Korg Kronos SE 88-key Synthesizer Workstation

The Korg Kronos Special Limited Edition synthesizer workstation has a racing-red gradient finish. This baby rocks the new Italian Grand Library that made its debut with the Korg Grandstage. It also includes the preinstalled KApro Showcase with meticulously curated sounds from KApro, the company that designed more than 100 of the Kronos sound libraries. Of course, loaded with nine sound engines and infinite possibilities, the Kronos Special Limited Edition still delivers everything that makes Kronos a music creation powerhouse.

Loaded with amazing sounds, powerful performance tools, and everything you need to create master-quality tracks, there’s little wonder why Korg’s Kronos is the keyboard workstation of choice for A-list artists like Jordan Rudess and Derek Sherinian. Among its nine pro-quality sound engines, you’ll find everything from premium piano models to classic EPs and organs and a plethora of synths cultivated over decades of development. Between its tactile controls and oversize touchscreen, you couldn’t ask for an easier system to navigate, and since it’s all housed in a sleek aluminum body with classy wood ends, your Kronos is ready to travel wherever your next gig may be.

With its liquid sonic presence and gorgeously detailed resonance, the Italian Grand has captured the attention of piano luminaries from both the classical and jazz worlds, captivating audiences worldwide. For the Kronos Special Limited Edition, a world-class concert grand previously used in international competitions was optimized and sampled by Korg’s sampling experts.

The KApro Showcase includes orchestral strings that sing with emotion, as well as brass, woodwinds, choir, and phrases. It’s a best-of-the-best sound showcase from KApro — the people responsible for over 100 Korg sound libraries. The KApro Showcase collection unlocks the door to expanded sonic horizons.

From acoustic instruments to gritty analog synths, the Korg Kronos’s nine synthesis engines can provide every sound you need. Simply put, if you took any of these individual synth engines and loaded them into an independent keyboard, you’d have a perfectly legitimate instrument most professional performers would be happy to play. All put together, this multifaceted synthesis environment lets you access thousands of sounds and layer them into rich and engaging music beds. This lets you play deep and complex sounds and full instrumental arrangements, all without the need to switch presets or pre-record backing tracks. Check out these amazing synthesis engines!

The SGX-2 premium piano sound engine captures every nuance of real German and Japanese grand pianos. Even the most discerning pianist can appreciate the level of detail Korg put into these pianos, which includes breathtaking string resonance modeling that responds flawlessly to the way you use the damper pedal and provides true sympathetic harmonics. Another astonishing thing about the SGX-2 engine is its una corda soft pedal response. Literally meaning “one string,” the soft pedal on the Kronos lets you completely shift the piano action to access a whole additional range of timbre you rarely find on even dedicated digital pianos.

Love the sound of classic electric pianos? Whether you’re looking for the bark and bell-like sound of steel reeds and electrostatic pickups or the hard and percussive sounds of hammers on tines, Korg’s EP-1 captures every vintage EP sound you crave. The key to its astonishing realism is called Multi-dimensional Synthesis (MDS) technology, which eliminates the unnatural sound of looped samples to provide seamlessly smooth dynamics that respond naturally to your touch. In addition to six distinct electronic piano models, the EP-1 engine includes a collection of amp, cabinet, speaker, and effects models you can use to completely define your sound.

Of course, you can’t have amazing electronic pianos and forget to include a collection of classic organs. That’s why Korg had to include their CX-3 tonewheel organ sound engine. If you’re already familiar with Korg’s popular digital organs, then you won’t be surprised to hear this sound engine in action — or maybe you will be, since it comes coupled with all the advanced processing the Kronos has to offer. Start with iconic tonewheel sound, add in vacuum-tube-amp warmth, toss in some essential vintage effects, and top it off with must-have rotary speaker modeling, and you’re off to a good start. And that’s not taking into account the interactive percussion, instability, foldback, leakage, and minutiae modeled in obsessive detail, all delivering a level of realism that’s simply jaw-dropping.

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. At the same time, this collection of sounds isn’t just a history lesson in Korg classics, it benefits from amazing 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.

Korg has since gone on to re-create the MS-20 in multiple other guises, including an iOS version. Nonetheless, 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 millions of creative ways to put the MS-20EX engine to work in your rig!

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 Korg’s concept car, the OASYS introduced many new technologies that were way ahead of its time — so far ahead of its time that they’re still being explored and developed well over a decade later. One of the sound engines introduced by this beast was the AL-1, a high-fidelity analog-modeling synth that harnesses modern computer processing to combine complex waveforms, routing, and modulation, with filter morphing and freakishly smooth oscillator performance to let you build analog-sounding programs that go leaps and bounds beyond the capabilities of real analog circuitry.

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 come 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.

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.

This amazing keyboard workstation features sounds that respond naturally, not only to playing dynamics but many other factors as well. From the first time you fire it up, sit down, and play, you’ll be in love with this amazing system.

All of this is only possible thanks to powerful synthesis technologies, many of which were developed specifically for the Kronos. Onboard you’ll find many signs of this tech, including solid-state storage and memory. That’s the driving force behind Korg’s Virtual Memory Technology, a flexible system that provides you with high polyphony as well as incredible unlooped samples. It also allows the Kronos to perform smooth sound transitions, so you can hold sustain notes while switching sounds or modes — just what you need for seamless transitions from one passage to the next.

