The KRONOS Is Dead, Long Live The NAUTILUS AT

The KORG KRONOS is discontinued and Korg just released the new KORG NAUTILUS AT. We need to talk!
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#korg #korgkronos #nautilus

[@abdielvelazquez773]

Kronos might be discontinued but is still king compared with the Nautilus

[@mikaela543]

Not loving the Nautilus but I have a Kronos that rocks, after 3 years playing it I am still learning, this thing seems to have no limits.

[@dessiplaer]

I would love to have had a Kronos. It was dissapointing to me when they excluded Karma on the Nautilus. Thanks for the video.

[@dhpstudios2009]

I totally agree

[@NightOrchids]

I was Surprised about no Karma as well.. im sure i read somewhere that Stephen Kay went across to Yamaha.. but correct me id im wrong

[@FranciscoDiazMusic]

I just bought a nautilus in the beginning of this year 2023. I own 3 Kronos keyboards. I can honestly say that the nautilus is a simplified Kronos. It does have Same sound engine. I have compared it side by side and there is no difference in sound. The cutback is in the built of the body: Smaller screen, Less knobs, Simpler look… not as classy as the Kronos with the wooden panels, abundant knobs and controls, and huge touchscreen. Kronos was just built like a tank! Nautilus is a great keyboard for the price. I wish I had waited to get the AT version. I got the original version… But I agree with you Woody. This cannot be the new Flagship workstation for Korg. Why? Because it’s not bringing anything new to the table or to the competition. I see it more as a transition keyboard in the meantime while they get a true flagship out. the Kronos was out for over a decade. technically speaking, it’s still alive within the nautilus. Just with a simpler body. I hope Korg releases something More powerful soon. I’ve been a korg player from the very beginning. I’m not loosing hope yet.

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

I expect an answer from Korg about the new Montage m

[@lunde28]

I am a Kronos X player and will now be even more careful with my backups. Would def. miss the controls (faders, ribbon, even keypad etc.) I use them on every gig. Do you know if the Nautilus (if things should go wrong) can read Kronos setlists, ksc, ksf etc. files?

[@dimitriboris5974]

Wow

[@kptamc]

The Wavestation engine is also missing on the Nautilus.

[@jerryKJose]

How on earth can Nautilus or any crappy boards like Nautilus be the flagship without Karma. That is too absurd even to think. Most Korg players Donno about Karma and it’s possibilities. Karma makes Korg unique and stand out from other brands

[@charliesilverman1132]

The father of time can never die.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

very clever comment indeed!

[@RajJaiRaj]

Not quite. That would be “Chronos”

[@MrFn65]

I am pretty sure they will release a Kronos 2 replacement hopefully at the NAMM show next year. It is interesting how the big 3 ( Yamaha, Korg, Roland ) take turns with their flagship units release times and different feature designs. The Kronos was way ahead of its time but remember that was due to their incredible Oasys before it! In Canada where I’m located, I have many people who bought Nautilus but went back to Kronos.

[@synth.s]

They had 2 years to come up with a replacement For kromos, the truth is, the era of the workstations is over. That's why Korg is not going to spend that kind of money to develop any other type of workstation. Instead, they introduced the PA5X as a very enhanced arranger since they already knew that everybody is using some sort of DAW integration with synthesizer for music production these days.

[@xp50player]

Kronos came out 6 years after OASYS. It’s been 12 years since Kronos came out. Forget it, not happening.

[@Mtaalas]

​@@synth.s Workstations are NOT done. I can't get a DAMN done with all the billion euro orchestral libraries and almost every other library for bass, guitar, etc that exists out there... because they are not designed for workstation use. The user interface isn't there, you need to waddle around with a mouse and program some third party controller or something to work with the parameters each single library presents. Orchestral libraries are basically all for film composers to replace real orchestra or engravers who want to hear what they've painstakingly written down and you need to tweak the each small minutia for example of your second violinis performance using hundred CC's to get something decent and usable that gets the point across. Workstations are not about the hardware, they are about the libraries full of decades of experience of these companies painstakingly creating sounds and user interfaces and assigning parameters that make you work FAST. The sounds are not t here to replace real instruments, they're there to get you what you hear in your head FAST and EASY. I've never used one single PC-based library (that wasn't itself a recreation of existing workstation like Korg M1) that's easy and quick to use and integrates into my workflow seamlessly. I'm a PLAYER. I don't want to program CC's... I'm a composer, an arranger... I want results when my creativity is flowing. I can always record real instruments later when i'm done... but I need to get the point across and not lose my focus when i'm creating something. PC based solutions cannot give that to me. They all require you to stop and program the notes painstakingly. Hardware workstations give you exactly that. They know what hardware you have, they know you're a player.. they put so much effort into immediacy and providing what composers and song writers need right at their fingertips. We still need hardware workstations.

[@synth.s]

@Mtaalas Complete agree with you on this. What I meant is that we don't see workstations like kronos anymore, it's going to be a streamlined version like nautilus, or it's going to be fantom and montage, these are here to stay for another decade at least till one of this companies come up with a hybrid between a mighty synthesizer and a mighty arranger.

[@mrdali67]

@@Mtaalas That's so true speaking. Even software Libraries clearly beat every thing of any hardware workstation, it is just not made for and will never be able to beat a good thaught out workstation for the gigging musicians. Most players don't have either the time or skill to learn all the key switches and programming that would require you to set up a comprehensive orchestral library to be usable in a live situation. If you can just sample sounds for easy use live and maybe use some of the onboard synth engines it's all we need. It's just a matter if Korg is willing to convert the current Kronos engines into a format that is easier to support on newer hardware. If you truely know the Kronos it's powerfull enough to recreate any sounds you might need as it is now. All we need really is a no limit on ammount of sound banks you have available, and enough ram for loading more samples without having to reload during a gig. And a better UI than the current one + a well thaught out software solution to support the onboard ui for easy sampling and converting directly to the instrument, which is where Korg failed with the Kronos / Oasys. compared to where some of the competitors are today with a much more modern and userfriendly approach. Even it do cost some R&D it's absolutely not an unimaginable thing when you see what both Yamaha and Korg delivers today in their Arranger boards that is more expensive than the Kronos 88 ever was and has a much easier approach to the common user and sports an onboard Vocal Processor. Just by changing the internals of the Nautilus/Kronos to a modern SoC solution a lot of the problems some users have had with stability would be gone and if they recoded the existing engines to VST format they could theoretically support any of their software products directly in a top board and still be selling Opsix, wavestate etc to those custommers that either just want a couple softsynths or dont have the 5-6 grand for a top board that have it all. A Pro gigging musician won think twice for handing over 6k if the thing works. Hell some of the top Analog "reissue" synths cost much more than this and they have nuch more narrow use ranget and yhey still sell.

