[Roland FA-06 and FA-08]

 

I work for Sweetwater.

 

Any idea when Sweetwater expects to have the FA-06 in stock?

 

I don't, sorry.

[Roland FA-06 and FA-08]

The keybed is a bit disappointing and not on the level of the JP50. The key travel is a bit shorter. If you can live with the MOX6 and Krome keybed you'll be able to live with this - no worse. Identical keybed to the VR-09 I would say.

 

How did you get your hands on a FA already?

 

I work for Sweetwater.

[Roland FA-06 and FA-08]

I've had a little bit of hands on time with the FA-06 the past few days...

 

What is the keybed like? I really like the synth action on my Jupiter-50... How does it compare to that?

 

The action on the MOX6 is quite mediocre, as is that on the Krome 61, IMHO. Can you compare the FA-06 to either of these?

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

The keybed is a bit disappointing and not on the level of the JP50. The key travel is a bit shorter. If you can live with the MOX6 and Krome keybed you'll be able to live with this - no worse. Identical keybed to the VR-09 I would say.

[Roland FA-06 and FA-08]

The updated organ engine that is in the VR-09 is also here

Interesting. It's not that much more expensive than the VR-09. If you don't absolutely need real time drawbar control, this seems to give you a lot more of, well, everything else.

 

Here's to hoping that they slash the price the price of the VR-09. I'd throw fistfuls of money at my computer screen right now if it was $699.

[Roland FA-06 and FA-08]

I've had a little bit of hands on time with the FA-06 the past few days and here are some thoughts:

- The first standout to me are the converters. These are the best sounding converters I've yet to hear on a Roland board. Far superior to the ones on my Jupiter, and definitely on the level of the Octacapture. Quite stunning, really.

- The OLED display needs to be seen in person to appreciate. Viewing it on a website is quite literally like looking at a Retina display on your 22" 1920x1080 LCD monitor. The colors are vibrant, the viewing angles are great. I wouldn't call this a a high res display. Text is definitely still pixelated. Still, the best display to-date.

-In person, the design of the board is easily the most disappointing thing. The build quality is acceptable, but I can't help but feel this board could have used a few more lines in its design. The glossy front panels are a bit of a turn off to me.

-It's stupid light. Like seriously, stupid light. There are plenty of 61 key MIDI controllers that weigh more than the FA-06.

-I could talk non-stop about the stock super-natural sounds, but to sum it up, I was all smiles playing it. Again, the converters play a major factor here, and I feel the potential of super natural technology is starting to be fully realized. The updated organ engine that is in the VR-09 is also here and it sounds fantastical.