of hardcore fans (myself included) loves the way it sounds because its dirty digital garbage is very pleasing to the ear. Another example of muddy digital garbage is the D-50, a well-known and highly sought-after legend. An extreme example is the cheap early CASIOs (and KAWAI!), which pair beautifully with modern FX. Muddy digital garbage is good.
That was fun! Well done!
Super nice demo! Love the Boys of Summer Chillout version at 15:40. 😍
oh wow... the longer the video, the better it is... lovely sounds, especially from 8:45 - 10:45 and 13:00 - 14:10, love it when the drumset kicks in..! :-)
yeah, got a bit warmed up as we ventured further into the video, that's the reward for those that stick around and watch! :) glad you enjoyed it
Have you tried the Roland Juno DS? It’s a great alternative to the Kross 2.
i bet it is, but never tried one, yet. thanks!
Juno DS is a great synthesizer. I really love my DS-76. The only downside is that its sequencer doesn't send any MIDI data.
I don't use the combis that often, but you made them sound quite attractive there, Woody. Maybe I should have a deeper dive into them...
well, combis are probably mainly useful for impressive demos in music store or youtube :) we'll do the program sounds next.
If you don't like them, tweak them until you do.
Korg certainly make some sweet keyboards and synths. I created many compositions using the Combos and individual instrument patches on my Korg M-50. I also used to use the built in sequencer. It was a bit of a pain with syncing it to Cubase. Since then, I now use different sample libraries and been using Reaper instead. But there's nothing like dropping your fingers onto some Korg keys and have an instant band accompany you. Immediate inspiration right at your finger tips and a potential composition. Oh and try not to be so hard on yourself when you make a mistake when playing Woody haha. Many times such mistakes end up triggering a new composition. Sadly, the Korg Kronos line has been discontinued. Even more sad is the death of Vangelis who passed away 17 May 2022 at the age of 79. Anyway my friend, great video Woody and some sweet sounds and slick playing. ♪★♪
thanks for the thoughtful comment as always, i'm hoping the pairing of korg kross and daw might bear fruits... yeah rip vangelis, and let's all call our mistakes happy accidents. :)
Korg supposedly have something badass in the works to replace the Kronos
Great video as always Woody. Thank you for this. I’ve been looking into the Kross for a while.
I've had my Kross 2 for a few years now and have been gigging with it extensively. I have found it to be one of the better boards for live work. I wish Korg would have incorporated some of the live features (like the pads) into the Nautilus. The soundset and live playing features are great, but it is a plastic case, the keybed is a bit light and the sounds are not as "thick" or present as they are in the higher priced boards. However, all in all, I love this board.
It doesn't have seamless switching of sounds, which is quite useful for live performances
thanks for sharing, good to know it's still holding up after a few years on the road. i find the sounds to be pretty "thick" but perhaps not as detailed, crisp and hi-fi as the more expensive boards... but that's not a bad thing necessarily!
@@WoodyPianoShack Its a great sounding synth however its horrible in a DAW context
Not as "thick"? Just EQ it thicker, no? EQ works for me, but I don't want thickness most of the time, that's part of what helps it easily sit well in a mix.
Thank you Woody.
Korg have done it again ! fine demo ! thx
I had the Kross 2, 4 years ago....wonderful features across the board( but since I was spoiled by the larger touchscreens of the M3, M50 & Krome)...I was unhappy with the Kross's display & I sold it. However though....my recent debacles with my Former Roland Fantom 06, made me realize just what a rare gem the Kross 2 really is( so I ordered another one & should receive it next week.) I returned my Roland, as I was extremely unhappy with the clip-based-only sequencer & just the entire layout of it was far too disorientating for me and I will always have a love for Korg's linear track view sequencers. The Kross 2 is $700 less than the Fantom and yet, it offers so much more for me personally(not just because of it's intuitiveness, as it also has audio recording & WAV exporting...which is very crucial for what I do in my living room studio.)
As for Roland.....I am much happier with access to Roland's sounds via the Zenology software and what a fantastic GUI!!
interesting reading, thanks for sharing, as I've been wondering if I should "upgrade" to the F-0, but I quite prefer the physical buttons to the touch screen, even though the kross OS is quite tedious. the F is loaded with controls though, wheras the kross is quite limited as a midi controller. good topic!
@@WoodyPianoShack if you have experience with the FA-08, Fantom-0 is basically that + a touchscreen, and performance controls are now knobs + faders and not knobs alone
same over-simplified sampler, same OS (but the FA "Studio Sets" are now called "Scenes"), and the Ableton integration is supposedly really good
hallo woody kann man auch sounds auf die pads oder sequencer spuren legen.
