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New Roland Fantom


gino

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There has been this 'mode-less concept' hype, but there is in fact a Single Tone button that takes you to V-Piano initially, but doing so wipes out your Scene edit buffer.

 

That is very much like my Fantom X6. No matter what mode you were in you could push the 'piano' button, and it would take you to the pianos.

 

I"m used to a mode-less concept since I"ve gotten my Yamaha MODX.

 

I see the new Fantom like this : like the X and G, its not for the lazy. Sure, you can take it out of the box and play it as is. To realize the potential, you have to take time and learn. I"ve had my MODX for several months now, and I"m still learning and discovering how deep it really is.

 

What I have learned so far, with my hands on demo, is that it takes the best of what the previous Fantom X and G had, and adds things they"ve learned.

 

With the touch screen and the way it interacts with programming lets you get into the depths.

 

Having the 3 class compliant USB is huge. My full report later on that. Let"s just say I plugged a USB controller in and played sounds from the Fantom.

 

All of the I/O connectivity is great to have.

 

Etc. etc.

 

Are these new boards for everyone? Of course not.

 

As far as price? It"s right in line with other top line workstations.

 

10 years ago The G6 was around 2,999.

 

I still haven"t decided if I will get it.

 

David

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

 

 

 

 

 

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Do you really believe Fantom is going to handle your cover band responsibilities ?

 

Personally, no... because (a) it's over my weight limit, and (b) I'm generally a multi-board guy and not likely to need a single do-everything board. But it seems a lot of people do look for an all-in-one, and the Fantom potentially looks about as capable as anything else out there for filling that role.

 

 

So I'd turn the question around... *IF* you wanted to handle your cover band responsibilities with one board (as many people do), is there any reason you think the Fantom is NOT likely to be a good choice for that? And which other boards would be better suited for that? Functionally, if it were lighter, I could easily see the Fantom being my choice, if that were my goal.

 

I think thats a the ' right question '.

 

Here's my point. This new Fantom is well above the rompler needs of doing cover material.

 

If I am spending $4000 on a keyboard, I am going to mine its potential. And when I watch these demos

I am impressed - that it is providing tools for a fresh break out keyboard sound.

 

IOW, Fantom is a board that will take the musician into a new direction.

 

It is much different than Kronos and Montage- I see many comparing it to these

older work stations. I think Fantom as the keyboard as a contemporary

or next generation music production tool.

 

I think Fantom is testing preconceptions in a way. I like that boldness.

 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Here's my point. This new Fantom is well above the rompler needs of doing cover material.

 

If I am spending $4000 on a keyboard, I am going to mine its potential. And when I watch these demos

I am impressed - that it is providing tools for a fresh break out keyboard sound.

 

IOW, Fantom is a board that will take the musician into a new direction.

 

It is much different than Kronos and Montage- I see many comparing it to these

older work stations. I think Fantom as the keyboard as a contemporary

or next generation music production tool.

 

I think Fantom is testing preconceptions in a way. I like that boldness.

Good points. But even using it "merely" as a tool for a cover band, I find it appealing. In sounds and features it may be above what is needed, but I am drawn to all the real-time control, both for the ease of setting up sounds in advance, and for live tweaking in performance. Again, similar to the NS3 in that respect, and similarly not an inexpensive board but still one with high appeal.

 

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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Here's my point. This new Fantom is well above the rompler needs of doing cover material.

 

If I am spending $4000 on a keyboard, I am going to mine its potential. And when I watch these demos

I am impressed - that it is providing tools for a fresh break out keyboard sound.

 

IOW, Fantom is a board that will take the musician into a new direction.

 

It is much different than Kronos and Montage- I see many comparing it to these

older work stations. I think Fantom as the keyboard as a contemporary

or next generation music production tool.

 

I think Fantom is testing preconceptions in a way. I like that boldness.

Good points. But even using it "merely" as a tool for a cover band, I find it appealing. In sounds and features it may be above what is needed, but I am drawn to all the real-time control, both for the ease of setting up sounds in advance, and for live tweaking in performance. Again, similar to the NS3 in that respect, and similarly not an inexpensive board but still one with high appeal.