[@jasonfrey5888]

I think this is a trend of all all keyboard companies taking sliders off making cheaper parts just to save money I want the real deal let's hope the new Montage 2 isn't going to be like this

[@taggartjs]

Love your videos, Woody! I came very late to the Kronos/Nautilus party. I bought a Kronos 73 about two years ago when I joined a friend’s prog rock band and it was (is) awesome. EXCEPT I nearly had an aneurism every time I would transport it to a gig. I’m no spring chicken and it just about did me in. So, having more money than sense, I bought a Nautilus 61. Perfect! Now my Kronos is a “studio queen” and the Nautilus goes with me to help me pretend to be my hero, Geoff Downes! 😂 And I couldn’t be happier (and aneurysm free!)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

killer combo, congrats, best of both worlds!

[@Denvermorgan2000]

I can't imagine korg leaving a hole in their lineup,

[@robmlisanti]

Sales

[@trueztruth]

Guess I’ll be hanging onto my Kronos for quite awhile longer!

[@DBTL3278]

It's odd to hear that kronos is now discontinued. I remember watching the launch event video back in 2011, I believe, daydreaming about getting my hands on one. I got extremely lucky back in 2018 and was able to get a Gen 1 88 key on eBay for $1600. The only caveat was I had to replace a D key and customs hit me with a $90 fee, but it was worth it, and it will never leave me as long as I live.

[@Nightowl427272]

Aftertouch hasn't been a marketable feature since the 1990s, IOW, it's not some wiz-bang feature that you put in the name. It's a meat-&-potatoes standard feature that, if left out (especially in a flagship board), should be a mark of shame on the face of the manufacturer. Smh...

[@jordanking7711]

The 9 sound engines of the KRONOS/KRONOS 2 Woody are: SGX-1 (SGX-2 on the KRONOS 2 revision and Nautilus EP-1 - Electric Piano CX-3 Tonewheel Organ STR-1 (String Modelling) AL-1 (Analog Modelling from the ground up) MS-20 Polysix HD-1 MOD-7 (FM Synthesis) Hope that helps Woody

[@WoodyPianoShack]

haha, thanks for that. now do it from memory without pausing or saying umm or ahhh! :D

[@lundsweden]

​@@WoodyPianoShackIt sounds similar to the Korg Z1 features wise. Or a tricked out Trinity or Triton with a MOSS board. But missing is the lovely bowed string model, and comb filtering.

[@EdgyNumber1]

*Yes Woody,* I took the plunge and bought a secondhand Nautilus 61. £1299. Excellent condition and warrantied for a year too. I don't need aftertouch but I've got enough there to keep me occupied. I also have a NanoKontrol2 coming to make up for the lost of the faders. A good deal I think. I wonder if there's an aftermarket upgrade to a capacitive touchscreen.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats, that's a killer deal! the nano working out for you? i've been tempted to get one. no screen upgrade is available.

[@Victooriux]

I think that we definetly use too much faders for quick values controls. So every keyboard that steps in, should get them. And about the AfterTouch thing, yes. I always talk with keyboard fellows that all (or most) of the keyboards should have it since it was created. I know that the companies are traying us to buy a new keyboard as asoon as they release a new one, but they have to start thinking about environement polution. Those capricious business techniques has to end. Let´s get more into the digital developement. Let´s build a really nice, complete and sustainable hardware and make updates and new function only with the IT developement. Awesome video Woody. Regards

[@simonwale6993]

Thanks woody for the updates 😁

[@drtolgaege]

It would be awesome for korg to collobrate with apple silicon chips in their next flagship workstation, loading vsts directly into the hardware, small onboard battery for boot up in 1 second (sleep function) , retina display with 1000 nits, tons of knobs and faders like nord, Bluetooth midi function, also choice for micro kronos option for gigging musicians. Otherwise travelling with macbook pro with m chip and Bluetooth midi keyboard is Better option for me.

[@Lael128]

Sounds like you want to dive into either the MacBook world or jump into the pool of iOS music production. I kept my Kronos safely at home while on stage I had a Roland RD-700 with my iPad Pro, USB96 Presonus interface (has midi I/O thus I hold it in higher regard than the red boxes everyone goes for) and nanoKONTROL2 to control all of the AUV3 sounds in the AUM host app. A good controller with built in interface would’ve been my choice if the RD wasn’t laying around. And to put things into perspective, nothing can replace my Kronos even though I have Keyscape, Omnisphere, Pianoteq, Kontakt libraries etc… I’ll always go back to the Kronos and mix in the sounds from the VST’s with it. But at this point Kronos no longer leaves the house as repairs are costly, lengthy, and not guaranteed! The Nautilus would’ve been on my radar if it had faders instead of only knobs. The sounds are awesome, and combining them with nice controller features would’ve made it my ideal choice on stage like Kronos used to be. Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I’ve been down that exact path you’re talking about 😅

[@drtolgaege]

@@Lael128 I have montage 6 and stage 3. It would be fine getting brand new Kronos previous year.

[@Lael128]

@@drtolgaege You're well served with fantastic machines! The Montage is very VST friendly in my experience. Having it with the iPad worked out well in the past for gigs.

[@leepride7978]

I bought the Nautilus years ago. I don't know about it being the new flagship. people love the nine faders and Wavestate joystick. Montage is coming out anew in October. I think something new will be out.

[@stoneyboyd]

Loren Gold, the Touring Keyboardist for The Who used 2 Korg Kronos in his Stage Setup during The Who’s 2022 North American Tour. However it looks like he switched to using 2 Korg Nautilus’ as evidenced by the pictures he posts on his Instagram.

