Korg Kronos X Operating instructions

1

Operation Guide

5

E

iii

About this manual

The owner’s manuals and how to use them

References to the KRONOS and KRONOS X

ThesemanualsapplytoboththeKRONOSandthe

KRONOSX,collectivelyreferredtoas“theKRONOS.”

Thefrontpanelandrearpanelillustrationsshowthe

KRONOSX61‐keymodel,buttheyapplyidenticallyto

theothermodels.

Three manuals

TheKRONOSincludesthreeowner’smanuals:

•QuickStartGuide

•OperationGuide

• ParameterGuide

AllofthesemanualsareavailableasPDFsonAccessory

Disc2,andareincludedintheon‐boardHelpsystem.A

printedversionoftheQuickStartGuideisalsoincluded.

Quick Start Guide

Pleasereadthisfirst.Itintroducesallofthebasicfeatures

oftheKRONOS,andisdesignedtogetyouupand

runningquickly.

Operation Guide

Putsimply,theOperationGuideisdesignedtoanswer

thequestion,“HowdoIdothis?”

Itexplainsthenamesandfunctionsofeachpartofthe

KRONOS,basicoperation,anoverviewofeachmode,

howtoeditsounds,recordonthesequencer,sample,and

soon.Thisguidealsoexplainstheb

asicsofeffects,

KARMA,DrumTrack,WaveSequences,andDrumKits.

Finally,italsocontainsatroubleshootingguideand

supplementalinformationsuchasspecifications.

Parameter Guide

TheParameterGuideisdesignedtoanswerthequestion,

“Whatdoesthisdo?”

Organizedbymodeandpage,theParameterGuide

includesinformationoneachandeveryparameterinthe

KRONOS.

PDF versions

TheKRONOSPDFmanualsaredesignedforeasy

navigationandsearching.TheyincludeextensivePDF

contentsinformation,whichgenerallyappearsonthe

sideofthewindowinyourPDFreaderandletsyoujump

quicklytoaspecificsection.Allcross‐referencesare

hyper‐links,sothatclickingonthemautomaticallytakes

yo

uto

thesourceofthereference.

On-board Help system*

TheHELPbuttongivesyoubuilt‐in,context‐sensitive

accesstotheusermanuals,rightfromthefrontpanel.

Forinformationonanyfront‐panelbutton,knob,slider,

orreal‐timecontroller,justholddownHELPandthen

pressthebuttonormovethecontrollerinquestion.

ForinformationonthecurrentLCDpage,pressand

releasetheHEL

P

button.

FormoredetailsonusingtheHelpsystem,see“HELP

button”onpage 3.

*English‐languageonly.

Supplementary guides

Voice Name List

TheVoiceNameListlistsallofthesoundsandsetups

thatareintheKRONOSwhenitisshippedfromthe

factory,includingPrograms,Combinations,

Multisamples,DrumSamples,DrumKits,KARMAGEs,

WaveSequences,DrumTrackPatterns,TemplateSongs,

andEffectPresets.

Updating and restoring the KRONOS

Thisdocumentcontainsinformationonupdatingand

restoringtheKRONOSsoftware.It’sprovidedseparately

asaconvenience;allofitsinformationmayalsobefound

intheParameterGuide.

New features in KRONOS software version 1.5

Thisdocumentprovidesanoverviewofthenewfeatures

inKRONOSsoftwareversion1.5.It’sprovided

separatelyasaconvenience;allofitsinformationmay

alsobefoundintheOperationGuide.

Conventions in this manual

Abbreviations for the manuals: OG, PG, VNL

Inthedocumentation,referencestothemanualsare

abbreviatedasfollows.

QS:QuickStartGuide

OG:OperationGuide

PG:ParameterGuide

VNL:TheVoiceNameList

Symbols , , Note, Tips

Thesesymbolsrespectivelyindicateacaution,aMIDI‐

relatedexplanation,asupplementarynote,oratip.

Example screen displays

Theparametervaluesshownintheexamplescreensof

thismanualareonlyforexplanatorypurposes,andmay

notnecessarymatchthevaluesthatappearintheLCD

screenofyourinstrument.

MIDI-related explanations

CC#isanabbreviationforControlChangeNumber.

InexplanationsofMIDImessages,numbersinsquare

brackets[]alwaysindicatehexadecimalnumbers.

ThankyouforpurchasingtheKorgKRONOS/KRONOSX.Tohelpyougetthemostoutofyournewinstrument,

pleasereadthismanualcarefully.

iv

Contents

About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction to KRONOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Front and rear panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Frontpanel ................................. 1

Rearpanel.................................. 8

TouchViewuserin

terface .................... 10

Basic information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

AbouttheKRONOS’modes.................. 13

AbouttheKRONOS’PCMmemory ........... 16

Aboutpolyphony........................... 16

Basicoperations............................ 17

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Turningthepoweron/off.................... 20

Connections................................ 20

Update information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Newfeaturesinsoftwareversion2.0.......... 25

Newfeaturesinsoftwareversion1.5.......... 25

Playing and editing Programs . . . . . . . .27

Playing Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

SelectingPrograms.......................... 27

UsingControllers ........................... 31

UsingtheChordPad

s....................... 35

UsingChordmode.......................... 36

Easy Program Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Quickeditsusingtheknobs,sliders, and switches.

39

Detailed Program Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

EditingHD‐1Programs...................... 43

UsingLFOsandEnvelopes(EGs)............. 45

UsingAlternateModulation(AMS)

and the AMS Mixers ........................ 47

ControllingPi

tch ........................... 48

UsingFi

lters ............................... 49

UsingtheAmpsection ...................... 51

UsingEXi

.................................. 53

UsingVectorSynthesis...................... 55

Effe

cts..................................... 56

AutomaticallyimportingaProgram

into Sequencer mode ........................ 56

Playing and editing Combinations . . . .57

Playing Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

SelectingCombinations...................... 57

Easy Combination editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

ChangingtheProgramswithinaCombi....... 60

Adjustingthemix........................... 60

EasyKARMAediting ....................... 61

Detailed Combination editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Combinationoverview...................... 62

Layers,Splits,andVelocitySwitches.......... 63

MIDISettings...............................64

Al

teringProgramstofitwithin a Combination..65

Effects .....................................66

Automaticallyim

portingaCombination

into Sequencer mode.........................67

Savingyouredits ............................67

Creating songs (Sequencer mode) . . . .69

Sequencer overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

AbouttheKRONOS’sequencer ...............69

Sequencermodestructure....................69

Playing Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Playback ...................................72

ThecontrolsurfaceinSequencermode .........74

MIDI recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Preparationsforrecording ....................76

RecordingMIDIinreal‐time..................78

MIDIsteprecording .........................81

Recor

dingthesoundofaCombinationor Program

82

RecordingmultipleMIDItracksfrom

an external sequencer........................8

4

Recor

dingSystemExclusiveevents............85

Recordingpatterns ..........................86

Otherwaystorecord.........................8

8

Audio recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Audiorecordingoverview....................89

Audioinputsettingsandrecordingsourceselection

90

Recordingprocedure.........................93

Othervariat

ionsofaudiotrackrecording .......99

PlacingaWAVEfileinanaudiotrack .........101

Song editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Songs.....................................103

MIDITracks...............................103

CommontoMIDItracksandaudiotracks .....104

AudioTracks ..............................105

Using RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play/Record) . .106

CreatingRPPRdata.........................106

RPPRplayback.............................107

Recor

dinganRPPRperformance.............107

Sampling in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Saving your Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Other notes about Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . 111

KRONOSsequencerfileformats..............111

TheComparefunction ......................111

MemoryProtect ............................112

Abo

utMIDI ...............................112

Set Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Set List Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Selecting and playing sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

SelectingSetLists...........................114

SelectingSlots..............................115

v

Editing Set Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Selectingandre‐arrangingsounds........... 116

DetailedSetListediting.................... 117

SetListsandtheControlSurface............. 118

Smooth Sound Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Overview................................. 120

UsingSmoothSoundTransitions............ 120

Sampling (Open Sampling System) . . 123

Sampling overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

AboutsamplingontheKRONOS ............ 123

Preparations for sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

AudioSettings ............................ 126

Sampling and editing in Sampling mode . . . . 132

Creatingmultisampleindexesand sampling–

P0: Recording............................. 133

Basicexamplesofsampling................. 135

Editingloops.............................. 139

UsingTimeSlice........................... 141

Samplewaveformediti

ng................... 144

Multisampleediting ....................... 145

SamplingfromanAu

dioCD ................ 145

Saving,convertingtoPrograms,andComparing..

