KVR Audio

faun2500 · Post by **faun2500** » Sat May 25, 2013 9:43 am

After watching that the King korg owns it (price difference accepted). If I had the money and wanted VA with a big keyboard I would try that.

FaX · Post by **FaX** » Sat May 25, 2013 2:11 pm

sys2074 wrote:Just watch the promo videos by musictrack.jp for the UltraNova and the KingKorg ...

It will make your decision easier (even without knowing Japanese ).

I've recently bought the UltraNova and am very happy with it. But I only bought it as a bonus on top of a Korg KronosX I've bought at the same time. The UltraNova can be learnt within approx. 30 minutes (something I can't quite claim about the Kronos ). The Nova is fun to use but the KingKorg definitely has the edge on filters.

I've owned a Supernova and a Nova Desktop with last available (OS - which i still use - it's basically a 16 voice Supernova in all reality from a synthesis viewpoint) and it sounds nothing like the Ultranova in that video which sounds a tad thin sounding - the filter doesn't sound quite the same either IMHO.
The older Novation synths sounds way more ballsy in the bottom end and less reedy in the resonance department IMHO.
Exhibit A -
http://soundcloud.com/venndiagram/test- ... h-hardware[/url]

lfm · Post by **lfm** » Sat May 25, 2013 8:13 pm

KingKorg really sounds lovely on that demo.

Double the price of UltraNova - but ten times an instrument. I don't know how much of that is due to unison oscillators heavily used.

aaastronomer · Post by **aaastronomer** » Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:32 am

lfm wrote:KingKorg really sounds lovely on that demo.

Double the price of UltraNova - but ten times an instrument. I don't know how much of that is due to unison oscillators heavily used.

The KK's really got it (sonically) over the UN! I'm holding off on buying the Blofeld, for the moment, given the problems with it i've been reading about. Leaning toward other hardware now. The OP-1 looks good, with the new effects and I have enough cred to get an analog 4. I could try sampling the analog 4 through the OP-1. However, I have another vexing question, which requires a new thread.

lesfarrington · Post by **lesfarrington** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:43 am

i tried both side by side at guitar center. i found it to be a no contest. aftertouch is an issue to some degree but all in all its the basic sound quality that has to be considered. the RAW oscillator s are hands down better on the Korg. nothing against the Nova but the Korg has some real guts and beef. i also had a sub phatty there. there is a subtle edge to the Moog....but its something that would be lost if you didnt have a side by side comparrisson to make.
Editing on the Korg is a breeze and you just cant screw it up. it has a smoothness even when its being harsh and aggressive. i cannot imagine why this synth is being overlooked. i see comments about the price saying it should have more to it for the price....that is hogwash. i have been using synths for 25 years and this price is a bargain. GIVE IT A TRY....twist the knobs and hear it for yourself. the Nova has more arppegiation and sequencing junk but thats what it is in the context of a Hit Song. go listen to the electronic hits. they dont use that garbage. they use STRONG CHARACTER DRIVEN TONES and usually monophonic. this Korg is USEFUL and not aimed at one finger Cheese Demos that only impress semi pro hobbyists.
Go With The Korg.
its on my list after new years.
kit list......Kronos, Blofeld, Venom, prophet 08. Selling the prophet and Blofeld. the Korg just flat sounds better.

bvc · Post by **bvc** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 1:08 pm

Of all the synths Korg has made throughout the past 40 years... they're calling this one 'King.'

Good rule of thumb is that people/things/ideas that are great don't have to refer to themselves as great (I gained this bit of wisdom staying regretfully aware of today's rap scene).

Sequent · Post by **Sequent** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 5:56 pm

I don't really care either way about the name, I care about the sound and about what the synth brings to the table! I'm going to wait a bit to see what NAMM brings. Maybe they will announce a rack version.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:33 pm

EvilDragon wrote:KK doesn't have aftertouch, Ultranova does. That alone wins, IMHO. KK has better filters, though. But, lack of aftertouch kills it for me.

In the same group... Aftertouch wins.
Plus KK has a tube (which I loved on my old TritonEX), but if digital, non-analog sounds are your thing, it might be counter-intuitive to that.

I think the name sux too. Sooner or later, someone I know will make the correlation of the King Korg Keyboard as KKK. And I have too many of those sensitive types around willing to burn anything down with that acronym...

And I'm starting to miss my XStation...

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:37 pm

Btw, the last few times I've talk with Korg (@ past NAMM) they seem to really not want to produce anymore synth racks (citing a lack of profitability).

But who knows? It could change.

Sequent · Post by **Sequent** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:07 pm

BBFG# wrote:Btw, the last few times I've talk with Korg (@ past NAMM) they seem to really not want to produce anymore synth racks (citing a lack of profitability).