[@bldn10]

Does he have an "arrangement" w/ Korg?

[@EricFraga]

Thank you for this awesome overview of the Korg situation, Woody. I'm still rocking my 1999 Triton Classic, currently on my second Maxwell box of floppies full of templates. The touchscreen is almost invisible by now but I still can operate it. I think Korg added that beep option on the touchscreen function to help me work with the interface when in 2023 the screen fades 😅 Apart from the screen, everything else is working as new.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats on your trit! yeah, the one I borrowed was dim too. i liked that beep too. don't think the naut has that feedback which is a pity, someone correct me if i'm wrong! getting flashbacks thinking about all those floppies!

[@EricFraga]

You're the best, Woody.

[@peterkadarmusic9728]

The Kronos has a proper control surface. The Nautilus by comparison feels like an appliance. The 73 should be E-E so that the player is centered at the instrument and acoustic patches don’t feel either an octave too high or too low. I picked up a Fantom 07 for a quick throw and go for gigs. The Fantoms are good and can do what you need but they don’t sound as good as a well loaded Kronos.

[@jasonfrey5888]

I would rather have my sliders more buttons and actual wooden sides a keyboard I play isn't just something I play but a work of art and yes after touch should have been added to this keyboard from the beginning. It wouldn't have cost them any more money

[@motownpontiac]

The Kronos has and always will kick the stuffing out of the Nautilus. However, it makes me wonder what Korg has in development. It's not like them not to have a killer flagship workstation.

[@stuartcrossen2723]

Great video Woody, and I totally agree. I play gigs and never take out premium keyboards, and mid range stuff was getting too cheap with poor keybeds and plastic chassis. I have the 73 model so a little disappointed about not having At, but the value and features of it is excellent.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

even if you could upgrade it, i doubt it would be worth the high cost, at least not for me personally. i'm not really an "AT guy" and never use it even if its there. enjoy your 73!

[@furiobisotti8150]

Let's see if Korg and Yamaha will be really innovative with their new flagships. I am afraid that workstations have been attacked my contemporary VSTs. I play live and turned to full software some years ago. I sold my Montage7 three months ago. I will keep my Kronos 61 beacuse I love it.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, you're right, a lot of gigging musicians, including pros, running plugins on their macs with mainstage. probably a better setup for pro keyboard players actually, who have a second mac on standby and a tech to manage it all. if i was to start gigging again, i'd still prefer my electro or one of the workstations.

[@AtomizedSound]

I’m not a heavy gigging musician but I never use any computer rigs with me. Just me and my Kronos 2 which has all I need to power through shows. That’s not to say one day I might not fool around with them but I prefer a more steam lined approach when playing live

[@furiobisotti8150]

@@WoodyPianoShack I prefer hugely two midi controllers, a MacBookPro driving GigPerformer and a huge bunch of virtual instruments. I learnt how to make it fast. People tell me that my organ and synth sounds are great. I won't get back unless I see a workstation giving me same flexibility and same power.

[@atrothe]

Korg will have something more expensive for sure. They are gonna run out stock and announce something amazing for sure. They make fantastic workstations.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i agree, and they recently launched a massively exoenseive arranger keyboard, so still making tbe high-end stuff, so apparently a market for it.

[@AlavonMajor]

I’m willing to bet that the next proper flagship workstation from Korg will have borrow a lot from the pa5x as far as form factor and tech..maybe some hybrid analog wizardry under the hood..but the Nautilus is for surely not flagship worthy..not by a long stretch in comparison to its competitors..they seem to be slow at development for a host of reasons I’m sure..I’ll be looking forward to the new Montage on Oct. …. my Nautilus 61 is for sale😄

[@WoodyPianoShack]

good call on the shared tech platform with the new PA, makes sense. yeah, we can't wait to see yamaha lay their cards!

[@Michbigheart]

Hi! I think that the next KORG REAL FLAGSHIP Workstation will come with " Korg Acoustic Synth Phase 5 " announced at the Superbooth 2023. Maybe it could be the NEXT GAME CHANGER like KORG M1 - T1 - 01W Pro - Trinity - Triton - OASYS and KRONOS.

[@user-pi2qd5zr8b]

The standard Nautilus I think responds to a keyboard with AT even though it's keyboard does not have the feature. When originally launched I thought the price was too high so waited until last summer when picked up a new 73 model for around £1550. These new 66 and 88 versions are retailing around £600 more for the AT key bed so wondering if a better route would be to invest in a 66 or 88 Komplete Kontrol instead, that does have AT. So a much bigger bang for your buck considering the options you then have at your fingertips even just sticking with the free bundled NI software. Of course if a gigging musician taking 2 keys boards rather than one, might be a big deal. But for those of us who use them in home studios probably very much worth considering as an alternative. One other issue with the Nautilus is that it uses the Korg USB Driver which makes it ridiculously complicated to hook up to a windows PC if you have lots of other MIDI gear. Simply as unless the Nautilus is listed in the top 10 midi connections, it seemingly is not seen by your windows DAW. There is a workaround however it's overly complex and certainly not plug and play like similar gear from other manufacturers. I love the sound of my Nautilus but Korg do seem to make some very strange choices with their products these days.

[@abc456f]

I have an M50 and you're right about the editor plugin. I've got it to work but I need it hooked up with usb AND midi din cables. I would have thought Korg had worked this issue out. I'm getting near the point where I want to upgrade to a new keyboard and seems there are issues with all if them. Roland fantom 08, Yamaha modx8+ both have keybed issues. Idk, studiologic numa? Native Instruments? Any suggestions?

[@musicrockzx]

The Korg returned famous M1 design to 21st century,

[@thecoastCoverband]

Hi Woody is de Korg Nautilus 16 channels midi in and out for use in my daw Cubase? thanks for the great videos Gr. Ness

[@WoodyPianoShack]

dont know for sure, i would think so, but check the user manual to be sure.

[@markferreri5814]

If the Nautilus is just a ‘baby’ Kronos, than no, it would only have stereo (2 channels)out the USB, like its 13 year old Dady.

