Korg Kronos 61 Model 2025

The KRONOS is the ideal stage and studio instrument for anyone who needs maximum flexibility without compromising on sound quality, reliability and features.

With no less than nine different sound engines, the KRONOS delivers high-quality sounds from all musical genres - and thanks to the huge and constantly growing number of additional sound libraries, it can be expanded again and again and tailored to individual requirements.

The SGX-2 engine specialises in authentic concert grand and upright piano sounds, including the typical mechanical noises and resonances that acoustic instruments inevitably produce.

A total of four different high-resolution concert grand pianos of German, Japanese and Italian origin are available ex works, each with 12 dynamic levels and with unlooped samples per key for an outstanding sounding piano experience.

The EP-1 Engine is dedicated to the distinctive sound of classic vintage electric pianos with electromechanical sound generators such as reed plates or reeds.

In addition to the typical background noises, suitable effect and amplifier models are also included, allowing the most legendary electric piano sounds in music history to be recreated effortlessly.

The CX-3 Engine provides the player with an impressive reproduction of the KORG CX-3 tonewheel organ, whose drawbars can be operated intuitively via the nine faders of the KRONOS.

Of course, suitable chorus, vibrato, drive and rotary effects are also included to complete the authentic organ experience.

The Polysix EX engine is a detailed reproduction of the KORG Polysix analogue synthesizer, whose warm, full sound is predestined for musical genres from the 1980s and early 1990s as well as for more modern synthwave productions.

The same applies to the MS-20 EX engine, which is a faithful adaptation of the iconic MS-20 analogue synthesizer from the 1970s, whose unique and aggressive sound is still an integral part of countless legendary electronic music productions today.

The KRONOS' large TouchView display can even be used to create virtual connections on the MS-20's patch panel, allowing you to customise the signal path according to your own ideas.

The AL-1 Engine is also available for further virtual-analogue sounds, with its complex possibilities and authentic-sounding oscillators and filters for velvety-smooth pads, assertive leads and punchy basses.

With the STR-1 engine, the KRONOS offers comprehensive physical modelling sound generation, in which the sounds are generated and modulated in real time using physical models.

This type of synthesis is particularly suitable for creating plucked and stringed instruments, whose virtual strings can be plucked, struck or bowed.

The MOD-7 engine, on the other hand, specialises entirely in VPM/FM synthesis, which was particularly dominant in the music world of the 1980s, but has also recently experienced a real renaissance in the EDM sector.

In addition to brilliant bells and legendary electric piano sounds, it can also be used to generate dynamic pads and ultra-deep basses. In addition, the six operators of the engine can be equipped with waveshaping or ring modulation oscillators as well as PCM samples, which guarantees almost infinite freedom when designing new sounds.

"Last but not least, the HD-1 engine is a powerful sampling sound generator that can be used to create complex multisamples and play them over different keyboard and velocity ranges.

This engine contains all sample-based sounds such as natural instruments, drums, percussion, choirs etc. and can also be used to play your own samples.

The latter can either be loaded into the instrument via USB stick or created using the comprehensive internal sampler function. Separate audio and microphone inputs as well as an integrated USB audio interface are available for this purpose.

The HD-1 engine also offers the option of wave sequencing, which is familiar from the classic KORG WAVESTATION from the 1990s and can generate rhythmic phrases and constantly changing pad sounds.

All sounds created with these nine engines can be combined with each other within the Combi mode, either as dynamically playable layer or split sounds with up to 16 individual instances.

Such extensive combinations can then be organised just like individual sound programs in clearly arranged, colour-coded set lists and can even be called up using a footswitch if desired.

Thanks to the practical "Smooth Sound Transition" function, played sounds are not interrupted when the sound programme is changed, but continue to sound natural, even if the new sound is already being played.

The powerful on-board sequencer offers 16 MIDI and 16 audio tracks and is therefore also ideal as a practical playback device for click and backing tracks on stage.

An extensive and flexibly customisable effects section with a total of 16 effect slots (12 insert, 2 master and 2 total effects + 3-band EQ) is available for all areas, which can be used from a pool of 197 different effect types.

The inspiring KARMA function, which is also on board the KRONOS, generates complex musical accompaniment phrases in real time, which can be intuitively controlled and customised using the faders and buttons in the controller section.

For particularly expressive playing, the KRONOS provides a variety of playing aids and real-time modulation sources, including a velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch, freely programmable faders, knobs and buttons, an X/Y joystick, an additional vector joystick and an intuitive ribbon controller.

Thanks to its optimised system architecture, it works faster than ever before in its third generation, which is noticeable, among other things, in a significant reduction in start-up time. The TouchView display also reacts even faster to inputs, making the entire workflow feel noticeably smoother and more natural.

The already extensive collection of ready-to-play preset sounds that have always characterised the KRONOS has been expanded for this model to include hundreds of additional sounds from every conceivable musical style, so that the instrument is ready to use as soon as you switch it on - whether for studio productions, band use or rousing solo performances.