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Roland FA-06 and FA-08


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Quick query to those who have an FA06 or 08. Can you use all of those 6 knobs to assign volume to, say 6 layers of a performance? I know one row under the knobs says "Assignable" but I couldn't figure out how to do it in the store when I tried it last week.
Yamaha MODX8, Legend Live.
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Here is my latest question that is probably another big No. :D

 

Can the tempo knob be disabled during sequence playback?

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I've had some anomalies while recording songs. The FA was dropping out notes while I was recording a track. It was only the 4th or 5th track, the others being drums, bass and a pad. It would drop notes on a Clav and an Organ, but not on some other sounds I tried. (?)

 

It also lost a song. The song name is there when I go to load it, but when it loads, my data has been replaced by other data. This only happened to the 3rd song I saved, but I didn't get any SD card full errors or anything like that. The factory songs are still on there, by the way.

 

Any ideas? :idk

 

Another thing it does is stick Metal Pad on track #1 of my songs when I load them. :mad: I'll have bass on track one, save it, do something else and when I go to load the song Metal Pad is on track 1! Metal Pad was the start up tone from the factory which I have since changed.

 

I'm sure I'm responsible for these things in some way, but if somebody can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.

 

Regards,

Joe

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Anyone tried the EXP strings/brass patches? Now that I have the Electro, all I need from the FA is Strings/Brass and Synth parts, so if the new sounds are a definite improvement I can clear my current EXP banks and dedicate them to those.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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nadroj I didn't care for the brass. I have the strings, but haven't loaded them up- on my to do list for sure, along with the Hammond mellotron sounds they released.

Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1

Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6

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www.echoesrocks.com

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I tried out the FA-06 today in my local PMT store in Bristol, England, and was very impressed. However, I immediately noticed that the black keys were more sensitive to touch than the white keys, this being particularly noticeable on the main supernatural grand piano sound, causing black notes played hard to sound too loud and too bright. Has anyone else noticed this? I found that if I played something in C major, using only the white notes, the response of the piano sound was perfect. However, in any other key, the black notes stuck out in volume and brightness too much when hit hard compared to the white keys.

 

Hopefully this problem will be addressed in a future firmware update. Also on the FA-06, I noticed that repeatedly plugging in and out a pair of headphones (I was comparing two different ones) caused the patch I was playing to go very quiet in volume; when the patch was changed and then returned to, the volume went back to normal. This problem was not specific to the FA-06 - it also happened on the FA-08 which was located above the FA-06 in the PMT store.

 

I would be interested to hear other forum members' experiences of these issues.

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I think it's just the way the keyboard is. It's very very easy to accidentally trigger a black note if your finger just slips over it. You get used to it, but it's not ideal. I still think Korg do the best 61 note synth action there is.

 

As for the headphone thing, that's interesting, and something I've never noticed - I'll check tomorrow.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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I have been doing some further tests on the FA-06 and found out more about the key velocity issue. There does indeed seem to be a problem with the response of the Supernatural piano sounds, and I have sent my findings to Roland UK. Hopefully, if other users also send Roland some feedback, this can easily be fixed with a firmware update. It's remotely possible that there was a problem with the unit I have been testing, but I would think this extremely unlikely.

 

The black keys on the FA-06 seem to trigger the Supernatural piano sounds with a velocity of around 15 more than the white notes when played hard (i.e. near 127), making them stick out unacceptably. This is really obvious if you play an even chromatic scale up and down the keyboard. Strangely, there is no such problem on any of the other sounds, e.g. '76 Pure.

 

It's such a shame that these problems are occurring in current keyboards - they never used to. The Yamaha MX49/61 has black keys that play quieter than the white keys (opposite to the FA-06!), and Yamaha UK have acknowledged that there is a problem, so hopefully this will be fixed soon.

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My 06 is basically a sound module/ sample player/ sequencer. I touch the keyboard very little. I think a FA desktop would be a great product if I had a place to set it live so I could trigger the pads.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I want to correct something I said a few pages back in this thread concerning the organ/leslie emulation. Several others including me talked about how the fast leslie had some weird warbly sound to it and it sounded awful while the basic organ tones were pretty good. I just picked up the new Center Point Stereo Spacestation V.3 talked about in this thread:

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2602284/Head_s_up_SpaceStation_keyboar#Post2602284

 

I unpacked it this past Friday just before the forum went down and plugged in my FA06. First, that SS sounds great and so did the FA. When I hit the fast leslie it sounded pretty good when earlier I reported it sucked. Turns out that's because it's a purely stereo effect, play it mono which I've been doing for the last several gigs and that leslie is pretty bad. Maybe there's a decent mono leslie hiding in there somewhere but as far as the default patches are concerned in mono it's bad.

 

I have been double racking with the SK1 anyway so I didn't pay much attention to the organ section in the FA but I just wanted to report this. In stereo the FA's fast leslie isn't the best but it's definitely not bad either, probably similar to the VR09.

 

Bob

Hammond SK1, Mojo 61, Kurzweil PC3, Korg Pa3x, Roland FA06, Band in a Box, Real Band, Studio One, too much stuff...
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  • 2 weeks later...

28th - you know what that means...

 

...Tomorrow is the 29th! Also, new Axial tones. This time it's the Complete Piano Pack, i.e. SRX11 I believe. I don't need it, but meh. http://axial.roland.com/articles/exp-09-complete-piano-collection/

 

Also, new sounds for the Integra were released today, which can also be loaded into the FA - Super Super Saws. http://axial.roland.com/articles/super-super-saw/

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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Interested to hear the SS patches. I've enjoyed importing the Integra stuff.

