Korg Kronos X User manual

i
Operation Guide
9
E

ii

iii
About this manual
The owner’s manuals and how to use
them
References to different KRONOS models
These manuals apply to all KRONOS models running
software version 3.0 or later, collectively referred to as “the
KRONOS.” The front panel and rear panel illustrations show
the KRONOS2-61, but they apply identically to the
KRONOS and KRONOS X.
Three manuals
The KRONOS includes three owner’s manuals:
•Quick Start Guide
• Operation Guide
•Parameter Guide
All of these manuals are available as PDFs on Accessory
Disc 3, and are included in the on-board Help system. A
printed version of the Quick Start Guide is also included.
Quick Start Guide
Please read this first. It introduces all of the basic features of
the KRONOS, and is designed to get you up and running
quickly.
Operation Guide
Put simply, the Operation Guide is designed to answer the
question, “How do I do this?”
It explains the names and functions of each part of the
KRONOS, basic operation, an overview of each mode, how
to edit sounds, record on the sequencer, sample, and so on.
This guide also explains the basics of effects, KARMA,
Drum Track, Wave Sequences, and Drum Kits.
Finally, it also contains a troubleshooting guide and
supplemental information such as specifications.
Parameter Guide
The Parameter Guide is designed to answer the question,
“What does this do?”
Organized by mode and page, the Parameter Guide includes
information on each and every parameter in the KRONOS.
PDF versions
The KRONOS PDF manuals are designed for easy
navigation and searching. They include extensive PDF
contents information, which generally appears on the side of
the window in your PDF reader and lets you jump quickly to
a specific section. All cross-references are hyper-links, so
that clicking on them automatically takes you to the source
of the reference.
On-board Help system*
The HELP button gives you built-in, context-sensitive
access to the user manuals, right from the front panel.
For information on any front-panel button, knob, slider, or
real-time controller, just hold down HELP and then press the
button or move the controller in question.
For information on the current LCD page, press and release
the HELP button.
For more details on using the Help system, see “HELP
button” on page 3.
*English-language only.
Supplementary guides
Voice Name List
The Voice Name List lists all of the sounds and setups that
are in the KRONOS when it is shipped from the factory,
including Programs, Combinations, Multisamples,
Drumsamples, Drum Kits, KARMA GEs, Wave Sequences,
Drum Track Patterns, Template Songs, and Effect Presets.
Updating and restoring the KRONOS
This document contains information on updating and
restoring the KRONOS software. It’s provided separately as
a convenience; all of its information may also be found in
the Parameter Guide.
Conventions in this manual
Abbreviations for the manuals: OG, PG, VNL
In the documentation, references to the manuals are
abbreviated as follows.
QS: Quick Start Guide
OG: Operation Guide
PG: Parameter Guide
VNL: The Voice Name List
Symbols , , Note, Tips
These symbols respectively indicate a caution, a MIDI-
related explanation, a supplementary note, or a tip.
Example screen displays
The parameter values shown in the example screens of this
manual are only for explanatory purposes, and may not
necessary match the values that appear in the LCD screen of
your instrument.
MIDI-related explanations
CC# is an abbreviation for Control Change Number.
In explanations of MIDI messages, numbers in square
brackets [ ] always indicate hexadecimal numbers.
Thank you for purchasing the Korg KRONOS. To help you get the most out of your new instrument, please read this manual
carefully.

iv
*KARMA
® (Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture)
Technology has been licensed from Stephen Kay, and is pro-
tected by U.S. Patents 6,084,171, 6,087,578, 6,103,964,
6,121,532, 6,121,533, 6,326,538, 6,639,141, 7,169,997, and
7,342,166.
* KARMA® and the KARMA Logo are registered trademarks,
and Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture, Gener-
ated Effect (GE), Melodic Repeat, Direct Index, Manual
Advance, SmartScan, Freeze Randomize, Random Capture,
Random FF/REW and Scene Matrix are trademarks of Ste-
phen Kay, Karma-Lab LLC. This manual copyright © 1994-
2014 by Korg Inc. and Stephen Kay. All rights reserved.
* Screen shots from the KARMA software that appear through-
out this guide are © 1994-2014 by Stephen Kay, Karma Lab
LLC. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
* KARMA Technology can be located on the internet at:
www.karma-lab.com.
* This product was developed under license of physical model-
ling tone generator patents (http://www.sondius-xg.com)
owned by Stanford University USA and Yamaha Corporation.
* Linux is a trademark or registered trademark of Linus Tor-
valds in the United States and in other countries.
* All product names and company names are the trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.

v
Contents
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Introduction to KRONOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Front and rear panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Rear panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
TouchView user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Basic information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
About the KRONOS’ modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
About the KRONOS’ PCM memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
About polyphony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Basic operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Turning the power on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Update information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
New features in software version 3.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
New features in software version 2.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
New features in software version 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
New features in software version 1.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Playing and editing Programs . . . . . . . .31
Playing Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Selecting Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Using the Chord Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using Chord mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Easy Program Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Quick edits using the knobs, sliders, and switches . . . 43
Detailed Program Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Editing HD-1 Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using LFOs and Envelopes (EGs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using Alternate Modulation (AMS)
and the AMS Mixers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Controlling Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Using Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Using the Amp section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Using EXi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Using Vector Synthesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Automatically importing a Program
into Sequencer mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Playing and editing Combinations . . . .63
Playing Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Selecting Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Easy Combination editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Changing the Programs within a Combi . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Adjusting the mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Easy KARMA editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Detailed Combination editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Combination overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Layers, Splits, and Velocity Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
MIDI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Altering Programs to fit within aCombination . . . . . .71
Editing Programs from within a Combination
or Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Automatically importing a Combination
into Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Saving your edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Creating songs (Sequencer mode) . . . .75
Sequencer overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
About the KRONOS’ sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Sequencer mode structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Playing Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
The control surface in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . .80
MIDI recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Preparations for recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Recording MIDI in real-time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
MIDI step recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Recording the sound of a Combination or Program. . .88
Recording multiple MIDI tracks from
an external sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Recording System Exclusive events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Recording patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Other ways to record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Audio recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Audio recording overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Audio input settings and recording source selection . .96
Recording procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Other variations of audio track recording. . . . . . . . . .105
Placing a WAVE file in an audio track . . . . . . . . . . .107
Song editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Common to MIDI tracks and audio tracks . . . . . . . . .110
Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Using RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play/Record) . . 112
Creating RPPR data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
RPPR playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Recording an RPPR performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Sampling in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Saving your Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Other notes about Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . .117
KRONOS sequencer file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
The Compare function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Memory Protect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
About MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

