Korg Kross 2 88-key Best Synthesizer Review (2023)

The Korg Kross 2 is one of the best-selling synthesizer workstations for beginners, and full disclosure, it’s additionally one of my personal favored financial synthesizers and workstation keyboards. Unlike Yamaha MX88, which straddles the line between notebook and ROMpler, Korg Kross 2 gives you a lot of extra freedom, and as such, is considered one of the exceptional ways to get into a sound graph and measuring device operation.

Ranking

Best Overall

1st

General Overview

There are 2 important variations of Korg Kross 2, 61-key, and 88-key variations. Korg Kross 2 variations can be generalized throughout all versions, as they run off identical internals. There is additionally a 2019-reissue known as Korg Kross 2 88 MB, which makes use of the same keys and body development as the unique Korg Kross 2 88-key synthesizer.

This variant includes an increased sound library with 128 more sounds to add to your arsenal and a rubberized matte black end as an alternative to the black/silver aggregate of the original Korg Kross 2 88. Aside from that these fashions are functionally identical and the entirety blanketed beneath still applies.

Editor Rating: 9.2/10

Features	Rating
Performance and sounds	9.3
Connectivity	9.2
Build Quality	9.3
Value for money	9.1

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Korg Kross 2 88-key comes in a few more colorations (limited editions), such as a pure-white model (Kross 2-61-WH) and some colorful alternatives (Gray-Orange, Gray-Blue, Gray-Red, and Gray-Green). Both 61-key and 88-key versions are light-weight (8.4 lbs and 27.1 lbs respectively). I have no complaints about Korg Kross 2 61-key’s size either. I’ve used it for a few years, and can’t beat it in terms of portability. The 88-key model is naturally heavier due to the weighted keys, however, 27.1 lbs are flawlessly fine.

We do desire to comment on the length of this version. The 57″ (1.5m) width is larger than most different vast stage pianos, and it would possibly experience cumbersome to haul around, specifically because it might not be in shape into your car’s backseat or boots if placed horizontally. This may appear trivial at first, however other contraptions like the Nord Piano four and Korg Grandstage all fall below 55″ (1.4m) in width, making the Korg Kross 2-88 extremely wide.

Unlike the 61-key Korg Kross 2, the 88-key variations have their pitch and mod wheels positioned properly to the left of the keys, as adversarial to the upper left of the front panel. This lengthens the keyboard and ends up feeling like there’s a bit of wasted space. On 88-key variants, this higher house is used as a storage compartment, but these don’t appear to be all that useful.

Korg Kross 2 storage compartment even small footswitch damper pedals don’t fit in here, so you’ll probably be the usage of these to keep greater batteries. Apart from that gripe, I’m pretty joyful with the average construction. The surfaces on all versions are matte-black and keep away from fingerprints pretty nicely. The back has a Korg logo that is backlit. Fortunately, you can modify the brightness or turn the illumination completely.

Korg Kross 2-88-MB 88-key Synthesizer Workstation - Super...

88-key Synth Wkstation with Natural Weighted Hammer Action Keybed
Mic/Line Inputs - Matte Black
Step MIDI Sequencers

Korg Kross 2 backlit logo Navigation is executed specifically with knobs and buttons, and the layout, regardless of not having backlit labels, is still convenient and ample to work with even below low-light conditions. The buttons provide a stable tactile click when pressed, and are spaced aside nicely sufficient that misclicks are rare. Shift manipulation is also used sparingly, which is significantly appreciated. Most buttons do one factor only, and that helps make it a greater effortless workstation.

Korg Kross 2 front panel two massive encoder knobs have tactile steps and allow precise actions to be made. The left wheel lets you quickly switch through sound categories, and the right wheel is responsible for parameter changes. This is an equal plan used in authentic Kross from 2013, and as the pronunciation goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Korg Kross 2 encoder know what needed fixing was the lack of real-time controllers. Authentic Kross had a single knob that allowed you to clumsily alternate parameters, and it just felt slow. If you desired to play with the filter frequency and resonance in real-time, you had been out of good fortune except you shelled out for an expression pedal.

