The Kronos 2 is the new king of the professional keyboard workstations, for now at least. The Fantom 8 gives you the ability to customize your workspace and save your settings. The Karma engine cleverly reads the notes and chords that you play, creating original backing tracks in an instant. The Korg Kross 2 is sometimes considered to be a watered-down version of the Kronos 2, but it’s a powerful workstation in its own right.

We stated earlier that the Yamaha MX is somewhere between the Kross 2 and Kronos 2, so let’s explain what we mean. To begin with, there are some new appearance features, like the classy wooden sides, and sleeker body.

The effects include 12 reverb types and a detailed master EQ. The powerful EDS-i sound engine comes with over 1000 presets. 9 Distinct Sound Engines. The Montage has more useful features overall, but pound for pound, there’s more value for money here. We always urge people to be clear on why they need a keyboard before buying one, and that’s especially important with workstations. It has graded hammer action keys with 128-note max polyphony, better key action than the Montage. Each sound engine has a dedicated control section with LED labeling for visual feedback. The stellar performance of the TR-88 88-key workstation starts with Korg's proven Hyper Integrated sound engineâ the synthesis system that has made the TRITON a world-wide standard. For starters, it´s stacked with sounds, available in Korg´s traditional Combi and Prog modes. Guitar Center: Shop New, Used and Vintage Gear, Special offers and unique clearance finds, New Arrivals: Taylor GT Urban Ash and other hot releases, Big Bang 2020: Our biggest drum event returns, Taylor GT Urban Ash Acoustic Guitars | Beatie Wolfe First Impressions. Alternatively, they can be assigned to different effect parameters, giving you maximum control in real-time. In any workstation, the layout and how you utilize functions is important. The heart of the Kronos is an 8-inch color TouchView display. Presets range from pianos and electric pianos to synth pads and leads. While it might not compete with the Kronos 2 in a studio setting, it more than makes up for it in live performance. So, effectively, if you are a solo artist or part of a duet, you can get perfect gig recordings! So, our advice is to consider how often you are likely to use the workstation in live performance versus how often you’d use it as a production tool (studio use). It’s a forward-thinking keyboard that could be a sign of things to come for future workstations. Our support system is a treasure trove of knowledge providing Owner’s Manuals, Easy Start Guides, FAQs, OS upgrades, USB drivers, bonus sound data and more. Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer This is the latest USB MIDI driver, which is compatible with Windows 8, 7, Vista & XP, in both 32 and 64 bit configurations. However, a cheaper workstation might be better in a specialized area than a more expensive keyboard. The Fantom 8 is amazingly powerful, and it’s the most expensive music workstation on our list.

The powerful EDS-i sound engine comes with over 1000 presets. It comes with Roland’s PHA-50 hammer action keys. We have said previously that we prefer it to the more expensive Montage when it comes to studio work, and that opinion still stands.

The Nord Stage 3 is widely considered as one of the best professional music keyboards around, and so many opinions can’t be wrong. Full-Sized 88-Note Light-Touch Keybed. The sound engines are incredible, the layout is intuitive once you get the hang of it, and it looks great. But, to explain further, it’s because it has graded hammer action keys that are more expressive, and it’s less than half the price. It allows for real-time recording, step recording, and even clip-based sequencing.

restrictions. Roland’s RD series has brought us some of the best high-end keyboards in recent years. It’s a premium workstation and synth; there’s no denying that. It’s quite simply, a stunning instrument from Korg. All of the Kronos’ functions can be controlled via the Touch View display with ease. Pads can also store favorite sounds for instant recall, up to 64 at a time with 4 banks of 16. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. The Yamaha Montage came along at The Fantom 8 is Roland’s flagship workstation, and it’s the newest addition to the Fantom line.

Roland’s TR-REC step sequencer provides a powerful yet familiar production tool. It’s not exactly a beginner-friendly keyboard, but for the pros, it’s awesome. Like previous models, the sounds are split between 3 engines – pianos, organs, and synths. The Montage also receives frequent firmware updates and optional sound expansion packs. The best keyboard workstation for taking on the road. All pre-owned items are rated and scored. The screen not only makes it easy to control your Fantom, but you can manage your DAW and VST’s there, too. This ZIP file contains the Korg Krome MIDI Implementation. However, it’s entirely at home in the studio too. For example, if you have a microphone or instrument running through your Kross 2, you can record sound from that along with your keyboard. The Montage’s MCS (Motion Control Synthesis) controls 2 of Yamaha’s most powerful sound engines. What that means is that you can connect to your laptop and run VST’s, synths from your DAW and plugins with no latency at all. carries on where the Motif left off, but it’s not the same instrument at all. Korg Kross 2. The best keyboard workstation for taking on the road. Both pianos sound lovely and feel very articulate with the MODX8 graded hammer action keys. The onboard audio recorder has 16 sequence tracks and allows for real-time replace and overdubbing. All of which are LED lit for visual feedback, even on a dark stage. £2,500.00. *Only a single instance of the Krome Editor or Krome Plug-In Editor can be used at once. Otherwise, it’s brilliant.