vi
Set Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Set List Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Selecting and playing sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Selecting Set Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Selecting Slots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using the Comment Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Editing Set Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Selecting and re-arranging sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Detailed Set List editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Set Lists and the Control Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Smooth Sound Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Using Smooth Sound Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Sampling (Open Sampling System) . . 131
Sampling overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
About sampling on the KRONOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Preparations for sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Audio Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Sampling and editing in Sampling mode . . . . 140
Creating multisample indexes
and sampling–P0: Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Basic examples of sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Editing loops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Using Time Slice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Sample waveform editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Multisample editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Sampling from an Audio CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Saving, converting to Programs, and Comparing. . . 154
Sampling in Program
and Combination modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Resampling a KARMA phrase in Program mode . . 156
Auto Sampling Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Mixing a KARMA drum phrase with
a live guitar input, and sampling the result. . . . . . . . 157
Sampling a guitar from the audio inputs,
while listening to a KARMA drum phrase . . . . . . . . 158
Sampling in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
In-Track Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Resampling a song to create a Wave file . . . . . . . . . 160
User Sample Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Saving User Sample Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Loading User Sample Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Editing User Sample Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
User Sample Bank IDs and limitations. . . . . . . . . . . 165
Global Settings, Wave Seq.,
Drum Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Global mode overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Global Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Basic Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Global audio settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
MIDI settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
Pedal and other controller settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Creating user scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Setting Category Names for Programs,
Combinations, and KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Automatically loading sample data. . . . . . . . . . 174
Using the KSC Auto-Load list to select
which samples to load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Creating and saving .KSC files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Connecting to computers
via USB Ethernet and FTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Using Wave Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Wave Sequence Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Programming Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Adjusting the sound of an individual step . . . . . . . . . 180
Using rhythmic Wave Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Creating smooth, evolving timbres . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Modulating Wave Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Saving Wave Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Using Drum Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Drum Kit Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Before you start editing… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Editing Drum Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Saving Drum Kits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
Loading & saving data,
and creating CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Saving data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Writing to internal memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Saving to disks, CDs, and USB media . . . . . . . . . . . .196
Loading data from disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Loading Songs, sounds, samples,
and KARMA GEs together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Loading individual banks from a .PCG file . . . . . . . .203
Loading data by individual item or bank . . . . . . . . . .203
Loading the samples required by Programs or
Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Creating and playing audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Creating audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Playing audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Other disk operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Setting the date and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Using Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Effects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Effects basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Effect I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Effects in each mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
Effects selection and routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Using effects in Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Using effects in Combinations and Songs . . . . . . . . . 216
Using effects in Sampling mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Using effects with the audio inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

vii
Detailed effects editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Dynamic modulation (Dmod) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
MIDI/Tempo Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Common FX LFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Effect Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Using KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Overview - What is KARMA?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
The structure of KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Performing with KARMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Performing with KARMA in Program mode . . . . . . 229
Performing with KARMA in Combination mode. . . 232
Editing KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Editing KARMA in Program mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Editing KARMA in Combination mode . . . . . . . . . . 239
Using KARMA in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Auto Song Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Recording using KARMA (single-track recording) . 245
Multi-track recording using
settings copied from a Combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Synchronizing KARMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Synchronization basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
The “Quantize Trigger” parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Slave operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Master operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Using the Drum Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
What is the Drum Track? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Performing with the Drum Track . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Using the Drum Track in Program mode . . . . . . . . . 250
Using the Drum Track in Combination mode. . . . . . 252
Drum Track settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Drum Track settings in Program mode . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Drum Track settings in Combination mode . . . . . . . 254
Drum Track settings in Sequencer mode . . . . . . . . . 254
Using KARMA and the Drum Track together . . . . . 255
Synchronizing the Drum Track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Creating Drum Track patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Preparing a user pattern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Converting a Sequencer pattern
to a Drum Track pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Power supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
LCD screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Audio input and output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Programs and Combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Set Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Drum Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Drum Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Wave Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Disks, CDs, and USB Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Other problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Error and confirmation messages. . . . . . . . . . . . 268
A (ADC–Are You Sure) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
B (Buffer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
C (Can’t calibrate–Completed). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
D (Destination–Disk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
E (Error–Exceeded) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270
F (File–Front) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
I (Illegal–Index) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272
K. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
M (Master–Multisample) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
N (No data–Not enough song memory) . . . . . . . . . . .274
O (Obey copyright rules–Oscillator) . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
P (Pattern–Program) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
R (Rear sample–Root) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
S (Sample–Source) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
T (The clock–/TEMP folder detected) . . . . . . . . . . . .277
U (Unable to create directory–USB Hub) . . . . . . . . .278
W (Wave) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
Y (You). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
Disk and Media information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Types of media supported by the KRONOS . . . . . . .280
Operations that the KRONOS
can perform on media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Restoring the factory settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282
MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

viii

1
Introduction to KRONOS
Front and rear panels
Front panel
1. MAIN VOLUME knob
This adjusts the volume of the main L/R audio outputs, as
well as the volume of the headphone jack.
It does not affect any of the other audio outputs, including
S/P DIF, individual outputs 1-4, or the USB output.
2. Control Surface
The Control Surface is the set of 9 sliders, 8 knobs, and 16
switches to the left of the LCD screen. It looks like a mixer,
but can do a variety of things such as editing sounds,
controlling KARMA, and sending MIDI messages to
external devices. You can freely change back and forth
between the different functions without losing any of your
edits.
CONTROL ASSIGN buttons
As explained below, you can use the front panel CONTROL
ASSIGN buttons to switch between the various control
surface functions. You can also view and edit the control
surface settings on the LCD screen (P0– Control Surface
page in each mode).
TIMBRE/TRACK
TIMBRE/TRACK lets you use the control surface to adjust
the volume, pan, EQ, and send levels for OSC 1/2, EXi 1/2,
or the Drum Track in Program mode, the current
Multisample in Sample mode, and each of the 16 Timbres or
Tracks in Combi and Sequence modes.
The LEDs to the right of the switch show whether you’re
currently editing Timbres (or Tracks) 1-8 or 9-16; press the
TIMBRE/TRACK button to toggle between the two.
9. Vector
Joystick
11. SW 1&2
12. Joystick
13. Ribbon
14. Headphone Jack
1. Volume 2. Control Surface 5. Mode
4. Disk Access Indicator
6. Utility 7. Bank Select
18. Sampling16. Sequencer15. Exit
17. Tempo
3. Data Entry
19. TouchView
Display
8. KARMA
10. Drum
Track

