Went back to that store during my lunch break, didn’t have as much time as last week, but went back to the Grandstage and Vox, wanted to have another go. They’re still damn good and very much on my radar, but in all honesty, I feel that I have not yet acquired the skills necessary to make the most out of those boards, in other words, the price is a bit hard to justify at the moment. Tempting, though…
Had a walk round again, and still the same like I felt last week : Yamaha doesn’t do anything, neither does Kurzweil, and apart from the RD-2000, Roland’s is more or less in the same boat.
Went back to the Korg corner, and had another go at the Krome EX, one I’ve been eyeing for a while now. And in spite of the not so favourable reviews, I really like it. Can’t explain it, but just like the Kross 2, I just like it. The sounds are better than the one in the Kross 2, mind you, and I think that’s immediately noticeable. Already liked the Krome EX 73, but now had a little play with the 88. Same keybed as the Kross 2 88, as far as I can tell, so all good there. And the interface, the display, once I had taken the time to browse a little, is actually quite good (a lot easier to navigate and more usable than the FA-08, that’s for sure).
Anyway, I just had to have the Krome EX. Playing it, I love it just as much as the Kross 2.
And yes, I know both the PA1000 and the Krome EX have the EDS-X sound engine, but basically, they're two very different animals and it's a setup that I'm at peace with
And then, suddenly, a revelation
No, seriously, for once and for all, I wanted to make a final decision on which board to put where. And also, what board(s) to get in order to set up everything properly.
So, no surprise: ordered the Krome EX 88 and that will be below the PA1000 in my house. There, I will hook everything up, MIDI everything together, connect them to my iMac for DAW use, and will run the sound of the Krome EX through the PA1000. To get sound from the DAW on the iMac, and as the Krome EX has no ‘line in’, I’ll have to rely on either the iMac’s built-in speakers (which aren’t that great) or I could use some quite beefy computer speakers still lying around from when I also had a gaming PC (about four years ago, passed it on to my son). Or maybe it's possible to include the iMac in the 'sound equation' by using audio jack splitter cables (in which case that might lead to a complicated mess which would cause nothing but interference)? In any case, don’t want to buy a decent speaker system yet, don’t really have the space for it, just wouldn’t be practical at the moment. So not too worried about that, and I can experiment away since it’s my ‘studio’
The Kross 2 88 then, as initially planned, will go to the appartment, on a double X-stand which I've already got, and I will move the Laney AH150 over there, as well. No 2-tier setup then (I’ll concentrate on piano, still some stuff I need to study), and I’ll see what I’ll do with my boards when I will have moved for good. If all goes well, and my skills will have improved in about a year from now, I will keep the Krome EX and PA1000, and very likely treat myself to the Grandstage 88 and Vox Continental 73 to complete the ‘studio’. Probably won’t be selling the Kross 2 88, like it too much for that, so it might end up in the living room for the kids to play with (will worry about speakers when the time’s ready).
So, the deed is finally done. Only one question : when running the sound of the Krome EX through the PA1000, I assume I will also hear both boards when I connect headphones to the PA1000 (in which case, the built-in speakers will be muted) ? May seem like a stupid question, but I prefer to ask anyway…