Korg Kross 2 88-key fixes this by using multi-function knobs as popularized by way of contemporary stage pianos.

The 2 mini-knobs on the left (which sense exquisite due to some tender resistance) supply you manage over 2 parameters at a time, with two buttons to the side switching thru parameter categories. Korg Kross 2 real-time control knobs. This isn’t as full-fledged as the 4-knob setups from extra highly-priced instruments, however, it is well-designed and makes sense.

Specifically, you get Cutoff/Resonance, Attack/Release, and Tempo/Arp-Gate, must-haves for synth sound design. Apart from that, you can dial in FX and audio input settings too. Navigation is by and large assisted by the backlit LCD screen. The display is indeed small, and can from time to time emerge as cramped when you dive into the enhancing process, but I’ve never determined myself lost, and the textual content is by no means unreadable.

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Korg Kross 2 display since we’re on the subject matter of navigation, I’ll bring up the trouble of deeply nested menus. Flagship workstations, such as Yamaha’s Montage and Korg’s very own Kronos, have large shade monitors that provide the manufacturer with a lot of actual property to work with, and that approves them to consist of graphical user interfaces that make sense.

The Korg Kross 2 on the other hand, relies on a comparatively primitive dot-matrix screen. Depending on what placing you want to modify, you might want to go through the fine amount of menus and scroll through a lot of fluff to get to what you need. This is something in my opinion excuse due to the fact Korg did what they should to keep matters usable. Each nested menu is labeled clearly, notwithstanding using abbreviations to fit the character limits.

Korg Kross 2 pitch mod wheel will dive into the sound modifying in a bit more depth in the Sound section, however just recognize that whilst things seem to be complicated, the whole lot makes feel with a bit of practice. Anyone skilled with synthesizers will also experience them right at home. The pleasant aspect is that these editing abilities are all optional.

Korg Kross 2 88-key eases you besides dropping you right into an elaborate setup process. It acts similarly to other greater simple stage pianos, only giving you greater power when you ask for it. We’ll talk about the pads in greater elements when we get to the Features of the Korg Kross 2. As for their construction, they are plastic, with a truly rubbery experience with a subtle grip, and they don’t have a lot provided when pushed.

Korg Kross 2 pads this is the preferred pad style popularized through Novation, and they sense good. I was once concerned that lack of tactile remarks on each press would affect performances, however, the pads do mild up well every time you press them. If I had to make a grievance about the pads, it would be that switching between preset banks is a little cumbersome, and including 4 devoted buttons for each financial institution would be preferable.

As they are now, you change from financial institution A to D via a single button press, which ought to lead to some mistakes if you’re in the middle of performing. Ultimately, I’d say Korg Kross 2 is certainly well-designed from a personal perspective. The sketch is minimal through pc standards, and menu diving is an essential evil. Regardless, I’m quite pleased with Kross 2.

A lot of my gripes with the OG Kross 1 are fixed, and the center of attention on performance skills makes this a lot simpler to use. Keyboarding 2 variants of the Kross use specific keybeds.

The 61-key Kross 2-61 uses a synth-action key bed that is unweighted, whereas 88-key Kross 2 88 MB makes use of Korg’s Natural Weighted Hammer Action (NH) keyboard, which is also used on some of Korg’s greater budget-friendly digital pianos.

Korg Kross 2 (61-key version) NH motion is graded, such that decreased keys are barely heavier than those in higher registers.All variations of Korg Kross 2 lack aftertouch, which is a negative. Though, to be fair, a lot of keyboards and digital pianos forget this as well. Aftertouch can be described as post-keypress velocity, so you can control how toughly you continue to push down on keys to modify parameters.