Introduction to KRONOS
2
If you switch to one of the other Control Assign modes, and
then go back to TIMBRE/TRACK, it will automatically
return to the previously selected group (1-8 or 9-16).
AUDIO
AUDIO lets you use the control surface to adjust the
volume, play/mute status, solo, pan, and send levels of the
analog, S/P DIF, and USB audio inputs. In Sequencer mode,
you can also choose to control audio tracks 1–8 (HDR 1-8)
or 9–16 (HDR 9-16).
As with TIMBRE/TRACK, if you switch to one of the
other Control Assign modes, and then go back to AUDIO, it
will automatically return to the previously selected group
(Inputs, HDR 1-8 or HDR 9-16).
EXT
EXT (External) lets you use the control surface to transmit
MIDI messages to external MIDI devices.
RT KNOBS/KARMA
RT KNOBS/KARMA lets you modulate sounds and effects
with the knobs, and control KARMA with the sliders and
switches.
TONE ADJ/EQ
TONE ADJ (Tone Adjust) gives you hands-on access to
sound editing, using the sliders, knobs, and switches. In
Combi and Sequence modes, it also lets you edit Programs
within the context of the Combi or Song, without making
any changes to the original Program data.
EQ is available only in Set Lists. This is a nine-band graphic
EQ applied to the sound after TFX2, which tailors the sound
from the main stereo outputs (including the analog L/R
outputs, S/P DIF, and USB).
You c a n us e thi s EQ to c o mpensate for the acoustic
environment of a specific club or other performance venue.
The sliders are mapped to the nine bands of the EQ, for
quick and intuitive adjustments.
More information on the Control Surface
For more information on how the Control Surface works in
the different modes, see:
• Program mode: “0–9: Control Surface” on page 21 of the
Parameter Guide
• Combi mode: “0–9: Control Surface” on page 432 of the
Parameter Guide
•Sequence mode: “0–9: Control Surface” on page 538 of
the Parameter Guide
MIXER KNOBS button
This applies only when CONTROL ASSIGN is set to
TIMBRE/TRACK or AUDIO. It toggles the knobs
between controlling the pan of all channels or controlling the
pan, EQ, and sends of the currently selected channel.
RESET CONTROLS button
This feature lets you reset the Vector Joystick to the center
position, or reset any of the Control Surface sliders, knobs,
or switches to their saved value.
To reset a single control, hold down RESET CONTROLS
and then move a Control Surface slider or knob, press one of
the control surface buttons, or move the Vector Joystick.
To reset all of the sliders, knobs, and switches of the current
CONTROL ASSIGN mode at once, hold down RESET
CONTROLS and then press the currently-lit CONTROL
ASSIGN button again.
You ca n al s o re s et a ll o f the sli d ers a nd s w itc h e s in the
KARMA Module by holding RESET CONTROLS and then
pressing the KARMA MODULE CONTROL button.
Similarly, to reset a single KARMA Scene, hold RESET
CONTROLS and press any of the SCENE buttons.
Finally, you can also use this to clear all solos, by holding
RESET CONTROLS and then pressing the SOLO button.
For more information, see “RESET CONTROLS” on
page 22 of the Parameter Guide.
SOLO button
This applies only when CONTROL ASSIGN is set to
TIMBRE/TRACK or AUDIO. It toggles the SELECT
buttons between selecting the current Oscillator, Timbre,
Track, or Audio Input (when SOLO is off) or soloing the
channel (when SOLO is on).
For more information on SOLO in the various modes, see:
Programs: “SOLO switch and SELECT switches 1–3” on
page 23 of the Parameter Guide
Combinations: “Solo switch and Select switches 1–8” on
page 434 of the Parameter Guide
Sequencer: “Solo switch and Select switches 1/9–8/16” on
page 540 of the Parameter Guide
3. Data entry
When you’ve selected a parameter on the TouchView
display, you can edit it using any of the four front-panel data
entry controls:
•The VALUE slider
•The Inc and Dec buttons
•The VALUE dial
• The numeric keypad
VALUE slider
Use this to edit the selected parameter’s value.
This control is convenient for making large
changes to the value, such as moving quickly to
the minimum or maximum setting.
You can also use the VALUE slider as a
modulation source, but only when the following
are true:
•You’re on the Program mode P0-Main page,
and the big Program name is selected, or
•You’re on the Combination mode P0– Prog
Select/Mixer page, and the big Combination
name is selected.
•You’re on the Set List P0-Play page.
In these cases only, the VALUE slider sends
MIDI CC#18, and can be used as a modulation
source.
Inc and Dec buttons
These are used to increase or decrease the parameter value
by individual steps. They’re convenient for making fine
parameter adjustments.