Great now something good to watch on a Saturday.😁
Appreciate your information and demonstration, thanks.
@14:15 Sounds very much like the Roland D-50 "Griittarr" preset.
I NEED A KORG KROSS
And it fits in the cargo ebike! :-) Korg has done a good job "downsizing" their latest tech into affordable (and portable! No way I'm moving my Kronos around!) packaging without really destroying the sound. Everyone remembers the M3 which tried to make the original Kronos sounds cheaper, but was too compromised and oddly still too expensive.
Funny you mention the M3. I had been doing all my gigs with the Kross 2 and just for redundancy, I re-created all the sounds I use for gigging on my M3. I didn't realize how much better the fidelity was on the M3 until I played the same sound, side by side. In addition, the synth action is a huge improvement over the Kross and I have figured out how to use the M3 pads for launching samples and complex chord voicings. I'm not saying the Kross is not good, it really is, but to me, the sound quality and keyboard action is better on the M3. It is a heavy board though!
The M3 was the predecessor of the Kronos actually. It was this thing with the Pads of the OASYS, looking like a mixture of Triton and Radias - which I think you could even attach. Its smaller version was the M50. The first smaller version of the Kronos actually was the Krome and that KROSS even is below that. The Nautilus seems to use the chassis of the Krome.
@@torbenanschau6641 yes I misspoke - the M3 was Korgs attempt to repackage some Oasys tech, and the Kronos was the second attempt. IMO the M3 didn’t really capture the Oasys sound and came across as somewhat plastic sounding. I still have my M3 but it’s developed the screen fault so many of them have, and I’ve found no real reason to repair it since the Kronos can cover all the places I would have used it.
@@my2sons8791 interesting - I don’t have any firsthand experience with the Kross but it’s not really a fair comparison I guess since the M3 was a much more upmarket board. I always felt the M3 was lacking something tho in the sound that the Oasys had. Yeah it was compressed sample set vs the Oasys vast memory, so that could be all I’m feeling.
@@ChrisCebelenski I wasn't intending to compare the two except for the fact that I have both and have used both live with the same set lists/songs. There are things about the Kross I prefer to the M3 (weight, sample playback ease), but the keybed and overall sound quality is better on the M3.
If i had £184m I would buy everything you demo! ....slight nit pick you need closer mike, but no real problem. Lovely sounds!
hi barry, totally agree! i've been experimenting with simple setups to see if they are good enough, this wasn't up to par, will make some improvements next time.
No such thing as a wrong note. In fact if you didn't second guess that particular note " flute sound" around 12:55 and carried on playing I'm sure it would have sorted itself
yeah. as someone in the jazz scene said, if you play a wrong note, play it again!
Are those Grado headphones? I had some donkey's years ago and they were great. How are they now?
yes, grados, about 4 years old now, still going strong. always been a bit of a rattle/buzz in one of the cans, but only noticeable when playing rhodes sounds!
Is this your bid for an entrance to the Stockholm hardcore techno scene?😃
first I need to see how it went for my dubstep entry.
I never play chords with lead sounds am I doing it wrong ?
Not at all
Thumbs up for 23-42 minutes of Woody KORG Kross 2 Combi Jams on every Friday evening. ;)
i'll see what i can do, mind if i try some other synths from time to time?
Actually, that would be even better :)
The Kross is the best bang for the buck that Korg ever made.
yeah, I think so, certainly in the sound department!
So far ;)
If you like the Kross Combis better than the Nautilus, the Nautilus should be able to do them, too (if you have a Nautilus)
dupe them into the Nautilus
no way to export/import them, but youre right the naut is capable of doing them, or better, but I'm just saying the factory presets aren't as impressive
@@WoodyPianoShack That's why I said to dupe them. Import/export can't be done, dupe the configurations and rhythms manually.
Yes keyboards seem to bring more feeling to the sound more then stand alone synths. but all keyboads these days are much the same.
Possibly one of the worst sounding keyboards Ive ever heard. muddy digital garbage!
i love it when you speak your mind! :D
@@WoodyPianoShack likewise! To each their own :)
there's many, many worse, both past and current, sheesh
@@Jason75913 ... Exactly what "possibly one of the worst" means... Sheesh
No way! Just as people love the quirks and artifacts of analog synths, people love the artifacts of digital synths. For example, muddy digital garbage is the Roland JV-1080/XP, but a huge army of hardcore fans (myself included) loves the way it sounds because its dirty digital garbage is very pleasing to the ear. Another example of muddy digital garbage is the D-50, a well-known and highly sought-after legend. An extreme example is the cheap early CASIOs (and KAWAI!), which pair beautifully with modern FX. Muddy digital garbage is good.