Korg NAUTILUS

[Biggles]

Not everyone wants to work with a computer. It can be inconvenient for gigging, or if your computer and keyboard aren't typically located near each other, or you don't want to deal with some of the initial complications or don't like the general workflow... Also, does that necessarily give you everything the hardware does? Can you seamlessly switch from any combination of up to 16 sounds to any other combination of up to 16 sounds? (And I don't think Absolute includes all the modeling and other synth engines of the Nautilus, though one could buy additional VSTs that should be comparable.) Also unknown, is the action comparable? (OTOH, if you are happy with the computer approach, you can arguably get by with a lesser board than the MODX6!)


At the moment, I think people who find the Kronos appealing but wished for a lightweight non-hammer 73, or are intimidated by the busy front panel of the Kronos, or who feel they don't need the extra Kronos advantages and would rather save a few bucks. Or maybe even people who are scared off by KARMA and wish it has a simpler arpeggiator based system instead. In the long run, I don't think this relatively small price difference between Nautilus and something higher end will be maintained, so... ask me again a few months from now. ;-)

As for the car analogies above, this is something I posted elsewhere in 2017, which still largely holds, I think...

Casio = Hyundai/Kia. High value, with a quality reputation that has grown beyond its budget beginnings.

Hammond = Jeep. Anything else is just an SUV.

Kawai = Volkswagen. Fahrvergnügen.

Korg = Ford. Models for every niche, with occasional adventurous designs.

Kurzweil = Mini Cooper. Repackages the same basic thing a dozen different ways, but its fans love it anyway.

Moog = Tesla. What everyone wants, but few have.

Nord = Volvo. No-nonsense, premium designs without unnecessary frills.

Numa/Studiologic/Fatar = Fiat. On paper, they look great. When they hit the streets, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Roland = Nissan. A mix of super cool with "what were they thinking?"

Yamaha = BMW. Solid top of the line products with interfaces that can drive you crazy.

Scott you are so wrong.

Yamaha = BMW no way, more like Audi, the menu system on my Audi drove me to distraction, especially the GPS which took longer to programme than the journey itself actually took.

Moog = Tesla everyone want one. I am hoping you are meaning everyone wants a Moog, I certainly do not want a Tesla where everyone I have sat in is uncomfortable and very basic inside. In any case who wants to drive a car whose OS wants to kill you?

 

[UltimateKeybed]

Im getting the Nauti 73, ordered it a while ago. Just really hope the keybed is top notch. Woody thinks it has premium feel and asking Loopop he said its more in the line of novation SL 49 MK3 than the Modx 6/7. I have the Modx 7 and tho I like the keybed per se, its very "klackie"/noisy and can get annoying and harsh on the ears after a while.

 

[HighlandStudio91]

Im getting the Nauti 73, ordered it a while ago. Just really hope the keybed is top notch. Woody thinks it has premium feel and asking Loopop he said its more in the line of novation SL 49 MK3 than the Modx 6/7. I have the Modx 7 and tho I like the keybed per se, its very "klackie"/noisy and can get annoying and harsh on the ears after a while.

I ordered the same on 12/31/2020...expecting it in early March.I also had MODX7...great FM synth,but the sequencer & build quality was absolute trash(gladly sold it.) Top notch key-bed quality on the Nautilus? Well....I suppose that depends on how you define "top notch." Certainly won't be in the ballpark of Kronos-quality,but will almost certainly surpass that of the MODX.

 

[UltimateKeybed]

Thx for the feedback. Well,”top notch” for me would be a keybed in the line of the Montage or Fatar keys at least. By the reviews I’ve seen so far it should be more silent. Hope it isn’t “spongy” (is that a word...)

 

[Kaneda]

Price difference between the Nautilus 88 and the Kronos 88 has become even smaller : 2899 euro for the Nautilus, 3129 euro for the Kronos on Thomann's website.
That's a measly 230 euro more for the Kronos. Who in their right mind would buy a Nautilus 88 at this point ? Unless he or she has inside information directly from Korg that an entirely new Kronos is coming soon...