More than just an amazing performance keyboard, the Korg Kronos is a complete 32-track music creation workstation. In addition to a robust 16-track sequencer, Korg gave their Kronos series keyboard the capacity to record up to 16 audio tracks as well. That means you get a complete studio-standard, 24-bit/48kHz recording system right inside your workstation!

Want to spice up your tracks? No problem! Your Kronos comes with an entire rack full of effects, each of which more than rivals dedicated standalone effects units. Since you can run up to 16 of these fantastic effects at once, it’s easy to enhance entire songs. And thanks to the Kronos’s Open Sampling System, you can even sample and resample any sounds you create. Talk about a great way to come up with amazing and unique new sounds.

Long known for their easy-to-use workstation environments, Korg raised the bar again by loading their Kronos series keyboards with abundant hands-on controls. Starting with the large 8" TouchView display, you’ll find navigating through the Kronos environment to be refreshingly simple. Each contextual menu puts all the most important controls at your fingertips, so you never have to dive in deep to get the results you want.

A complete set of sliders, knobs, and buttons lets you adjust a wide range of parameters on the fly. Whether you’re tweaking tones or mixing a complete song, you’re sure to appreciate these extensive controls. On that note, there’s a touch-activated ribbon and Korg’s fantastic Vector joystick onboard, providing you with a massive amount of expression. What’s more, your Kronos includes Korg’s next-gen KARMA technology, so you don’t even need to touch any controls to get realistic real-time accompaniments that let you focus on your own performance.

Korg Kronos Special Limited Edition 88-key Synthesizer Workstation Features:

• Special Edition Kronos includes Italian Grand Library, KApro Showcase, red gradient panel, and black wood ends
• Comprehensive keyboard workstation with 9 sound engines, thousands of sounds and effects, extensive hands-on controls, and everything you need to arrange and create original music onboard
• 88-note flagship RH3 weighted hammer-action keyboard with 4 resistance zones provides authentic piano feel
• SGX-2 sound engine takes a no-compromises approach to acoustic piano sound, featuring complex, full-sample synthesis to deliver the character of famous German and Japanese grands, including string resonance and una cordamodeling
• EP-1 sound engine employs Korg’s cutting-edge Multi-dimensional Synthesis (MDS) technology to simulate the precise behavior of reed and tine electric pianos, along with effects and more
• CX-3 sound engine perfectly models timeless tonewheel organ sound, complete with a full complement of vintage effects, tube-amp warmth, and rotary speaker cabinet emulation
• HD-1 sound engine leverages decades of PCM digital synthesis developments to produce wavetable tones ranging from perennial classics to unparalleled futuristic synth sounds
• MS-20EX sound engine utilizes Component Modeling Technology (CMT) to recall Korg’s classic MS-20 semi-modular monosynth down to its finest details, including external input routing
• PolysixEX sound engine faithfully re-creates the original 1981 Polysix, including its 6-voice polyphony, aggressive 4-pole filter, and onboard effects
• AL-1 sound engine puts legendary OASYS technology into action, mimicking the behavior and response of classic analog synth hardware while including modern functions such as filter morphing, complex waveforms, and more
• MOD-7 sound engine uses waveshaping VPM/FM synthesis to generate everything from the classic electronic piano sounds found in countless ’80s ballads to unique and evolving pads and sound beds
• STR-1 sound engine uses advanced physical modeling to synthesize virtual plucked strings for guitar, harp, harpsichord, ethnic instruments, and many other creative sound-design applications
• Sounds include numerous artist signature programs created by top musicians and 16-part combis with complex sounds covering multiple engines
• Massive 62GB solid-state storage comes preloaded with 21GB of sound content covering thousands of sounds, programs, and songs
• Dynamic Voice Allocation manages polyphony for realistic sound layering to keep your performances sounding natural
• Enormous 8" 800px x 600px SVGA TouchView display makes navigation easy while providing you with detailed feedback and parameter control
• Set List mode lets you organize programs, combis, and songs into a single, easy-to-select screen
• Comprehensive onboard songwriting platform includes powerful 16-track sequencing and 16-track audio recorder, allowing you to create entire songs via an intuitive workflow
• Advanced Kay Algorithmic Real-time Music Architecture (KARMA) technology provides natural-sounding and responsive accompaniment that adapts to your style as you play
• Complex yet easy-to-use drum tracks from the M3 synthesizer allows you to quickly add compelling drums and rhythmic elements to your music
• Create your own unique sounds via the onboard Open Sampling System, which takes external sounds or internal samples to create new instruments
• Enhance your sounds with 16 extensive onboard effects processors and 12 insert effects, plus a 3-band EQ for every track
• USB/MIDI host ports let you instantly add MIDI control surfaces directly to your workstation for even greater hands-on control
• Onboard performance controls include Korg’s classic 4-way Vector joystick and a responsive ribbon controller, as well as 2 pedal inputs with half-damper support
• Slim body with classy wood cheeks looks great, travels well, and fits on any keyboard stand for comfortable live gigging
• USB Ethernet adapter compatibility enables high-speed data transfer between Kronos and your computer and lets you access the Kronos Editor and Plug-in Editor software