But who knows? It could change.

That's too bad about the policy on racks. Oh well.

Yeah, maybe that could change.

I was just looking through the manual and kind of hoping (but perhaps not expecting) that it might respond to AT via midi. No mention of it at all. Another, oh well.

Korg seems to have a decent track record of repackaging their stuff into various incarnations. Here's hoping this happens with the King Korg technology. Hopefully something cool might be on the horizon with a smaller package (don't have the room or desire for yet another five octave keyboard). Though maybe if it were a mini version it might be okay. (just speaking for myself here)

Of the all the Korg stuff I own perhaps my two favorite pieces are the MS2000BR and the Radias. Absolutely love 'em! I was kind of hoping to see something along those lines but with this updated sound engine.

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:17 pm

I bought my Radias-r to use with my XStation as its controller because Radias receives channel aftertouch. Plus layered together they're hugh. Sold the Novation during a down cycle though for living expenses. Really miss the combination, but for that, aftertouch was not always necessary anyway.

It's still a must in my book though.

Sequent · Post by **Sequent** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:03 pm

Agreed regarding aftertouch. Not always needed but nice to have anyway... especially for a $1200 synth.

I need to experiment some more with different layering combinations. Haven't really explored that enough with the Radias. (Actually a Radias-r for me as well.)

Speaking of the Xstation... an Ultranova (or even a Mininova) sound like they might make a nice layering combo with the Radias.

aaastronomer · Post by **aaastronomer** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 4:38 pm

hmmm...looks like the 'King' has it! i bought a virus t2i a few months back and may have satisfied my h/w lust for the moment. will have to give the King a turn in a music store some time soon. the t2i is quite strong tonally, at least among my other h/w synths (except for the k2500rs, which 'holds its own').

BBFG# · Post by **BBFG#** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:07 pm

Sequent wrote:
BBFG# wrote:Btw, the last few times I've talk with Korg (@ past NAMM) they seem to really not want to produce anymore synth racks (citing a lack of profitability). But who knows? It could change.
That's too bad about the policy on racks. Oh well. Yeah, maybe that could change.
Korg seems to have a decent track record of repackaging their stuff into various incarnations. Here's hoping this happens with the King Korg technology. Hopefully something cool might be on the horizon with a smaller package (don't have the room or desire for yet another five octave keyboard). Though maybe if it were a mini version it might be okay. (just speaking for myself here)
Of the all the Korg stuff I own perhaps my two favorite pieces are the MS2000BR and the Radias. Absolutely love 'em! I was kind of hoping to see something along those lines but with this updated sound engine.

Just to let everyone know, the last NAMM I went to was about 3-4 years ago. My old Korg Reps had moved on to other companies and Korg seemed to be headed more and more to smaller handhelds, desktops and 'coffin-rocks'.

I often find it strange that Korg and Roland are always competitively re-inventing the guitar tuner more than what seems to be any other device in their total product line.
The only thing I really hate about racks are the racks themselves, not what I put in them. But I think both companies want their product to be seen as well as heard, and just for marketing sake, their celebrity endorsers do them more good playing the board rather than rack with one of the competitors board.
(Case in point, I remember when Toto was endorsing Yamaha, but when I say them during the 'Seventh One' tour, Pocarro clearly had a couple of D-550s with electrical tape over the logo).

But I don't want to give anyone the impression that I'm well within 'the loop'.
I was a closer and what they called a midician then for a long time for a few places up and down the coast and developed relationshopes according to that. From that, I'm retired and my last ventures to NAMM was in association to a DCI youth group. Fortunately, a lot of people I knew are still in the mix, but not always working in the same company. A handfull I even have in my FB queue of 'friends'. But our conversations are much more about art than company products now.

ew · Post by ew » Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:20 pm

BBFG# wrote:Btw, the last few times I've talk with Korg (@ past NAMM) they seem to really not want to produce anymore synth racks (citing a lack of profitability).

But who knows? It could change.

It's not so much profitability as practicality in the case of the newer Korg offerings. The newer Korgs rely on a touchscreen, a lot of knobs or both for realtime control. With a rack, none of these options really make much sense; in a lot of cases, the rack won't be anywhere near you, and in the others, you have to take your eyes and at least one hand off the keyboard you're playing to tweak it- not a great idea in a live situation. Furthermore, almost all your parameters are hard-assigned to specific CC#s; to get realtime control over a rackmount KK, you'd need to dedicate a controller just for that instrument.

In general, rackmount instruments have become rarer. Roland's Integra's about the only newer synth designed as a rackmount that's out there these days (the V-Synth XT's more of a desktop that can be used in a rack, like the various Virus models past and present). The home producer market's the big market- hence either keyboards or desktop units.

ew

King Korg Vs. Ultranova