Am I nuts to trade in my Kronos for a Fantom?

[Jfish930]

Hello All,

Seeking some advice and guidance.

My background is that I am a pianist foremost. I did have a rack of synths in the 80s ( dx7 and a Korg dw8000) that I played in a band. Even back then I pretty much just used the existing programs.

With the Kronos, I have used it primarily to compose my own stuff, however I never learned how to use daw, just used the Kronos sequencer. So, my strength is in playing and my weakness is in the technological side. I wish there was some type of class I could take in how to use daw and how to learn all about sound synthesis such as lfos, filters etc (but that’s another subject entirely),

I love the Kronos’ karma application, the combos, as well as the action and the sounds available (it has some amazing piano, organ and electric piano sounds especially).

What appeals to me about the fantom is it’s ease of use (although it will be a new learning curve for me). Also, in general a new keyboard will give me some new “creative juice”.

I know that the Kronos is pretty much a legend among workstations. So am I nuts to consider trading it for a fantom? Really tough decision here.

Just a side note, I went to my local music store where I purchased my Kronos and other previous keyboards. The keyboard guy there is excellent and usually will give me a 20 minute demo. He told me with Christmas coming and the store being crazy he never got around yet to learning the fantom, so he couldn’t give me a demo. I played around a bit but not enough to make a decision.

Thanks everyone!

 

[CowboyNQ]

Yes.

 

[Biggles]

Yes you are nuts

Yes, the Kronos is the best there is

Yes, to learning a DAW is a nightmare

Yes, Korg’s are a technical difficult instrument to get to grips with

So Yes, you would still be nuts going to buy a Fantom

Did I say Yes?

If you must change consider staying with a Korg in the PA4X where the Sequencer is great, so easy to use, so flexible and so quick. Sounds well you should find that many are on a par with the Kronos

 

[b3maniac]

Yes, you would be "crazy" to make such a trade. If for no other reason, the Kronos keyboard sounds are first rate ( as you already noted). As a player, I would not be satisfied with that change. Good luck. Don aka B3

 

[happyrat1]

I can understand the itch to try out new gear. I've sold and bought more than a few pieces of hardware over the years.

In this case though, this is more of a lateral move than an upgrade. The Fantom F8 weighs more than the Kronos 88 so no gain there.

I'd suggest waiting a few more years to see what comes down the pike as time goes by.

Sooner or later someone's gonna release something that will make your eyes bug out and your tonsils drool.

THAT'S when you pull the trigger on an upgrade.

Gary

 

[anotherscott]

With everyone coming down on the "you're nuts" side, I'll offer the other perspective:

Fantom seems to have a much better control surface... i.e. endless encoders with LED rings so the controls are in the "right" position with a clear indication of their current settings; dedicated synth knobs that are logically placed and labeled for ease and consistency of operation (and ability to do more with fewer controls); a more legible screen (Kronos has a lot of very small text and controls, probably because the interface was originally designed for the larger OASYS screen). And maybe a minor thing, but the buttons are better differentiated from each other... I find the Kronos black buttons butting up against other black buttons on a black background cumbersome to navigate. And if you do decide you want to finally expand to using a DAW, Fantom has extensive integration with Logic. And many people feel the high end Roland actions are better than Korg's.

Yes, Kronos has tons of advantages, largely in its sequencer and its wealth of sounds. But if you're willing to connect to a computer, you can add whatever sounds and sequencing you want from there. It's easier to add the Kronos advantages (i.e. better sounds and sequencing) to a Fantom than it is to add the Fantom advantages (i.e. a better control surface and possibly better action) to a Kronos.

 

[Jfish930]

Thanks for the replies folks! Well it appears that I am NUTS which makes perfect sense since that is my normal operating mode.
I think what I am going to do is sit tight for now; possible try a daw program such as Logic and see what that will do for my sequencing with the Kronos.
I figure if I can figure out sequencing with the Kronos (which I did thanks to YouTube videos) than I can probably figure out how to use Daw software