 

 

I hope I don't sound like the Roland marketing machine. In addition to the high level of sound character, the real time

controls adds an aggressive dynamic. It seems much easier to be bold .

 

I am not much for programming or tweaking. Using Kronos as an example, AL-1, Mod7 and Str-1 have great

potential. But there is no new high level [Korg level] programming . Karma is dead in the water. Another

fantastic tool on Kronos where the potential was not aggressively pursued.

 

I am hoping that Fantom will break glass on high level sound potential- where the user can

get dramatic results quickly vs months of complex and deep menu diving.

 

 

 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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to expensive....nice ax though.

 

yes, $4000 is a lot of money. Initially.

 

I look at high priced keyboards long term. As in creating great music on them 5-10 years.

 

When the high price is amortized over 5-10 years, that justifies the purchase.

 

I understand, many buyers see boards as more impulse, something to play with

for 1-2 years than flip it for something else. For boards under $1500 , sure, thats

to be expected.

 

Once the ticket gets much larger, I suggest thinking long term, vs switching

out expensive gear every 1-2 years

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Hoo boy, having reviewed the Montage in Keyboard, Roland looks like they're really trying to one-up it in a "let's throw the kitchen sink in this thing" sort of way. Ableton-inspired sequencing capabilities, extra panel of synthy knobs on the right, drum pads, Roland's virtual analog ecosystem, etc etc.

 

I've been asked to review the new Fantom for a quick 2-pager in the "Keyboard" section of Electronic Musician, but we'll have opportunities to talk more in-depth about it here, for sure.

 

The "does anyone really want a self-contained workstation anymore?" topic is well-trodden. I can say that sequencing on a workstation synth has, for at least the last ten years, felt like building a ship in a bottle compared to what I can do hooking up to a computer. If a keyboard maker could really get the interface right, they theoretically could counter-message that hooking up to a computer feels like, well, hooking up to a computer. There's already a precedent for this in the "DAWless analog and modular" culture, but for those folks, the black-and-white keyboard is not their interface of choice. Interested in the parallels for us old-school players.

Stephen Fortner

Principal, Fortner Media

Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine

Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine

 

Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse

 

 

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to expensive....nice ax though.

 

yes, $4000 is a lot of money. Initially.

and also right in line with other top of line boards. Fantom-8, Montage 8, Forte 88, are all $4k. Kronos a little less at $3800, Nord Stage 3 88 higher at $4500.

 

And assuming you could get the sounds you need from any of them, I'd say the Roland approaches Nord in control surface (even better in some ways), without bringing along Nord's substantial limitations in things like split/layer and MIDI flexibility. I think it's a nice step toward a worthwhile goal of workstation-like depth with Nord-style operational ergonomics. (Too bad they can't compete in travel weight, though.)

 

I hope they can include an organ that is at least as good as the VR-09.

 

 

 

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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to expensive....nice ax though.

 

yes, $4000 is a lot of money. Initially.

 

I hope they can include an organ that is at least as good as the VR-09.

 

 

 

If they do, and assuming you can run the organ out the sub-outs into a vent, and then back in through the inputs a la Kronos, you'll have a fairly decent clonewheel sound, no?

 

Though saying that, the inputs on the Fantom don't support stereo TRS inputs - just two mono channels. But assuming you can hard pan both, that shouldn't be an issue.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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Looking forward to reading your review, Stephen.

Meanwhile, is EscapeRocks back from his second visit yet?

 

It's going to be awhile....... I just got busy. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll share my thoughts.

David

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

 

 

 

 

 

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The "does anyone really want a self-contained workstation anymore?" topic is well-trodden. I can say that sequencing on a workstation synth has, for at least the last ten years, felt like building a ship in a bottle compared to what I can do hooking up to a computer.

 

As big an advocate I am for Daws and hosts (Mainstage, GigPerformer), these past couple months using my MODX and PX5S at gigs has been an eye opener. While I streamlined my laptop rig, so setup was fairly easy, having to just plug in two boards and go has been a nice change, especially on Festival shows with quick change over.

 

So yeah, I welcome an all inclusive...that can still talk to my computers

 

David

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

 

 

 

 

 

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to expensive....nice ax though.