This is understandably steeply-priced to implement, but it would have been nice. Korg Kross 2 88 MB (88-key version) NH keybed is okay. They work well enough for most piano-style playing, however, they feel a bit greater gradual than I’d like. Keys appear to hit their lowest point with a bit of cushioning, which takes some getting used to. I understand that asking for Korg’s RH3 keys on a sub-$1000 keyboard is a bit much, however, I would have been happier with a semi-weighted keybed, mainly because there’s a giant center of attention on synthesizer sounds.

Meanwhile, the unweighted synth motion keys are also passable. Again, these keys feel sluggish to me. Specifically, the keys don’t return to their beginning position as quickly as, say, premium synthesizers or MIDI keyboards.

Korg Kross 2 (61-key version) Regardless, they work, and if you’ve obtained a journey with price range arranger keyboards, you’ll experience it right at home. While I have my gripes about the keys, I suppose we want to notice that Korg Kross 2 is very low-cost. Sacrifices do need to be made to hit that sub-$1000 price point, and the real strength of Kross 2 is in its sounds.

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Features

61 (synth-action) keys – KROSS2-61 | 88 (natural weighted hammer action) keys – KROSS2-88
Polyphony: 120 Notes (mono), 60 Notes (stereo)
Preset PCM Memory: Approximately 128 MB
1075 Internal Programs (Tones)
Oscillators: OSC1, OSC1+2 (double)
Effects: 134 Types, 2 x Master Effects, 5 x Insert Effects.
Sequencer: 16-track MIDI, 128 songs, 16-person template songs.

Sounds

Kross 2 runs on Korg’s Enhanced Definition Synthesis – built-in (EDS-i) sound engine, which is an upgraded version of the equal engine determined on the original Kross. This sound engine especially makes use of samples, with little to no modeling involved. The samples are PCM-based but don’t write them off. Korg has continuously shown that they can squeeze a lot of mileage despite using non-modeled sounds.

You’ll be chiefly navigating via sounds the use of the giant knob to the left of the screen, and the included categories are Piano–Acoustic Pianos, E. Piano–Reed and tine-based electric powered pianos, synthesized pianos, clavinets and harpsichords, Pipe and Electric organs, accordions, Bell – Bells and mallets, Strings – String and vocal ensembles, Brass – Acoustic brass, woodwinds, and reeds., two Synth Lead – Synthesized lead sounds., Synth Pad – Pads and motion-heavy synthesizers, two Guitar – Acoustic and electric powered guitar, Bass – Electric, acoustic, and synthesized basses, Drum/SFX – Drums, percussion, hits, sound effects, and vocoders, User – Custom made presets.

All the sounds are flawlessly usable. Though, if you’re strictly buying Korg Kross 2 to be used as a stage piano, with emphasis on the word ‘piano’, I would look elsewhere. This is a financial workstation, and a lot of the sounds lack the nuance you’d expect from extra premium digital pianos.

Specifications

88 (natural weighted hammer action) keys – KROSS2-88
Polyphony: one hundred twenty Notes (mono), 60 Notes (stereo)
Preset PCM Memory: Approximately 128 MB1075 Internal Programs (Tones).
Oscillators: OSC1, OSC1+2 (double).
Effects: 134 Types, 2 x Master Effects, 5 x Insert Effects.
Sequencer: 16-track MIDI, 128 songs, 16 consumer songs audio.
Audio Recorder: 48kHz/16bit stereo, WAV772 drum patterns, 1280 arpeggio patterns, pad sampler.
Pitch bend wheel, modulation wheel, and SW1 buttons modes on.
Modes: Layers, speed zones, and cross-audio supported.