[@salmanmaqbool9722]

Kronos is kronos. This keyboard is just a budget machine

[@arcticfoxstudios2018]

Kronos was the king of the workstations for over a decade. In that time, other manufacturers caught up and now I would consider the Fantom the king (the big brother, not the cut down version). Korg has been a disappointment in the development department for awhile, resting on their laurels for far too long.

[@FugaziSB]

Fantom cannot be the King, it doesn't have AT, even if Roland says it does.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

the most up to date tech is in the fantom that's for sure, in the OS, software and screen. the newly designed keybed is fabulous as well.

[@danieldion8825]

AT should not be wrote on a keyboard like it is something spectacular…, and on top of that the 73 will not have it. Let’s wait for Korg to release a Kronos successor…. Roland is up there, Yamaha will release a new synth in October, so pretty sure Korg is already working on something new… Started playing keys over 30 years ago, saw a lot of flagship comes and replaced by new ones…

[@bigcdub]

Have both the Kronos2 and the Fantom7, I prefer way more patches on my Kronos, with all the other problems, the sound can't be beat...

[@Jason75913]

Kronos2 isn't beaten, soundwise. It's also the only one that sounds closest to being a straight up Kontakt library in hardware form. With a few VA engines thrown in and the crazy Karma accompaniment engine, and then rounded off with a sequencer beyond any other current keyboard. There still isn't anything like it. Fantom is cool, but much lower fidelity and less feature-laden up to a point, but boasts better Ableton integration. Montage also falls behind, and it originally wasn't even going to get a sequencer, but user outcry caused Yamaha to cobble together some very mediocre improvisation after release.

[@artie218]

I think you didn't mention the tonewheel organ, or I missed it. It seems like the Nautilus is similar to the Modx+ in that it came out after the flagship, but now the Montage and the Kronos are discontinued and neither the Nautilus nor Modx are as capable. Its clear Yamaha has an entirely new product on the horizon, I think KORG should too, or they just decided that its too crowded and would rather offer something closer to a flagship but more affordable. The problem here is Korg made it all about menu diving, so whats the target? Gigging? Studio? I don't know, but if they were leaning towards gigging they should have put drawbars at the very least. they might as well put a spot of velcro for the IPAD to rest on top for all the unused real estate.

[@artmaster08ua81]

Kronos has Karma .. Nau-- receip from farma Author -- blocks his own chairma

[@angelovdweerden6585]

I still love my Oasys 😊

[@connor_flanigan]

"NAUTILUS is KORG’s flagship workstation. The successor to the wildly popular KRONOS, the range now includes two new AT models." straight from the Korg USA website. this doesn't leave much speculation as to whether or not it's the new flagship workstation or if it's the successor to the kronos. I actually saw/touched one at guitar center last week. what a sad instrument compared to the kronos.

[@trevypoos]

I think that Korg are probably doing something similar to Yamaha, but are less keen to share. After all Yamaha announced the end of the Montage recently, and that its replacement was coming later in the year. Presumably this means that their flagship product will be made in the same factory that made its predecessor.

[@richardhermans4457]

Hey Woody, great video explaining the Nautilus/Kronos differences. I have the white Yamaha Montage(formerly owned the updated Kronos 61). Yamaha has just announced the Montage is discontinued, and they will be releasing a new flagship synth in October. Perhaps Korg will drop a new flagship synth to replace the Kronos either before or after that timeframe.

[@lundsweden]

Yamaha should come out with a flagship with polyphonic virtual instruments VL (VL2) and FDSP and a built in AN1X with plenty of polyphony!

[@agentooe33AD]

I have bad eye sight, so that's mainly the reason I stick to VSTs. It's hard for me to read these (comparatively) small screens when I have my PC monitor to not only look at, but I can zoom in to read plugins that won't resize. It does hinder the workflow compared to Hardware, but until they bring back the display port, like the VGA port on the Alesis Fusion for example, then I'm pretty much sticking to sofrware. Hopefully they'll release a software version of the Kronos now that it's on the chopping block. Great video Woody, God bless!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i'm in exactly the same boat as you, and have to invest time learning and memorizing the positions and functions of the controls on the touch screen. the hardware manufacturers do not make touch screen synths accessible to visually impaired musicians, but thankfully on our studio PCs the situation is better. NI have invested in accessibility featuren for their controllers which is commendable.

[@jemkeystv5717]

I still have and use the Kronos 61, my only issue is the keys are cheap and the back ends of them break often, thank goodness for super glue, lol

[@WoodyPianoShack]

oh dear, that is very sad and disappointing to read, i would expect better.

[@colbywalsh4610]

Adding the nano control to to your set up, although, if you do like me and use external storage, you may need to go with a USB hub in order to have multiple things connected, is a great way to get some of those faders and different controls back. It is completely controllable and completely assignable to your needs. Also Woody, is that still the original preproduction one that you originally showed off? Have you been able to upgrade to the latest 1.3.3 software to try out the extra banks and the sound packs and everything? and on an older version of the software, when I would install DX seven patches/banks into the Nautilus, I didn’t think they sounded exactly correct, but in one of the recent updates, they have done some tweaking to the mod seven engine so when you install some DX seven patches/banks, they sound exactly as they should now. I have a Yamaha TX seven, which is the desktop/module version of the DX seven that I would compare the banks to, and I can literally hear no difference between the two now. I honestly don’t know what they are going to do in terms of a replacement for the flagship. but as for me and my needs, my 88 note nautilus seems to meet my needs. Depending on finances, and how things go, I may or may not have it converted to have after touch, I don’t know. You remember, that was a thing when the DX seven came out. Some of the original Yamaha DX seven instruments did not originally have midi and so it was an upgrade later on to include midi.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, i updated this unit a couple of days ago to latest firmware, presumably equally easy to install sound libraries. good call on the nano-kontrol, i've been curious to explore that.

[@colbywalsh4610]

@@WoodyPianoShack the DX seven patches on the nautilus sound great don’t they?

[@dimitriboris5974]

well i have a korg m50 and it gives me problems and in my country everything is expensive😢

[@svenjonsson4275]

Maybe a super expensive successor will come only for the professional musicians maybe with a very powerful computer and capabilites to combine any VST with the engine, but that will be at a pricerange WELL above what non professionals can afford.

