Korg Kronos 88 II

Korg Kronos 88 II

Music workstation with 88 keys with RH3 Weighted Hammer action that embodies over 50 years of artistic vision and production expertise – with nine distinct synthesis engines and a complete suite of performance and productions tools, it is simply the most versatile synthesizer ever made. Each of the individual sound engines is eminently qualified to operate as a stand-alone synthesizer. Exacting programming parameters, real-time controllers, integrated effects, and assignable modulation routings provide incredible control for the creating custom edits or for the ambitious sound designer. The enhanced SGX-2 Grand Piano sound engine offers huge collections of non-looped/natural decay stereo samples, recorded for every key, with additional unique tools to customize the piano sound, plus adding the Berlin Grand piano to the existing deep German Grand and lively Japanese Grand. The Berlin Grand offers resonant piano sound with a striking sense of depth. Other enhancements to the SGX-2 engine included Sympathetic String Resonance and newly-recorded Una Corda (soft pedal – literally “one-string”) samples. The workstation comes equipped with thousands of sounds, created using various synthesis modes and calling upon over approximately 21 GB of preset waveform data covering a variety of genres. Each one has been carefully crafted by the KORG Sound Design team. The internal SSD offers a generous 62GB capacity, providing enormous space for user sampling or downloading KRONOS Sound Libraries. The Artist Signature Programs provide the priceless sounds actually used by top-ranking musicians. Additional Song Programs are named for the classic rock and pop songs whose signature keyboard sounds these programs recreate. The unit can organize all of the necessary resources using the Set List mode – the TouchView display can host 16 color-coded touch-screen buttons; each one can instantly call up the appropriate Preset, Combination, or Sequence, regardless of mode. The Set List mode even adds a nine-band graphic EQ, allowing the overall tone to be tweaked to match the venue. New in OS version 3.0, Set List mode now allows for deeper customization with many slot colour options, text size variations, and a full-screen text editor. Connecting a USB computer keyboard makes it simple to enter text and numeric values. The nerve centre of the workstation is KORG’s enormous eight-inch (800 x 600 pixel) SVGA colour TouchView display. In addition to simply selecting a sound or choosing a parameter with the touch of a finger, the enhanced Touch-Drag ability allows more detailed control of parameter values. Interactive instruments and panel graphics provide the ability to do everything from adjusting the lid of a grand piano to connecting patch cable on a semi-modular synthesizer model. The TouchView display also hosts a convenient new Search Function, allowing for searching for (and preview) sounds based on their titles. In addition to MIDI and Audio tracks, the on-board sequencer is loaded with valuable tools (KARMA, Drum Tracks function, Open Sampling System) to transform the musical ideas into a complete composition, using real-time and interactive techniques that are unavailable or cumbersome to use on a computer-based system. The workstation also features a sequencer/recording section that offers both 16 MIDI tracks plus 16 audio tracks. MIDI sequencing makes it easy to capture ideas, inspiration, and pro-quality phrases using the KARMA, Drum Track, or RPPR (Real-time Pattern Play/Recording) functions. The 16-track audio recorder simultaneously captures up to four tracks of 16-bit/24-bit uncompressed data at a sampling rate of 48 kHz. The workstation further offers 16 internal effects to add impact to the sonic creations. Each of the 12 Insert effects can be applied to individual or multiple timbres in a combination, or to individual or multiple tracks of the sequencer. In addition, two Master effects can be applied to sends 1/2, and two Total effects can be applied to all tracks at the final stage of the sound. A separate three-band EQ is provided for every timbre, for every sequencer track, and for every audio track for adjusting subtle tonal balances or for creatively modifying the overall sound. The USB/MIDI host ports accommodate any class-compliant USB-MIDI controller (like nanoPAD 2). In addition to the parameters accessible directly from the TouchView display, device also offers a wealth of real-time controllers to enhance any performance and to aid navigation. A four-way joystick, ribbon controller, and two assignable switches are located to the left of the keyboard. An additional Vector joystick is nearby. Above the keyboard, nine sliders, eight knobs and a number of switches provide real-time interaction with the sound features. The damper pedal input jack supports half-damping, providing one more level of piano realism. In addition to the damper pedal jack, there are also two assignable pedal inputs, one foot-pedal type and one footswitch style. Dimensions: 1443 x 371 x 148 mm. Weight: 24.1 kg.