Karma-Lab has released KARMA Kronos Software, a dedicated PC/Mac program for the Korg Kronos .
Designed by KARMA Developer Stephen Kay, KARMA Kronos (KK) allows you to go deeper into the world of the KARMA algorithmic music function, in ways that are not possible on the Kronos alone.
Here’s what Korg has to say about KARMA Kronos:
KK’s main features include the ability to develop your own Generated Effects (GE’s) or edit the factory GEs into new configurations. Import .MID files and grab phrases directly from the Kronos sequencer, and turn them into GEs, with all real-time controls assigned for instant variability. Then, upload the new GE’s to the Kronos’s 1536 User GE locations and take them on the road.
Rich Formidoni, Korg Technology Product Manager, says, “Being able to create and edit your own GEs greatly expands the potential of KARMA within the Kronos Music Workstation, making KARMA Kronos a must-have accessory.”
KARMA Kronos also provides some additional features not found in the keyboard, such as 32 Scenes per Module per Performance (instead of 8), 16 Chord Trigger Buttons (Pads) per Performance instead of 8, the ability to give each Module and Scene a descriptive name, 6 individual KARMA Modules (instead of just 4), and more. These features cannot be imported into the Kronos, but are available while using the software.
You can operate KK as an additional 6 modules at the same time as using the 4 modules of the internal KARMA Function in the Kronos, for up to 10 modules.
The program runs on Windows XP/Vista/Win7 and Mac OS X.
Karma Kronos is priced at US $169. A discount is available to customers who have purchased KARMA software for other keyboards in the past.
Details at the Karma-Lab site.
It’s like I am looking back at early 2000
s software design
You wouldn’t be too far off. The Karma software has been virtually unchanged for almost a decade. It’s not even native Intel software on the Mac side. You still need to run it under Rosetta, so it will NOT work with Lion. They’ve been promising to update it for about as long as I’ve owned my Korg Karma hardware synth!
From the Karma Labs site:
“KARMA Mac software is, at this time, still a PPC compiled application. This means that it requires the use of Apple’s Rosetta under 10.6 (Snow Leopard) in order to run on Intel-based machines, with which it works transparently and flawlessly. 10.5 (Leopard) and earlier do not require Rosetta, PPC apps will run natively.”
“However, Apple has removed Rosetta from 10.7. KARMA software therefore will not presently run on a Mac with 10.7 (Lion).”
“We do plan to eventually update KARMA Mac software to a native Intel-compiled version as soon as we can; however, this is not a simple process and may take quite a bit of time. Therefore, at this time we must regretfully say that if you wish to use KARMA Mac software, you have to stick with 10.6 or earlier.”
I was thinking Miami Vice on the color scheme.
Still waiting for Karma for Mac Mountain 10.8.2