Live: Korg Kronos 2 88, Nord Electro 5d Nord Lead A1

Toys: Roland FA08, Novation Ultranova, Moog LP, Roland SP-404SX, Roland JX10,Emu MK6

www.bksband.com

www.echoesrocks.com

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Does anyone have audio examples of the Sounds of Summer 2014 Axial collection?

 

Also, does anyone succeeded in tweaking the Leslie + overdrive effects so that it doesn't cut off the characteristic high scream that would be so necessary for rock organ playing?

Life is subtractive.
Genres: Jazz, funk, pop, Christian worship, BebHop
Wishlist: 80s-ish (synth)pop, symph pop, prog rock, fusion, musical theatre
Gear: NS2 + JUNO-G. KingKORG. SP6 at church.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Have had the FA08 for a month or so and have now used it on 2 gigs. Very happy with this keyboard. Its light, it has so so many sounds, it was very easy to set-up splits/layers for all the tunes we play. The sample pads are awesome for adding some nice touches to certain tunes. I haven't delved into the downloadable sounds as yet. I love it.
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Anyone with experience with FA06 + Vent 1 or 2? For, say, hard rock organ. Like start at Deep Purple and work your way back to organ from there.

 

vs, say, VR-09?

 

my gig collection is starting to build, and I'm troubled deciding what to do with all the ill-gotten gains. My Motif XF does many things but it does not do rock organ, as you all know ... not like rock organ should be.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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I tried my 06 wish my original vent and AFA rotary it beats the built in fx(even the double rotary) hands down.Its a neat thing you can assign a tone to the sub out, I just have to housekeep and make sure the tw organ is always lower tone. Of course when I have a layer I have to bypass the vent.

 

I also have an Ocean Beach DB1 and that makes for handy drawbar manipulation in real time.

 

I miss C/V it really needs that FX.

 

I dont use "deep purple" type organ but I think the OD on the Vent would give you that grunge

SpaceStation V3,

MoxF6,PX5S,Hammond-SK2,Artis7,Stage2-73,

KronosX-73,MS Pro145,Ventilator,OB DB1,Lester K

Toys: RIP died in the flood of 8/16 1930 Hammond AV, 1970s Leslie 145, 1974 Rhodes Stage

 

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New to this forum, guitar player branching out into keyboard, just got FA 08, seems great, but very overwhelming - wondering if anyone can recommend or know how to get / create patches that sound like Wham - "Everything She Wants", and Van Halen "Jump" - much appreciated.
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New to this forum, guitar player branching out into keyboard, just got FA 08, seems great, but very overwhelming - wondering if anyone can recommend or know how to get / create patches that sound like Wham - "Everything She Wants", and Van Halen "Jump" - much appreciated.

 

Download the sound list HERE and go to the synth section.

 

You'll find plenty of workable tones you can put into studio sets that will be very close to the sound you want

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Thx guys - found it, I have a lot to learn.

 

dj,

 

as with most keyboard/workstations, the FA08/06 has a lot of capabilities not spelled out in the manuals.

 

A lot of learning happens by just spending time with the new board.

 

Also, there's a good FA06/08 user group on Facebook. Also, the Roland Clan forums have a really good FA section with links to very helpful videos on how to do things.

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Ham&EGZ,

 

So you can assign the tw organ to the sub outs when it is a single tone mode but not in a studio set or dual mode? What do you think of the overall organ sound when you are running thru the vent? Is it up to par with other clonewheels?

Kurzweil Forte 7, Mojo 61, Yamaha P-125,

Kronos X61, Nautilus 73

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Ham&EGZ,

 

So you can assign the tw organ to the sub outs when it is a single tone mode but not in a studio set or dual mode? What do you think of the overall organ sound when you are running thru the vent? Is it up to par with other clonewheels?

 

Any mode. There is a global assignment in the system where you check the output assignment for each "part".(im not in front of the FA so I am sorry if my nomenclature is incorrect.

 

In my rig, I have a split where the TX is in the lower set and piano in the upper, globally lower is set to sub only , and plugs into the vent.

 

Another patch is a layer, where strings are lower and piano upper, globally the strings are going thru the sub out,so I have to bypass the vent.

 

I wish the assignments were studio set specific instead of global, maybe a future update.

 

Yes the Vent really helps the TW sound on the FA06 and my Jupiter.The only internal rotary sim I think sounds good is the SK2.Otherwise the Roland rotary is only a step above Yamahas "rotary"

I am running into the SpaceStation, so that helps with the moving air a lot(the vent out is running stereo.

 

SpaceStation V3,

MoxF6,PX5S,Hammond-SK2,Artis7,Stage2-73,

KronosX-73,MS Pro145,Ventilator,OB DB1,Lester K

Toys: RIP died in the flood of 8/16 1930 Hammond AV, 1970s Leslie 145, 1974 Rhodes Stage

 

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I wish the assignments were studio set specific instead of global, maybe a future update.

That would be a big improvement. To me, the assignable out--for click, for LH bass use, for organ use--is one of the biggest advantages the FA should have over other boards in its price range... but if its use is fixed globally, it sounds essentially somewhat crippled.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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That is one thing. Another is pedal assignability is REALLY limited.

 

The inabilty to adjust the volume of the sample player output with an expression pedal honks me off.

 

I can't assign a pedal to shut the Arpeggiator on and off. It would make this Katy Perry tune a whole a lot easier since I shut the arpegiator on and off while play mulitple parts on two boards.... I need a 3rd hand.

 

It is a great bundle of features but then I run into something simple I expect should be easily done and then it won't do it.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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New to this forum, guitar player branching out into keyboard, just got FA 08, seems great, but very overwhelming - wondering if anyone can recommend or know how to get / create patches that sound like Wham - "Everything She Wants", and Van Halen "Jump" - much appreciated.

 

For jump - go to the premade Studio Sets and scroll along until you find one called "Hop Step ****". Pretty bang on.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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