Ibarch

Been gigging with a Fantom 07 for a while and not noticed anything that I would describe as piercing. A few scenes and/or tones benefit from altering EQ but it can vary for different setups. I would second the suggestion to keep it scene by scene and not use global adjustments.

You never forget your first love. Mine was a Roland U-20. Yes it a was a rompler but in 1990 nothing could touch it for the sounds it had. It made those FM based synths sound like cheap casios. Time may not have been kind to it but I was the envy of everyone back then. I dug it put the loft last week, where it had lain for the last decade just waiting for me to find the time to restore it. It booted up first time and the sound of that piano and the JP8 strings and brass took me right back. The keybed may now be a mess of red goo but the sounds are still as I remember. It served me well for 15 years.

I want a keyboard that is a VST host that supports instruments from any manufacturer. It should come with automatic mappings for every VST to the controllers and with an additional touchscreen UI for full editing that is as well designed and easy to use as the current Fantom / fantom 0s. It should have 2 TB on board storage that can be expanded in future. It should have fully weighted and synth key options and be available in any size from 25 note to 88, with poly aftertouch. It should weigh less than 15lb and be foldable for easy transport and storage. It should have class compliant audio and midi drivers, and have 16 stereo parts, and 8 stereo outputs, with a built in audio interface. It should fully support midi 2. It should have full integration with all major DAWs, along with a full on board sequencer and multitrack audio recorder. It should also have a fully featured sampler. It should include transport controls for recording and playback. Naturally it would need 9 faders for drawbars and both wheels and paddle for mod and pitch bends, 16 velocity sensitive pads, min 8 endless encoders. It should also have hands on controls for synth filters and envelopes. That would probably suffice for starters.

If you are going the iPad route, most of the big sound libraries are not available. You will have to purchase new apps. Whilst there are some good ones available, plan plenty of time to find what you need. Buy with what is available now, don't rely on a promise that something is coming soon. New iPads are very capable machines from a hardware perspective but the range and quality of software is what holds them back. Choice and functionality is limited compared with a Mac or PC.

If Arturia came out with an improved version with proper screen, full complement of controls, pads and faders and the ability to play 39 synths, I would genuinely be interested. It may even persuade me to buy their V collection. I have a love/hate relationship with using my computer on gigs. Sure it's great to have the full VSTs but most of the time I prefer an easier life with just a single keyboard. I've moved back to this over the last 12 months. I wouldn't need this keyboard, I'm sure my Fantom will suffice for years. But want a hardware V collection... Definitely.

Simple example for the cover of Heart of Glass. Has synth bass arpeggio in the bass, sweeping pad in the middle and organ up top. Easily fits a 61 note board.

Whereas I play some songs with multiple synth, bass and pads arranged in 1 or 1.5 octaves each, so as not to be changing patch between intro, verses, middle 8s and endings. We all do things differently so having keyboards with lots of features and flexibility not only supports but actively enables creativity. Having 16 parts and unrestricted split points like on the Fantoms is the benchmark that everyone else should be aiming for. Would be a legal requirement if I ruled the world.

The last line is in reference to earlier posts that suggested that Apple's margin on the app store is no different to the other retailer's margins for selling products. The point being that whilst the headline figure may be the same, there are lots of hidden costs to iOS in addition. My thoughts are that Arturia won't enter the iOS market and provide iOS versions of the V collection and its other premium software as there is no business case to do so. Same for the other big companies. iOS will continue to be a playground for independents and small challenger developers, not those with established market share on PC/Mac.

There is a beautiful irony here that bringing data in memory and processor together is a significant reason for the performance increases that have enabled the M powered macs to be able to push data in storage an order of magnitude further away onto an external bus and storage device. How long till Apple implement a fix to stop this and force users once again to buy their obscenely priced storage upgrades?

That model only works whilst your competitors don't have iPad versions. The early adopters may gain some market share but the moment it becomes slightly significant, everyone else will follow suit and the advantage is lost. Once everyone sells on iPad, there is no extra revenue but a 3rd platform to support and significantly increased costs. This is I believe why none of the major companies have released iPad versions to date. The business opportunity is time limited and too small versus the certainty of extra costs afterward.

From 1st hand experience, it is the need to submit frequent updates to apps to be compliant with the latest APIs, the ever changing and expanding developer 'guidelines', the delays and inconsistentcies in manual app reviews. All adds to the cost of supporting the platform and 90% of the time provides no new benefits/features to customers. It is mere overhead to keep an app available on the store. When I submit a software product to a retailer, the retailer doesn't demand new versions all the time. They sell the product till I supply a new version. When I build software for iOS, it requires me to use Apples xcode software on Apple Mac machines. Xcode requires frequent mandatory updates. It requires current versions of the OS. The OS requires supported hardware. No other retailer tells me what tools I have to use, what version, when to upgrade them, when to replace my hardware. The costs to build for iOS are significant. They are not a one off but are recurring for the life cycle of the product. The life cycle of products is a fraction of that on windows/mac. To suggest that another retailers margin is equivalent to the pound of flesh that Apple extracts is laughable.