146

Sampling in Program and Combination modes. . .

148

Overview................................. 148

ResamplingaKARMAphraseinProgrammode..

148

AutoSamplingSetup ...................... 149

MixingaKARMAdr

umphrasewith

a live guitar input, and samplingtheresult.... 149

Samplingaguitarfromtheaudioinputs,

while listeningtoaKARMAdrumphrase .... 150

Sampling in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

In‐TrackSampling ......................... 151

ResamplingasongtocreateaWavefile ...... 152

User Sample Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Global Settings, Wave Seq., Drum Kits . . .

157

Global mode overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Global Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

BasicSetup ............................... 158

Globalaudiosettings....................... 160

MIDIsettings ............................. 160

Pedalandothercontrollersettings........... 161

Crea

tinguserscales ........................ 162

SettingCategoryNamesforPrograms,

Combinations,andKARMA ................ 163

Automatically loading sample data . . . . . . . . . 164

UsingtheKSCAuto‐Loadlisttoselect

which samples to load...................... 164

Creatingandsaving.KSCfiles............... 165

Connecting to computers via USB Ethernet and

FTP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Using Wave Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

WaveSequenceOverview...................168

ProgrammingBasics ........................168

Adjustingthesoundofanindividualstep .....1

69

UsingrhythmicWaveSequences.............171

Creatingsmooth,evolvingtimbres ...........173

ModulatingWaveSequences ................174

Sav

ingWaveSequences .....................175

Using Drum Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

DrumKitOverview ........................176

Beforeyoustartediting… ...................176

EditingDrumKits ..........................177

SavingDrumKits ..........................179

Loading & saving data, and creating CDs.

181

Saving data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Overview .................................181

Writingtointernalmemory..................182

Sav

ingtodisks,CDs,andUSBmedia .........186

Loading data from disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

LoadingSongs,sounds,samples,

and KARMA GEs together...................190

Loadingindividualbanksfroma.PCGfile.....193

Loadingdatabyindividualitemorbank......193

Creating and playing audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

CreatingaudioCDs.........................195

PlayingaudioCDs..........................197

Other disk operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Settingthedateandtime....................198

Using Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Effects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Effectsbasics...............................199

EffectI/O ..................................20

0

Effectsineachmode........................200

Effects selection and routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

UsingeffectsinPrograms ...................202

UsingeffectsinCombinationsandSongs ......204

UsingeffectsinSamplingmode..............206

Us

ingeffectswiththeaudioinputs...........207

Detailed effects editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Dynamicmodulation(Dmod) ................209

MIDI/TempoSync ..........................209

CommonFXLFO...........................21

0

EffectPresets ..............................211

Using KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Overview - What is KARMA?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

ThestructureofKARMA ....................213

Performing with KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

PerformingwithKARMAinProgrammode...217

vi

PerformingwithKARMAinCombinationmode..

220

Editing KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

EditingKARMAinProgrammode........... 223

EditingKARMAinCombinationmode ....... 227

Using KARMA in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . 232

AutoSongSetup........................... 232

RecordingusingKARMA(single‐trackrecording) 

233

Multi‐trackrecordingusing

settings copied from a Combination .......... 234

Synchronizing KARMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Synchronizationbasics ..................... 235

The“QuantizeTrigger”parameter ........... 235

Slaveoperation ............................ 236

Masteroperation .......................... 236

Using the Drum Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

WhatistheDrumTrack? ................... 237

Performing with the Drum Track . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

UsingtheDrumTrackinProgrammode...... 238

UsingtheDrumTrackinCombinationmode .. 240

Drum Track settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

DrumTracksettingsinProgrammode ....... 241

DrumTracksettingsinCombinationmode.... 242

DrumTracksettingsinSequencermode...... 242

UsingKARMAandtheDrumTracktogether.. 243

SynchronizingtheDrumTrack.............. 244

Creating Drum Track patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Preparingauserpattern.................... 245

ConvertingaSequencerpattern

to a Drum Track pattern.................... 245

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Powersupply............................. 247

LCDscreen ............................... 247

Audi

oinputandoutput.................... 248

ProgramsandCombinations................ 249

Songs .................................... 250

SetLists .................................. 251

Sampling................................. 251

KARMA

.................................. 252

DrumTrack............................... 253

Vector

.................................... 253

DrumKits................................ 253

WaveSequences ........................... 253

Effects.................................... 254

MIDI ..................................... 254

Disks,CDs,andUSBMe

dia ................. 254

Otherproblems............................ 255

Error and confirmation messages . . . . . . . . . . . 256

A(ADC–AreYouSure)..................... 256

B(Buffer)................................. 256

C(Can’tcalibrate–Completed)............... 256

D(Destination–Disk) ....................... 257

E(Error–Exceeded) ........................ 258

F(File–Front) ..............................259

I(Illegal–Index) ............................

260

H.........................................261

K.........................................261

M(Master–Multisample)....................

261

N(Nodata–Notenoughsongmemory) .......262

O(Obeycopyrightrules–Oscillator)...........264

P(Pattern–Program)........................264

R(Rearsample–Root).......................265

S(Sample

–Source) ..........................265

T(Theclock–Track) .........................266

U(Unableto

createdirectory–USBHub).......266

W(Wave) .................................267

Y

(You)....................................267

TypesofmediasupportedbytheKRONOS ....268

OperationsthattheKRONOS

can perform on media.......................268

Restoringthefactorysettings.................269

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270

vii

1

Introduction to KRONOS

Front and rear panels

Front panel

1. MAIN VOLUME knob

ThisadjuststhevolumeofthemainL/Raudiooutputs,

aswellasthevolumeoftheheadphonejack.

Itdoesnotaffectanyoftheotheraudiooutputs,

includingS/P DIF,individualoutputs1‐4,ortheUSB

output.

2. Control Surface

TheControlSurfaceisthesetof9sliders,8knobs,and

16switchestotheleftoftheLCDscreen.Itlookslikea

mixer,butcandoavarietyofthingssuchasediting

sounds,controllingKARMA,andsendingMIDI

messagestoexternaldevices.Youcanfreelychange

backandforthbetweenthed

ifferentfunctionswithout

losinganyofyouredits.

CONTROL ASSIGN buttons

Asexplainedbelow,youcanusethefrontpanel

CONTROLASSIGNbuttonstoswitchbetweenthe

variouscontrolsurfacefunctions.Youcanalsoview

andeditthecontrolsurfacesettingsontheLCDscreen

(P0–ControlSurfacepageineachmode).

TIMBRE/TRACK

TIMBRE/TRACKletsyouusethecontrolsurfaceto

adjustthevolume,pan,EQ,andsendlevelsforOSC

1/2,EXi1/2,ortheDrumTrackinProgrammode,the

currentMultisampleinSamplemode,andeachofthe

16TimbresorTracksinCombiandSequencemodes.

TheLEDstotherig

htoftheswi

tchshowwhether

you’ recurrentlyeditingTimbres(orTracks)1‐8or9‐16;

presstheTIMBRE/TRACKbuttontotogglebetween

thetwo.

9. Vector

Joystick

11. SW 1&2

12. Joystick

13. Ribbon

14. Headphone Jack

1. Volume 2. Control Surface 5. Mode

4. Disk Access Indicator

6. Utility 7. Bank Select

18. Sampling16. Sequencer15. Exit

17. Tempo

3. Data Entry

19. TouchView

Display

8. KARMA

10. Drum

Track

Introduction to KRONOS

2

IfyouswitchtooneoftheotherControlAssignmodes,

andthengobacktoTIMBRE/TRACK,itwill

automaticallyreturntothepreviouslyselectedgroup

(1‐8or9‐16).

AUDIO

AUDIOletsyouusethecontrolsurfacetoadjustthe

volume,play/mutestatus,solo,pan,andsendlevelsof

theanalog,S/P DIF,andUSBaudioinputs.In

Sequencermode,youcanalsochoosetocontrolaudio

tracks1–8(HDR1‐8)or9–16(HDR9‐16).

AswithTIMBRE/TRACK,ifyouswi

tchtooneofthe

otherCo

ntrolAssignmodes,andthengobackto

AUDIO,itwillautomaticallyreturntothepreviously

selectedgroup(Inputs,HDR1‐8orHDR9‐16).