 

yes, $4000 is a lot of money. Initially.

and also right in line with other top of line boards. Fantom-8, Montage 8, Forte 88, are all $4k. Kronos a little less at $3800, Nord Stage 3 88 higher at $4500.

 

Not at all, at least not hear in Europe. I checked the prices, here they are in $:

 

Fantom 6: 4042$ Montage 6: 3086$ Kronos: 3076$

 

That's almost a 1000$ difference!!!

 

Fantom 8: 4630$ Montage 8: 3777$ Kronos: 3222$

 

The prices at thomann.de do fluctuate a lot and right now the difference between the Fantom and its competitors from Yamaha and Korg is ridiculous high. The Kronos 88 is still almost 800$ cheaper then the smallest Fantom. Maybe the prices are different on the US market.

 

 

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to expensive....nice ax though.

 

yes, $4000 is a lot of money. Initially.

and also right in line with other top of line boards. Fantom-8, Montage 8, Forte 88, are all $4k. Kronos a little less at $3800, Nord Stage 3 88 higher at $4500.

 

Not at all, at least not hear in Europe. I checked the prices, here they are in $:

 

Fantom 6: 4042$ Montage 6: 3086$ Kronos: 3076$

 

That's almost a 1000$ difference!!!

 

 

 

why sure. We know that prices are greater outside the US. Many reasons for that

 

for example, you have nicer weather ;)

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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@GregC, I'm not talking about the higher prices here in Europe compared to the US, I'm well aware of the reasons. I'm talking about the price differences between the Fantom and its competitors on the same (European) market!

 

I am guessing its roughly comparable delta here in the US

 

Korg Kronos 61 is $3099- across the board in the US, for example.

 

I vaguely recall Kronos had some price changes in some non US markets, a few months ago.

 

If I were you, I would ask for price history past 12 months, for all the models you list.

And maybe your country distributor will have that data and discuss the delta

with you.

 

 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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From a post at Gearslutz...

 

-Bank B contains the first 459 patches from the AX-Edge Keytar

-Bank C is the 128 patches from the Integra-7 Synth Legends expansion.

-Bank D contains the 1109 SuperNatural Synth Tones from the Integra-7 / FA synths

-Bank E contains the 896 patches from in the XV-5080.

...and the XV-5080 sound set is also in the FA and Integra-7.

 

I don't know if the AX-Edge sound set is unique or derived from anything else (or some combination).

 

Another post says that the Fantom also includes the GM2 set from the Integra-7... that seems to be a subset of what's in its CMN bank. So it has a lot of Integra sounds, but no indication of any of the SuperNatural Acoustic sounds or SRX sounds. The potential "new" sounds for the Fantom appear to be the ones in Bank A, which are almost entirely synth sounds, and the rest of the CMN bank sounds that aren't in the Integra's GM2 set. Separately, there are also banks of V-Pipano sounds and drum sounds.

 

Also of interest from the manual:

 

What is the ZEN-Core engine?

This is a new synthesizer sound engine that was developed using cutting edge technology based on VA technology developed for the V-Synth. It features analog-like response speed and high resolution, allowing you to create a wide range of high-quality sounds. It is also fused with the PCM sound engine developed by Roland for many years, supporting even more sophisticated sound design.

 

My initial feeling was that the new Jupiter would focus on synth sounds (VA), and the Fantom would be more acoustic instrument (sample) oriented, but it kinda looks like they are both primarily synth boards (albeit different kinds) with acoustic tones in more of a supporting role. For acoustic instrument sounds, Jupiter X and Fantom both have the XV-5080 rompler sound set, and Fantom mostly adds the V-Piano, the Integra GM2 set, and whatever came from the AX-Edge, while the Jupiter adds some or all of the RD-700GX piano sound set. For synth sounds, the Fantom has the SuperNatural Synth engine and whatever new stuff they're doing with the V-Synth derived ZEN-Core engine; the Jupiter X has specific emulations of classic Roland synths (Jupiter 8, Juno-106, SH-101, JX-8P), and we'll see what else. (The SuperNatural and ZEN-core synth sounds of the Fantom? Not sure.)

