I want it all. And I want it now.

[cpl2_0]

I am looking to upgrade my keyboard gear. I am in a couple of bands and covering everything from Queen and Pink Floyd to 80s pop and some more recent tunes like Uptown Funk and Shut Up and Dance. I also get asked to be in pit bands and sometimes have to cover string sections and orchestral pieces.
Somehow I've been eking by with a Roland Juno Stage and an Alesis QS6 (both of which I bought new). But I'm a stickler for getting the "right" sound and my 2 old boards just aren't cutting it anymore. I'm trying to find that sweet spot between great sound/feel, weight, and price. Was thinking of a Nord or Korg Kronos on the bottom plus perhaps a Behringer Deepmind 12 on top, but I don't want to spend time between songs fiddling with nobs and sliders, and I'd like to minimize the time I have to spend programming a complicated work station.
What keyboard(s) would you recommend I consider?
Thanks!

 

[CowboyNQ]

Was thinking of a Nord or Korg Kronos on the bottom plus perhaps a Behringer Deepmind 12 on top, but I don't want to spend time between songs fiddling with nobs and sliders, and I'd like to minimize the time I have to spend programming a complicated work station.

Kronos is considered by many to be the gold standard in "does it all" keyboards, and the set list mode makes it super easy to flick between songs. But yes, programming involved. This said, there would be anyway no matter what 'board you chose if you're a "stickler" for sounds.

I know quite a few guys in covers bands who use them simply because of their great sound quality and versatility. If I were looking to upgrade my party band rig it's what I'd be considering as a first option, and I doubt I'd use a second keyboard.

I also do hear very good things about the Yamaha MODX, which would also be worth checking out for this kind of work. Organs are apparently a bit ordinary, though.

 

[Biggles]

Welcome.

I have played a couple of Nords and they do sound great, one thing about them is adjustments on the fly is very quick with all the significant controls available without having to delve into a menu system. So do check this out for the range of sounds you wish to use. Not sure about their storage capabilities of layered sounds, FX etc or the quantities that can be stored onboard.

I did have a play of a Yamaha MODX a couple of months ago and the range of sounds I played did sound good but the Menu system seemed typical Yamaha layers and layers of delving plus the text size was a bit small.

Kronos, what is there not to love about it? As Paul suggests, it is the one all others are compared against it but there is a downside it is a Korg and it will be a steep learning curve to get up to the plateau and a Korg Manual is not exactly the most helpful for finding specifics. That said Korg Forums and the Kronos section has some very knowledgable members all be it there are many there where the ego has landed if you get my gist ( light years better personalities of members here ).

Korg have for each if their products a video series labelled Video Manual where a number of different videos show and explain the operation of the key features of their product.

What I did was watch the videos a few times to get knowledge of how to use the features before I went to a Music Store, post buying they still came in handy to fine tune the routines I use.

Here is part 1 for the Kronos.

One thing to check with whatever keyboard you go with is its ability to hold the sound playing when you change instrument until you release the keys, I have a Kross 2 and if I change Combi’s on the fly the sound playing stops as the button to change is pressed, its a tad annoying.

 

[happyrat1]

Already selling in Europe. Scheduled to hit North America in October.....

Gary

 

[cpl2_0]

Great stuff so far, thanks!
Is the Korg Krome worth considering rather than the Kronos, or is it too limited?

 

[happyrat1]

CowboyNQ (Paul) is in a well known Pink Floyd cover band in Australia and his entire kit consists of a Korg Krome, a King Korg and a Kurzweil SP4.

He seems to get by OK with that combination.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

covering everything from Queen and Pink Floyd to 80s pop and some more recent tunes like Uptown Funk and Shut Up and Dance...I'm a stickler for getting the "right" sound...Was thinking of a Nord or Korg Kronos on the bottom...I'd like to minimize the time I have to spend programming a complicated work station.

Kronos is much deeper than Nord, and is more likely to be able to get something very close to the "right" sound for any kind of pop hit. The flip side of that is that although the Nord is not as capable, its more direct interface and fewer options makes it much easier to program sounds on it than going through all the screens/menus of the Kronos. So would you prefer to get 85% of the way toward the sound you want in 10 minutes (Nord) or 99% of the way there in 2 hours (Kronos)? (Figures just for conceptual illustration. ) One other point for Kronos, though, is that it actually comes with pre-programmed patches for many common covers (and those sounds can be useful for other covers as well, as is or as a starting point for further tweaking, since certain kinds of sounds tend to get used a lot in pop hits of a given era).

I also get asked to be in pit bands and sometimes have to cover string sections and orchestral pieces.

By reputation, Kurzweil and Yamaha are probably strongest there. Kronos can work well too. Nord will not be as good. Its orchestral samples are limited to single velocity layers, and its split/layer capabilities are far more limited.

 

[Biggles]

Korg Video Manual part 1 for the Krome.

 

[happyrat1]

Apparently PC4 is already shipping thru some vendors in the US already,

Kurzweil PC4 88-Key Performance Controller and Studio Workstation Synthesizer

Buy Kurzweil PC4 88-Key Performance Controller and Studio Workstation Synthesizer featuring 88 Fully Weighted Hammer Action Keys, Widescreen Color Display, 256 Voices, 2 GB of Sounds, 1000 Factory Presets, German 9', Japanese 7' Grand Pianos, E. Pianos, Clavs, Organs, and Strings, 6-Operator FM...

www.bhphotovideo.com

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

CowboyNQ (Paul) is in a well known Pink Floyd cover band in Australia and his entire kit consists of a Korg Krome, a King Korg and a Kurzweil SP4.

He seems to get by OK with that combination.

Thanks Gary, you are quite correct although these days the Kurz has been replaced by a Korg SV-1. I really liked the SP4-7 but wanted to go 88 weighted.

I do love the Krome but the Kronos is superior in sound, keybed feel and the pure convenience of set list mode. It’s a much more powerful machine but then of course it’s significantly pricier.

That said, the Krome has never let me down yet. Only yesterday I was programming a new Combi for “Kids in America” (not for the Pink Floyd tribute obviously) and having a blast making it all come to life.

 

[cpl2_0]

Thanks, everyone. Very helpful! Now to get to the music store to start playing them to make that final decision, but this was exactly what I was looking for.