[@xp50player]

I’ll bet it came down to their endorsees baulking at the lack of aftertouch.

[@DrawAndErase]

I ended up getting a really good second hand Kronos that's been perfect a few years ago. I got it for cheaper than a brand new Nautilus and it's been a dream. Just don't have the latest sound packs but who cares, just programme the sounds you need yourself. I love the name of the Nautilus and the design so I hope it sticks around, but as Luke from Korg said this is the current flagship atm since the Kronos is discontinued, but I see the Nautilus as a segue way instrument, this is a way to use the last of the Kronos in a smaller package to bring up their mid range which was previously the Krome while they develop their next flagship. Whether that's the Nautilus 2 or something else who knows, but we probably won't see it until 2025 at the earliest, you also have to imagine that their smaller keyboard range the wavestate and opsix might join the new engines as a replacement for the MOD7. This could be the perfect time for Yamaha to come in and steal some marketshare depending on what the nw Montage can do because the Kronos hasn't really been dethroned since 2011 and it's obvious the Fantom isn't going to do it.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

ah, interesting that you mention luke's comments! well, it is obviously true that it is the current flagship, but nobody from korg will say if that will always be the case, also feeling your hunch about the inclusion of some of the new engines.

[@judsonchristudas]

​@WoodyPianoShack The most up to date Fantom is the latest Fantom, but it's not advanced as the Kronos.

[@user-sl9lk2qf5v]

You mentioned the Montage which I believe was announced discontinued this week.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, correct! i made a video about that too!

[@Lael128]

Korg has been unrivalled in workstations from Triton Extreme, M3, Oasys, and Kronos. This Nautilus is just a Kronos without some useful features (for me at least) like faders 🎚️ instead of only knobs 🎛️ and I’ve yet to test if it has a class compliant built in audio interface like the Kronos or even something budget like Yamaha’s MX line does. I love creating combis in the Kronos and the faders are such an easy way to adjust part volumes on the fly. They should’ve included at least four faders like the MODX and added a mod wheel to replace the axis joystick. When my Kronos broke last October, I chose to repair and keep rather than repaid and replace because none of the flagships seemed up to par except for some Kurzweil options which really had me thinking hard! Anyway, I’m looking forward to what Korg has in store for the future and by then my current Kronos will be over 10yrs old and it’ll be a good excuse to start shopping.

[@LightShadow]

They will eventually have to bring back the Kronos - I don't see Jordan Rudess playing the Nautilus live and he is their most respected sponsored keyboard player. NO WAY !

[@larrbaII]

No ribbon slider as well. I have the Krome EX 73 and love it but i always wanted a kronos.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, thanks for clarifying that, I kind of bundled that into the "removal of physical controls" category.

[@larrbaII]

@@WoodyPianoShack Woody could you be so kind as to tell us when you said it has no ribbon slider ? Love your videos . ( just not the person that edits your videos)

[@SoCalDan530]

Does this keyboard do mellotron sounds?

[@descargamusicalny]

What about the keybed? Is the keybed on the nautilus 61 the same as in the kronos 61?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

no much inferior to the top of the line kronos keybed, the keys are not as long and harder to play advanced stuff on

[@descargamusicalny]

@WoodyPianoShack thank you for you input. I currently use a kross 2 for rehearsals and small gigs. I would like to know if the keybed is better than the kross 2. The kross 2 great board I'm just not a fan of the keys.

[@beadlesastout]

Many companies are realeasing a lower tier product first to try and entice people to jump in a buy what they think is the top spec product. They then hope once the flagship model cones out those same people(whales) will buy that too. Many tech companies are doing this now, they are releasing their flagship products last once the lower product has sold well.

[@electronicexposure]

the dual knob buttons have been used by korg since at least the Z1 so that isn't too surprising

[@AtomizedSound]

Kronos is still King of the workstation keyboards over the Nautilus. It’s a shame they discontinued it but it had to happen eventually. Hopefully the next successor to the Kronos in its power and capabilities will be phenomenal

[@justjoeblow420]

I think part of the problem is just a lack of market for workstations it seems like, more and more people are even gigging with plugins and the workstation has been a hard sell outside of a certain niche of studio users as well so the market has been having it's lunch ate at both ends. Plus they just don't have the same kind of mind share they had even 10 years ago so I'm sure sales have started slumping, I know most workstations have basically never been out of stock at a lot of the bigger dealers for years now and that's not a good sign with such low volumes they buy stock of them at.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

all great points, thanks for sharing! i happen to know that component shortages and manufacturing process issues have caused the stock issues, the demand for workstations has been there but not the supply.

[@inperfectsequence7840]

Korg seems to only reduce production costs and technical support for products that do not sell as much. This already happened with Krome when they released Kross2 where they managed to give all the power of Krome+ kross with sounds from the kronos and they put it in a cheap casing of a Triton Le on steroids that they called it Kross 2 for less than 800 euros, much more powerful than the Krome, but without a touch screen (an advantage that it does not have sensitive areas in case it breaks). Nautilus keeps everything from Kronos but also has the famous PA 700, Nautilus is a perfect beast for a musical tool for professional arrangers, although I think they removed too many controls from the panel forcing the user to use the touch screen a lot as it happened in Krome. I guess they want to release more stuff as well, although the OASYS is for me the most powerful machine that korg could bring back with a new modern update. Thanks for the video, great informative job.

[@imaxximus]

I own a triton 88, oasys 88, kronos 61 and 88. The nautilus isn’t a step forward other than in its price. The loss of karma is tremendous loss. I’ll stick with my boards and look forward to them blowing us away.

[@sonic2000gr]

Well Korg is now about to sell the 600 euro Wavestate/Opsix with a 61 key keybed for about 3-4 times the price. So it looks like they found their new cash-cow.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, a lucrative price bump for more keys or AT!

[@Mtaalas]

Nautilus is lower spec and less features all around. It's not a replacement for Kronos and we live in times when Korg probably couldn't keep the Kronos in production anymore and can't get the new one ready and/or manufactured for release... We're waiting..

[@BRJHA80]

I think they should bring back the Triton or Trinity BTW, has anyone every wondered why Korg uses a 73 key instead of 76?

