Korg Kronos X, Quick Start Manual

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Main Features
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5
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 ‐ 1
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 185 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.