EXT

EXT(External)letsyouusethecontrolsurfaceto

transmitMIDImessagestoexternalMIDIdevices.

RT KNOBS/KARMA

RTKNOBS/KARMAletsyoumodulatesoundsand

effectswiththeknobs,andcontrolKARMAwiththe

slidersandswitches.

TONE ADJ/EQ

TONEADJ(ToneAdjust)givesyouhands‐onaccessto

soundediting,usingthesliders,knobs,andswitches.

InCombiandSequencemodes,italsoletsyouedit

ProgramswithinthecontextoftheCombiorSong,

withoutmakinganychangestotheoriginalProgram

data.

EQisavailableonlyinSetLi

sts.Thisisanine‐band

graphicEQappliedtothesoundafterTFX2,which

tailorsthesoundfromthemainstereooutputs

(includingtheanalogL/Routputs,S/PDIF,andUSB).

YoucanusethisEQtocompensatefortheacoustic

environmentofaspecificcluborotherperformance

venue.Thesl

id

ersaremappedtotheninebandsofthe

EQ,forquickandintuitiveadjustments.

More information on the Control Surface

FormoreinformationonhowtheControlSurface

worksinthedifferentmodes,see:

•Programmode:“0–9:ControlSurface”onpage 21

oftheParameterGuide

•Combimode:“0–9:ControlSurface”onpage 428of

theParameterGuide

•Sequencemode:“0–9:ControlSurface”onpage 534

oftheParameterGuide

MIXER KNOBS button

ThisappliesonlywhenCONTROLASSIGNissetto

TIMBRE/TRACKorAUDIO.Ittogglestheknobs

betweencontrollingthepanofallchannelsor

controllingthepan,EQ,andsendsofthecurrently

selectedchannel.

RESET CONTROLS button

ThisfeatureletsyouresettheVectorJoysticktothe

centerposition,orresetanyoftheControlSurface

sliders,knobs,orswitchestotheirsavedvalue.

Toresetasinglecontrol,holddownRESET

CONTROLSandthenmoveaControlSurfaceslideror

knob,pressoneofthecontrolsurfacebuttons,ormove

theVectorJoystick.

Toresetallofthesliders,knobs,andswitchesofthe

currentCONTROLASSIGNmodeatonce,holddown

RESETCONTROLSandthenpressthecurrently‐lit

CONTROLASSIGNbuttonagain.

Youcanalsoresetalloftheslidersandswitchesinthe

KARMAModulebyhold

ingRESETCONTROLSand

thenpressingtheKARM

AMODULECONTROL

button.Similarly,toresetasingleKARMAScene,hold

RESETCONTROLSandpressanyoftheSCENE

buttons.

Finally,youcanalsousethistoclearallsolos,by

holdingRESETCONTROLSandthenpressingthe

SOLObutton.

Formoreinformation,see“RESETCONTROLS”on

page

22ofthePa

rameterGuide.

SOLO button

ThisappliesonlywhenCONTROLASSIGNissetto

TIMBRE/TRACKorAUDIO.IttogglestheSELECT

buttonsbetweenselectingthecurrentOscillator,

Timbre,Track,orAudioInput(whenSOLOisoff)or

soloingthechannel(whenSOLOison).

FormoreinformationonSOLOinthevariousmodes,

see:

Programs:“SOLOswitchandSEL

E

CTswitches1–3”

onpage 24oftheParameterGuide

Combinations:“SoloswitchandSelectswitches1–8”

onpage 430oftheParameterGuide

Sequencer:“SoloswitchandSelectswitches1/9–8/16”

onpage 536oftheParameterGuide

3. Data entry

Whenyou’veselectedaparameterontheTouchView

display,youcanedititusinganyofthefourfront‐

paneldataentrycontrols:

•TheVALUEslider

•TheIncandDecbuttons

•TheVALUEdial

•Thenumerickeypad

Front and rear panels Front panel

3

VALUE slider

Usethistoedittheselectedparameter’s

value.Thiscontrolisconvenientformaking

largechangestothevalue,suchasmoving

quicklytotheminimumormaximum

setting.

YoucanalsousetheVALUEsliderasa

modulationsource,butonlywhenthe

followingaretrue:

•You’reontheProgrammodeP0‐Mai

n

page,andthebigProg

ramnameis

selected,or

•You’reontheCombinationmodeP0–

ProgSelect/Mixerpage,andthebig

Combinationnameisselected.

•You’reontheSetListP0‐Playpage.

Inthesecasesonly,theVALUEslidersendsMIDI

CC#18,andcanbeusedasamodulationsou

rce.

Inc and Dec buttons

Theseareusedtoincreaseordecreasetheparameter

valuebyindividualsteps.They’reconvenientfor

makingfineparameteradjustments.

VALUE dial

Usethisdialtoedittheselectedparameter’svalue.

Thiscontrolisconvenientwhenyouwanttoscroll

throughaverylonglistofselections.

0-9, –, ., and ENTER buttons

Thesebuttonsareconvenientwhenyouknowthe

exactvaluethatyouwanttoenter.Usethe0–9,–,and

decimal(.)buttonstoenterthevalue,andthenpress

theENTERbuttontoconfirmtheentry.

The–buttoninvertsthesign(+/–)oftheparameter

value;thedecimal(.)but

tonins

ertsadecimal,for

enteringfractionalvalues.

Special functions of the ENTER button

ENTERhasafewspecialfunctionswhenitispressed

incombinationwithotherbuttons.

Wheneveranon‐screenparameterletsyouentera

musicalnote(suchasG4orC#2),oravelocitylevel,

youcanenterthenoteorvelocitydirectlybyholding

downENTERwhileplayinganoteontheke

yboard.

Byhold

ingdowntheENTERbuttonwhileyoupressa

numericbutton(0–9),youcanselectuptotenmenu

commandsfromthecurrentpage.

InProgramandCombinationmodes,youcanhold

downtheENTERbuttonandpresstheSEQUENCER

REC/WRITEbuttontousetheAutoSongSetup

function.Thisim

portsthecurrentProgramorCombi

intoSequencemodeforquickandeasyrecording.

4. DISK access indicator

ThisLEDlightsupwhendataisbeingsavedtoorread

fromtheinternaldisk.

NeverturnoffthepowerwhilethisLEDislit.

Doingsocancauseallorpartofthedataonthedisk

tobelost,ormaycausemalfunctionssuchasdisk

damage.

5. MODE buttons

KRONOShassevendifferentoperationalmodes,each

oneoptimizedforaspecificsetoffunctions.These

buttonsselectthecurrentmode.

EachbuttonhasanLED,whichlightsuptoshowthe

modeyou’veselected.

SET LIST button

ThisselectsSetListmode.SetListsmakeitsimpleto

playandorganizeanyofthesoundsloadedintothe

KRONOS,withoutregardforwhatbankthey’restored

inorwhetherthey’rePrograms,Combinations,oreven

Songs.

COMBI button

ThisselectsCombinationmode,forplayingand

editingcomplexsplitsandlayersofPrograms.

PROG button

ThisselectsProgrammode,forplayingandediting

basicsounds.

SEQ button

ThisselectsSequencermode,forrecording,playing,

andeditingaudioandMIDItracks.

SAMPLING button

ThisselectsSamplingmode,forrecordingandediting

audiosamplesandmultisamples.

GLOBAL button

ThisselectsGlobalmode,formakingoverallsettings,

editingWaveSequencesandDrumKits,andmore.

DISK button

ThisselectsDiskmode,forsavingandloadingdatato

andfromtheinternaldiskorexternalUSB2.0storage

devices.YoucanalsocreateaudioCDsusingaUSB

CD‐Rdrive(notincluded).

6. UTILITY buttons

HELP button

TheHELPbuttongivesyoubuilt‐in,

context‐sensitiveaccesstotheuser

manuals,rightfromthefrontpanel.

Introduction to KRONOS

4

Forinformationonanyfront‐panelbutton,knob,

slider,orreal‐timecontroller,justholddownHELP

andthenpressthebuttonormovethecontrollerin

question.

ForinformationonthecurrentLCDpage,pressand

releasetheHELPbutton.

Whilethehelppageisonthescreen,youcantouchany

oftheon‐sc

reenlinks(highlightedinbluetext)for

moreinformation.Youcanscrollthroughthetextby

usingtheon‐screenscrollbars,pressingtheIncand

Decbuttons,orspinningtheValuedial.