Front and rear panels Front panel
3
VALUE dial
Use this dial to edit the selected parameter’s value. This
control is convenient when you want to scroll through a very
long list of selections.
0-9, –, ., and ENTER buttons
These buttons are convenient when you know the exact
value that you want to enter. Use the 0–9, –, and decimal (.)
buttons to enter the value, and then press the ENTER button
to confirm the entry.
The – button inverts the sign (+/–) of the parameter value;
the decimal (.) button inserts a decimal, for entering
fractional values.
Special functions of the ENTER button
ENTER has a few special functions when it is pressed in
combination with other buttons.
Whenever an on-screen parameter lets you enter a musical
note (such as G4 or C#2), or a velocity level, you can enter
the note or velocity directly by holding down ENTER while
playing a note on the keyboard.
By holding down the ENTER button while you press a
numeric button (0–9), you can select the first ten menu
commands from the current page.
In Program and Combination modes, you can hold down the
ENTER button and press the SEQUENCER REC/WRITE
button to use the Auto Song Setup function. This imports the
current Program or Combi into Sequence mode for quick
and easy recording.
You can use ENTER to jump into the editing pages of a
Program from within a Combination or Song—while still
hearing all of the other Timbres or Tracks. To do so, go to the
Prog Select/Mixer page, hold down the ENTER button, and
touch the Program select field in the display. For more
information, see “Editing Programs from within a
Combination or Song” on page 72.
4. DISK access indicator
This LED lights up when data is being saved to or read from
the internal disk.
Never turn off the power while this LED is lit. Doing so
can cause all or part of the data on the disk to be lost, or
may cause malfunctions such as disk damage.
5. MODE buttons
KRONOS has seven different operational modes, each one
optimized for a specific set of functions. These buttons select
the current mode.
Each button has an LED, which lights up to show the mode
you’ve selected.
SET LIST button
This selects Set List mode. Set Lists make it simple to play
and organize any of the sounds loaded into the KRONOS,
without regard for what bank they’re stored in or whether
they’re Programs, Combinations, or even Songs.
COMBI button
This selects Combination mode, for playing and editing
complex splits and layers of Programs.
PROG button
This selects Program mode, for playing and editing basic
sounds.
SEQ button
This selects Sequencer mode, for recording, playing, and
editing audio and MIDI tracks.
SAMPLING button
This selects Sampling mode, for recording and editing audio
samples and multisamples.
GLOBAL button
This selects Global mode, for making overall settings,
editing Wave Sequences and Drum Kits, and more.
DISK button
This selects Disk mode, for saving and loading data to and
from the internal disk or external USB 2.0 storage devices.
You c a n a lso c re a te a udio C Ds using a USB CD-R drive (not
included).
6. UTILITY buttons
HELP button
The HELP button gives you built-in, context-
sensitive access to the user manuals, right from
the front panel.
For information on any front-panel button,
knob, slider, or real-time controller, just hold
down HELP and then press the button or move
the controller in question.
For information on the current LCD page, press and release
the HELP button.
While the help page is on the screen, you can touch any of
the on-screen links (highlighted in blue text) for more
information. You can scroll through the text by using the on-
screen scroll bars, pressing the Inc and Dec buttons, or
spinning the Value dial.
The top of the Help page has “breadcrumb” links, which
show the hierarchy of pages above the current one. Touch
any of these links to jump to the corresponding page.
The backwards and forwards buttons function like the
similar buttons on a standard web browser. If you use links
to jump between pages, you can then use the backwards and
forwards buttons to move through the pages you’ve already
viewed.

Introduction to KRONOS
4
The Contents page lets you access any part of the Help
system, including almost all of the text and graphics in both
the Parameter and Operation Guides. The Index contains a
shorter list of links to important articles.
To close the help display, just press the HELP button again,
press the EXIT button, or press the on-screen Done button.
COMPARE button
Use this button to compare the sound of the Program or
Combination that you are currently editing with the saved,
un-edited version of the sound. You can also use this button
to make “before and after” comparisons when recording or
editing in Sequencer mode.
7. BANK SELECT buttons
Use these buttons to change banks when selecting Programs
or Combinations. The LEDs in the buttons light up to show
the current bank.
To select Program banks U-AA…GG, press both the INT
and USER buttons simultaneously. For instance, to select
USER-DD, press both I-D and U-D.
In Program mode, these buttons select the Program bank.
They are active only on the Play pages.
In Combination mode, these buttons have two functions:
•When you’re selecting Combinations, they choose the
Combination bank.
•When you’re assigning a Program to a timbre within the
Combi, they select the Program bank.
In Sequencer mode, when a track’s Program name is
selected, these buttons change the Program bank.
General MIDI banks
Selecting General MIDI Program banks is a little different
from selecting other banks. Each time you press the INT-G
button, the bank will step to the next GM(2) bank or GM
drum bank in the following order: G, g(1), g(2)–g(8), g(9),
g(d), G, g(1), etc.
What’s in each bank?
For details on the contents of the Program banks, see
“Program bank contents” on page 31. For details on the
Combi banks, see “Combination bank contents” on page 63.
8. KARMA buttons
KARMA stands for “Kay
Algorithmic Realtime Music
Architecture.” It’s an immensely
powerful recording and live
performance tool, which can provide
a wide range of musical effects
including:
• Arpeggiation
•Drum and instrument grooves
•Complex CC gestures (as if it was automatically moving
knobs or joysticks for you)
•Musical phrase generation
• Gated and chopped dance production effects
•Any combination of the above
•…and much more.
ON/OFF button
This switches KARMA on and off. As with the other
KARMA buttons, the button’s LED will light up to show
you that it is turned on.
LATCH button
When LATCH is turned on, KARMA will continue to play
even after you’ve stopped holding notes on the keyboard or
MIDI In.
This is convenient when you want to play on top of a
KARMA-generated groove, for instance.
MODULE CONTROL button
In Combi and Sequencer modes, KARMA has four
independent Modules, each of which can be generating a
different musical effect. When used to control KARMA, the
Control Surface sliders and switches are five layers deep:
one for each Module (A-D), and then a Master Layer which
controls selected parameters from all of the Modules at once.
The MODULE CONTROL button selects whether the
KARMA SLIDERS, SWITCHES, and SCENES will control
either a single Module independently, or the Master Layer.
In Program mode, only a single Module is available, and the
Master Layer is used to control it; you cannot select other
settings).
9. Vector Joystick
The Vector Joystick is a powerful real-time controller.
Depending on the particular Program, Combi, or Song, it
may modulate Program or effects parameters, or adjust the
volumes of different components of the sound.
For more information on how Vector Synthesis works, see
“Using Vector Synthesis” on page 60.
10. Drum Track
The Drum Track is a built-in drum machine, fueled by the
KRONOS’s high-quality drum sounds. This button turns the
Drum Track on and off.
Depending on various settings, the Drum Track may begin to
play immediately, or may wait until you start to play on the
keyboard. If the button’s LED is blinking on and off, it’s
waiting for you to play.
LINKED LED
If the front panel LINKED LED and KARMA ON/OFF
switches are lit, KARMA will start and stop together with
the Drum Track. For more information, see “Using KARMA
and the Drum Track together” on page 255.
11. SW1 and SW2
These on/off switches can perform a number of different
functions, such as modulating sounds or locking the
modulation values of the joystick, ribbon, or aftertouch.