Connections: Audio In jack (1 x 1/8″), Mic In jack (1 x 1/4″), Line outputs 1/4″ (L/Mono, R), a Headphone jack (1 x 1/8″), USB kind B (MIDI + Audio), MIDI In/Out ports, SD card slot, three Pedal jacks (damper, assignable switch, pedal)W x D x H: 36.8” x 10.6” x 3.5” (93.5 x 26.9 x 8.9 cm) – KROSS2-61 | 57” x 15.1” x 5.4” (144.8 x 38.4 x 13.7 cm) – KROSS2-888.4 lbs (3.8 kg) – KROSS2-61 | 27.1 lbs (12.3 kg) – KROSS2-88.

Pros

Incredible diploma of customizability.
Well-designed consumer interface.
Wide range of sounds
Great connectivity.
USB audio interface.
Can run on batteries.
One of the most economical workstations out there.

Cons

Aural sounds are not as suitable, as standard digital pianos.
The screen can feel small and limited all through editing.
keyboards and digital pianos hide the theater screening sound engine from the person and barely enable you o regulate their carefully curated sounds.

Competition

To maintain their dominant position in their market, many agencies are vying with one another to outperform the competition. Keyboards for the contest are;

Korg Kross 61-Key Stage Bundle vs Korg Kross 2 88-key Synthesizer Workstation

Korg Kross 2 61-key Synthesizer Workstation: 61-key Synth Workstation with Synth-action Keybed, EDS-i Sound Engine, Audio Recorder, Step and MIDI Sequencers, Drum Track, Arpeggiator, and Mic/Line Inputs – Black. GK-49 audio Rigid Keyboard Case: 49-key Keyboard Case with Polyethylene-Reinforced Side Walls, Adjustable Interior Straps, ExteRonalAccessory Pockets, and Spins.

KSP100 Keyboard Sustain Pedal: Piano-style Keyboard/Digital Piano Sustain Pedal with Powder-coated Metal Chasis, Heavy-tension Spring, Polarity Reverse Switch, and Defensive Cover – For Use with Most Keyboards.

KS8191 Lok-Tight Classic Double-X: Double-braced 1-tier Keyboard Stand with 200-lb. Ability. KSP100 Keyboard Sustain Pedal: Piano-style Keyboard/Digital Piano Sustain Pedal with Powder-coated Metal Chassis, Heavy-tension Spring, Polarity Reverse Switch, and Protective Cover – For Use with Most Keyboards.

Korg Kross 2 61-Key Stage Bundle

Kross 2-61 Synthesizer Workstation: 61-key Synth Workstation with Synth-action Keybed, EDS-i Sound Engine, Audio Recorder, Step and MIDI Sequencers, Drum Track, Arpeggiator, and Mic/Line Inputs - Black
GK-49 Semi-Rigid Keyboard Case: 49-key Keyboard Case with Polyethylene-Reinforced Side Walls, Adjustable Interior Straps, External Accessory Pockets, and Wheels
KSP100 Keyboard Sustain Pedal: Piano-style Keyboard/Digital Piano Sustain Pedal with Powder-coated Metal Chassis, Heavy-tension Spring, Polarity Reverse Switch, and Protective Cover - For Use with Most Keyboards

Korg X50 61-Key Synthesizer vs Korg Kross 2 88-key Synthesizer Workstation

Korg X50 61-Key synthesizer is packed with Korg’s world-renowned tones, planned for effortless method, and relates an ultra-light and solid design.

Korg’s X50 features the HI (Hyper Integrated) engine from the world-famous Triton series, offering you pro-quality voices in an integrate solid body. A rich array of sounds and important effects. X50 combines various variations of variation limited with sixteen sectors. Use Category Select functions to difficulty choosing sounds, and the Audition button to play an example phrase. Use 4 consequences as soon as (one insert, two masters, and one EQ), with impact sorts like reverb, chorus, delay, and more. Dual arpeggiator makes enjoying even extra fun.

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Korg Pa700 61-Key Arranger Workstation vs Korg Kross 2 88-key Synthesizer Workstation

A Powerful Arranger with Natural Sound. 61-km Arranger Workstation with 370+ Music Styles, Built-in MP3 Player w/Vocal Remover. 2 x 25W Speaker System, and 1,700+ Sounds.