The thing is, I now have two digital pianos, a Kawai MP11SE and a CA58. Two because I'm between two 'homes' for the moment, but that is about to change as I'm going to sell my house and move to my appartment for good. I have my CA58 there which I love so I'm going to keep that one.
So, I'd like to replace the MP11SE with something more 'fun', but still with a good quality weighted keybed. So I immediately thought of the Kronos 88. It may be a bit out of my league because I know nothing about programming sounds or sequencers, nor am I really interested in that, but what's already in the Kronos 88 by default (which is a whole lot) seems like great fun.
It's expensive, I know, but selling my MP11SE will soften the blow somewhat. And, apparently it's no use going for the Nautilus since the price difference is negligible.
Unless someone could suggest another comparable keyboard that's heaps of fun as well ? The Roland Fantom 8 has an even better keybed but that might be too complicated....

 

[anotherscott]

Kronos has tons of usability even if you don't go anywhere near its sequencer or programming your own sounds. That said, I'm not enamored of the action. For some reason, I do not like its RH3 action, even though I like the RH3 action in the SV1. So do try to get your fingers on one first. My other criticism in context of your describing what it is you're looking for is that I don't find it a particularly "fun" board to interact with... it kind of feels more like operating a computer than a musical instrument. But the sonic capabilities are tremendous. I have not played a Fantom 8, but it strikes me as actually *less* complicated, benefitting from things like a more modern on-screen interface, dedicated (labeled and logically grouped) controls for the synth functions, ringed endless encoders (meaning the knonbs always show and move from their "correct" locations), etc. Also, in terms of future enhancements, Fantom is more at start of life, and Kronos is probably closer to end of life.

 

[Kaneda]

Well, I might take a look at the Fantom, don't know if it has a lot of cool sounds installed by default, just like the Kronos (love those 80's sounds used in so many pop songs). Love the PHA50, but I also believe it is less suited as an 'all round' action, i.e. great for piano, not so much for organ or synth...
As for Korg's RH3, I have loved it from the very beginning ; granted, it is not an ideal action for classical piano, but I have my CA58 for that (Kawai's Grand Feel Compact is really close to the Grand Feel that's in my MP11SE, basically the same but with slightly shorter keysticks - and to be honest, playing classical music really feels different knowing AND feeling you're playing on a wooden action ). As an all round action, though (some pop piano, organ, synth, etc), I believe Korg's RH3 is second to none (IMHO)...
And yes I know the Kronos has been around for a while, but the Nautilus has basically the same innards, and that's brand new. So, logically, I don't think that 'support' for the Kronos will end very soon...

 

[happyrat1]

I've been kicking around the idea of selling off my Juno DS and buying a Kurzweil PC4 to replace it.

First of all I'm already familiar with the Kurzweil Operating System and secondly it doesn't have a crappy touchscreen.

Don't get me wrong. A good, capacitive touchscreen is a pleasure to work with BUT the Nautilus has a resistive touchscreen instead and if my experiences with a HP Laser Printer have taught me anything they are harder to work with than nailing jello to a tree. You have to poke your fingers so hard your fingertips will start to bleed. I dunno if the Kronos screen is capacitive or resistive, but that feature alone would keep me from ever buying a Nautilus.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

And yes I know the Kronos has been around for a while, but the Nautilus has basically the same innards, and that's brand new. So, logically, I don't think that 'support' for the Kronos will end very soon...

OTOH, Korg has announced they are coming out with a translator that will allow you to load Kronos programs into the Nautilus (within certain limitations), but nothing to go the other way.

As for the action, again, I'd just suggest being sure to play a Kronos, and not assume it will feel like the RH3 you've played in some other board. Though if you want a hammer action board that is reasonably passable for organ, I'd consider also looking at Kurzweil Forte and Nord Stage 3.

 

[Kaneda]

I've been kicking around the idea of selling off my Juno DS and buying a Kurzweil PC4 to replace it.

First of all I'm already familiar with the Kurzweil Operating System and secondly it doesn't have a crappy touchscreen.