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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My initial feeling was that the new Jupiter would focus on synth sounds (VA), and the Fantom would be more acoustic instrument (sample) oriented, but it kinda looks like they are both primarily synth boards (albeit different kinds) with acoustic tones in more of a supporting role.
I too thought the Fantom would feature more acoustic instrument programs than the Jupiter, on balance. As I watched the Fantom videos there seemed to be a disproportionate number of synth vs. acoustic sounds. Other than acoustic piano, all I"ve heard were a few section strings patches. I did look at the patch/voice list and found numerous strings, brass, flute, etc., programs, but if these come from the 5080, that"s really...old?

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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Yeah, the XV-5080 is going on 20 years old. I believe it was a 64 mb sample set. The newer non-synth sounds in the Fantom would appear to be the V-piano, the GM2 set from the Integra, and the sounds from the AX-Edge, and apart from maybe the V, I don't think that stuff is particularly jaw-dropping. But according to a facebook post, SuperNatural Acoustic tones are supposed to be coming for it at some point.

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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I have to say, it's been -years- since Roland has got my interest with any of their new products - but all these (apart from the groovebox) are very intriguing. I'm probably gonna go for the JU06A (despite the unforgivably crap polyphony and the miniplug) and/or the Jupiter Xm.

 

From a post at Gearslutz...

 

-Bank B contains the first 459 patches from the AX-Edge Keytar

-Bank C is the 128 patches from the Integra-7 Synth Legends expansion.

-Bank D contains the 1109 SuperNatural Synth Tones from the Integra-7 / FA synths

-Bank E contains the 896 patches from in the XV-5080.

...and the XV-5080 sound set is also in the FA and Integra-7.

 

 

I know Roland is (at least nowadays) known for recycling most of their sounds, but this actually makes it a very nice "best of" package. Shame about the possible lack of acoustic SN sounds, though, if that is the case.

 

My initial feeling was that the new Jupiter would focus on synth sounds (VA), and the Fantom would be more acoustic instrument (sample) oriented, but it kinda looks like they are both primarily synth boards (albeit different kinds) with acoustic tones in more of a supporting role.
I too thought the Fantom would feature more acoustic instrument programs than the Jupiter, on balance. As I watched the Fantom videos there seemed to be a disproportionate number of synth vs. acoustic sounds. Other than acoustic piano, all I"ve heard were a few section strings patches. I did look at the patch/voice list and found numerous strings, brass, flute, etc., programs, but if these come from the 5080, that"s really...old?

 

That's a good point. I was wondering why most of the demos had only the "synthy" stuff on display - maybe this is why. Some people say that the 5080 still holds up, although I'm sure not in "realistic" acoustic tones. I've been getting into rack modules again and have actually been considering one...

 

 

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I"m not asking for a full clone wheel experience but it"s a big turnoff if the Fantom is just using organ samples. Does this not even have a basic VR engine?

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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I"m not asking for a full clone wheel experience but it"s a big turnoff if the Fantom is just using organ samples. Does this not even have a basic VR engine?

That's a bit of an unknown. In one of the demos, Scott Tibbs said that the sliders could be used for drawbar adjustments, but there's no indication of any "organ engine" in the Fantom. Maybe there's something hidden in there somewhere, or maybe they are intending to provide it in an update...?

 

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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there's no indication of any "organ engine" in the Fantom. Maybe there's something hidden in there somewhere, or maybe they are intending to provide it in an update...?

 

After all this time of not releasing a new big workstation, you'd at least think it would be ready now. Oy! :taz:

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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We really don't know how recently they made the decision to re-enter the high-end market, so we don't know how much development time this has had.

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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Meh - this feels like a "Now with added synth. And extra synth on top of the synth" kind of board. Rather like the Montage with its FM capabilities, except that does have Yamaha's finest acoustic/ROMpler samples as well. If Fantom is harking back to the XV5080 with its ROMpler samples, and not incorporating the Supernatural acoustic tones, and (like Montage) not incorporating a clonewheel engine, then it feels like an EDM tool, rather than a covers band gigging tool. I'll give it points for the V-Piano capabilities, but that doesn't make it a winner (yet) in my book.

 

And yet the USB capabilities, the pads, the 9 faders, have so much potential...

 

Cheers, Mike.

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