ThetopoftheHelppagehas“breadcrumb”links,

whichshowthehierarchyofpagesabov

ethecurrent

one.Touchanyoftheselinkstojumptothe

correspondingpage.

Thebackwardsandforwardsbuttonsfunctionlikethe

similarbuttonsonastandardwebbrowser.Ifyouuse

linkstojumpbetweenpages,youcanthenusethe

backwardsandforwardsbuttonstomovethroughthe

pagesyo

u

’vealreadyviewed.

TheContentspageletsyouaccessanypartoftheHelp

system,includingalmostallofthetextandgraphicsin

boththeParameterandOperationGuides.TheIndex

containsashorterlistoflinkstoimportantarticles.

Toclosethehelpdisplay,justpresstheHELPbutto

n

again,presstheEXITbutto

n,orpresstheon‐screen

Donebutton.

COMPARE button

UsethisbuttontocomparethesoundoftheProgram

orCombinationthatyouarecurrentlyeditingwiththe

saved,un‐editedversionofthesound.Youcanalsouse

thisbuttontomake“beforeandafter”comparisons

whenrecordingoreditinginSequencermode.

7. BANK SELECT buttons

Usethesebuttonstochangebankswhenselecting

ProgramsorCombinations.TheLEDsinthebuttons

lightuptoshowthecurrentbank.

InProgrammode,thesebuttonsselecttheProgram

bank.TheyareactiveonlyonthePlaypages.

InCombinationmode,thesebuttonshavetwo

functions:

•Whenyou’reselectingCombinations,theychoose

theCo

mbinationbank.

•Whenyou’reassigningaProgramtoatimbre

withintheCombi,theyselecttheProgrambank.

InSequencermode,whenatrack’sProgramnameis

selected,thesebuttonschangetheProgrambank.

General MIDI banks

SelectingGeneralMIDIProgrambanksisalittle

differentfromselectingotherbanks.Eachtimeyou

presstheINT‐Gbutton,thebankwillsteptothenext

GM(2)bankorGMdrumbankinthefollowingorder:

G,g(1),g(2)–g(8),g(9),g(d),G,g(1),etc.

What’s in each bank?

FordetailsonthecontentsoftheProgrambanks,see

“Programbankcontents”onpage 27.Fordetailsonthe

Combibanks,see“Combinationbankcontents”on

page 57.

8. KARMA buttons

KARMAstandsfor“Kay

AlgorithmicRealtimeMusic

Architecture.”It’sanimmensely

powerfulrecordingandlive

performancetool,whichcan

provideawiderangeofmusical

effectsincluding:

• Arpeggiation

•Drumandinstrumentgrooves

•ComplexCCgestures(asifit

wasautomaticallymoving

knobsorjoysticksforyou)

•Musicalphrasegeneration

•Gatedandchoppeddanceproductioneff

ects

•A

nycombinationoftheabove

• …andmuchmore.

ON/OFF button

ThisswitchesKARMAonandoff.Aswiththeother

KARMAbuttons,thebutton’sLEDwilllightupto

showyouthatitisturnedon.

LATCH button

WhenLATCHisturnedon,KARMAwillcontinueto

playevenafteryou’vestoppedholdingnotesonthe

keyboardorMIDIIn.

Thisisconvenientwhenyouwanttoplayontopofa

KARMA‐generatedgroove,forinstance.

MODULE CONTROL button

InCombiandSequencermodes,KARMAhasfour

independentModules,eachofwhichcanbegenerating

adifferentmusicaleffect.Whenusedtocontrol

KARMA,theControlSurfaceslidersandswitchesare

fivelayersdeep:oneforeachModule(A‐D),andthen

aMasterLayerwhichcontrolsselectedparameters

fromallofth

eMo

dulesatonce.

TheMODULECONTROLbuttonselectswhetherthe

KARMASLIDERS,SWITCHES,andSCENESwill

controleitherasingleModuleindependently,orthe

MasterLayer.InProgrammode,onlyasingleModule

isavailable,andtheMasterLayerisusedtocontrolit;

youcannotselectot

hersettings).

Front and rear panels Front panel

5

9. Vector Joystick

TheVectorJoystickisapowerfulreal‐timecontroller.

DependingontheparticularProgram,Combi,orSong,

itmaymodulateProgramoreffectsparameters,or

adjustthevolumesofdifferentcomponentsofthe

sound.

FormoreinformationonhowVectorSynthesisworks,

see“UsingVectorSynthesis”onpage 55.

10. Drum Track

TheDrumTrackisabuilt‐indrummachine,fueledby

theKRONOS’shigh‐qualitydrumsounds.Thisbutton

turnstheDrumTrackonandoff.

Dependingonvarioussettings,theDrumTrackmay

begintoplayimmediately,ormaywaituntilyoustart

toplayonthekeyboard.Ifthebutton’sLE

Disblinking

onandoff,it’

swaitingforyoutoplay.

LINKED LED

IfthefrontpanelLINKEDLEDandKARMAON/OFF

switchesarelit,KARMAwillstartandstoptogether

withtheDrumTrack.Formoreinformation,see

“UsingKARMAandtheDrumTracktogether”on

page 243.

11. SW1 and SW2

Theseon/offswitchescanperformanumberof

differentfunctions,suchasmodulatingsoundsor

lockingthemodulationvaluesofthejoystick,ribbon,

oraftertouch.

Also,eachonemayworkeitherasatoggle,orasa

momentaryswitch.Intogglemode,eachpress

alternatesbetweenonandoff;inmomentarymode,the

swi

tchonlychangesforaslongasyouholditdown.

EachswitchhasanLED,whichlightsupwhenthe

switchison.

EachProgram,Combination,andSongstoresitsown

settingsforwhattheswitcheswilldo,andwhether

eachswitchdefaultstobeingonoroff.

12. Joystick

Thejoystickmovesinfourdirections:left,right,

forwards(awayfromyourself),andbackwards

(towardsyourself).Eachofthefourdirectionscanbe

usedtocontroldifferentprogramoreffects

parameters.

Thespecificassignmentscanchangedependingonthe

currentProgram,Combi,orSong.Generally,though,

theywilldosomethinglikethefunctionsshown

be

low:

StandardJoystickfunctions

13. Ribbon controller

TheRibboncontrollerletsyoumodulateProgramor

effectsparametersbyslidingyourfingerleftandright

alongitstouch‐sensitivestrip.

Aswiththeothercontrollers,itsspecificfunctionwill

changedependingonthecurrentProgram,Combi,or

Song.

14. Headphone jack

Thisstereo1/4”headphonejackcarriesthesamesignal

astheMainL/Routputs.

TheheadphonevolumeiscontrolledbytheMAIN

VOLUMEknob.

15. EXIT button

Thisbuttonmakesiteasytoreturntothemainpageof

thecurrentmode:

•Pressitoncetogotothepreviously‐selectedtabon

themainP0page.

•PressitagaintogotothefirsttabonthemainP0

page(suchasthemainProgramPlaypage).Ifyou

hadpreviouslyse

lectedaparameteronthispage,

thatparameterwillbeselected.

•Pressitathirdtimetoselectthemainparameteron

theP0page,suchastheProgramnameinProgram

mode.

WhereveryouareinProgram,Combi,orSequencer

modes,pressingEXITthreetimes(orfewer)willta

ke

yo

ubacktoProgram/Combination/SongSelect,where

youcanimmediatelyusethenumerickeysor / 

switchestoselectaProgram,Combination,orSong.

Whenadialogboxisopen,thisbuttoncancelsthe

settingsmadeinthedialogboxandclosesthedialog

box,justlikepressingtheCancelbutton.Ifapopup

menuorpagemenuisopen,pressingEXITcl

osesthe

menu

.

16. SEQUENCER buttons

Mostofthebuttonsinthissectionapplyonlyto

Sequencermodeand,inDiskandSamplingmodes,to

audioCDplaybackfromaconnectedUSBCDdrive.

REC/WRITEistheexception;ithasspecialfunctionsin

Program,Combination,andGlobalmodes,as

describedbelow.

Move the

joystick…

Controller

Name

Normally controls…

Left JS–X Pitch bend down

Right JS+X Pitch bend up

Forwards

(away from yourself)

JS+Y Vibrato

Backwards

(towards yourself)

JS–Y Filter LFO (wah)

Introduction to KRONOS

6

PAUSE button

InSequencermode,thisbuttonpausestheplaybackof

thesong.Whenpaused,thebutton’sLEDwilllightup.