[@Hardts]

When I bought new instruments two years ago (feel like I was rich back then compared to now..) I tried the Nautilus. I wasn't impressed. Came from the Motif XS 8 that I bought in 2008. Instead I went a very different route (glad I did) and bought the Nord Grand and the Nord Electro 6D 73 (almost bought the Yamaha YC61 instead of the NE6D) I'm aware there was a Kronos 2 variant that was really awesome but they quickly discontinued it, and the regular Kronos wasn't much good. Am I wrong?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i think they released a few kron model variant over the decade or so it was in production. congrats on your two boards, nice rig!

[@Hardts]

Thanks man! KZbin just notified me of your reply - this comment right now, two months later ...@@WoodyPianoShack

[@Teeb2023]

I hope this heralds the introduction of a Kronos VST... if that's even possible in software with the Karma engine. I really regret selling my Kronos a few years ago, and can't afford to reacquire one.

[@henrikfisch]

Hey Woody, there's also the "Hammond B3"-engine in the Nautilus. But actually ... I would also be hard pressed to count all these engines in the Nautilus just out of my head. So: Very good! Btw.: I think the Nautilus is still a PHANTASTIC synthesizer. 🙂

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i like to think I would have got around to the b3 engine if i hadn't lost count when i ran out of fingers! :)

[@henrikfisch]

@@WoodyPianoShack LOL! 😄

[@tonylancer7367]

I'm pretty sure this is a calculated move in anticipation of what Yamaha will bring in the coming months, it's also not a coincidence that Yamaha also discontinued the Montage. Besides, these companies have a pretty good idea of what the other is doing, so they'll try to be as competitive as they can without stepping toes.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

that's a good and interesting theory, thx for sharing!

[@jbognap]

This would be a great time for Korg to introduce something totally new. Something with a revamped UI, better sequencer and arpeggiators along the lines of the Motif/Montage. Maybe consolidate the VA engines into one and add wave sequencing and granular. Or maybe allow the addition of popular VSTi's.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i like that train of thought! would be really great.

[@markferreri5814]

I’m sure that if we see a new Korg workstation, granular will be added to the mix! This popular tech was just an infant when the Kronos came out a dozen years ago. Yep, as a Kronos owner, I, too, look forward to a revamped user interface.

[@markferreri5814]

I was fortunate to buy an 88 version of the Kronos 2. I did not realize what i bought until much later, because i was only thinking I was upgrading from my 88 key Trinity Pro 3 (which still works great, if archaic. I did buy a Roland Fantom 7 and the updated software is easier to navigate, i don’t feel it is as powerful as the Kronos in a number of ways. I was waiting for the Kronos replacement but caved in when I heard about the very sophisticated Pa5X. I bought the 76 key version. Yeah, its an arranger, but compliments my Kronos, Fantom 7 and an Integra 7 Rackmount rompler, by making life easier. Now, I still look forward to a new Korg flagship workstation but really like my Pa5X flagship arranger, and like it more than the Genos i tried. Come on, Korg, bring out a new flagship workstation! Can’t your decern that we all love(d) the Kronos for an entire decade? They would sell like hotcakes 😊

[@Curious_Skeptic]

How fast does the Nautilus load up compared to Kronos? I had the 88 version 2. It was beautiful, but wish load time was faster. For the price of the Nautilus (non AT), seems like a home run in the market right now! (I don't need or care about after touch). AT really can be mimic with a pedal! (or knob).

[@zardoz53]

Seems like alot is missing here from the stable Kronos 2, which has aftertouch, KARMA, etc. I will not be switching.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i doubt anybody would actually switch from kronos to nautilus, i mean it would be a downgrade right?

[@ElektronicCricket]

I tried a Kronos once and wanted to make a sequence … was very disappointed about using the touch screen. Very difficult to edit ,changing values ,… i work much faster on a pc …for a flagship in this price. Positive thing😊 Korg has generally great sounds … like the 9 engine’s. I have the feeling that they’re making too much different products and they lose their focus on the most important stuff. Why a synth without AT and now after few years. (The same with the prologue … nice synth but no AT)

[@wilkopiano]

I would wait to see what the new yamaha montage is like first. I have heard many game changing things … 😮

[@thecoolestdad]

I bought the 88 key Nautilus a little over a year ago. I enjoyed it, but I am a self taught player and the touch screen and navigation was too much for this older guy. So after watching tons of videos on the Roland Fantom, I bought the 88 key Fantom and gave the Nautilus to my daughter. Her fingers are smaller and being younger she can learn to navigate the screen and features better than me. I am still learning my Fantom though. I really like the Nautilus sounds. I also enjoyed the latch pre set drum patterns that would play with different sounds. That is something I do miss from the Nautilus. The electric pianos on the Nautilus are superior. The Fantom, well they are still growing on me. I also have a Roland XP80 that needs repairing. I like Roland, but I do miss the Nautilus, but luckily it is still in the family with my daughter.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

nice gift for the daughter, lucky one! yeah, it's a shame to struggle with small fonts and small touch targets, the manufacturers need to hire more developers with experience of mobile app UIs and incorporate better screens with multitouch and gestures that we have come to expect, otherwise the interface feels old fashioned and clunky. also to give more consideration to accessibility for musicians with less than 20\20 vision. congrats on your fantom, killer board!

[@thecoolestdad]

@@WoodyPianoShack Thank you sir. I will say this. Since I am self taught and don't know too terribly much about tech in keyboards, especially the sequencing, it seems that the sequencer in the Fantom is different than old school sequencers. I used to use one on a Yamaha back in the 90s that allowed me to play individual instruments on separate tracks in their entirety. It seems now the sequencer is a looping thing and I just can't seem to grasp it. So I'm thinking I need to get a multi track recorder to suffice as a sequencer like the old school days. Would you agree or disagree?

[@AndrewLeSynt]

..... even the grandmother OASYS rulez over the new kromes and nautilus'es ❤❤❤❤

[@bryanskrantz]

I find it really upsetting that they discontinued the Kronos. There's so much potential there and they could have at least updated the internals. The OS Specifically. 9 engines. 9.come on Korg! I spent 5K US on my Kronos 2 thinking that it'd be future proof. guess I need to rethink that. especially dealing with Korg. and they also removed the Ribbon control.