As well as the pianos, there is a massive 21GB of preset sounds and 9 distinct sound engines for processing and tweaking voices.

Feature-wise, the TR is well speced. The layout of the Nord Stage 3 may look a bit overwhelming initially, but it doesn’t take long to become second nature. Features like the clip-based sequencing will likely divide opinion, too. Two of Roland’s most powerful sound engines are the SuperNATURAL Piano engine and the V-Piano engine, this workstation has both. They are also some of the most expensive! This Mac driver is compatible with Intel/Mac. £2,749.00. We always recommend that you use the latest driver. Korg Kronos 88 2015 Music Workstation - Nearly New. SGX-2 Grand Piano Sound Engine. As for the sound, well, we are yet to hear a keyboard with Roland’s SuperNATURAL or V-Piano engine that doesn’t sound amazing. The organ section also has 9 drawbars to add realism to the organ tones. Workstations are some of the most powerful and versatile keyboards you can buy. If you are a performer first, and studio musician second, try this one out. Before we say anything else, we need to state that the Yamaha MX88 is easily the best keyboard workstation under (or around) $1000. Across the board, voices are of a very high standard. It’s also lightweight and more comfortable to get around than most other workstation keyboards. by James Nugent Last Updated July 16, 2020. There are dedicated onboard effects for each section as well as master effects. This .ZIP file also contains installation instructions which are located in the Editor/Plug-In Editor Owner's Manual. On top of that, the Monatage also has an incredible 18 filter types. a time when many people were calling for a new Yamaha Motif. As with many of Yamaha’s high-end keyboards, the onboard effects come from the VCM engine. Another thing it shares with the Montage is the multi-controlling Super Knob. We are struggling to say anything negative about the Kross 2. The first is the AWM2 engine, which produces amazingly realistic acoustic piano and rhodes sounds. This zip file contains Krome Operating System 1.0.1. Enter new model, the TR. Korg Kronos LS Music Workstation. The real beauty of this workstation is how easy it is to edit voices and effects.

The new piano engine sounds gorgeous, and with synths, Korg always gets that right. If you are a singer, you can plug your mic straight into the Kross 2 for vocals or use the onboard vocoder. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The synth section has a dedicated OLED display to make things even more accessible. It has balanced hammer action keys with aftertouch, which isn’t always included in workstations. The V-Piano engine powers acoustic pianos and electric pianos are powered by the SuperNATURAL engine. So, it should tell you something when the only fault we found so far is that it’s expensive. These spaces are referred to as scenes; a scene can be anything from a song, part of a song, or a selection of sounds – basically, anything you need to save in a specific order and recall instantly when required. MAC:Driver:USA_KORG USB-MIDI Driver 1.2.1 (r4).dmg, MAC:Driver:USA_KORG USB-MIDI Driver 1.2.0 (r4).dmg, PC/MAC:Operating System:USA_KROME_V103_E1.zip, PC/MAC:Operating System:USA_KROME_V102_E1.zip, PC/MAC:Operating System:USA_Krome v101.zip, PC:Software:USA_KromeEditor_win_100_en.zip, MAC:Software:USA_KROMEEditor_mac_100_en.dmg, PC/MAC:Soundware:USA_Krome_Best_of_TRITON.zip, ALL:USA_Krome - How to Make Splits and Layers in COMBI Mode.pdf. On top of all of that, there is plenty of analog and digital connectivity.

The Yamaha MODX8 is one of the most difficult to place. The pads are also used to program steps in the step sequencer (up to 64 steps). On top of that, the MODX8 is probably the most user-friendly workstation on our list. The second is the FM-X engine that covers a broad range of vintage and modern synths. The most instantly attractive thing about the Yamaha MX88 is that the sounds use the same waveforms as the Motif XS. Wherever you are using it, the RD-2000 has a very intuitive, hands-on layout that will increase your workflow no end. Korg 01/W Music Workstation XPC-11 Sound Alternatives . Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of Korg Keyboard Workstations at Guitar Center. If you change the Ship-To country, some or The Montage is a superb workstation for the stage or the studio.

The new piano engine enhances previous Kronos piano tones, and adds an entirely new one, the Berlin Grand. Consordini is a participant in the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program.

An integrated MIDI interface lets you use the MX as a master controller for VST’s, synths, and samplers. Most orders are eligible for free shipping! Other features are pretty self-explanatory: drum track adds rhythm to your playing, and the arpeggiator is useful for coming up with new patterns/movements. For anyone who knows the Motif series keyboards and their history, it’s a big deal. So, it’s left in some tricky middle ground where it does everything very well, but doesn’t excel in one area. After unzipping the download, please open the “Loading TRITON Programs.pdf” for full step-by-step instructions. Roland’s RD-2000 is an 88-key workstation that’s used by many professional musicians, always with great reviews. *Krome Plug-In Editor supports VST/RTAS in Windows, VST/ Audio Unit/RTAS in Macintosh. More importantly, it has an enhanced SGX-2 piano grand piano engine along with a massive library of diverse sounds. The use of both engines has produced far better piano and electric piano tones than ever before. The significant thing about this technology is that the keys have both top and bottom triggering, meaning the release matters as much as the initial strike.