PressPAUSEonceagaintoresumeplayback,andthe

LEDwillturnoff.

InDiskandSamplingmodes,thisbuttonpausesaudio

CDplayback.

<<REW button

InSequencermode,whentheSongisplayingor

paused,thisbuttonwillrewindthesong.Whenyou

pressandholdthisbutton,itsLEDwilllightup,and

theplaybackwillrewind.(Rewindisdisabledduring

recording,andwhiletheSongisstopped.)

InDiskandSamplingmodes,thisbuttonrewindsthe

audioCD.

FF>> button

InSequencermode,whentheSongisplayingor

paused,thisbuttonwillfast‐forwardthesong.When

youpressandholdthisbutton,thebuttonwilllight,

andtheplaybackwillfast‐forward.(Fast‐forwardis

disabledduringrecording,andwhiletheSongis

stopped.)

InDiskandSamplingmodes,thisbuttonfast‐forw

ards

theaudio

CD.

LOCATE button

InSequencermode,thisbuttonwilladvanceorrewind

thesongtothespecifiedlocatepoint.Thisletsyou

jumpimmediatelytoanypointinthecurrentSong.

Thedefaultlocatepointisthefirstbeatofmeasure1.

Tosetthelocatepointtothecurrentposition,hold

downENTERandthenpr

essLOCA

TE.Youcanalso

settheLocatepointdirectlyviatheon‐screenmenu.

REC/WRITE button

InSequencermode,pressingthisbuttonwillenter

record‐readymode.Onceyou’ reinrecord‐readymode

(shownbythebutton’slitLED),youcanbegin

recordingbypressingtheSEQUENCER

START/STOP

button.Formoreinformation,see“RecordingMIDIin

real‐time”onpage 78.

InProgram,Combination,SetList,andGlobalmodes,

pressingREC/WRITEwillopentheSavedialogbox.

Formoredetails,see“Writingtointernalmemory”on

page 182,and“UsingtheSEQUENCERREC/WRITE

button”onpage 182.

InProgramandCombinationmodes,yo

ucan

hold

downtheENTERbuttonandpresstheSEQUENCER

REC/WRITEbuttontousetheAutoSongSetup

function.ThisimportsthecurrentProgramorCombi

intoSequencemodeforquickandeasyrecording.For

moreinformation,see“A u t o‐SongSetup”onpage 2of

theParameterGuide.

START/STOP button

Thisstartsorstopsrecordingandplaybackin

Sequencermode.

InDiskandSamplingmodes,thisbuttonstartsand

stopsplaybackontheaudioCD.

17. TEMPO controls

TEMPO knob

Thisknobadjuststhetempoforthe

KRONOSasawhole,includingSongs,

KARMA,theDrumTrack,Tempo‐

syncedLFOsandBPMdelays,andEXi

StepSequencers.

TheLEDwillblinkatquarter‐note

intervalsofthecurrenttempo.

Note:IftheGLOBALMIDIpageMIDICLOCK

parameterissettoExternalMIDIorUS

B,orifitisset

to

Autoandaclockiscurrentlybeingreceived,then

neithertheTEMPOKnobnortheTAPTEMPObutton

willhaveanyeffect.

TAP TEMPO button

Thisbuttonletsyouentertempossimplybytapping

yourfingeronthebutton.Youcanusethis

interchangeablywiththe“TEMPOknob,”above.Two

tapsareenoughtochangethetempo;forgreater

accuracy,youcancontinuetapping,andthetempowill

beaveragedoverthemostrecent16taps.

Forexample,yo

ucanuseTAPTEMPOtocontrolthe

KARMAtempo:

1. InProgrammodeorCombinationmode,start

KARMArunning.

TurnontheKARMAON/OFFswitch,andplayakey

orapad.IfyouturnontheLATCHswitch,KARMA

willcontinueplayingevenafteryouliftupyourhands.

2. LightlypresstheTA

PTEMPOswitchseveral

timesatthedesiredtempo.

Noticethatthe“q=”intheupperrightoftheLCD

screenwillchangetoshowthenewtempo.

IfyoupresstheTAPTEMPOswitchatshorter

intervals,theplaybacktempowillbecome

correspondinglyfaster.

Note:Youcanalsotaptemposus

inga

footswitch.For

moreinformation,see“FootSwitchAssignments”on

page 1106oftheParameterGuide.

18. SAMPLING buttons

REC button

InSampling,Program,Combination,and

Sequencermodes,pressingthisbutton

enterstheinitialsampling‐readymode.

Thebutton’sLEDwilllightup.

Tocontinue,presstheSAMPLINGSTART/STOP

button,asdescribedbelow.

START/STOP button

InSampling,Program,Combination,andSequencer

modes,pressingthiswhentheSAMPLINGREC

buttonislitwilldooneofthreethings,dependingon

thesettingoftheTriggerparameter(ontheSampling

modeRecording‐AudioInputpage):

•IfTriggerissettoSamplingSTARTSW,sampling

willbeginimmediately.

Front and rear panels Front panel

7

•IfTriggerissettoNoteOn,samplingwillbeginas

soonasyouplayanoteonthekeyboard.

•IfTriggerissettoThreshold,samplingwillbegin

assoonastheselectedaudiosourcereachesa

presetvolumelevel.

OntheSamplingmode’sP1:SampleEditpage,

pressingthisbuttonwillplayth

eselectedsample.

ThisbuttonisalsousedtoplaybackWAVfilesfrom

thedisk.YoucanplaybackWAVfilesinthedirectory

windowofvariousDiskmodepages,intheDiskmode

MakeAudioCDpage,intheSequencermodeaudio

trackeditingdialogboxes,andintheSelec

t

Dir

ectory/FileforSampletoDiskmenucommandin

Program,Combination,Sequencer,andSampling

modes.

19. TouchView display

TheKRONOSfeaturesourexclusiveTouchView

graphicinterface,basedonatouch‐panelLCDscreen.

BytouchingitemsontheLCDscreen,youcanselect

pages,tabs,andparameters,andsetparametervalues

viaon‐screenmenusandbuttons.

Shortcuts

Thefront‐panelcontrolsofferanumberofshortcuts

forcommonly‐usedfeatures,asdetailedbelow.

ENTER + numeric keys 0–9: Menu commands

Eachpagehasasetofmenucommands,which

provideaccesstodifferentutilities,commands,and

options,dependingonthepageyou’recurrentlyon. 

Youcanusethemenucommandsentirelyfromthe

touch‐screen,bypressingthemenubuttoninthe

upperright‐handcornerofthescreenandthen

sel

e

ctinganoptionfromthemenuthatappears.

Eventhougheachpagemayhaveitsownunique

menucommands,themenusarestandardizedasmuch

aspossible.Forinstance,WRITEisalmostalwaysthe

firstmenuiteminProgram,Combination,andGlobal

modes.

Youcantakeadvantageofthisstandardizationby

usingashortc

utto

accessanyofthefirsttenmenu

items:

1. HolddowntheENTERbutton.

2. Pressanumber(0‐9)onthenumerickeypadto

selectthedesiredmenucommand,startingwith0.

Forinstance,press0forthefirstmenucommand,1for

thesecond,andsoon.

Ifthemenuco

mmandjusttoggl

esanoptiononandoff

(suchasExclusiveSolo),thenyou’redone.Ifthe

commandcallsupadialogbox,thedialogwillappear

ontheLCD,andyoucanproceedjustasifyou’d

selectedthecommandfromthetouch‐screen.

ENTER + REC/WRITE: Auto Song Setup

TheAutoSongSetupfeaturecopiesthecurrent

ProgramorCombinationintoaSong,andthenputs

theKRONOSinrecord‐readymode.

Ifinspirationforaphraseorsongstrikesyouwhile

you’ replaying,youcanusethisfunctiontostart

recordingimmediately.Todoso:

1. HolddowntheENTERkeyandpressthe

SEQUE

NCERREC/WRITEkey.

TheSetuptoRecorddialogboxwillopenandask“Ar e 

yousure?”

2. PressOK.

YouwillautomaticallyenterSequencermode,andwill

beintherecord‐readystate.

3. PresstheSTART/STOPkeytostartthesequencer

andbeginrecording.