[@jamesedinger4956]

The OASYS owners thought they would be future proof too.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

it'll all end well, imagine if the next kronos has 12 engines, the new ones being the wavestate, modwave and fm one (whatever that was called, opstate?)

[@bryanskrantz]

@@WoodyPianoShack opsyx. I've had the VSTs of both and they're good engines

[@mickehaglund4119]

I’m happy I was able to buy a K273 and a Kx61. And will hold on to them. But but there is stuff I don’t like about the Kronos. The long start up time and heavy board. And now when they have discontinued it. Makes it even harder to get one for gigs when you can’t bring it with you when have to travel to different countries.. I dunno I don’t like the keybed on the nautilus. Hopefully they working on a new flagship!

[@Kinnor.Home.Studios]

Korg looks crazy.

[@FlowJunkie65]

Woody, I totally agree with you, Woody! I sincerely believe that Korg has something else up its sleeve for their flagship workstation; hence, why they don't market the Nautilus as their "flagship" workstation, like they did for the Kronos. It also seems unlikely that Korg would put the Nautilus up against the Yamaha's flagship Montage M models. I think Korg's next flagship workstation is going to add a lot more features, better user interface, include more sound engines and memory, and will start at about $3,000 -- the same starting price for the Kronos 2 61.

[@timw594]

I was never impressed w the sound engines from the Kronos vs the sound of my old Triton Extreme. Kronos had a hollow bland sound in my opinion... Unlike Kurzweil and Yamaha at the time .. I still love my TE

[@chepad1]

I still have a Kronos new in the box. I’ll get to it one of these days😢

[@vanessajazp6341]

Whaaaaa? First the Montage, now the Kronos?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

well, the kronos disappeared several months ago, but the curious AT launch made the news this week,

[@marcdeschryver7687]

I bought the Kronos X 88 back when it had just been released and I still think it’s one of the most powerful workstation synths out there. If you consider that it’s just a computer (very low spec Atom CPU)running a small Linux OS with a DAW, some plugin effects and 9 soft synths with a lot of polyphony, it’s pretty amazing. I thought it was weird that such a device didn’t have aftertouch but, it actually does. It strange that none of the factory sounds don’t make use of it… at least I haven’t noticed it. I recently bought a spare system board on ebay just in case the original one would fail….you never know… Korg will just say they don’t have one anymore so you’d be dead in the water if that happens.

[@hufftalbot9296]

Korg are just taking the piss.

[@euganuba]

Lack of controls was my number one reason to buy Nautlius 73. When u play, you need only the keys and one button to change sound. Outside this is midpriced, inside top of the line.

[@craigmakarowski6460]

Woody, thanks for the comparision, but most people don't really get the Karma engine by Stephen Kay I own the Wavestation and the karma and the M3 and now the Kronos first gen version the karma Engine is miles above most Sequencers Even though the Kronos has a full sequencer in it. once you really get into this item that sets it apart from most other keyboards and the Nautilus, it opens up a new creativity of fun and exploration that is boundless. The only real cool item that Korg really put out recently was the Korg Wavestate albeit 2 years ago, I just got one this year and compared to my Wavestation wow. the wave state is so programmable and dynamic to play. So I hope that Korg is working on a new Flag ship again. teh real issue i see with the high end machines is that they use a PC mother board inside to have the horse power for all the 9 Engines, and as we know that PC's change every 6 months. this makes a machine like the Kronos hard to repair if the motherboard breaks down and replace when they are probably no longer available. so the Nautilus came about! Would i buy a Nautilus yes if I didn't have a Kronos sure. I'm betting that the Karma engine isn't in the Nautilus because of Licensing fees is why it isn't in it sadly. Also the Wavestate inovation was vbecause Korg saw the Raspberry Pi compute module as a solution for the wavestate and the Modwave and the Modsix which produced 3 Low cost synths. Brilliant for sure and the Raspberry pi will be around for a long time I'm betting a a couple of decades for that. who knows what else will come from that. Love your channel a lots keep up the great work and demos! I enjoy them a lot 🙂

[@dvamateur]

I saw a Karma demo once by Steven Kay himself. Seems like an AI system. To me personally, any types of auto-accmpaniment or arpeggiator are unnecessary. To me, Karma seems to be in the same category.

[@runestone1337]

I've still got the "MADE IN JAPAN" sticker on the top key of my Kronos 61. I wonder if the new Kronos will have one?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

nice 1, i can tell you that my naut has that sticker too!

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

Korg should have added aftertouch in the first place. However, aftertouch is a poorly supported feature in today's top tier keyboard sound collections such as the Kronos, Montage & Fantom. In decades past, aftertouch was a very well supported feature on keyboards such as the Korg M1 where you couldn't live without it. Kronos vs Nautilus. The number one difference is software compatibility. The Kronos was a platform that was very popular and around for a decade. With today's modern workstation style synths, they are essentially a computer platform. Imagine if Microsoft came out with a new version of Windows that was totally or highly incompatible with previous versions of Windows. It probably wouldn't be too popular. And also asking for the users to learn how to drive all over again how to operate it. This is essentially what Korg did with the Nautilus. Due to numerous complaints, the Nautilus went from totally incompatible with the many Kronos sound libraries to "partly" compatible. Many great Kronos sound collections are incompatible with Nautilus. A high percentage. The physical differences between the Kronos & Nautilus are far less significant than the lack of compatibility and that the keyboard operates differently too. This also means all the tons of online Kronos support doesn't apply to the Nautilus. When Yamaha's MODX came out, the MODX6 was just $1299 and the Nautilus at least $2000 or maybe $2200. The MODX is 100% compatible with it's big brother the Montage, but also the highly popular MOTIF series and the DX-7 & other 1980s Yamaha's too. It's weight just half of the flagship Montage model. The Nautilus 61 by comparison shaved off just 2 lbs from the Kronos. The MODX6+ is now $1499, and the regular Nautilus 61 without aftertouch can be bought on sale for $1699. This makes the Nautilus more attractive than it used to be, but still you have to carry almost double the weight to gigs, you have fewer sound collections available to buy for the Nautilus, far less tech support resources online of getting help. The MODX ecosystem is much better than the Nautilus, and this is one of the things that makes it so popular. $1699 is probably blow out pricing for the Nautilus as the real new price is $2199 now with aftertouch (but again, not as well supported of a feature as with older synths). The MODX has a large touch screen which I don't struggle to see also. I tend to think the Nautilus has sold poorly against the MODX, but I don't have sales figures. Every store I've been in tells me the MODX has sold like hot cakes. My best guess is Korg sooner rather than later will have an entirely different new flagship synth that is totally incompatible with the Nautilus and the Kronos. And a total lack of future sound collections will be made for Nautilus. Yamaha likely will make their next synths fully compatible with the Montage, MODX, MOTIF's & DX-7. I feel that alone is a huge advantage. I still runs tons of 10 - 20 year old software on my Windows laptop. With Korg, all to often they like to abandon their users when moving forward.

