The KRONOS Is Dead, Long Live The NAUTILUS AT

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

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

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

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

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

The Wavestation engine is also missing on the Nautilus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The father of time can never die.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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