Korg Pa700 61-Key Arranger Workstation

61-key Arranger Wkstation with 370+ Music Styles
Built-in MP3 Player w/Vocal Remover
2 x 25W Speaker System

Roland FANTOM-6 Workstation Semi-weighted Synthesizer vs Korg Kross 2 88-key Synthesizer Workstation

Roland Fantom Series tune workstation synthesizer keyboard with 61 Fantom Series Limited Edition T-Shirt with Product Registration, acclaimed 61-note semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch. Seamless workflow with no difficult modes, an expandable sound engine supplies true digital and acoustic sounds, fresh hybrid sounds combining modern PCM, digital analog, and a routable analog filter, and V-piano science for beautiful realism and expression.

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Roland FANTOM-6 Music Workstation 61-key Semi-weighted...

Fantom Series Limited Edition T-Shirt with Product Registration
Acclaimed 61-note semi-weighted keyboard with aftertouch
Seamless workflow with no confusing modes

Conclusion

I think it’s clear that I like Korg Kross 2. This is one of the satisfactory price range workstations you can buy, and it can do way more than its rate tag would have you believe. This guides me to my final point. Should you get Korg Kross 2? It falls the internet you’re gazing for.

Korg Kross 2 is a no-brainer if you choose synth sounds on the cheap, especially with the accelerated library on the 2019 MB revision (88-key). Note that even if you determine with a 61-key version, the growth packs with all these new sounds can be downloaded from Korg’s website for free. Knob twiddlers will additionally experience right at domestic with the sound engine.

While Kross 2 might seem simple in contrast to software synthesizers like Native Instrument’s Massive or Xfer’s Serum, it is nevertheless an innovative goldmine with a hands-on interface. On the flip side, if you choose something with suitable presets and sounds that are radio-ready with minimal tweaking, chances are you’re now not after a workstation keyboard.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does Korg Kross 2 Have Weighted Keys?

Piano weight keybed for herbal performance.KROSS 2-88-MB points KORG’s NH (Natural Weighted Hammer Action) keybed. The 2 editions of Kross use one-of-a-kind keybeds. 61-key Kross, 2-61 makes use of a synth-action key bed that is unweighted, whereas 88-key Kross 2 88 MB utilizes Korg’s Natural Weighted Hammer Action (NH) keyboard, which is also used on some of Korg’s greater budget-friendly digital pianos.

2. Is Korg Kross 2 a MIDI Controller?

Korg Kross 2 as a midi controller. Most any keyboard with a midi output SHOULD be successful in working as a midi controller, as long as it’s configured correctly. For manufacturing applications, KROSS 2 comes with a 16-track MIDI sequencer, a step sequencer, an arpeggiator, and a drum track. A stereo audio recorder allows you to record your overall performance or overdub an external input source—such as vocals—directly to an SD card (available separately).

3. How Many Sounds Do Korg Kross 2 Have?

The sound great of KORG synthesizers is recommended by top-ranking musicians around the world. Advanced KROSS 2 expands polyphony from eighty to a hundred and twenty voices and dramatically powers up the variety of interior applications from 809 to 1,075 programs.

4. Does Korg Kross 2 Have Constructed Speakers?

This does now not have onboard speakers. You will want headphones or an amp.

5. Is Korg Kross The Right Keyboard?

It presents the sound satisfaction of a Korg notebook without a premium price. It’s a significant enhancement over the original Kross. It’s mild and manageable. The keybed, while no longer first-in-class, is a whole lot better than we had anticipated.
Korg Kross is currently one of the most satisfactory 88-key stage pianos around. Korg is best known for growing units that motivate creativity and experimentation. In our opinion, this is what makes them one of the quality keyboard brands, overall. Always pushing technology.

Best Synthesizer – Korg Kross 2 88-Key Review (2023)