Front and rear panels Front panel
5
Also, each one may work either as a toggle, or as a
momentary switch. In toggle mode, each press alternates
between on and off; in momentary mode, the switch only
changes for as long as you hold it down.
Each switch has an LED, which lights up when the switch is
on.
Each Program, Combination, and Song stores its own
settings for what the switches will do, and whether each
switch defaults to being on or off.
12. Joystick
The joystick moves in four directions: left, right, forwards
(away from yourself), and backwards (towards yourself).
Each of the four directions can be used to control different
program or effects parameters.
The specific assignments can change depending on the
current Program, Combi, or Song. Generally, though, they
will do something like the functions shown below:
Stan dard Joys tick fun ctio ns
13. Ribbon controller
The Ribbon controller lets you modulate Program or effects
parameters by sliding your finger left and right along its
touch-sensitive strip.
As with the other controllers, its specific function will
change depending on the current Program, Combi, or Song.
14. Headphone jack
This stereo 1/4” headphone jack carries the same signal as
the Main L/R outputs.
The headphone volume is controlled by the MAIN
VOLUME knob.
15. EXIT button
This button makes it easy to return to the main page of the
current mode:
• Press it once to go to the previously-selected tab on the
main P0 page.
•Press it again to go to the first tab on the main P0 page
(such as the main Program Play page). If you had
previously selected a parameter on this page, that
parameter will be selected.
•Press it a third time to select the main parameter on the
P0 page, such as the Program name in Program mode.
Wherever you are in Program, Combi, or Sequencer modes,
pressing EXIT three times (or fewer) will take you back to
Program/Combination/Song Select, where you can
immediately use the numeric keys or / switches to
select a Program, Combination, or Song.
When a dialog box is open, this button cancels the settings
made in the dialog box and closes the dialog box, just like
pressing the Cancel button. If a popup menu or page menu is
open, pressing EXIT closes the menu.
16. SEQUENCER buttons
Most of the buttons in this section apply only to Sequencer
mode and, in Disk and Sampling modes, to audio CD
playback from a connected USB CD drive.
REC/WRITE is the exception; it has special functions in
Program, Combination, and Global modes, as described
below.
PAUSE button
In Sequencer mode, this button pauses the playback of the
song. When paused, the button’s LED will light up. Press
PAUSE once again to resume playback, and the LED will
turn off.
In Disk and Sampling modes, this button pauses audio CD
playback.
<<REW button
In Sequencer mode, when the Song is playing or paused, this
button will rewind the song. When you press and hold this
button, its LED will light up, and the playback will rewind.
(Rewind is disabled during recording, and while the Song is
stopped.)
In Disk and Sampling modes, this button rewinds the audio
CD.
FF>> button
In Sequencer mode, when the Song is playing or paused, this
button will fast-forward the song. When you press and hold
this button, the button will light, and the playback will fast-
forward. (Fast-forward is disabled during recording, and
while the Song is stopped.)
In Disk and Sampling modes, this button fast-forwards the
audio CD.
LOCATE button
In Sequencer mode, this button will advance or rewind the
song to the specified locate point. This lets you jump
immediately to any point in the current Song. The default
locate point is the first beat of measure 1.
To set the locate point to the current position, hold down
ENTER and then press LOCATE. You can also set the
Locate point directly via the on-screen menu.
REC/WRITE button
In Sequencer mode, pressing this button will enter record-
ready mode. Once you’re in record-ready mode (shown by
the button’s lit LED), you can begin recording by pressing
the SEQUENCER START/STOP button. For more
information, see “Recording MIDI in real-time” on page 84.
Move the
joystick…
Controller
Name Normally controls…
Left JS–X Pitch bend down
Right JS+X Pitch bend up
Forwards
(away from yourself) JS+Y Vibrato
Backwards
(towards yourself) JS–Y Filter LFO (wah)

Introduction to KRONOS
6
In Program, Combination, Set List, and Global modes,
pressing REC/WRITE will open the Save dialog box. For
more details, see “Writing to internal memory” on page 192,
and “Using the SEQUENCER REC/WRITE button” on
page 192.
In Program and Combination modes, you can hold down the
ENTER button and press the SEQUENCER REC/WRITE
button to use the Auto Song Setup function. This imports the
current Program or Combi into Sequence mode for quick
and easy recording. For more information, see “Auto-Song
Setup” on page 2 of the Parameter Guide.
START/STOP button
This starts or stops recording and playback in Sequencer
mode.
In Disk and Sampling modes, this button starts and stops
playback on the audio CD.
17. TEMPO controls
TEMPO knob
This knob adjusts the tempo for the KRONOS
as a whole, including Songs, KARMA, the
Drum Track, Tempo-synced LFOs and BPM
delays, and EXi Step Sequencers.
The LED will blink at quarter-note intervals of
the current tempo.
Note: If the GLOBAL MIDI page MIDI
CLOCK parameter is set to External MIDI or USB, or if it
is set to Auto and a clock is currently being received, then
neither the TEMPO Knob nor the TAP TEMPO button will
have any effect.
TAP TEMPO button
This button lets you enter tempos simply by tapping your
finger on the button. You can use this interchangeably with
the “TEMPO knob,” above. Two taps are enough to change
the tempo; for greater accuracy, you can continue tapping,
and the tempo will be averaged over the most recent 16 taps.
For example, you can use TAP TEMPO to control the
KARMA tempo:
1. In Program mode or Combination mode, start
KARMA running.
Turn on the KARMA ON/OFF switch, and play a key or a
pad. If you turn on the LATCH switch, KARMA will
continue playing even after you lift up your hands.
2. Lightly press the TAP TEMPO switch several times at
the desired tempo.
Notice that the “q =” in the upper right of the LCD screen
will change to show the new tempo.
If you press the TAP TEMPO switch at shorter intervals, the
playback tempo will become correspondingly faster.
Note: You can also tap tem p o s u si ng a foot switch. For more
information, see “Foot Switch Assignments” on page 1111
of the Parameter Guide.
18. SAMPLING buttons
REC button
In Sampling, Program, Combination, and
Sequencer modes, pressing this button enters
the initial sampling-ready mode. The button’s
LED will light up.
To continue, press the SAMPLING
START/STOP button, as described below.
START/STOP button
In Sampling, Program, Combination, and Sequencer modes,
pressing this when the SAMPLING REC button is lit will do
one of three things, depending on the setting of the Trigger
parameter (on the Sampling mode Recording - Audio Input
page):
•If Trigger is set to Sampling START SW, sampling will
begin immediately.
•If Trigger is set to Note On, sampling will begin as soon
as you play a note on the keyboard.
•If Trigger is set to Threshold, sampling will begin as
soon as the selected audio source reaches a preset
volume level.
On the Sampling mode’s P1: Sample Edit page, pressing this
button will play the selected sample.
This button is also used to play back WAV files from the
disk. You can play back WAV files in the directory window
of various Disk mode pages, in the Disk mode Make Audio
CD page, in the Sequencer mode audio track editing dialog
boxes, and in the Select Directory/File for Sample to Disk
menu command in Program, Combination, Sequencer, and
Sampling modes.
19. TouchView display
The KRONOS features our exclusive TouchView graphic
interface, based on a touch-panel LCD screen.
By touching objects displayed in the LCD screen, you can
select pages, set parameter values, move sliders and knobs,
enter text, connect virtual patch cables, and more.
Shortcuts
The front-panel controls offer a number of shortcuts for
commonly-used features, as detailed below.
ENTER + numeric keys 0–9: Menu commands
Each page has a set of menu commands, which provide
access to different utilities, commands, and options,
depending on the page you’re currently on. You can use the
menu commands entirely from the touch-screen, by pressing
the menu button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
and then selecting an option from the menu that appears.
Even though each page may have its own unique menu
commands, the menus are standardized as much as possible.
For instance, WRITE is almost always the first menu item in
Program, Combination, and Global modes.
You can take advantage of this standardization by using a
shortcut to access any of the first ten menu items:

Front and rear panels Front panel
7
1. Hold down the ENTER button.
2. Press a number (0-9) on the numeric keypad to select
the desired menu command, starting with 0.
For instance, press 0 for the first menu command, 1 for the
second, and so on.
If the menu command just toggles an option on and off (such
as Exclusive Solo), then you’re done. If the command calls
up a dialog box, the dialog will appear on the LCD, and you
can proceed just as if you’d selected the command from the
touch-screen.
ENTER + REC/WRITE: Auto Song Setup
The Auto Song Setup feature copies the current Program or
Combination into a Song, and then puts the KRONOS in
record-ready mode.
If inspiration for a phrase or song strikes you while you’re
playing, you can use this function to start recording
immediately. To do so:
1. Hold down the ENTER key and press the
SEQUENCER REC/WRITE key.
The Setup to Record dialog box will open and ask “Are you
sure?”
2. Press OK.
You will automatically enter Sequencer mode, and will be in
the record-ready state.
3. Press the START/STOP key to start the sequencer
and begin recording.
ENTER + keyboard: Enter note or velocity value
Generally, if a parameter specifies a note number or velocity,
you can enter the value by playing on the keyboard. To do
so:
1. Select one of the Key parameters.
2. Hold down the ENTER button.
3. While holding ENTER, play a note on the keyboard.
You c a n u s e th i s s h ort c u t throughout the KRONOS, such as
for setting keyboard and velocity zones, or selecting the note
to edit in Drum Kits, Multisamples, or RPPR setups.
ENTER + LOCATE: Set locate point
This shortcut sets the Sequencer’s locate point to the current
measure, beat, and tick, similar to using the Set Location
menu command (see “Set Location (for Locate Key)” on
page 629 of the Parameter Guide).
1. Hold down the ENTER button.
2. While holding ENTER, press the LOCATE key.
After this, pressing LOCATE returns the Song to the newly
set measure, beat, and tick.
ENTER + touch Program name: Edit Program
You c a n j u m p d i rec t ly i nto t he editing pages of a Program
from within a Combination or Song—while still hearing all
of the other Timbres or Tracks.To do so:
1. Go to the P0–1: Prog Select/Mixer page in
Combination mode, or the P0–1: MIDI Track Prog
Select/Mixer page in Sequencer mode.
2. Hold the ENTER button, and then touch the
Program’s name in the Timbre or Track.
The system will then display the P0 page for the selected
Program. The front-panel PROG button’s LED will blink,
and the COMBI or SEQ LED will remain solidly on, to show
that you are editing the Program in context.
3. Edit as desired.
Eventually, if you want to keep your changes, you’ll need to
Write the Program. However, while you’re working, you can
go back and forth between the edited Program and the
Combination or Song.
To return to the Combination or Song:
4. Press the front-panel COMBI or SEQ buttons.
For more information, including other ways to move
between the modes, see “Editing Programs from within a
Combination or Song” on page 72.
CONTROL ASSIGN RT KNOBS/KARMA switch (LED
ON) + KARMA MODULE CONTROL switch
In Combination and Sequencer modes, this sets the Module
Control to Master. This is the same as setting Module
Control to M in P0: Control Surface– RT/KARMA.
CONTROL ASSIGN TONE ADJ/EQ switch
(LED ON) + SWITCH 1…16 switches
In Combination and Sequencer modes, you can use a
shortcut to change the current Timbre directly from the
Control Surface, without leaving Tone Adjust mode:
1. Press and hold the TONE ADJ/EQ button.
2. While holding TONE ADJ/EQ, press a MIX
PLAY/MUTE or MIX SELECT button to select a
Timbre.
The PLAY/MUTE buttons select Timbres 1–8, and the
SELECT buttons select Timbres 9–16.
This is the same as the selected Timbre/Track in
TIMBRE/TRACK mode; changing one will also change the
other.
3. Release the TONE ADJ/EQ button.
The Control Surface and screen will change to show the
Tone Adjust parameters for the newly selected Timbre.
EXIT switch: Return to main page
This button makes it easy to return to the main page of the
current mode:
•Press it once to go to the previously-selected tab on the
main P0 page.
•Press it again to go to the first tab on the main P0 page.
•Press it a third time to select the main parameter on the
P0 page, such as the Program name in Program mode.
Wherever you are in Program, Combi, or Sequencer modes,
pressing EXIT three times (or fewer) will take you back to
Program/Combination/Song Select, where you can
immediately use the numeric keys or / switches to
select a Program, Combination, or Song.
EXIT switch: Cancel in dialog boxes
When a dialog box is displayed, this has the same function as
the Cancel, Done, or Exit button.

