they might offload something like that to be programmed more easily on a PC/MAC based DAW via a new 'Mo KARMA' tab in Montage Connect

That is exactly what the two 'KARMAs' do.

The KARMA in the Kronos is a customized hardware platform to run the KARMA software and control system within the instrument.

The KARMA software runs on a computer and can be used both to 1) program content for the Kronos and 2) control the Kronos remotely in real-time from the computer by sending the Kronos MIDI that can execute the full complement of KARMA commands and parameter changes.

The software version (see previous website link) allows you to create complex 'MIDI macros' that you can then use as components to create complex operations.

[quotePost id=123186]I remember the waves were massive files. It was probably a great studio & production tool same as any computer but if the processor hung up during a performance you'd be screwed. That was the fear I think because my 3 computers on my desk crash or freeze up all the time. Something about it didn't feel right. I guess we all connect to different things differently.
[/quotePost]

I have a Kronos and a Motif XS. Used them both for gigging. The Kronos has always been rock solid, only disadvantage is the boot up time of 2 minutes. Other than that, zero issues. It has proven to be more stable than my XS, which sometimes acted up during personages. Also rare, but to me the Kronos is the better and more stable board.

It's turning 12 years old next month, so yeah I guess it's becoming a bit dated. But I still use it 4 out of 7 days in a week and still, zero issues. That thing amazes me still after all this time.

The Kronos has always been rock solid

Can you comment about the KARMA part of it? Both the on-board programming and capability as well as the pc software if you use that?

What can you control with KARMA that you can't do on the Motif?

It's odd that once proven the computer based system is superior including reliability, why would any manufacture not convert over to it? Yamaha AWM2 is fixed and not really versatile and I was thinking the stability was the only true advantage of it. I have a SSD laptop and it freezes all the time so computers certainly do fail. I guess their OS is better however they have implemented it. When is the new Kronos coming out?

I guess my Waldorf Iridium is computer based as well. Boots fast but has to freeze to load up samples or voice changes. That must be the difference that you have SSS seamless switching unless everything is in RAM already.

[quotePost id=123186]I bought a Kronos and it just sat on the stand. Was essentially a computer in a keyboard box and mine had a fan running and took a long to boot up. I never connected with it and can't remember anything about it. Obviously any architecture that is software based can do anything the software and hardware will allow it to do.

I remember the waves were massive files. It was probably a great studio & production tool same as any computer but if the processor hung up during a performance you'd be screwed. That was the fear I think because my 3 computers on my desk crash or freeze up all the time. Something about it didn't feel right. I guess we all connect to different things differently.

Same principle as a video gaming system, it's a specialized computer and if the "engine" is software it has more potential because the software can be changed or upgraded or expanded easily. I don't know what Karma is except "good or bad" but MPE can turn each of your fingers into independent real time envelope controllers.

Will "no touch screen ever!" Yamaha finally convert to software based architecture? [/quotePost]

I've had my Kronos since 2014 and it has never once crashed on me. It uses a custom Linux kernel which has all the unnecessary stuff removed and is optimised for audio.

You do indeed have the long boot time (about 2.5 minutes for mine), but that is because the Kronos is preloading uncompressed samples from SSD for the buffer when you start to play a key.

When I was researching the Kronos, the one constant recommendation for stage use was to invest in a small UPS, which I did, so I have never once had the Kronos rebooting on stage due to power issues.

Re the fan, you can set it so it is only running at speed when it needs to (rarely) and if you can hear the fan on that setting then you must be playing very quietly!

I found the Kronos a great complement to the sound of Yamaha, and all 9 sound engines are great. My current gig rig is a Montage 7 (bottom tier) and Kronos X 61 and a small NUC computer in my gig rack for any soft synth I wish to use. I can also add my "fun corner" for solo gigs. As I said above, the Kronos AL-1 engine produces some of my current favourite leads, but I am also a huge fan of AN, which I currently have in the guises of AN1x, EX5r and a PLG150-AN card in my Motif Rack ES.

I am awaiting with interest to see if there is enough in this new Montage that will make me want to sell my current one to replace it with the new one. AN-X could the the thing!

So it is confirmed unofficially by Saul @yahamusicians.com: AN-x will be included in the new Montage 🙂
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[quotePost id=123189]

The Kronos has always been rock solid

Can you comment about the KARMA part of it? Both the on-board programming and capability as well as the pc software if you use that?

What can you control with KARMA that you can't do on the Motif?
[/quotePost]

I never used the Karma part of the Kronos so I wouldn't really know unfortunately!

What can you control with KARMA that you can't do on the Motif?

Trick question (sort of). Motif supports Karma due to its ability to assign arbitrary MIDI receive channels for each Part. Montage became incompatible since this flexibility was lost. Karma support was one of several reasons I offered in a failed campaign to allow arbitrary MIDI receive channels per Part.

I know what was inferred was “motif alone”.

Trick question (sort of).

That wasn't my intention.

Rick said he owned both instruments so the question was about what can you do on the Kronos using Karma (that is on the Kronos, not the external software) that you can't do on the Motif (only Motif - no external Karma or other).

Question is moot since he said he never used Karma.

I'm surprised @Derek hasn't chimed in on the KARMA questions/discussion yet, as he has both a Kronos + Montage, and has used KARMA...

[quotePost id=123234]I'm surprised @Derek hasn't chimed in on the KARMA questions/discussion yet, as he has both a Kronos + Montage, and has used KARMA...[/quotePost]

I thought I had, but somehow the post is not there. Perhaps finger trouble here.

I think all I did was point back to the links already posted, as there is no need to repeat the descriptions.

I think motion sequencing and Karma are quite different approaches for adding, well, motion that is not there in static sequences/arpeggios

Up until recently as I was mainly playing tribute music and that is what my Kronos was set up for, there wasn't really much chance to dig into Karma other than messing with it and thinking it was cool, but now I am doing original music again, I have more of a chance to use it, and I am using it in a couple of live tracks. Put simply, using the right templates it has more character than a simple repeating arpeggio , and you can use the control surface sliders to vary parameters in real time which can make the Karma sequences more simple or more complex.

To hear it in action you can do no worse than to head over to Stephen Kaye's KARMA labs pages and check out his demos.