ENTER + keyboard: Enter note or velocity value

Generally,ifaparameterspecifiesanotenumberor

velocity,youcanenterthevaluebyplayingonthe

keyboard.Todoso:

1. SelectoneoftheKeyparameters.

2. HolddowntheENTERbutton.

3. WhileholdingENTER,playanoteonthe

keyboard.

YoucanusethisshortcutthroughouttheKRONOS,

suchasforsettingkeyboar

dandvelocityzones,or

selectingthenotetoeditinDrumKits,Multisamples,

orRPPRsetups.

ENTER + LOCATE: Set locate point

ThisshortcutsetstheSequencer’slocatepointtothe

currentmeasure,beat,andtick,similartousingtheSet

Locationmenucommand(see“SetLocation(for

LocateKey)”onpage 626oftheParameterGuide).

1. HolddowntheENTERbutton.

2. WhileholdingENTER,presstheLOCATEkey.

Afterthis,pressingLOCATEreturnstheSongtothe

newlysetmeasure,beat,andtick.

CONTROL ASSIGN RT KNOBS/KARMA switch (LED

ON) + KARMA MODULE CONTROL switch

InCombinationandSequencermodes,thissetsthe

ModuleControltoMaster.Thisisthesameassetting

ModuleControltoMinP0:ControlSurface–

RT/KARMA.

CONTROL ASSIGN TONE ADJ/EQ switch

(LED ON) + SWITCH 1…16 switches

InCombinationandSequencermodes,youcanusea

shortcuttochangethecurrentTimbredirectlyfromthe

ControlSurface,withoutleavingToneAdjustmode:

1. PressandholdtheTONEADJ/EQbutton.

2. WhileholdingTONEADJ/EQ,pressa

PLAY/MUTEorSELECTbuttontoselectaTimbre.

ThePLAY/MUTEbuttonsselectTimbres1–8,andthe

SELECTbuttonsselectTimbres9–16.

ThisisthesameastheselectedTimbre/Trackin

TIMBRE/TRACKmode;changingonewillalsochange

theother.

3. ReleasetheTONEADJ/EQbutton.

TheControlSurfaceandscreenwillchangetoshow

theToneAdjustparametersforthenewlyselected

Timbre.

Introduction to KRONOS

8

EXIT switch: Return to main page

Thisbuttonmakesiteasytoreturntothemainpageof

thecurrentmode:

•Pressitoncetogotothepreviously‐selectedtabon

themainP0page.

•PressitagaintogotothefirsttabonthemainP0

page.

•Pressitathirdtimetoselectthemainparameteron

theP0page,su

c

hastheProgramnameinProgram

mode.

WhereveryouareinProgram,Combi,orSequencer

modes,pressingEXITthreetimes(orfewer)willtake

youbacktoProgram/Combination/SongSelect,where

youcanimmediatelyusethenumerickeysor / 

switchestoselectaProgram,Combination,orSo

ng

.

EXIT switch: Cancel in dialog boxes

Whenadialogboxisdisplayed,thishasthesame

functionastheCancel,Done,orExitbutton.

Rear panel

1. AC Power connector

Connecttheincludedpowercablehere.

Werecommendthatyoufirstconnectthepowercable

totheKRONOS,andthenconnecttheotherendofthe

cabletoanACoutlet(see“1.Connectingthepower

cable”onpage 20).

2. POWER switch

Thisswitchturnsthepoweronandoff.Beforeturning

KRONOSoff,makesurethatyou’vesavedanyeditsto

yourPrograms,Combis,Songs,orotheruserdata.

Afterturningthepoweroff,pleasewaitforatleast

tensecondsbeforeyouturnthepoweronagain.

3. USB ports

USB A ports

Therearetwoexternal,high‐speedUSB2.0ports.You

canusethesetoconnectstoragemediasuchashard

disks,flashmedia,etc,aswellasclass‐compliantUSB

MIDIcontrollers.Formoreinformation,see“5.

ConnectingUSBdevices”onpage 23.

USB B port

Thishigh‐speedUSB2.0portletsyouconnecttoaMac

orWindowsPC,forsendingandreceivingMIDIand

audio,andforconnectingtothecomputereditor

program.Formoreinformation,see“7.Connectionto

acomputerviaUSB”onpage 24.

4. Analog AUDIO INPUTS

Youcanusetheaudioinputsforrecording,sampling,

andreal‐timemixingthroughthebuilt‐ineffects.

Mic/Line Inputs 1 and 2

Inputs1and2provide1/4”TRSbalancedconnectors.

Youcanusetheseforeithermicrophone‐levelorline‐

levelsignals.Thetwoinputshaveidenticalsetsof

controls,asdescribedbelow.

MIC/LINE switches

Thesesettheinput’snominalsignallevel.Setthese

switchesaccordingtothetypeofdevicethatyou’re

connecting,andthenusetheLEVELknobs(described

below)tooptimizethegain.

UsetheLINEsetting(buttonpressedin)when

connectingtomixers,computeraudiosystems,signal

processors,orothersynthesizers.Thenominalle

velis

+4dBu,with12dBofheadroom.

UsetheMICsetting(buttonpoppedout)onlywhen

connectingamicrophone.

LEVEL knobs

Theseknobsletyoumakemorepreciseadjustmentsto

theinputlevel,aftersettingthebasiclevelswiththe

MIC/LINEswitches.

TheMINsettingisunitygain;theMAXsetting

providesabout40dBofgainaboveunity.

2. Power Switch

5. Analog

Audio Outputs

4. Analog

Audio Inputs

3. USB

8. Pedals6. MIDI

1. AC Power

connector

7. S/PDIF

In & Out

Front and rear panels Rear panel

9

5. Analog AUDIO OUTPUTS

AlloftheanalogaudiooutputsusebalancedTRS1/4”

phonejacks,referencedtoa+4dBusignallevel.

Connecttheseoutputstotheinputjacksofyouramp

ormixer.InadditiontotheL/MONOandRmain

stereoaudiooutputs,theKRONOSprovidesfour

individualaudiooutputs.

Thesoundfromeachoscillator

,drum,timbre/track,or

inserteffectcanbefreelyroutedtoanyoutput.

Additionally,youcanroutethemetronomesoundto

anindividualoutput,toseparateitfromthestereo

mix.Formoreinformation,see“Effectsselectionand

routing”onpage 202.

(MAIN) L/MONO, R

Thesearethemainstereooutputs;theirvolumeis

controlledbytheMAINVOLUMEknob.Allofthe

factoryProgramsandCombisareprogrammedtoplay

throughtheseoutputs.

Wheneditingsounds,orwhensettingupaSongin

Sequencermode,youcanaccessthemainoutputsby

settingBusSelecttoL/R.

Ifnocab

leisconnectedtotheRoutput,L/MONOwill

carryamonosummationofthestereosignal.So,ifyou

areconnectingtoadevicewhichdoesnothavestereo

inputs(suchasasimplekeyboardamp),usethe

L/MONOoutput.

(INDIVIDUAL) 1…4

These4additionalaudiooutputsletyouisolate

sounds,audioinputs,oraudiotracksforrecordingor

complexlivesoundsetups.

Thesecanbeusedasstereoormonooutputs,inany

combination.YoucanalsousetheGlobalAudiopage

LRBusIndiv.Assignparametertomapthemain

stereooutputstoanyoftheseoutputpairs,ifyo

uli

ke.

Notethattheindividualoutputsarenotaffectedbythe

MAINVOLUMEknob.

6. MIDI

MIDIletsyouconnectKRONOStocomputersorother

MIDIdevices,forsendingandreceivingnotes,

controllergestures,soundsettings,andsoon.For

moreinformationonMIDIconnections,pleasesee

“MIDIapplications”onpage 1127oftheParameter

Guide.

MIDI THRU connector

MIDIdatareceivedattheMIDIINconnectorisre‐

transmittedwithoutchangefromtheMIDITHRU

connector.

YoucanusethistochainmultipleMIDIdevices

together.

MIDI OUT connector

ThisconnectortransmitsMIDIdata.Usethistocontrol

externalMIDIdevices,ortorecordintoanexternal

sequencer.

MIDI IN connector

ThisconnectorreceivesMIDIdata.Usethistoplaythe

KRONOSfromanotherMIDIdevice,orfroman

externalsequencer.

7. S/P DIF IN & OUT

Thesejacksprovide24‐bit,48kHzopticalS/P DIFinput

andoutput,forconnectingtocomputeraudiosystems,

digitalmixers,etc.