Introduction to KRONOS
8
Rear panel
1. AC Power connector
Connect the included power cable here.
We recommend that you first connect the power cable to the
KRONOS, and then connect the other end of the cable to an
AC outlet (see “1. Connecting the power cable” on page 20).
2. POWER switch
This switch turns the power on and off. Before turning
KRONOS off, make sure that you’ve saved any edits to your
Programs, Combis, Songs, or other user data.
After turning the power off, please wait for at least ten
seconds before you turn the power on again.
3. USB ports
USB A ports
There are two external, high-speed USB 2.0 ports. You can
use these to connect storage media such as hard disks, flash
media, etc, as well as class-compliant USB MIDI
controllers. For more information, see “5. Connecting USB
devices” on page 23.
USB B port
This high-speed USB 2.0 port lets you connect to a Mac or
Windows PC, for sending and receiving MIDI and audio,
and for connecting to the computer editor program. For more
information, see “7. Connecting to computers via USB” on
page 24.
4. Analog AUDIO INPUTS
You can use the audio inputs for recording, sampling, and
real-time mixing through the built-in effects.
Mic/Line Inputs 1 and 2
Inputs 1 and 2 provide 1/4” TRS balanced connectors. You
can use these for either microphone-level or line-level
signals. The two inputs have identical sets of controls, as
described below.
MIC/LINE switches
These set the input’s nominal signal level. Set these switches
according to the type of device that you’re connecting, and
then use the LEVEL knobs (described below) to optimize
the gain.
Use the LINE setting (button pressed in) when connecting to
mixers, computer audio systems, signal processors, or other
synthesizers. The nominal level is +4dBu, with 12dB of
headroom.
Use the MIC setting (button popped out) only when
connecting a microphone.
LEVEL knobs
These knobs let you make more precise adjustments to the
input level, after setting the basic levels with the MIC/LINE
switches.
The MIN setting is unity gain; the MAX setting provides
about 40dB of gain above unity.
5. Analog AUDIO OUTPUTS
All of the analog audio outputs use balanced TRS 1/4”
phone jacks, referenced to a +4dBu signal level.
Connect these outputs to the input jacks of your amp or
mixer. In addition to the L/MONO and R main stereo audio
outputs, the KRONOS provides four individual audio
outputs.
The sound from each oscillator, drum, timbre/track, or insert
effect can be freely routed to any output. Additionally, you
can route the metronome sound to an individual output, to
separate it from the stereo mix. For more information, see
“Effects selection and routing” on page 214.
(MAIN) L/MONO, R
These are the main stereo outputs; their volume is controlled
by the MAIN VOLUME knob. All of the factory Programs
and Combis are programmed to play through these outputs.
2. Power Switch 5. Analog
Audio Outputs
4. Analog
Audio Inputs
3. USB
8. Pedals6. MIDI
1. AC Power
connector
7. S/PDIF
In & Out

Front and rear panels Rear panel
9
When editing sounds, or when setting up a Song in
Sequencer mode, you can access the main outputs by setting
Bus Select to L/R.
If no cable is connected to the R output, L/MONO will carry
a mono summation of the stereo signal. So, if you are
connecting to a device which does not have stereo inputs
(such as a simple keyboard amp), use the L/MONO output.
(INDIVIDUAL) 1…4
These 4 additional audio outputs let you isolate sounds,
audio inputs, or audio tracks for recording or complex live
sound setups.
These can be used as stereo or mono outputs, in any
combination. You can also use the Global Audio page LR
Bus Indiv. Assign parameter to map the main stereo outputs
to any of these output pairs, if you like.
Note that the individual outputs are not affected by the
MAIN VOLUME knob.
6. MIDI
MIDI lets you connect KRONOS to computers or other
MIDI devices, for sending and receiving notes, controller
gestures, sound settings, and so on. For more information on
MIDI connections, please see “MIDI applications” on
page 1131 of the Parameter Guide.
MIDI THRU connector
MIDI data received at the MIDI IN connector is re-
transmitted without change from the MIDI THRU connector.
You c a n u s e th i s t o ch a i n m u ltiple MIDI devices together.
MIDI OUT connector
This connector transmits MIDI data. Use this to control
external MIDI devices, or to record into an external
sequencer.
MIDI IN connector
This connector receives MIDI data. Use this to play the
KRONOS from another MIDI device, or from an external
sequencer.
7. S/P DIF IN & OUT
These jacks provide 24-bit, 48kHz optical S/P DIF input and
output, for connecting to computer audio systems, digital
mixers, etc.
Optical S/P DIF is sometimes called TOSLINK, and
formally named (hold your breath!) IEC60958, EIAJ CP-
1201. Make sure to use optical cables designed for digital
audio.
Whenever you use digital audio connections, make sure that
all connected systems are set so that there is one and only
one word clock master. You can set the word clock for the
KRONOS using the Global page System Clock parameter.
For more information, see “System Clock” on page 756 of
the Parameter Guide.
OUT(MAIN) jack
This optical S/P DIF output carries a digital version of the
main L/R outputs.
Note that the MAIN VOLUME knob does not adjust the
S/P DIF output level.
IN jack
You c a n u s e th i s o p tic a l S/ P DIF inp u t for recording,
sampling, and real-time mixing through the built-in effects.
It can be used simultaneously with the analog and USB
audio inputs, if you like.
8. Pedals
DAMPER jack
For the damper–also known as the sustain pedal– you can
connect either a standard footswitch, or Korg’s special half-
damper pedal, the optional DS-1H.
The DS-1H is a continuous pedal designed specifically for
piano-style damper control, with the look and feel of an
acoustic piano’s sustain pedal. It allows more subtle control
of the damper than a simple switch; the further down you
press the pedal, the more that the sound sustains. For more
information, see “Half-Damper Pedal and Release Time” on
page 40 of the Parameter Guide.
You c a n a l s o c o nne c t a simple footswitch, which will work
as a standard on/off damper pedal.
In order to ensure that the pedal functions correctly, please
adjust the switch polarity (see “Damper Polarity” on
page 781 of the Parameter Guide) and the half-damper
sensitivity (see “Half Damper Calibration” on page 806 of
the Parameter Guide).
ASSIGNABLE SWITCH jack
This lets you connect a simple on/off footswitch, such as the
optional Korg PS-1. The footswitch can perform a wide
variety of functions, such as modulating sounds and effects,
tap tempo, sequencer start/stop, etc.
The switch’s function is set in Global mode (on the
Controllers tab of the Controllers/Scales page), so that it
always works the same regardless of the current Program,
Combi, or Song. For more information, please see “Setting
up the Assignable Switch and Pedal” on page 171.
ASSIGNABLE PEDAL jack
This lets you connect a continuous controller pedal, such as
the Korg EXP-2 foot controller or Korg XVP-10 EXP/VOL
pedal, to use as an assignable modulation source.
Like the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH, the pedal’s function is
set in Global mode. For more information, please see
“Setting up the Assignable Switch and Pedal” on page 171.

