Korg Kronos live / UPS

[Dave B]

I can't remember if I've asked this before - apologies if this is going over old ground - but does anyone gig with a Kronos? If so, do you a) use a UPS of any kind and b) which one do you use?

I'm shortly to do a gig which I know will be a hurried turnover and I use the Kronos for that band. I can see various battery backed power distribution sockets and was wondering if that is what people use - I'm wondering if I can plug it all in backstage and then simply pull the power from the wall socket, leave the main unit running, and move it to the stage and re-plug. Does that sound feasible?

Otherwise, I'm happy to (politely) tell the local crew to bugger off for two minutes. Last time I did this gig, some idiot starting hitting the keys thinking he could somehow speed up the boot process (on my PC3 which was slow, but not in the Kronos territory). I was very good and patient and refrained from losing my temper but it would be good not to have to worry about that kind of thing.

Anyone?

[The Elf]

I don't use a Kronos (lost patience with it and sold it, TBH!), but I do gig with a UPS.

I see no reason you can't do what you're thinking, though it is a bit scary! I just got a couple of those relatively cheap home UPS boxes. They're quite heavy, and be aware that, at least in the case of the ones I bought, only a half of the sockets on there might actually be battery-backed. Works fine for me, though.

[Sam Spoons]

Use a cheap, £60 from 'zon, UPS' on my digital desks* on gigs and the seem to work just fine.

* I have three of them and one is on my Freeview recorder at the caravan where the mains supply is distinctly shonky (on busy evenings they switch half the site over to a generator with the attendant glitch/spike in to power and, at other times, power cuts are not unheard of). The UPS means I can leave the recorder running when we are away so we always have something to watch when we get there. It's on 24/7 for 7 months during the season and will be on it's third or fourth year this year.

[Hugh Robjohns]

There should be no technical problem in running the Kronos from a UPS, and unplugging the UPS while you move the thing keeping the Kronos running throughout.

However, I'd strongly recommend making sure the UPS is a true sine-wave generating type -- which means one of the more expensive models (see below).

And UPS's are inherently bulky and heavy things... so it might be worthwhile considering building or modifying a trolley or platform of some kind that can support both the keyboard and the UPS. Or you can get rack-mounting models if you have a wheeled outboard rack...

Oh... and most UPS's have an audible alarm when the incoming power disappears which might not be too popular if you're backstage at the time! It can usually be turned off in the UPS configuration menu, but you might need to be connected to a laptop to do that in advance.

Not sure what the Elf's situation is all about with only half the sockets being sustained. My own UPS also has two sets of sockets and there is a menu option to kill off one set early to shed load and extend the maintained duration on the other set.... maybe it's something to do with that idea? But obviously, you'll need to check the system works as intended before you go live with it!

As for brands, I've had great, reliable service from UPS SmartUPS units. I've been using them for almost twenty years to protect my computer and IT gear, all without a hitch, and with good, helpful support when I've needed to replace the batteries. There are models with capacities from 420VA up to 5000VA and prices start around £220:

https://www.apc.com/shop/uk/en/categories/power/uninterruptible-power-supply-ups-/network-and-server/smart-ups/N-1h89yke?No=0&Nrpp=20

[Dave B]

Cheers chaps - some food for thought there. For this gig, I might skip the idea I had : the practicalities of lugging a heavy keyboard around whilst attached to a big psu block might be more of an issue than telling people to wait a sec. But I do need to think of something for general gigging.

[Hugh Robjohns]

This is one of those situations where an external line-lump power supply becomes a good idea, since you can often substitute a chunky battery to provide 12VDC (or whatever) instead of the line-lump... and so run the whole gig off a battery... Works with the Hammond SK2...

[Sam Spoons]

You could use one of these :-https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072FPVDWN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[The Elf]

This is one of those situations where an external line-lump power supply becomes a good idea...

[Hugh Robjohns]

[Rich Hanson]

I hope it's not too uncomfortable on the naughty step, Mr R

[The Elf]

In answer to Hugh's query - here's the APS ES700 UPS I use - note that only the top sockets have battery protection:

[Hugh Robjohns]

Thanks Elf. Not come across that model before. Interesting configuration.

H

[The Elf]

Yes, it threw me when I first noticed; I hadn't realised when I bought it! But actually it isn't a problem in practice. It just requires a bit of thought as to what is critical in a power cut - and not everything is.

This half/half, surge+battery/surge-only, seems to be a pretty common configuration in low-cost UPS devices.

[Guido3]

Last time I did this gig, some idiot starting hitting the keys thinking he could somehow speed up the boot process (on my PC3 which was slow, but not in the Kronos territory). I was very good and patient and refrained from losing my temper but it would be good not to have to worry about that kind of thing.

I feel your pain Dave. I was playing keys at a big festival a few years back (using a PC3X). Because the turn around time between acts was so short, my PC3X was pounced on before I had chance to acknowledge the audience!! Took me a good few days to get it to work again.

[Folderol]

It's been many decades since I last played at a live gig, but we had a policy of not switching gear on till pretty much the last minute. This was because in those days our stuff was somewhat fragile and people switching plugs around was a serious risk! I'm wondering if doing the same these days might mitigate this problem a bit - if all the pretty lights aren't on the numpties are less likely to be attracted to them.

[The Elf]

It's been many decades since I last played at a live gig, but we had a policy of not switching gear on till pretty much the last minute. This was because in those days our stuff was somewhat fragile and people switching plugs around was a serious risk! I'm wondering if doing the same these days might mitigate this problem a bit - if all the pretty lights aren't on the numpties are less likely to be attracted to them.

That would leave my analogue synths with some 'interesting' tuning options for me!

[Folderol]

It's been many decades since I last played at a live gig, but we had a policy of not switching gear on till pretty much the last minute. This was because in those days our stuff was somewhat fragile and people switching plugs around was a serious risk! I'm wondering if doing the same these days might mitigate this problem a bit - if all the pretty lights aren't on the numpties are less likely to be attracted to them.

That would leave my analogue synths with some 'interesting' tuning options for me!

You use them for live work You're a far braver man that me!

Oh, wait. I don't any. {FX:slinks away shamefaced}