The Korg Kronos 3 is an 88-note music workstation aimed at players who want a whole stage rig inside one instrument. Nine sound engines sit underneath, running from acoustic and electric piano through tonewheel organ, analogue and physical modelling, waveshaping and sampled material. It is a working professional's board.
Weighted keys for piano work
RH3, made in Japan, is graded across four zones so the bass end pushes back harder than the treble. Pianists get something close to the resistance of a real action, which counts when the Premium Piano engine is doing the talking. Despite carrying a full set of keys, the chassis stays slim enough for an ordinary stand.
Build and start-up
Powder-coated metal forms the body, finished at either end with black wood panels. Nothing here feels flimsy. Korg rebuilt the system architecture for this fourth-generation version, cutting boot time by 60 per cent against earlier models, and the TouchView interface responds faster with it. Less waiting at soundcheck is never a bad thing.
Eight-inch colour touchscreen
Everything routes through an 800 by 600 pixel SVGA display that answers to taps and drags, the drag gesture giving finer control over parameter values. Interactive graphics let you raise the lid of a virtual grand or run patch cables on a modelled semi-modular synth. A search function is built in as well, so a sound can be found and previewed by name.
Set List mode for gigs
Sixteen colour-coded buttons fill the screen, each one calling up a preset, combination or sequence no matter which mode it lives in. Attach a note to any slot and reminders such as a transposition or a cue for the sax solo travel with the song. A nine-band graphic equaliser sits in the same page for taming an awkward room. Slot colours, text sizes and a full-screen editor are all adjustable, and a USB computer keyboard makes typing painless.
See it in action
Specifications
| System | KRONOS System Version 3.2 |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | RH3 (Real Weighted Hammer Action 3), velocity sensitive with aftertouch |
| Synthesis Types | 9 SGX-2: Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano) EP-1: MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano) HD-1: High Definition Synthesizer (PCM) AL-1: Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling) CX-3: Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling) STR-1: Plucked Strings (Physical Modeling) MOD-7: Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis) MS-20EX: Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling) PolysixEX: Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling) |
| Maximum polyphony | SGX-2: 100 voices, EP-1: 104 voices, HD-1: 140 voices, AL-1: 80 voices, CX-3: 200 voices, STR-1: 40 voices, MOD-7: 52 voices, MS-20EX: 40 voices, PolysixEX: 180 voices |
| Preset PCM | 314 MB (ROM 1,505 Multisamples, 1,388 Drumsamples) |
| Built-in expansion PCM libraries | EXs1 - ROM Expansion EXs2 - Concert Grand Piano EXs3 - Brass & Woodwinds EXs4 - Vintage Keyboards EXs5 - ROM Expansion 2 EXs6 - German D Piano EXs7 - Japanese C Piano EXs8 - Rock Ambience Drums EXs9 - Jazz Ambience Drums EXs17 - SGX-2 Berlin D Piano EXs18 - KORG EXs Collections EXs22 - SGX-2 Italian F Piano LE EXs23 - 2 Church Pianos EXs206 - A2D 10 Selections EXs207 - Bolder 10 Selections EXs208 - K-Sounds 10 Selections EXs209 - KApro 10 Selections EXs210 - KARO 10 Selections EXs211 - Kelfar 10 Selections EXs212 - Kid Nepro 10 Selections EXs213 - PCreek 10 Selections Vol.1 EXs214 - PCreek 10 Selections Vol.2 EXs215 - Q Up Arts 10 Selections EXs216 - Soundiron 10 Selections EXs217 - SOP 10 Selections EXs218 - Irish Acts 10 Selections |
| PCM RAM capacity | Approx. 3 GB. Approx. 760 MB is available as shipped from the factory |
| Wave Sequences | 598 User memory, 207 Preload Support for stereo multisamples, synchronization of individual notes, and tempo-based settings. |
| Premium Piano | Virtual Memory Technology (VMT) plays large samples directly from the internal SSD Full key stereo sampling, Chromatically sampled at up to 12 velocity levels, no looping. Damper resonance and mechanical noise are reproduced. Modeled String Resonance. Una Corda sample support |
| Piano type | 80 |
| Premium Piano oscillator control | Damper Resonance Damper Noise Mechanical Noise Note Release String Resonance Una Corda |
| MDS Electric Piano | Tine and reed-type electric pianos powered by Multi-Dimensional Synthesis (MDS), and vintage effects. |
| Electric Piano Model Types | 7 Tine EP I Early, Tine EP I Late, Tine EP II, Tine EP V, Tine EP DMP, Reed EP 200, Reed EP 200A |
| Electric piano effect types | 9 Small Phase, Orange Phase, Black Phase, Vintage Chorus, Black Chorus, EP Chorus, Vintage Flanger, Red Comp, VOX Wah |
| Advanced Vector Synthesis | Control oscillator volumes and synthesis & effects parameters via the Vector Joystick and the tempo-synchronized Vector Envelope. |
| HD-1 structure | Single: only OSC1 Double: OSC1 and OSC2. Double mode lets you layer two completely separate synth voices, each with their own velocity-switched oscillator, dual filter, EGs, LFOs, etc. Drums: One drum kit, Double Drums: Two drum kits. |
| HD-1 oscillators | Virtual Memory Technology (VMT) plays large samples directly from the internal SSD. 8 velocity zones per oscillator, with switching, crossfades and layering Each zone can play mono or stereo Multisamples or Wave Sequences |
| HD-1 filters | Two multi-mode filters per voices (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band-reject), Four-mode filter routings (single, serial, parallel and 24dB mode) |
| HD-1 driver | Per voice non-linear driver and low boost circuit |
| HD-1 EQ | Three bands, with sweep-able mid |
| HD-1 modulation | Three envelope generators, two LFOs per voice, common LFO, four key tracking generators, AMS (Alternate Modulation Source), two AMS mixers |
| AL-1 oscillators | Ultra-low-aliasing oscillators OSC1, OSC2, Sub-oscillator and noise generator, ring modulation, FM and Sync |
| AL-1 audio input | External audio can be processed through the ring modulator, filter, driver, amp, and EQ |
| AL-1 filters | Two multi-mode filters (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band-reject) with four types of filter routings (single, serial, parallel and 24dB mode), Multi Filter mode (only Filter-A, modulatable mix of Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, and dry input, for creating a wide variety of unique filter types and effects) |
Specifications from Korg. Appearance and specifications are subject to change without notice.
