jupiter 80 vs korg kronos!which one should i choose?

Although I love my Jupiter 80 (and the Jupiter 50 before that), and I truly believe it's got some great great sounds from acoustic "real" instruments with all the great playing affectations that super natural brings to the BIG HUGE sounding synth sounds that I've found no other compare...

It's not really a "sound bank" that covers all the categories. The Integra7 does that and if you're not interested in the sequencing of the kronos, you could really save some $$ by getting an Integra7 and a high quality keyboard controller of your liking (that RD64 is a real fun one). That's what I'd do if I didn't already have the JP80.

Hope that helps you decide.

Oh, and P.S. I gave up on Korg's poor programming on their keyboards. Roland's interface just seems to make more sense to me and I can easily navigate it with very little reading of the manual.

Well I do have a Jupiter-80 as well as an Integra and "almost" bought a Kronos.

I wanted it because: It's a workstation and I'm really looking for a replacement for my fantom X. (I really need the 16 tracks sequencer and the fact that it is multitimbral). The kronos has tons of built-in sounds and you could also add new library (although expensive $$$). The new Kronos 2 with wood panels on each side is sooo sexy too! It sound pretty good too.

But I did not because: It is built like crap, doesn't feel sturdy, more like a <$1000 keyboard. Then think about it: It is basically computer that you have inside. Yes, with a fan, mother board, intel CPU and hard drive (although solid state) ... Then why not just buy a computer and some VST instead??? Well, to say the least the whole thing is "fragile"... It is also far from being user friendly: You can do a lot with it, but simple thing are complicated to do...

The Jupiter 80 in contrast is build like a tank, but doesn't have as many sounds. Which is why I've also have the Integra.

The bottom line is that if you don't need a workstation I would indeed suggest the Integra for the same reason flyingace mentioned. In my case I bought it to replace the 10 SRX expansions boards I had and the fantom XR. I don't miss any of those.

Your biggest issue is the virus C. The Integra is a bad substitute for it. You will miss all the knobs you have and also the fact that the virus C can produce sounds that are much different from what you will get with the integra.

If I was you I would keep the virus C, and use it both for what it is and as a controller for the Integra (assuming it is the KC). I do have a virus KB and will surely keep it because it really have it's own sound signature.

The fact is that there is no keyboard that will allow you to do everything. Some are pretty close to each other (Kronos-Motif-Fantom-Kurzwell). But far from the Virus-Prophet-Waldorf-Moog. Well, Moog is in fact a very special case but that's another story.

LA

thanks for your answers!
the combo that i could work and have many sounds until now is the roland xp80(full expanded) and the yamaha motif xs rack.with the motuf i don't feel that i miss any of the sounds that virus can produce.I mean that i can have all the usual and standard sounds for a gig...it also has some knobs for realtime tweaking.
the virus i own is the desktop c model.in fact i keep it for the studio but iam thinking to sell it cause i have plenty of other synths (supernova 2,k2000,prophecy,micron,mks80,creamware noah ex,pulse,motif xs rack,xp80) and many vstis-libraries.i feel that i can have the virus sounds from some vstis..(nexus 2 for example.).in fact there are some vstis i like better...maybe iam bored of it! ;)
i also love the sound and deep programmability of the k2000 and its vast engine.i think that no other company can compete kurzweil in that field and the k2000, a synth which is more than 20 years old is still one...of the best!what i want to say is that iam very happy with what i have for studio use. i just need something for the road...do you think rhat integra 7 cam cover someone for modern-dance sounds?i've heard also kronos a little and i found it really nice altgough i didn't have enough time to check it...what's the differences in the kronos 2?

musictech wrote:

i just need something for the road

-Then DO NOT go with the kronos. It is not sturdy enough and also take about 2 minutes to boot.

musictech wrote:

i also love the sound and deep programmability of the k2000

-Humm, then you may wish to have a look at the upcoming Kurzwell PC3A8. You will have to wait a bit more because it will enter the market by february but this could be what you really need.

musictech wrote:

what's the differences in the kronos 2?

- Wood side panels, that's about it. But they are also coming up with a new version of their software that will also be compatible with older kronos.

musictech wrote:

do you think rhat integra 7 cam cover someone for modern-dance sounds?

- There's so many sounds in the integra that I do believe that you will find what you want, but I'm not much into dance music. Maybe someone else could answer this too? Also note that sound are very tweakable but you will probably want to use the ipad editor (a window editor is also available)

LA

LA Keys,

The Kronos 2 is MUCH more than the addition of wood panels. Have a look at the Korg site. Also, for existing Kronos and Kronos X users, Korg released a MASSIVE upgrade that incorporates the new features of Kronos 2.

Now before you jump on me a Korg fanboi, among the other instruments I have and love is the Jupiter 80. Frankly the Kronos and Jupiter 80 sound SO good together that I sometimes wonder if Korg and Roland got together and decided to create a powerful workstation and a powerful performance synth that have this amazing synergy. MANY musicians have reported the same feeling.

Oh, and about the sturdiness of Kronos: Mine has survived a trans-Pacific trip, FOUR trans-Atlantic trips, numerous gigs in America and Europe. It has never failed me. Is it as solid as an OASYS? No. FFS, the only other workstations that perhaps surpass the tank like quality of OASYS are the Fantom series. But, MANY Kronos owner have reported complete satisfaction with build quality. Yes, some of the earliest Kronoses suffered from QC issues and Korg addressed and corrected these issues quickly which is a lot more than Roland ever did with the half-baked release of the Roland Fantom G.

@music tech: first generation Kronoses are selling for nice low prices. If you want a workstation there is simply nothing more powerful and Kronos does sound wonderful with the Jupiter 80. I like the Integra-7 but I think comparisons between it and Kronos are unfair to both instruments as they serve two different purposes.

Best,
Vlad

thanks for your answers and thoughts..
Kronos seems a good deal but it seems that korg must offer a ups with it cause..it needs manh seconds to power up!


Do you think that it is better than motif or kurzweil in terms of sound?

Vlad,

Roland, Korg, Yamaha and Kurzweil have all their strength and weakness. None of them have the best pianos, guitar, strings, wind, and brass. On top of that this truly a matter of personal choice. If you need, let's say the best guitar, then you will probably find that one of them have the best sound (for you). But no one can truly say that one have the best "sound" of all. At this level, you need to be much more specific and also listen to all of them by yourself.

This is also why some people have instruments that have a lot of "duplicate" sounds. A single brand simply cannot be the best at everything.


LA

i know that..as i mentioned at the beghinning i have..many synths.Iam happy with their sounds.i have analogs,vas,software,vast...etc...i just want to take with me one keyboard when i have gigs!
I know that this seems quite difficult but..i hope!

Take a good hard look at the new kronos. From what I've read the build quality has been improved from the previously mentioned concerns. I have a Kronos X 61 and a JP80 and if I could only bring one to a gig I would bring the Kronos hands down... even with the fewer keys.

Just one man's opinion.