Don't get me wrong. A good, capacitive touchscreen is a pleasure to work with BUT the Nautilus has a resistive touchscreen instead and if my experiences with a HP Laser Printer have taught me anything they are harder to work with than nailing jello to a tree. You have to poke your fingers so hard your fingertips will start to bleed. I dunno if the Kronos screen is capacitive or resistive, but that feature alone would keep me from ever buying a Nautilus.

Gary

Apparently, the Kronos has a resistive touch screen. To be honest, I have owned a Krome EX88 and I assume that too had a resistive screen, which wasn't too bad, though.
I suppose the Fantom has a better screen but I just feel it isn't as much 'fun' as the Kronos, even though the Fantom is much more modern board...

OTOH, Korg has announced they are coming out with a translator that will allow you to load Kronos programs into the Nautilus (within certain limitations), but nothing to go the other way.

As for the action, again, I'd just suggest being sure to play a Kronos, and not assume it will feel like the RH3 you've played in some other board. Though if you want a hammer action board that is reasonably passable for organ, I'd consider also looking at Kurzweil Forte and Nord Stage 3.

To be honest, the huge number of set lists is what draws me to the Kronos, not to mention the quality of the sounds. I'd probably only use about 20% of the board's capabilities but I just can't see an alternative that has that many likeable sounds and a great keybed to boot (I have played the RH3 in the Grandstage, SV1 and D1 and like it every time - the Kronos might feel different because of aftertouch so I'm definitely going to try when I get the chance).
I don't think I could just buy a D1 for example, and then do all the sounds in software, but that's complicating things again, don't really want to bother with computers and all that...

 

[happyrat1]

I second Scott's suggestion of a Kurzweil Forte or the new K2700 which is scheduled for release sometime this spring.

With Kurzweil it's all about the sound and not the bells and whistles.

Gary

 

[Kaneda]

I guess that K2700 peaks my interest. Not a fan of Fatar actions but might give this one a try. I'm not in any hurry, really.

But not familiar at all with Kurzweil. They seem like great quality, but are they difficult to operate ? Can I expect a similarly impressive list of usable built-in factory sounds, just like in the Kronos ?

 

[happyrat1]

The K series has an extensive library thousands of sounds created by users over the decades and the K2700 has like 2 or 4 Gigs of non volatile sample memory to store any sound or patch you'd like. Load it once and it is instantly available and permanently there until you overwrite it with something else

On my PC3K8 I have 1024 factory sounds, and additional 400 or so sounds and drum kits on the Kore64 Expansion chip as well as another 1000 user sounds I've downloaded from online sources installed.

And that's with a lousy 128 meg of sample memory!

The documentation is extensive and deep and takes years to digest but these synths are incredibly capable and very well built.

The TP40L keybed in the PC3K8 is very playable and is a good compromise between piano and organ style playability.

The KB3 modeled organ engine is the closest you can get to a real tonewheel without investing in a genuine Hammond.

When people buy a Kurzweil they hang on to them for 25 or 30 years. They're just that good

Gary

 

[Biggles]

The Nautilus and Kronos may well share the same display.

From the Korg website
.

Color TouchView Display—Now with Touch-Drag Capability​

The nerve center of the KRONOS is KORG’s enormous eight-inch (800 x 600 pixel) SVGA color TouchView display.

In addition to simply selecting a sound or choosing a parameter with the touch of a finger, the enhanced Touch-Drag ability allows more detailed control of parameter values. Interactive instruments and panel graphics provide the ability to do everything from adjusting the lid of a grand piano to connecting patch cable on a semi-modular synthesizer model.

The TouchView display also hosts a convenient new Search Function, allowing you to search for (and preview) sounds based on their titles.
.
Now the Nautilus
.
The nerve center of the NAUTILUS is KORG’s enormous eight-inch (800 x 480 pixel) WVGA color TouchView display.

etc. etc.

From the PA range

Huge 7-inch capacitive TouchView™ display with tilting system.

 

[Biggles]

I guess that K2700 peaks my interest. Not a fan of Fatar actions but might give this one a try. I'm not in any hurry, really.

