Korg Intros 4th Generation KRONOS Workstation Keyboard Synthesizer

Korg today announced the return of the KRONOS, its flagship keyboard workstation, with three new fourth-generation models.

In addition to the thousands of included sound programs and combinations, the new KRONOS introduces 256 additional programs. Central to this update are 128 new sound programs, including an Italian piano with gorgeous, transparent resonance, and the Tine EP I Early, an electric piano tone that replicates the earthy, vintage sound of metal rod (tine) mechanisms.

These additions, alongside FM electric pianos, versatile synth pads, lush leads, and more, give you a broad palette of useful sounds.

Complementing these are 128 sounds from the KRONOS Sound Libraries. This selection also features new piano voices ensuring KRONOS remains your ultimate go-to keyboard.

While the hallmark features of KRONOS remain unchanged, its fourth-generation design introduces subtle yet striking updates. The powder-coated metal body offers exceptional durability, while the black wood side panels add a sophisticated edge.

Thanks to a reengineered system architecture, startup time is now 60% faster than previous models. Coupled with an enhanced TouchView interface, the 4th-gen KRONOS provides is designed to provide instantaneous and intuitive interaction.

Here’s what’s new in the 4th generation Korg Kronos:

  •  256 new programs
    • 128 new sounds (including Italian Grand, Tine EP I Early)
    • 128 curated from KRONOS Sound Libraries
  • Faster, more responsive TouchView display
  • 60% faster startup time
  • New chassis with powder-coated metal and black wood side panels

Features:

  • 9 sound engines including SGX-2 (acoustic piano), EP-1 (electric piano), MOD-7 (FM), and more
  • Enhanced SGX-2 engine with Berlin and Italian grand pianos
  • 8″ TouchView display with drag-and-drop, parameter search, and improved response
  • Set List Mode with color-coded presets, real-time notes, and built-in EQ
  • Seamless Sound Transitions (SST) for smooth patch changes
  • 16-track MIDI + audio recorder with 48 kHz audio and editing tools
  • Advanced control surface: sliders, knobs, vector joystick
  • Available in 61, 73, or 88 keys with semi-weighted or RH3 fully weighted keybeds

For previous KRONOS and NAUTILUS owners, KORG will release a Soundpack in the second half of 2025 that brings the latest KRONOS sounds to earlier models, ensuring every musician can benefit from KORG’s ongoing innovations.

See the Korg site for details.

21 thoughts on “Korg Intros 4th Generation KRONOS Workstation Keyboard Synthesizer”

  1. Man some of those ui elements are just archaic and with tiny text. And no dark mode… Anyways, I appreciate the fact that it has a full blown 16-Track MIDI Sequencer / 16-Track Audio Recorder. Yamaha’s sequencer is basically nonexistent (unless you like arps or recording without ability to fix anything afterwards).

    I am going to take a look at the manual some more since it is intriguing… but some of these ux elements are just really really tiny. Check the engines page here for example: https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/kronos3/nine_engines.php

  8. They seem like reasonably versatile workstations for the current era. Does anyone know how durable and reliable they are? Also how is the sequencer? I like an old school linear sequencer where you can change time signatures and tempo throughout.

  9. What’s the price. That’s what the consumer wants to know… I own a Korg Kronos, t want more memory on the 4th generation of this workstation!

  10. Remember that day synth AI didn’t need boot time or separate “engines” to spit out any possible sound?
    Think that’s happened already. Think hardware synths are going bye-bye very soon, sadly.

    1. The next generations that grow up with this soulless AI tech will be content let the bot make the music, but many of these kids will be surprised at just how hollow and worthless that will start to feel. 15 years ago I thought screens were the way to read books and paper was pointless. I can confidently say a low-tech eReader is the only screen I can tolerate and books are still preferable.

  11. KORG’s inability to make any innovative improvement, including to the UI which is frequently unusually small, is really sad.

    They could also add more dedicated synth engines, including a granular synth, or spectral synthesis, or invent something new.

    Feels like this is the end of the line.

  12. Ah, too many complaints over form factor. Its a massive studio in one unit and the sound quality is impeccable. There are several kinds of players for whom its fine, even where it gets fidgety. It makes a solid central studio instrument. I’d be wary of cartage and possible damage for a Bentley of a synth like this, but if you have wheeled carts and maybe a roadie or two…

    I happily learned how to sequence on a Korg, so I get the tedium of a tiny display. I’d never go back, after the much larger real estate of a DAW. Just remember that there are several angles of approach. I laugh a little when an OASYS player chimes in. All of them are just pearls on a necklace. Stick with what speaks to you.

  16. Kronos is Linux based and contains a PC motherboard, this, giving a clever design should have made this instrument future proof which was the aim of the OASYS project to begin with.
    the main short coming of the original Kronos was a 32bit based OS which limited available memory access to less than 4GB and the usage of a specific mother board which wasn’t based on a strong hardware.
    If they moved to 64bit it could improve performance and also allow using much more memory and maybe more complex algorithms, but I don’t know which processing is done on the PC part and which is done in the dedicated real-time chips which might be the bottleneck here.

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