KingKorg vs. Studiologic Sledge 2.0

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Thank you all for those great and insightful comments.

I'm slightly leaning towards the Sledge at the moment but that could change once I try out the King. Something that I hopefully will in the near future as it's sold in Denmark. The Sledge isn't (Gotta go the Thomann way there)

It seems the Sledge and the Blofeld has quite a few similarities and even share the same sound engine....or did I get that wrong? The idea of browsing through endless menus in order to program it does turn me off though. It always will, no matter how deep the instrument may be.
chok071 wrote:Maybe approach it from the musical side then. What kind of music do you do mostly?
Well, I'm stuck in the 80s but I've managed to incorporate something as "modern" sounding as the Venom without it standing put as something not working in the context.

VA's or not VA's. It's not really something I care much about. I guess they'll all suit me one way or another. A decision has to be made at some point.

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K-Bee wrote:The idea of browsing through endless menus in order to program it does turn me off though. It always will, no matter how deep the instrument may be.
Then you definitely should give Blofeld a wide berth because it has a lot of that. Turns me off too tbh.

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chk071 wrote:
K-Bee wrote:The idea of browsing through endless menus in order to program it does turn me off though. It always will, no matter how deep the instrument may be.
Then you definitely should give Blofeld a wide berth because it has a lot of that. Turns me off too tbh.
Yeah, that was my impression as well, after looking at it. I have menus enough as it is on my Kurzweil, and as the DX7 goes..just forget about it :lol:
The thing I still can't figure out though, is the Sledge just a Blofeld with additional knobs and a larger keybed or is there any other differences? It's hard to judge both from the reviews and the comments in this very thread.
I also wonder if the KingKorg build and keys are as terrible as many reviewers point out?

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K-Bee wrote:
chk071 wrote:
K-Bee wrote:The idea of browsing through endless menus in order to program it does turn me off though. It always will, no matter how deep the instrument may be.
Then you definitely should give Blofeld a wide berth because it has a lot of that. Turns me off too tbh.
Yeah, that was my impression as well, after looking at it. I have menus enough as it is on my Kurzweil, and as the DX7 goes..just forget about it :lol:
The thing I still can't figure out though, is the Sledge just a Blofeld with additional knobs and a larger keybed or is there any other differences? It's hard to judge both from the reviews and the comments in this very thread.
I also wonder if the KingKorg build and keys are as terrible as many reviewers point out?
I was curious, so I downloaded the Sledge manual and skimmed through it.

Well, I can't comment on the differences about sound or keys feel because anyway, I didn't find one in the dealer's shop.

But, for the sound design and other specs, I can give you few examples of how Blofeld is superior (Actually if you know Largo, it is almost as they said 98% similar!).

In Blofeld:
- There are 5 types of Envelops for example:
ADSR / ADS1DS2R / One Shot / Loop S1S2 /Loop All

- There are 16 Modulation Matrix slots

- There are 30 Sources and 56 destinations in the matrix (if I counted them correctly!), so lfo1 has 56 destinations to choose from :o

Now, for the interface, it is far from similar to DX7 or even my Casio PX-5S! If you have seen the Pulse 2 review by Nick Batt in Sonicstate videos, you will hear him says that it looks complex but it is easier to put your hands on it than explain it, or something like this!
Well, this is even easier in Blofeld because of the screen! So, the combination of the Interface Matrix, knobs, and screen (with its knobs), all that make editing parameters so easy and most important can stay organized in your mind.

Also, I haven't read if the knobs in Blofeld are Midi assignable to be used in soft synths. I don't know about the Sledge if the knobs are assignable. For me, it is really not that important now! As Blofeld will make most of my soft synths unused! And anyway, this is not the most important factor for me. I can always buy a nano kontrol and have knobs and sliders ;)

But, Sledge has 61 keys while Blofeld has 49 (which is perfect for my desk!). The Sledge has immediate control but that comes at the price of less flexibility.
So, it comes to which one is more important, controls or flexibility in sounds? If I was in the very start and don't know that much about synthesis, I would choose the Sledge, but because I can understand at least 80% of the complexity of Blofeld and I can master its sound design not so far, I choose Blofeld even if they are the same price!

btw, the dealer contacted me and offered inspection about the headphones jack hiss noise. It is not that important for me, but it is a very nice support from Waldorf dealer (which is Korg's dealer as well, I love both so I will deal a lot in the future with them).

Yesterday and today I spent it in the pads section and I'm blown away how great it sounds. I think it can do everything! Maybe not the vintage analog of course, but everything else!
Anway, the presets are great in the end but shit in the start! (in general). This is not good marketing! Also, forget about the presets in Largo! They are not the same at all. Blofeld has I think 1000 presets, and some of them are the best I have heard ever! Largo might be able to do that, but I don't have it to try to duplicate.

Oh, for the King Korg, I think it is fantastic, but tomorrow I might have the time to check it in the store. Actually I'm more interested in the Korg ARP Odyssey! Which they have the same retail price here (although there is a discount now on the King Korg), so I might able to have an opinion about the keys feel of the Korg.

That's it! I talked too much in this thread! I'm going to rest and let the others stop skipping those chunks of texts :hihi:

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Thanks EnGee. Don't worry about being talkative. It all helps me in making my final desicion :)
Please get back here once you've tried out the Korg :tu:

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K-Bee wrote:Thanks EnGee. Don't worry about being talkative. It all helps me in making my final desicion :)
Please get back here once you've tried out the Korg :tu:
I was in the store today as the dealer swapped my blofeld with another one. Which at first had no problem but when I update the firmware to v1.23, the hiss in phones jack returned! So, don't update your frameware and stay with v1.22 if you choose blofeld!).