But not familiar at all with Kurzweil. They seem like great quality, but are they difficult to operate ? Can I expect a similarly impressive list of usable built-in factory sounds, just like in the Kronos ?

Go to the Thomann website and enter Kursweil in the search box

I did and got this

Thomann - Welcome Home!

Search Results - Page 1 - "kurzweil"

www.thomann.de

Zero.

You may well find that in Belgium Kursweil are as well supported as a Dentist in the Poultry business.

I have said it many times before Kursweil are practically non existent here in the UK, which is a real shame but that is life.

Who would buy kit where there is no suppoprt or history of the product?

 

[Kaneda]

Go to the Thomann website and enter Kursweil in the search box

I did and got this

Thomann - Welcome Home!

Search Results - Page 1 - "kurzweil"

www.thomann.de

Zero.

You may well find that in Belgium Kursweil are as well supported as a Dentist in the Poultry business.

I have said it many times before Kursweil are practically non existent here in the UK, which is a real shame but that is life.

Who would buy kit where there is no suppoprt or history of the product?

Kurzweil PC4

Performance controller keyboard Weighted 88-key hammer action keyboard, Velocity sensitive and with aftertouch, V.A.S.T. Engine with 256 votes, 6 Operators FM Engine, 2 GB factory sounds, 2 GB user sample memory, More than 1000 presets, KB3...

m.thomann.de

Kurzweil SP6

Digital Stage Piano Weighted hammer action with 88 velocity-sensitive keys (Medeli K6), Monochrome LCD with 128x64 pixels, 128-Voice polyphony with dynamic allocation, Sound generation: VAST - Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology, KB3 -...

m.thomann.de

I knew from memory that Thomann Belgium has some Kurzweils, but obviously not all of them; oddly, doing a search on the website for ‘Kurzweil’ doesn’t give any results. I had to google it...

However, there are other stores that sell the brand.

 

[Biggles]

Pleased you have some retailers.

As it is you are closer to the one and only UK retailer than I am.

Not that either of us will be buying anything from each other's Country until such a time that the UK rejoins the EU.

 

[Kaneda]

Pleased you have some retailers.

As it is you are closer to the one and only UK retailer than I am.

Not that either of us will be buying anything from each other's Country until such a time that the UK rejoins the EU.

Yes, sad situation, this Brexit thing...

 

[happyrat1]

About Kurzweil Model Availability :-: Most dealers only stock the latest and most popular models in their showrooms. Usually the older and deluxe models are warehoused at the distributor and only available on special order. Kurzweil product life spans are enormous. My PC3K and the SP4-7 stage piano are still being sold and supported a decade or more after they were introduced!!!

About Resistive Kronos Touchscreens :-: The Googly Box is your friend Here's a fascinating thread about what to do when they go bad with some revealing insights into korg legacy support.

Korg Forums :: View topic - Korg Kronos 2 Touch Screen not working?

Come over to the Dark Side Kaneda... Join the cult of Kurzweil... We welcome your arrival to our ranks where everything is beautiful and the sun shines every day!!!

We are a very select secret society aimed at keeping the world free of bad music

BTW : The PC4 will give you a rough, but sufficient feel for Kurzweil's standard control layout and as previously mentioned the Medelli Keyboard in the PC4 is being replaced by the Fatar TP40L, (mainly due to popular demand) :-: (kurzweil listens to their customers and their engineers work with our suggestions)

Come to the Dark Side Kaneda. We'll even call you Kurzweil Kaneda once you're in

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

The PC4 will give you a rough, but sufficient feel for Kurzweil's standard control layout and as previously mentioned the Medelli Keyboard in the PC4 is being replaced by the Fatar TP40L, (mainly due to popular demand)

Each action has its place. I think virtually everyone--even Kurzweil--has always considered the TP40L (as on the Forte) to be the better action, but the Medelli has two big benefits: cheaper and lighter. A PC4 with a TP40L would weigh a lot more than its 28 lbs and cost a lot more than its $2k. It's good that they offer both, so players who must gig with something lighter or must have something more affordable can still get something as capable as a PC4.