Kross or Krome

[Danny Sticks]

Hi, I'm a relative beginner learning piano and trying to record my own stuff at home. I have a Yamaha P95 for learning piano which is great, but very limited range of sounds for home recording. I had a Korg Microstation for a while which I liked, but found trying to do any sequencing really tricky on such a small screen and found the keys too small, so I sold it.
So...... I see the Korg Kross is coming out any minute now which feels around the right budget for me (61 key 599), but I have a nagging feeling that if I stretched an extra £200 I could get the Krome, with its nice touch screen....
The main thing I want is access to a variety of sounds, but i'm not a continuous tweaker - I prefer to do that later during mixing. For learning, I really want to be able to record loops quickly and easily i.e. a simple four bar chord loop that I can then practice soloing over, which looks like it will be pretty easy on the Kross.
Any thoughts on whether its "worth" spending the extra on the Krome. Considering i'm just an amateur who enjoys messing about, the £800 Krome is pushing it a bit, but I want something that I wont wanting to be changing in a long time....
Any other options? I have looked at Yamaha MX61 which seems great, but lack of any sequencing is a problem for me, I like to quickly and easily record ideas and loops whilst I'm practicing.
Thanks
Dan

 

[happyrat1]

Perhaps you should consider just picking up a used Korg TR Rack Module for a couple of hundred bux and use it with the Yamaha keyboard and do your sequencing on a computer instead.

It's a much cheaper option and you'd have pretty much the same sounds as you would on the Kross or the Krome and save a lot of space in your studio to boot.

Just a thought,

Gary

 

[Danny Sticks]

Thanks I hadn't thought of a separate module. My house layout means I have the piano in living room though, so I really need to keep that "separate" as I have a spare room (studio according to me, guest bedroom according to the good lady). It was the reason I sold the microstation because previously i'd used that as a module and played through the Yamaha, but now I want something I can comfortably play away from the piano. Cheers, Dan

 

[happyrat1]

Offhand then I'd say go with the Kross instead of the Krome. I used to own a Korg TR76 and pretty much used it as you plan to do. Truth is there's not that much difference in the sounds between the two and to me touch screens are pretty much a gimmick. Plus they get all greasy and nasty after a while.