Anyone also disappointed by the W2?

[RafalSC]

And I just sold my Nord A1 and I wonder what to buy for the Korg Kronos 73 ....
I liked the Nord (sounds A1) a lot but the A1 keyboard was terrible. I've already played NW2 a few times and the keyboard is what I love about NW2. Effects and reverb are very good for me. This is an instrument for musicians, not for sound designers.
I've already tested a few instruments that I can buy for the Korg Kronos 73. I need something smaller but good sound and 5 octaves. I checked Korg Prologue, novation summit, Prophet Rev 8 (terrible !!! )) ... nothing special for me. I also thought about the Roland Jupiter X .... but I don't have a chance to touch it ... Nord wave 2 is ok. The sound, although it is not modern, can be heard well in the mix and that's why I like the Nord, but this price ..... NW 2 is not worth the money .... I would like to check out Modal Cobal 8 (definitely cheap but the demo sound suits me).

[CountFosco]

The sound, although it is not modern, can be heard well in the mix.

Not sure I understand this. It's a synthesizer and sampler. You can make any sound. Do you mean something specific?

[taxman]

I would like to check out Modal Cobal 8 (definitely cheap but the demo sound suits me).

Cobalt is a very modern glassy sound. If you are looking for something modern, brighter, that cuts it could work well and it also has more options than NW2 in most areas should you want them. Of course it will not play samples, so if that is a concern your options will be narrowed down by quite a lot.

Prophet6 is very nice for a vintage analog sound, but there are various tricks to get it sounding its best. I have not had extensive experience with the Rev2 so cannot tell you how these 2 compare though I do know the oscillators and filters are different from the P6.

The most direct equivalent to the Wave2 may be the Prophet X but that is a more complex machine. If simplicity is important it may feel like too much synth. But if you need sample playback it is your closest alternative.

Ultimately it depends on what sounds you want, what style of music you are playing and how much performance flexibility you require.

[andy_felon]

Why did you decide that cobalt has more options? Cobalt has 8 voice polyphony, weaker filter, two osc, no samples, no morphing, etc.

[tsss27]

Why did you decide that cobalt has more options? Cobalt has 8 voice polyphony, weaker filter, two osc, no samples, no morphing, etc.

Morphing is simply a streamlined modulation matrix, which the Cobalt does have.
Cobalt technically has more variation in its filter than the Nord due to its various modes. You may find it sonically not as nice; that's a matter of opinion.
Cobalt has 3 envelopes, 3 LFO's, greater control over it's effects, more performance control sources to be assigned in the matrix, vintage oscillator drift emulation, a wider variety of analog waveshaping options, a 37-key and module equivalent for those who want a compact setup, etc. It's also far cheaper. I was going to buy one but I found the tone too modern for me, too plastic. But frankly I thought much the same with the Nord's VA side also though it is definitely warmer. I'm not in love with the Cobalt's interface, either. But if you need a synth and not a basic sample player for a low price that is on the modern side as the original poster had mentioned it's hard to beat, and if you don't want the more advanced features they are largely out of sight in shift functions.

[Mr_-G-]

Cobalt is a very modern glassy sound. If you are looking for something modern, brighter, that cuts it could work well and it also has more options than NW2 in most areas should you want them.

I do not get the "modern" description. Can you upload some examples, please?

[DJKeys]

I find that the newly released synths such as Argon, Cobalt, and Hydrasynth may have interesting features, but generally I think their sound is brittle and thin. I like the sound of the recent Nord VAs (A1 and W2) much better, just my opinion.

-dj

[RafalSC]

This is the "glassy" Cobalt I like. I don't need samples because I have everything in Kronos.
I need a lightweight synthesizer with a good keybed for the Kronos add-on.

[skylerocean]

This is the "glassy" Cobalt I like. I don't need samples because I have everything in Kronos.
I need a lightweight synthesizer with a good keybed for the Kronos add-on.

Did you mean to include a link?

Also, what do you mean by the 'Kronos add-on'? I read your previous post as well, do you just mean you want to have a 2nd Keyboard for your performance rig?

It sounds like you want the Wave 2 for two things: Waterfall Keybed + Nord Synth engine...but don't want it because of it's high price-point. I get that, you're paying for features that you don't plan on using (samples). I know you say you don't need samples, but it is a lot of fun to layer a sample with a synth layer (IMO). Plus you get:
- FX/Delay/Verb sections (which are great)
- Arpeggiator/Pattern module (which is incredibly expansive if it's of interest for you)
- Impulse Morph (super cool button that can instantly change anything on the board...I like using it as a 'killswitch' or to trigger delay for just a moment)
- Super simple and quick interface to change things on the fly without having to dive through menus.

I think that it's all up to you now my friend. You can look at other boards, but it's entirely possible you will run into the same issue of not liking the keybed on cheaper keyboards.

[DJKeys]

I think that it's all up to you now my friend. You can look at other boards, but it's entirely possible you will run into the same issue of not liking the keybed on cheaper keyboards.

This is a good point. A lot of the expense of a keyboard is in the actual keybed used. A lot of instruments are cheaper, but they have two things I cannot tolerate, a sub standard keybed action and a Wall Wart power supply.

-dj