[@dennisfalls3091]

Nice Video Woody ! I was disappointed after looking at a Nautilus in the store it felt cheap and the fact it had no Karma was definitely a let down. I have a M3 61 love the Keypad Chord buttons and Karma .I wanted to get a used Kronos 61, but they're hard to find at a good price so I'm going to add a Fantom 06...lot of bang for the buck but I really wish Korg would release a " Real Flagship" that wasn't a downgrade....then maybe I could find a good deal on a Kronos 😂

[@WoodyPianoShack]

make sure to try the 06 before you buy, i would bet it feels cheaper than the naut... amazing keyboard neverthess, but the naut does have the superior build, if important to you. probably nicer keybed too.

[@anijon]

An assumption, due the current economical situation. Korg doesn't see a point in releasing a "Flagship" right now. As they are not going to put a ground breaking (like the Kronos) Synth only to lose in sales. They will beat this Kronos architecture till people can afford the next flagship. Korg always seem to way ahead of the curve, like the Trinity, Triton, not the M3 & the Kronos. Nice video Woody.

[@ChrisP3000x]

Just curious, but exactly what "economical situation" are you referring to? And why is no other instrument company halting flagships due to the "economical situation"?

[@anijon]

@@ChrisP3000x So glad you asked.

[@AtomizedSound]

@@ChrisP3000xgood points but then again what are the sale numbers on those “flagships” you speak of? Do you know? Or are you speculating? Also not every company is gonna operate the same in putting out products. Korg might be wiser and waiting on a more right time to announce and release a successor OR they are still developing it and it’s not ready yet either. We can argue semantics all day but unless you have raw data for all these companies or what there thought process is, we don’t know

[@ChrisP3000x]

@@AtomizedSound 1) I never spoke of "sale numbers". So your dead wrong there. 2) I never made any claim that companies "operate the same". So you are dead wrong again. 3) I never made any points. I simply asked 2 simple questions. So you are dead wrong, .....yet again. You are delusionally seeing things that don't exist, and refuting strawmen.

[@chriswins]

Are they kidding us? Korg AT-------Korg DT (Dnt touch)🤣

[@JKVisFX]

My suspicion is that they do have a replacement coming, it's just not going to be called Kronos. They have a lot to compete with with the Montage M and the Kronos was just not there. I'm speculating that the Kronos X(?) will have a much more powerful computer at it's core that will allow it to run many more instances of each engine along with at least 256 notes poly and at least 16 channels, ideally as much as 32 channels of audio out with a USB 3 based audio over USB interface, USB online storage expansion for samples, programs, patches, etc. that can accommodate as much as 4TB of storage, an iPad-sized, glass touchscreen at HD resolution, a poly aftertouch keybed, plus some other additional modulations sources such as a ribbon controller and even their version of the Yamaha "Super Knob." At least, if I were Korg, that's the new flagship synth I would build. I would also make it available as a keyboardless desktop unit and, also release it as an AU/VST3 standalone soft-synth.

[@user-pb1fc7bf5b]

Pueden haber miles de modelos nuevos, pero como Kronos 2,no hay comparación,los peones trabajan para el rey,,o sea,KORG KRONOS......

[@arcanics1971]

I am sure a new flagship Korg will be along before too long. Korg won't leave themselves looking like they aren't competing on equal grounds with their main competitors. But I think we might see a significant jump in price to the Kronos replacement: possibly 5000-7000. This is complete speculation and based on absolutely nothing whatsoever though.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks, and I think you're right, the new NS4 that everyone is gushing about is priced close to that ballpark.

[@pizzagogo6151]

Thanks Woody hadn’t head about this, I’ve never used a Nautilus & was a fan of the Kronos, so I am a bit disappointed by the news I really was holding out , & thought there would be a Kronos 3 (& I was hoping for a better VA engine based on the fantastic one in the King Korg)...oh well I guess that’s progress😔

[@dvamateur]

Korg might still release a full blown workstation with the plethora of sliders and all. To me, personally, I love the Nautilus, and I am especially excited about the Nautilus AT, because that means that the Nautilus is here to stay for while. And it's comforting for me to have a desirable instrument to aspire to at the local music store. I just never warmed up to the Kronos simply due to its aesthetics.

[@jordanking7711]

Also unless you’re talking about the original Kronos and not the revised models, the Kronos hasn’t been discontinued. Well at least not everywhere as far as I can tell anyway. Even though it may not be on the Korg UK website, it still is on the Australian site. Don’t trust everything that Wikipedia says. Having said that though, I hope Korg releases a new workstation soon, and that the Nautilus isn’t going to be the only one. Especially for those who want more hands on control.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

interesting to hear about oz, but removed from korg's global page and not for sale in any european or us retails (afaik) means it is very much discontinued! maybe some nos sill hanging around down under, lucky yous!

[@MFitz12]

Since it says right on the Korg USA web site the Nautilus line is the new flagship workstation synth, that question is answered. Of course its been over a year since the last Kronos left the factory so that was a bit bleeding obvious. That the Nautilus is not as much machine as Kronos, particularly prior to the AT version is also obvious. Korg seems to be abandoning the high-end workstation market and gearing itself more towards overpriced single-engine synthesizers with its latest releases.

[@mattwaters6987]

Keeping my Kronos X 88. Luv it!

[@Vangelismusic1]

KRONOS is still KING for me, period.