Main Features - Korg KRONOS2-61 Quick Start Manual

Main Features

Nine World-Class Synthesis Engines
The KRONOS features nine completely different synthesis
engines:
• Three engines dedicated to the most important traditional
keyboard instruments: the SGX-2 premium acoustic
piano, EP-1 MDS electric piano, and CX-3 tonewheel
organ.
• Three different virtual analog synths, each with tons of
programmability and its own distinct sonic character: the
AL-1, MS-20EX, and PolysixEX.
• A full-featured sampling and Wave Sequencing
synthesizer, the HD-1.
• The STR-1 physical modeling synth, for creating both
traditional timbres and unique new sounds.
• The MOD-7 VPM/waveshaping/PCM-mangling
powerhouse.
Each is worthy of a separate product in its own right, but the
KRONOS brings them all together into a single, integrated
musical instrument. There are no separate cards to manage
or polyphony barriers between them—and no "CPU overs"
to worry about.
All of the synthesis engines share a common theme: superior
sound quality. You'll easily hear the sonic benefits of Korg's
proprietary HD-1 low-aliasing sample playback oscillators,
patented low-aliasing analog oscillators, full-bandwidth
resonant filters, and extraordinarily fast & smooth envelopes
and LFOs.
Optimized for live performance
Smooth Sound Transitions (SST) provide overlapping
effects and voices when you change sounds, with no special
mode necessary.
Set Lists provide easy on-screen selection of Programs,
Combinations, and Songs from a single screen. Set Lists also
make it easy to rearrange sounds and save lyrics or notes,
and provide a dedicated graphic EQ on the main outputs for
adjusting to live acoustics.
Effects
The KRONOS includes 197 different effects types, from
choruses and delays to amp models, a vocoder, and much
more. These aren't just simple effects, either; there are up to
72 parameters per effect, and plenty of real-time modulation.
Effect Presets let you easily store and recall all of the
settings for an individual effect.
You can use up to 16 of these effects simultaneously, with 12
Insert Effects, 2 Master Effects (for reverb sends, for
instance), and 2 Total Effects (for stereo bus processing).
There are also 32 dedicated three-band EQs—one for each
MIDI and audio track.
Finally, many of the synth engines feature specialized signal
processing. The CX-3, PolysixEX, and EP-1 include
dedicated effects, and you can process live audio through the
AL-1, MS-20EX, STR-1, and MOD-7.
KARMA
KARMA (Kay Algorithmic Music Architecture) is an
astonishingly flexible interactive MIDI data generator. Much
more than a simple arpeggiator, it combines many different
algorithms into a powerful music generation engine,
collaborating with you as you play.
These include drum and instrument grooves, gated/chopped
effects, complex controller gestures, musical phrase
generation, arpeggiation, and much more. Sliders and
switches let you reconfigure and modulate the algorithms in
real-time.
Sampling
Stereo sampling captures audio from any analog or digital
input, as well as audio CDs (via a USB CDR/RW drive). You
can also sample through effects, resample the output of the
KRONOS itself, or import sounds in Akai, SoundFont 2.0,
WAV, and AIFF formats.
Audio and MIDI sequencer
16 MIDI tracks and 16 audio tracks (24-bit, 48kHz) let you
record directly on the KRONOS whenever inspiration
strikes. You can import and export SMF and WAVE files
when working with other platforms.
The Drum Track provides built-in drum grooves, fueled by
the KRONOS's high-quality drum sounds.
Computer Interface and USB Storage
USB 2.0 audio and MIDI I/O provide a single-cable
connection to computer DAWs, and the KRONOS Editor
software lets you edit sounds directly from your computer.
You can download the most recent software and drivers from
http://www.korg.com/kronos.
Two USB 2.0 A-type connectors are built-in, making it easy
to expand your storage via external hard disks, removable
disks, flash media, and so on.
Superb Musical Interface
Highlighted by a large color TouchView LCD display, the
KRONOS features a vast array of assignable physical
controllers—sliders, knobs, joysticks, ribbon, and
switches—all designed to provide effortless, supremely
musical control at your fingertips. The context-sensitive
online help system makes the manuals available right on the
instrument's display.
The KRONOS 73-key and 88-key models features the RH3
(Real Weighted Hammer Action 3) keyboard, which
replicates the touch of an acoustic grand piano with heavier
action on the lower keys and lighter action in the higher
ranges, responding to every nuance of your playing.
Main Features
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