Having the option to work with your instruments both on a computer and in a dedicated keyboard is a great place to be. It is already possible in Roland's world, with the ability to use the Zenology Pro synth and various model expansions such as a jupiter 8 both on a computer and in zen core powered hardware such as the Fantoms. Couple this with built in audio interfaces and integration to DAWs and it is very powerful centre piece to a home studio and for gigging too. I love having the choice to work any way I feel. It also makes the best of both worlds to have a laptop that can plug in to any controller or a dedicated keyboard, as the need arises. Roland's implementation is far from perfect but it goes a good way to show the potential of what can be done. It's great to see Arturia starting to follow the same ideas. However the Astrolab is only scratching at the surface of what can be done. It's hugely restricted in features and priced at a premium. With all their years of experience in midi controllers I would have at least expected a keyboard that would cover the basics. Instead it feels like the Midi controller department have placed an embargo on controller tech to prevent the slightest hint that Astrolab may replace them. The virtual instruments team have put a similar embargo in place to avoid the chances of editing anything outside of their VSTs less they lose control of the user journey. TLDR It's a great idea but a seriously dissatisfying first implementation.

Given that none of the libraries I have are available for iPadOS/iOS, despite tablets having been very capable for 5 years plus, I just don't see it happening. As founder and owner of my own software development company I know better than most what the extra costs are to support the mobile platforms. When most of the target user base already has your software on a computer and pays $500, why introduce a 3rd platform where the same customers expects the same product for $25 dollars? Their competitors aren't bothering so there is no reason. Mr independent and 1000 other wannabes may be churning out a few titles but they aren't going to come close to likes of VSL, Yamaha, Roland, Arturia, NI, Spectrasonics. Given Arturia's pivot to making dedicated hardware for their V collection, I would be amazed, gobsmacked even if they decided that this was the perfect time to open up an Eastern front for iOS. It just isn't happening. Mind you, I didn't see Arturia making hardware for this either so shows how much I really know. Let's take a raincheck and come back in five years and see if I'm wrong.

As much as you may wish otherwise I don't see that happening. None of the major virtual instrument suppliers have shown any interest in giving 30% of revenue to Apple. And Apple have shown zero interest in allowing iPads to run a fully powered MacOS. I'm fairly sure there is a market for those who would like the power of soft synths like Arturia's V collection available in a hardware keyboard. It's not just me. Mind you, this first attempt isn't remotely tempting. Just 2 parts, limited polyphony, lack of controls such as faders and pads, no on board editing, no audio interface. Its like needing a proper computer but being offered an iPad 😂

I kept looking at the XP range but with a home and young family to pay for I could never justify replacing my U-20. It gave me 15 years of solid service before I eventually moved over to an RD-300sx. Having got a Fantom 0 last year, I finally obtained my 16 parts and all those Roland sound libraries. I would say that with the Fantom 06 and/or the Juno DS they have delivered a modern successor to the XP-30. What is still missing that would not be covered by either of these boards - and be distinct enough to make up a new XP product line?

I get the attraction of wanting to load your patches directly onto a keyboard for live gigs. I would much prefer this to using a laptop or tablet. The problems with astrolab I have are - only 8 /40 note polyphony - just two parts - absence of controls/faders - no set list management - delays loading patches Compared to what a Fantom 0 offers - at cheaper cost - this is a very weak product. No thanks.

Pulled my U-20 from storage yesterday to find the curse of the red goo had struck. Fortunately due to the angle of storage it seeped away from the main board, not into it. The keyboard noted up first time and sounds working perfectly over Midi. The keybed needs a lot of work though.

I've been looking at the Hydrasynth explorer as a synth to play whilst sat on the couch. Something different to explore from my Roland Fantom. Do you think I need to be cautious? Is it likely I'll be making sounds on the Hydrasynth that the Fantom can't do - so much so I'll end up needing to bring it along to gigs?

The new Roland Go Keys does have USB Audio for iPads apparently so maybe the Roland driver department are catching up. The RD-2000 must be nearly due an upgrade for cloudification and assimilation into Zen-core. Be interesting to see if a fully class compliant USB audio driver ships with it.

No, the RD-88 needs a driver in order to have USB Audio. This works for mac and Windows but not for iPads. IPads only get USB Midi.

I chose the Fantom 08 over the 8 purely because of the weight. I could have afforded the full Fantom and the extra piano and synth engines plus would have been nice. However I just couldnt physically manage taking it to gigs. Recently I've acquired a Fantom 07, sacrificing the weighted keyboard of the 08 for synth action. So far this has just been for band practices but I'm tempted to keep the 08 at home permanently and use the 07 for gigs as well. It doesn't seem worth the couple of days pain I'll suffer from shifting the Fantom 08, even though that is merely 29 lbs. I'm resigned to the 07 but if it this keeps me able to perform, it will be worth it.

For the last 20 years weight has been the primary factor in choosing a keyboard for me. It had to be under 30lb, no exceptions. Touch and feel of the keybed is next as I have to enjoy playing. Sound and features come after these. The reality is that 99% of people won't hear a difference between keyboards. Most of the time the only person that will care is you.

I use a Fantom 07 for my originals band playing indie pop. It does everything I want. Having 16 parts and unlimited split points makes it very flexible and I'm a big fan of a lightweight single board setup. Sounds amazing too.

If Roland have used the same keybed as on the previous Go Keys and Go Piano then it won't stand up well to the Casio CT-S1 and S500s. They are the best semi weighted boards I've played. The piano tones were quite even so be interesting to see if Roland have changed this.

This is the new world. A number of software companies are using the browser to do their authentication. I don't know the logic behind it but it seems to becoming more common. Even some Microsoft tools do this. It's horrible and totally user unfriendly but who cares about the user anymore?