Introduction to KRONOS
10
TouchView user interface
The KRONOS uses Korg’s TouchView graphical user
interface. By touching objects displayed in the LCD screen,
you can select pages, set parameter values, move sliders and
knobs, enter text, connect virtual patch cables, and more.
a: Current page
From the left, the top of the display shows the current mode,
the number and name of the page group, and finally the
name of the individual page.
b: Category button
When you press this button, a tabbed popup menu will
appear, allowing you to select Programs, Combinations, or
GEs organized by category.
For more information, see “Tabbed popup menus,” below.
c: Popup button & menu
When this button is pressed, a popup menu will appear,
showing a list of options. In some cases, these will be
parameter values. In others, they may be lists of items, such
as Multisamples or FX Presets.
To enter a parameter value, touch the desired value.
Pin
Many popup menus have a “Pin” in the
upper left. This controls what happens after
you select a value. Touch the pin graphic to
switch between open (unlocked) and closed
(locked).
When locked (pin closed), the popup menu will remain
displayed even after you select a parameter value. To close
the popup, either unlock the pin, or press EXIT.
When unlocked (pin open), the popup menu will close
immediately when you press a parameter value, or when you
touch the screen outside the menu.
Note: In some cases, such as when a parameter is assigned to
Tone Adjust, the pin may have no effect.
Tabbed popup menus
Some popups have a large number of items divided into
groups. The groups are represented by tabs on the left-hand
side of the screen. These include:
•Bank/Program Select and Bank/Combination Select:
Select Programs or Combinations by bank
•Multisample Select: Select a Multisample for a Program
oscillator by category
•Wave Sequence Select and Drum Kit Select: Select a
Wave Sequences or Drum Kit for a Program oscillators
by bank
•Effect Select: Select an effect by category
•Select a user Sample for a user Multisample
•Select a KARMA GE
To close a tabbed popup menu, press the OK button or
Cancel button.
h: Page group Tab
e: Knob
f: Slider
g: Page tab
a: Current page
d: Edit cell
b: Category popup button
c: Popup button
k: Check-box i: Page menu buttonMode name Page namePage group number and name
Page menu buttonMode name Page namePage group number and name
Category button
Pin

Front and rear panels TouchView user interface
11
Scroll bar
When a list is too long for all items to fit on the screen at
once, the popup includes scroll bars. You can touch in the
empty areas of the scroll bar to move back and forth in the
list, or touch and drag the scroll handle.
d: Edit cell
When you touch a parameter in the LCD screen, the
parameter or parameter value will usually be highlighted
(displayed in inverse video). This is called the edit cell, and
the highlighted item is now selected for editing.
The parameter value of the edit cell can be modified using
the VALUE controllers. In some cases, you may also use a
popup menu, as described below.
Alternatively, in most cases you can edit the value by
touching the edit cell and dragging your finger up or down.
(A few parameters don’t support this editing method.) If
your hand is obscuring the parameter value on the screen,
you can drag your finger to the left or right before editing; as
long as you don’t lift your finger from the screen, the
parameter will stay selected.
For parameters that accept a note number or a velocity value,
you can also hold down the ENTER switch and play a note
on the keyboard to enter the note number or velocity value.
e & f: On-screen sliders, knobs, and
meters
To edit an on-screen slider or knob, simply touch it and then
drag to change its value. Knobs can generally be turned by
both up-down and right-left gestures.
Alternatively, you can first touch the slider or knob and then
use the VALUE controllers to modify the value.
On-screen meters show audio levels for Program Oscillators
(on the Control Surface page), Combination Timbres, Song
Tracks, insert, master, and total effects, and the main output.
g & h: Page group tabs and Page tabs
Press the lower row of tabs to select the page group, and then
press the upper row of tabs to select the page. The top of the
screen shows the name of the current page and group, as
described under “a: Current page” on page 10.
i: Page menu button
When this button is pressed, a list of menu commands will
appear. The available commands will vary depending on the
current page. To select a command, just touch it.
The page menu will close when you press the LCD screen at
a location other than the page menu, or when you press the
EXIT switch.
Even though each page may have its own unique menu
commands, the menus are standardized as much as possible.
For instance, WRITE is almost always the first menu item in
Program, Combination, Set List, and Global modes.
Menu shortcut: ENTER + numeric keypad
You c a n u s e a s hor t cut to access any of the first ten menu
items:
1. Hold down the ENTER key.
2. Press a number (0-9) on the numeric keypad to select
the desired menu command, starting with 0.
For instance, press 0 for the first menu command, 1 for the
second, and so on.
If the menu command just toggles an option on and off (such
as Exclusive Solo), then you’re done. If the command calls
up a dialog box, the dialog will appear on the LCD, and you
can proceed just as if you’d selected the command from the
touch-screen.
Dialog box
Many menu commands use dialog boxes to make additional
settings. The dialog box that appears will depend on the
currently selected menu command.
To confirm settings in a dialog box, press the OK button. To
exit without making changes, press the Cancel button. After
pressing either OK or Cancel, the dialog box will close.
Text edit button
Pressing this button brings up an on-screen keyboard, for
changing the name of Programs, Combis, Songs, Wave
Sequences, Drum Kits, etc. For more information, see
“Editing names and entering text” on page 193.
Press here and slide to left or right to
scroll to the desired location.
Press here to scroll to left or right.
Press here to scroll to the
corresponding location.
Cancel button OK button
Text edit button

Introduction to KRONOS
12
Other objects
j: Radio button
Press a radio button to select one value from two or more
choices.
k: Check box
Each time you press a check box, it alternates between the
checked (red) and unchecked states.
The parameter will be active if it is checked, and inactive if it
is unchecked.
Patch panel
The MS-20EX and MOD-7 use on-screen patch panels to
route audio and control signals.
To make a connection between two patch points:
•Touch one of the two jacks (either input or output),
and drag your finger across the screen to the second
jack.
A yellow line appears as you drag across the screen, and is
replaced by a patch cable once the connection is made.
To delete a connection between two patch points:
• Touch the input jack, and drag off of the jack.
The selected connection will be deleted.
Program Play page Overview/Jump graphics
The main P0 Play page in Program Mode features an
interactive overview of the most important parameters, such
as oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, and so on. Just touch
any of these overview areas, and you’ll jump to the
corresponding edit page.
CX-3 Drawbars
You ca n edit C X-3 d r aw b a rs j u st as you would other slider
controls, by touching and dragging the individual drawbars
one by one.
There’s also a special feature that allows you to drag shapes
across all of the drawbars at once. To use this feature, enable
the Drag Across Drawbars check-box in the lower right of
the P: 5–2: Drawbars page. Then, drag a shape across all of
the drawbars horizontally.
Toggle buttons
This type of button will change its function or switch on/off
each time it is pressed.
Play/Rec/Mute buttons in Sequencer mode:
Solo On/Off buttons in Sequencer mode:
Effects On/Off buttons:
j: Radio button
k: Check box