I played little with King Korg but about 10 mins. Man! If I had the money I would go out from the shop with two big boxes, one is my beloved blofeld and King Korg!

The filters are killers! So smooth. The controls are nice and big knobs. The feel is lush and it is a great synth.

Now, the keys are not as good as the blofeld (or the Prophet 6!). There is immediate difference when you switch playing between the two. They are OK, slightly better than my Oxygen 49. They are exactly the same in their new midi controller 'Tactile'? They are not bad really but they are not in the same league as blofeld.

But for me, I'm saving for the King Korg from now! The keyboard is not the best but not bad. The synth, controls, knobs, screens and the feel are first class.

I asked him about the Sledge and he said that the other guy in the shop had a play with it overseas (not available in NZ) and he liked it.

So, I really don't know! But I'm almost sure if you visit your Korg dealer, you will go out with a box! So be careful :hihi:

edit: for those who wonder what the differences between Blofeld and Largo, here they are:
http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/kunena ... ynthesizer
Last edited by EnGee on Tue Jul 28, 2015 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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If you are looking for a modern VA then the Nord Lead A1 has to be a contender.

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EnGee wrote:but when I update the firmware to v1.23, the hiss in phones jack returned! So, don't update your frameware and stay with v1.22 if you choose blofeld!)
Works fine here with 1.23 so this is not a good general advice :)

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EvilDragon wrote:
EnGee wrote:but when I update the firmware to v1.23, the hiss in phones jack returned! So, don't update your frameware and stay with v1.22 if you choose blofeld!)
Works fine here with 1.23 so this is not a good general advice :)
Yes maybe you are right as I downgraded to v1.22 with the help of support but still the hiss exists. So I need to check other possibilities.

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I remember i had a problem with the output of the Blofeld being much too quiet when i had it. Don't know if they fixed that with newer firmware versions.

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EnGee wrote:But for me, I'm saving for the King Korg from now! The keyboard is not the best but not bad. The synth, controls, knobs, screens and the feel are first class.
.
Very interesting, thanks for the little "review" there :tu: Looks like the king really is a contender!
It's a bit cheaper than the sledge over here at the moment as well :)
barryfell wrote:If you are looking for a modern VA then the Nord Lead A1 has to be a contender.
It most likely is, but it's €1469 whereas the King Korg is €811 (at Thomann). The Sledge goes for €955. The Nord Lead is bit too much for me.

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Video review of the KingKorg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFFe8-YoxLg

Judging from that video, it has that Korg typical "dryness" to its sound (which i already noticed with the KLC, and also on some of theiur analog synths), not exactly what i'd call "creamy" or "warm". But then, just my opinion, maybe you like it more. Filters don't sound bad, but i heard better on soft synths.

Disclaimer: Just not a fan of Korg synths in general, so take this with a pinch of salt.

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chk071 wrote:I remember i had a problem with the output of the Blofeld being much too quiet when i had it. Don't know if they fixed that with newer firmware versions.
I noticed it has a low volume but I used my integrated sound. Today I have received the PreSonus iTwo interface, I will test it with this one and see. I will also test my Casio PX and see if there is a difference in the volume, although to be honest I don't care that much, because I just can make some routing and buses inside Studio One and I'm done ;)
chk071 wrote: Judging from that video, it has that Korg typical "dryness" to its sound (which i already noticed with the KLC, and also on some of theiur analog synths), not exactly what i'd call "creamy" or "warm". But then, just my opinion, maybe you like it more. Filters don't sound bad, but i heard better on soft synths.

Disclaimer: Just not a fan of Korg synths in general, so take this with a pinch of salt.
Well, for me it sounds really warm like a hot model from South America :hihi: But maybe because I love the Korg sound since I was teenager!

The video exactly showed how capable this synth is (just bear in mind that there is no after touch). I believe that the Blofeld + King Korg = Super Komplete Synth! If I were K-Bee and have the Kurzweil + DX7, I would buy King Korg and then later buy Blofeld desktop (not the keyboard edition) and plug the DX7 into it by Midi (it has Midi, right?). What can I need more? I really can't think of anything else, oh and maybe I would sell the Kurzweil to cover all that :D

I mean it needs some planning really for future expansions. The good (or maybe bad) thing with the hardware, it takes time to setup and money of course not only to buy the synth, but things like cables ...etc. It also needs a space and in the end they might be less capable than the software! However, one very important point is that with the hardware (at least for me) I feel much more productive. All these limitations and immediate control without looking at the cpu usage ..etc, makes me concentrating on making music by thinking only of that! Anyway, I will use the different soft synths I have to fill what I miss :D

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EnGee wrote:I would sell the Kurzweil to cover all that
Not happening! It's my main MIDI controller and a stunning instrument in it's own right. 88 weighted keys and all :)
Yeah, I think dx7 was the 2nd commercially released synth having MIDI. It's not good for controlling purposes since this was before they made the 1-127 velocity standard. It has 0-100 :lol:
The Korg looks like good value for money, and a Blofeld desktop I hadn't even thought about.
Gonna investigate further and watch a few more videos. Then I'm off on vacation in mid august and when I get back, a decision will be made (Probably a Blofeld, A Sledge and a King, just to be on the safe side! :lol: )

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K-Bee wrote:Then I'm off on vacation in mid august and when I get back, a decision will be made (Probably a Blofeld, A Sledge and a King, just to be on the safe side! :lol: )
If you still have money after the vacation :hihi:

There are also other choices like ms-20 (full or mini), arp odyssey (mini keys) and pulse2 for example. You really need to visit the local shop first and spend some time with different ones.

Have a good vacation and shopping later :D

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