OpticalS/P DIFissometimescalledTOSLINK,and

formallynamed(holdyourbreath!)IEC60958,EIAJ

CP‐1201.Makesuretouseopticalcablesdesignedfor

digitalaudio.

Wheneveryouusedigitalaudioconnections,make

su

re

thatallconnectedsystemsaresetsothatthereis

oneandonlyonewordclockmaster.Youcansetthe

wordclockfortheKRONOSusingtheGlobalpage

SystemClockparameter.Formoreinformation,see

“SystemClock”onpage 756oftheParameterGuide.

OUT(MAIN) jack

ThisopticalS/P DIFoutputcarriesadigitalversionof

themainL/Routputs.

NotethattheMAINVOLUMEknobdoesnotadjust

theS/P DIFoutputlevel.

IN jack

YoucanusethisopticalS/P DIFinputforrecording,

sampling,andreal‐timemixingthroughthebuilt‐in

effects.

ItcanbeusedsimultaneouslywiththeanalogandUSB

audioinputs,ifyoulike.

8. Pedals

DAMPER jack

Forthedamper–alsoknownasthesustainpedal–you

canconnecteitherastandardfootswitch,orKorg’s

specialhalf‐damperpedal,theoptionalDS‐1H.

TheDS‐1Hisacontinuouspedaldesignedspecifically

forpiano‐styledampercontrol,withthelookandfeel

ofanacousticpiano’ssustainpedal.Itallowsmore

su

btl

econtrolofthedamperthanasimpleswitch;the

furtherdownyoupressthepedal,themorethatthe

Introduction to KRONOS

10

soundsustains.Formoreinformation,see“Half‐

DamperPedalandReleaseTime”onpage 40ofthe

ParameterGuide.

Youcanalsoconnectasimplefootswitch,whichwill

workasastandardon/offdamperpedal.

Inordertoensurethatthepedalfunctionscorrectly,

pleaseadjusttheswitchpolarity(see“Damper

Polarity”onpage

781oftheParameterGuide)andthe

half‐dampersensitivity(see“HalfDamper

Calibration”onpage 807oftheParameterGuide).

ASSIGNABLE SWITCH jack

Thisletsyouconnectasimpleon/offfootswitch,such

astheoptionalKorgPS‐1.Thefootswitchcanperform

awidevarietyoffunctions,suchasmodulatingsounds

andeffects,taptempo,sequencerstart/stop,etc.

Theswitch’sfunctionissetinGlobalmode(onthe

ControllerstaboftheControllers/Scalespage),sothat

italwa

ysworksthesameregardlessofthecurrent

Program,Combi,orSong.Formoreinformation,

pleasesee“SettinguptheAssignableSwitchand

Pedal”onpage 161.

ASSIGNABLE PEDAL jack

Thisletsyouconnectacontinuouscontrollerpedal,

suchastheKorgEXP‐2footcontrollerorKorgXVP‐10

EXP/VOLpedal,touseasanassignablemodulation

source.

LiketheASSIGNABLESWITCH,thepedal’sfunction

issetinGlobalmode.Formoreinformation,pleasesee

“SettinguptheAssignableSwitchandPe

dal”on

page 161.

TouchView user interface

TheKRONOSusesKorg’sTouchViewgraphicaluser

interface.BytouchingobjectsdisplayedintheLCD

screen,youcanselectpages,setparametervalues,

entertext,connectvirtualpatchcables,andmore.

a: Current page

Fromtheleft,thetopofthedisplayshowsthecurrent

mode,thenumberandnameofthepagegroup,and

finallythenameoftheindividualpage.

b: Category button

Whenyoupressthisbutton,atabbedpopupmenuwill

appear,allowingyoutoselectPrograms,

Combinations,orGEsorganizedbycategory.

Formoreinformation,see“Tabbedpopupmenus,”

below.

c: Popup button & menu

Whenthisbuttonispressed,apopupmenuwill

appear,showingthealistofoptions.Insomecases,

thesewillbeparametervalues.Inothers,theymaybe

listsofitems,suchasMultisamplesorFXPresets.

Toenteraparametervalue,touchthedesiredvalue.

h: Page group Tab

e: Knob

f: Slider

g: Page tab

a: Current page

d: Edit cell

b: Category popup button

c: Popup button

i: Check box j: Page menu buttonMode name Page namePage group number and name

Front and rear panels TouchView user interface

11

Manypopupmenushavea“Pin”inthe

upperleft.Thiscontrolswhathappens

afteryouselectavalue.Touchthepin

graphictoswitchbetweenopen

(unlocked)andclosed(locked).

Whenlocked(pinclosed),thepopupmenuwillremain

displayedevenafteryouselectaparametervalue.To

closethepopup,ei

therunlockthepin,orpressEXIT.

Whenunlocked(pinopen),thepopupmenuwillclose

immediatelywhenyoupressaparametervalue,or

whenyoutouchthescreenoutsidethemenu.

Tabbed popup menus

Somepopupshavealargenumberofitemsdivided

intogroups.Thegroupsarerepresentedbytabsonthe

left‐handsideofthescreen.Theseinclude:

• Bank/ProgramSelectandBank/CombinationSelect:

SelectProgramsorCombinationsbybank

•MultisampleSelect:SelectaMultisamplefora

Programoscillatorbycategory

• WaveSequenceSelectandDrumKitSe

lec

t:Selecta

WaveSequencesorDrumKitforaProgram

oscillatorsbybank

• EffectSelect:Selectaneffectbycategory

•SelectauserSampleforauserMultisample

•SelectaKARMAGE

Tocloseatabbedpopupmenu,presstheOKbuttonor

Cancelbutton.

Scroll bar

Whenalististoolongforallitemstofitonthescreen

atonce,thepopupincludesscrollbars.Youcantouch

intheemptyareasofthescrollbartomovebackand

forthinthelist,ortouchanddragthescrollhandle.

d: Edit cell

WhenyoutouchaparameterintheLCDscreen,the

parameterorparametervaluewillusuallybe

highlighted(displayedininversevideo).Thisiscalled

theeditcell,andthehighlighteditemisnowselected

forediting.

Theparametervalueoftheeditcellcanbemodified

usingtheVALUEcontrollers.Insomec

ases,yo

umay

alsouseapopupmenu,asdescribedbelow.

Forparametersthatacceptanotenumberoravelocity

value,youcanalsoholddowntheENTERswitchand

playanoteonthekeyboardtoenterthenotenumber

orvelocityvalue.

e & f: On-screen sliders and knobs

Tomodifythevalueofanon‐screensliderorknob,first

touchtheobject,andthenusetheVALUEcontrollers

tomodifythevalue.

g & h: Page group tabs and Page tabs

Pressthelowerrowoftabstoselectthepagegroup,

andthenpresstheupperrowoftabstoselectthepage.

Thetopofthescreenshowsthenameofthecurrent

pageandgroup,asdescribedunder“a:Currentpage”

onpage 10.

i: Page menu button

Whenthisbuttonispressed,alistofmenucommands

willappear.Theavailablecommandswillvary

dependingonthecurrentpage.Toselectacommand,

justtouchit.

ThepagemenuwillclosewhenyoupresstheLCD

screenatalocationotherthanthepagemenu,orwhen

youpr

esstheEXITswitch.

Eventhougheachpagemayhaveitsownunique

menucommands,themenusarestandardizedasmuch

aspossible.Forinstance,WRITEisalmostalwaysthe

firstmenuiteminProgram,Combination,SetList,and

Globalmodes.

Menu shortcut: ENTER + numeric keypad

Youcanuseashortcuttoaccessanyofthefirstten

menuitems:

1. HolddowntheENTERkey.

2. Pressanumber(0‐9)onthenumerickeypadto

selectthedesiredmenucommand,startingwith0.

Forinstance,press0forthefirstmenucommand,1for

thesecond,andsoon.

Ifthemenuco

mmandjusttogglesanoptiononandoff

(suchasExclusiveSolo),thenyou’redone.Ifthe

commandcallsupadialogbox,thedialogwillappear

ontheLCD,andyoucanproceedjustasifyou’d

selectedthecommandfromthetouch‐screen.

Dialog box

Manymenucommandsusedialogboxestomake

additionalsettings.Thedialogboxthatappearswill

dependonthecurrentlyselectedmenucommand.

