Korg Kronos 3 88 key Music Workstation Keyboard

Korg Kronos 3 88 key Music Workstation Keyboard

Kronos: Reloaded

Launched in 2011, the Korg Kronos set a new benchmark for keyboard workstation performance. Kronos 2, introduced in 2014, further raised the performance bar and became the workstation of choice for A-list artists like Jordan Rudess and Derek Sherinian. But technology marches on, and now the third-generation Korg Kronos 3 leverages the latest cutting-edge tech to deliver a level of stunning sound quality and seamless operability unimaginable only a few years ago. Sweetwater is excited to present to you the state of the art in keyboard workstations: Kronos 3. To suit a range of keyboardist preferences, Korg offers Kronos 3 with your choice of three keybeds. The 88- and 73-key models are fitted with Korg’s flagship Japan-crafted RH3 (Real Weighted Hammer Action 3) keybed, whereas the 61-key model features Korg’s smooth Natural Touch semi-weighted action with aftertouch.

Whichever you select, you can be assured of flawless playability. While the classic features of Kronos carry forward, this next-generation design incorporates subtle yet striking updates. Its powder coated metal chassis boasts tour-tough durability and an upscale tactile feel, while the elegant black wooden end panels add a sophisticated touch. These enhancements ensure Kronos not only performs like a champ but also commands instant attention from your audience.

Redefining the music workstation — again
Kronos set the standard for modern technology-laden keyboard workstations, and each successive generation has upped the ante in this regard. Like its forbears, Kronos 3 packs the awesome power of nine separate sound engines — each driven by a distinct synthesis type — to serve up a staggering range of sounds spanning virtually all instrument categories, from vintage to modern. But the latest developments in the technology underpinning each of these synthesis types allow Kronos 3 to deliver its immense soundset with a sonic verisimilitude and sophistication heretofore unheard.

HD-1 high-definition synthesizer PCM sound engine
Few companies have produced PCM-based synthesis engines for nearly as long as Korg, which is why it's no surprise that their HD-1 PCM-based synthesizer engine is such an astonishingly powerful sound generator. The natural successor in a lineage going back to the original M1, this sound engine includes a legacy of popular Korg instruments, including many programs left out of previous keyboards due to memory constraints that are no longer an issue. At the same time, this collection of sounds isn't just a history lesson in Korg classics; it benefits from modern technologies such as low-aliasing sample playback oscillators, high-res filters, and many other synthesis components that will redefine the way you think about traditional digital synthesis.

MS-20EX analog modeling sound engine
It hardly gets more classic than the Korg MS-20 analog synthesizer, so when we first heard the MS-20EX analog modeling sound engine in the original Kronos, the synth nuts here at Sweetwater were gobsmacked. Korg has since gone on to re-create the MS-20 in multiple other guises, including an iOS version. In Kronos 3, the impressive power of Korg's Component Modeling Technology (CMT) delivers a level of detail that reproduces this favorite mini modular synth more faithfully than ever. What's more, there are no limits to this sound engine, which allows you to go so far as to use external audio as the oscillator source, if you want. There are gazillions of creative ways to put the MS-20EX engine to work in your music!

AL-1 analog synthesizer modeling sound engine
When Korg goes big, they go WAY big, like when they introduced the OASYS (Open Architecture Synthesis Studio) in 2005. Considered by many to be the Korg's concept car, the OASYS introduced many new technologies that were way ahead of their time — so far ahead, in fact, that they're still being explored and developed two decades later! One of the sound engines introduced by this beast and leveraged to the max by Kronos 3 is AL-1, a high-fidelity analog-modeling synth that harnesses modern computer processing to combine complex waveforms, routing, and modulation, with filter morphing and creamy-smooth oscillator performance to let you build deliciously analog-sounding programs that go leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of real analog circuitry.

MOD-7 waveshaping VPM/FM synthesis sound engine
Variable Phase Modulation (VPM) hit the keyboard world in 1995 with the introduction of Korg's Prophecy and gained even more popularity when their Z1 followed a couple of years later. This fusion of PCM cross modulation, semi-modular subtractive synthesis, and extensive waveshaping all comes together in the MOD-7 sound engine, which uses the Kronos's powerful graphic interface and hands-on controls to make constructing patches easy. Whether you're after the ping and chime of classic FM electric piano sounds or want to create your own energizing soundscapes or rhythmic pads, there's a ton of sonic real estate to explore in the MOD-7.

STR-1 strings physical model sound engine
These aren't your typical synth strings. Rather than using old-school synthesis, the STR-1 plucked strings sound engine employs physical modeling — a high-tech form of sound generation that calculates the specific behavior of strings in motion to generate realistic guitar, harp, harpsichord, and ethnic stringed instruments in ways PCM/sample-based synths can't quite manage. What's more, this sound engine lets you dig in deep to create unique sounds entirely of your own. It's the perfect tool for anyone who loves getting tweaky and diving into sound design.

The most expressive sounds you'll play
How much time do you enjoy putting into getting great sounds from your keyboard that fit your playing style? If you're like most of us, then the answer is none. That's why keyboardists and composers here at Sweetwater love Kronos. This fantastic keyboard workstation features sounds that respond naturally not only to playing dynamics, but to many other factors as well. From the first time you fire it up, sit down, and play, you'll be in love with this system. All of this is only possible thanks to powerful synthesis technologies, many of which were developed specifically for Kronos. One of these is Korg's Virtual Memory Technology, a flexible system that provides you with high polyphony as well as incredible un-looped samples. It also allows Kronos to perform smooth sound transitions, so you can hold sustained notes while switching sounds or modes — just what you need for seamless transitions from one passage to the next.

Features:
Cutting-edge, high-performance keyboard music workstation
Thousands of sounds and effects and extensive hands-on controls
Everything you need to create, arrange, and perform original music
Available with 88- and 73-key RH3 weighted hammer action or 61-key semi-weighted action with aftertouch
8-in. color TouchView display, 4-way joystick, and ribbon controller
Preset PCM: 314MB (ROM 1,505 multi-samples, 1,388 drum samples)
26 built-in Expansion PCM libraries
PCM RAM capacity: approximately 3GB
Wave sequences: 598 user memory, 207 preload
Support for stereo multi-samples, synchronization of individual notes, and tempo-based settings.
9 sound engines, each driven by a distinct synthesis type:
SGX-2: Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano, max. polyphony 100 voices)
EP-1: MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano, max. polyphony 104 voices)
HD-1: High Definition Synthesizer (PCM, max. polyphony 140 voices)
AL-1: Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 80 voices)
CX-3: Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling, max. polyphony 200 voices)
STR-1: Plucked Strings (Physical Modeling, max. polyphony 40 voices)
MOD-7: Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis, max. polyphony 52 voices)
MS-20EX: Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 40 voices)
PolysixEX: Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling, max. polyphony 180 voices)
Attractive, durable powder coated metal chassis stands up to tough touring schedules
Comprehensive connectivity, including USB/MIDI ports for computers and class-compliant controllers

Tulis review