Toconfirmsettingsinadialogbox,presstheOK

button.Toexitwithoutmakingchanges,pressthe

Cancelbutton.AfterpressingeitherOKorCancel,the

dialogboxw

illclose.

Press here and slide to left or right to

scroll to the desired location.

Press here to scroll to left or right.

Press here to scroll to the

corresponding location.

Introduction to KRONOS

12

Text edit button

Pressingthisbuttonbringsupanon‐screenkeyboard,

forchangingthenameofPrograms,Combis,Songs,

WaveSequences,DrumKits,etc.Formore

information,see“Editingnames”onpage 184.

Other objects

j: Radio button

Pressaradiobuttontoselectonevaluefromtwoor

morechoices.

k: Check box

Eachtimeyoupressacheckbox,italternatesbetween

thechecked(red)anduncheckedstates.

Theparameterwillbeactiveifitischecked,and

inactiveifitisunchecked.

Patch panel

TheMS‐20EXandMOD‐7useon‐screenpatchpanels

torouteaudioandcontrolsignals.Tomakea

connectionbetweentwopatchpoints:

1. Touchoneofthetwojacks(eitherinputoroutput).

Ayellowsquarewillappeararoundtheselectedjack.

2. Touchthesamejackagain.

Theyellowsquarewillbegintob

link,sh

owingthat

you’ reabouttomakeaconnection.Tocancelthisand

returntothenormalselectedstate,justtouchthesame

jackathirdtime.

3. Touchtheotherjack.

Thetwojackswillnowbeconnected.

Todeleteaconnectionbetweentwopatchpoints:

1. Touchtheinputjack.

Note:yo

ucanalsosel

ecttheoutputjack.However,if

theoutputisconnectedtomorethanoneinput,allof

theconnectionsfromthatoutputwillbeaffected.

2. PresstheDisconnectbutton.

Theselectedconnectionwillbedeleted.

Program Play page Overview/Jump graphics

ThemainP0PlaypageinProgramModefeaturesan

interactiveoverviewofthemostimportantparameters,

suchasoscillators,filters,envelopes,LFOs,andsoon.

Justtouchanyoftheseoverviewareas,andyou’lljump

tothecorrespondingeditpage.

Toggle buttons

Thistypeofbuttonwillchangeitsfunctionorswitch

on/offeachtimeitispressed.

Play/Rec/MutebuttonsinSequencermode:

SoloOn/OffbuttonsinSequencermode:

EffectsOn/Offbuttons:

Cancel button OK button

Text edit button

j: Radio button

k: Check box

Basic information About the KRONOS’ modes

13

Basic information

About the KRONOS’ modes

TheKRONOShasalargenumberoffeaturesthatlet

youplayandeditprogramsandcombinations,record

andplaysequencedata,recordandplaybacksamples,

andmanagedataondisk.Thelargestunitusedto

organizethesefeaturesiscalledamode.

TheKRONOShassevenmodes.

Set List mode

SetListsmakeitsimpletoplayandorganizeanyofthe

soundsloadedintotheKRONOS,withoutregardfor

whatbankthey’restoredinorwhetherthey’re

Programs,Combinations,orevenSongs.

Largeon‐screenbuttonsmakesoundselectionfastand

foolproof,andtheProgramUporDownfootswitch

assignmentscanbeus

edfo

rhands‐freesound

changes.Cut,copy,paste,andinserttoolsmakere‐

orderingasnap.

SmoothSoundTransitions(SST)lettheprevioussound

anditseffectsringoutnaturally,makingiteasyto

changesoundsduringaliveperformance.SSTisactive

inalloftheKRONOSmodes,bu

tSetListsgiveyou

greatercontroloverthetransitions.Youcanfine‐tune

thering‐outtimeforeachsound,sothat(forinstance)

onesoundfadesoutveryquickly,whileanother

sound’sdelayscontinuetorepeatfortenortwenty

seconds.

SetListsaregreatforliveperformance,butthey’

realso

handyfororganizingsoundsingeneral.Forexample,

youcouldcreateaSetListwithallofyourfavorite

Stringsounds,includingbothProgramsand

Combinations.

Program mode

ProgramsarethebasicsoundsofKRONOS.In

Programmode,youcan:

•SelectandplayPrograms

•EditPrograms

Makedetailedsettingsforoscillators,filters,amps,

EGs,LFOs,effects,KARMA,vectorsynthesis,etc.

Thespecificparameterswillvarydependingonthe

synthesistype:HD‐1,AL‐1,CX‐3,STR‐1,MS‐20EX,

PolysixEX,MO

D‐

7,EP‐1,orSGX‐1.

• Createdrumprogramsusingdrumkits(ascreated

inGlobalmode)

•PlayandcontroloneKARMAmodule

•Sampleandresample

Forexample,youcansampleanexternalaudio

sourcewhilelisteningtoaperformancegenerated

byKARMA,oryoucanplayaProgramand

resampleyo

urperfor

mance.

Combination mode

Combinationsaresetsofupto16Programsthatcanbe

playedsimultaneously,lettingyoucreatesoundsmore

complexthanasingleProgram.InCombinationmode,

youcan:

•SelectandplayCombinations

•UseKRONOSasa16‐trackmultitimbraltone

generator

•EditCombinations

AssignProgramstoeachofthe16Timbres,each

withse

paratevolume,pan,EQ,andkeyboardand

velocityzones;makesettingsforeffects,vector

synthesis,DrumTrack,andKARMA.

• ControlandplayuptofourKARMAmodules

• Sampleorresample

Forexampleyoucansampleanexternalaudio

sourcewhilelisteningtotheperformanceofthe

KARMA,orresampleaperformanceyouplayus

ing

acombination.

Sequencer mode

Sequencermodeletsyourecord,playback,andedit

MIDItracksandaudiotracks.Youcan:

•SelectandplaySongs

•EditSongs

AssignProgramstoeachofthe16MIDITracks,

withseparatevolume,pan,EQ,andkeyboardand

velocityzones;makesettingsforeffects,vector

synthesis,DrumTrack,andKARMA

•Recorduptosi

xteenMI

DItrackssimultaneously

•Recorduptofourofthesixteenaudiotracks

simultaneously,mixusingautomation,andimport

WAVEfiles.

• ControlandplayuptofourKARMAmodules

• Sampleorresample

Youcansampleanexternalaudioinputsource

whileplayingasong,anduseIn‐TrackSamplingto

automaticallycreateanoteev

e

ntthattriggersthe

sampleatthesametimeasitwasrecorded.

Youcanalsoresampleanentiresong,andthenuse

DiskmodetocreateanaudioCD.

•UseKRONOSasa16‐trackmultitimbraltone

generator

•Recordpatternsandassignthemtoindividual

keys,usingRPPR(RealtimePattern

Play/Recor

ding)

• CreateyourownDrumTrackPatterns

Introduction to KRONOS

14

Sampling mode

Samplingmodeletsyourecordandedityourown

SamplesandMultisamples.Forexample,youcan:

•Recordsamplesfromexternalaudiosources,

includingsamplingthrougheffects

•Edittherecordedsamples,orsamplesloadedfrom

disk;setlooppoints,truncate,time‐slice,etc.

• CreateandeditMultisamples,whichconsistofone

ormoreSamplessprea

doutacrossthekeyboard

•Q

uicklyconvertMultisamplesintoPrograms

•WithaUSBCD‐Rdrive(notincluded),sample

directlyfromaudioCDs

• Createmassivesoundsusingthegenerousinternal

RAM(uptoabout2GBfortheKRONOSX,orfor

theKRONOSwithmemoryexpansion)—ifyou

like,asingleMultisamplecanusemorethan6

hour

sofs

amplingtime

•Loadanumberofthese6‐hourMultisamplesat

once,viaUserSampleBanksandVirtualMemory

Global mode

Globalmodeletsyoumakeoverallsettingsforthe

entireKRONOS,andeditwavesequencesanddrum

kits.Forinstance,youcan:

• MakesettingsthataffecttheentireKRONOS,such

asmastertuneandglobalMIDIchannel

•Setupsampleauto‐loadingatstartup

• Managecurrentlyloadedsamples

• Createuserscales

• CreateuserDrumKi

tsandWa

veSequencesusing

samplesfromROM,EXs,UserSampleBanksor

SamplingMode

• RenameProgram,Combination,andKARMAGE

Korg Kronos X Operating instructions

Korg Kronos X Operating instructions

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