Roland FA-06 and FA-08

[Cybersoniq]

The paper manual blows. What I need to know is stored on a pdf in the FA memory. How do it get that to the laptop where I can read it. I want to make this unit a MIDI slave to the S90.

For external MIDI slave/control, use the FA in Studio Set Mode.

 

The key Roland FA PDFs: reference manual, parameter guide, MIDI Implementation and Soundlist can downloaded at: http://www.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=FA-08

 

In Studio Sets, the following parameters are key to set-up of FA MIDI channels and as well FA keyboard splits/layers/multi-parts. (I checked during my 2nd FA08 demo and these paramaters are all there and are accessed through the Studio Set Edit Mode/Menus):

Parameter guide 9:

a) Sw (Rx Switch) OFF, ON

For each part, specify whether MIDI messages will be received (ON), or not (OFF)

If this is OFF, the part will not respond Normally, you should leave this ON, but you can turn it

OFF when you do not want a specific part to be playing during song playback

b) Ch (Rx Channel) 116 Specifies the MIDI receive channel for each part

c) Kbd (Keyboard Switch) OFF, ON

Turns each parts keyboard switch on/off

***Note*** You cant change this setting if the Keyboard Mode is SINGLE, SPLIT, or DUAL.

 

BTW, all the needed FA tone and studio set MSB/LSB/PC info is found in the FA SoundList guide PDF.

Regards,c

 

 

[Cybersoniq]

...all parts of a studio set are on the same MIDI channel, they cannot be separately controlled by the assignable knobs as was alluded to above....strike one.

In the "mixer" section of the edit mode you can adjust the level of an individual part but can't listen the the other parts simultaneously as you do this. No good. Strike two.

I suppose I could select the part I want to adjust via the pads as was suggested above (once again, great reply posts) and move that level in real time...

I am disappointed by this limitation. I guess I assumed the FA08/06 had this capability of real time multi-voice dynamic control as other workstations do (previously mentioned in my earlier post)

 

During my 2nd demo of the FA-08 I also confirmed that the FA Sound Modifier knobs ONLY control the CURRENT selected part and its associated MIDI channel. However, while CC07 Volume control only adjusts this one part, all other layered parts can be played/heard at the same time as long as the Keyboard Switch (Parameter Guide page 9) is set to ON for the split/layered parts (1-16). And using PAD mode 6 lets you quickly turn the Keyboard Switch ON/OFF for any of the parts 1-16. So this would work for me to balance part volume levels fairly quickly.

 

BTW...this works in a similar way when sequence mixing. Again, while you can only adjust the CURRENT selected part volume and other mix parameters with the data wheel, you can do so while the other parts are played back in the current song. All that said, it's too bad that the knobs can't be used as volume pots/per part while in Mixer Mode or when balancing Studio Set multi-parts in a layer/split. Yammy and Korgy sliders do this in mixes/combis

[blueturtle]

Even with Juno-G it is possible to balance parts with knobs in Mixer mode ... :-(

[George88]

I really like the filters .... or fake filters. (I don't understand VA architecture.) I am getting a lot more comfortable with the keys. This will replace the SH-101 in my pop band also. The saws are nice

Does the FA-06 keyboard feel good enough for organ and synth lead and pad parts where you also use a weighted action or better quality bottom keyboard for AP and EP? I guess our expectations at this price point shouldn't be that high.

 

I think so.

[nadroj]

Any comments on the FA-08's action? Still waiting for my local to stock it. For those who know, is it the exact same as the RD300NX's action, or a slight upgrade?

I've looked up the specs online and it sounds as if they've upgraded it a bit from that, which would be nice, but by no means a necessity.

 

My hands have played a lot of different pianos/keyboards this week, and after finally coming back home to the RD700nx, it suddenly feels kinda heavy. The 300 was very light, though. If FA08 was somewhere in between the two, that'd be cool, but it's by no means a "big" deal.

 

I've learned not to ask whether or not something is "good" or "bad" here, because... well...

 

The Wurlys stink. Sad stuff there.

Also, the Wurli sounds are very good

 

(Fair enough both posters played on different actions, but still)

[AnotherScott]

Yes, studio sets are just like Yamaha performances.

Not really... Studio Sets allow you to put different sounds on different MIDI channels, Yamaha Performances don't... but Yamaha Song/Pattern Mixes do, so I'd say that's the closest Yamaha mode.

 

(There are rarely exact equivalents between boards. You can make analogies, but there are usually differences in the details...)

[CEB]

I really like the filters .... or fake filters. (I don't understand VA architecture.) I am getting a lot more comfortable with the keys. This will replace the SH-101 in my pop band also. The saws are nice

Does the FA-06 keyboard feel good enough for organ and synth lead and pad parts where you also use a weighted action or better quality bottom keyboard for AP and EP? I guess our expectations at this price point shouldn't be that high.

 

I think so.

 

I think for organ part the quality of the action will depend on what keys you play in. Sitting here right now playing the organ set to 888886666 3rd percussion on soft fast. playing in E - A - C -F - G ect aint too bad. Playing in C#m and F# are worse. Black keys respond worse than the white keys.

[Dana.]

Re the FA-08 action:

 

Roland seems to have fixed whatever it was that caused the Ivory Feel G to feel broken on the FP-4F and RD-64; I found it more enjoyable to play.

[CEB]

The paper manual blows. What I need to know is stored on a pdf in the FA memory. How do it get that to the laptop where I can read it. I want to make this unit a MIDI slave to the S90.

For external MIDI slave/control, use the FA in Studio Set Mode.

 

The key Roland FA PDFs: reference manual, parameter guide, MIDI Implementation and Soundlist can downloaded at: http://www.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=FA-08

 

In Studio Sets, the following parameters are key to set-up of FA MIDI channels and as well FA keyboard splits/layers/multi-parts. (I checked during my 2nd FA08 demo and these paramaters are all there and are accessed through the Studio Set Edit Mode/Menus):

Parameter guide 9:

a) Sw (Rx Switch) OFF, ON

For each part, specify whether MIDI messages will be received (ON), or not (OFF)

If this is OFF, the part will not respond Normally, you should leave this ON, but you can turn it

OFF when you do not want a specific part to be playing during song playback

b) Ch (Rx Channel) 116 Specifies the MIDI receive channel for each part

c) Kbd (Keyboard Switch) OFF, ON

Turns each parts keyboard switch on/off

***Note*** You cant change this setting if the Keyboard Mode is SINGLE, SPLIT, or DUAL.

 

BTW, all the needed FA tone and studio set MSB/LSB/PC info is found in the FA SoundList guide PDF.

Regards,c

 

 

Thanks a lot!!!

[Michael W]

I was able to compare the FA-08 action with the MOXF8 and Krome 88, and definitely preferred the FA-08 over the three. I like the "ivory feel" of the keys. That being said, I'd have to rate the action on the FA08 more like "acceptable" than "excellent."

[agitato]

Does anyone know if there are any famous/iconic D50 sounds in either the PCM or SN presets of the FA?

[Analogaddict]

Does anyone know if there are any famous/iconic D50 sounds in either the PCM or SN presets of the FA?

 

I have a Vari-OS with D-50 card and I believe I heard a few of those sounds as I swept through the sound banks...

[CEB]

It has some but it missing a few D-50 sounds I expected. It has your fantasia, heaven, the D50 organ, D50 sounding EPs, most of it is found in the PCM sections.

 

I believe I have been through every sound excluding drum kits. Some sweet stuff. I can download more sounds off axial and load it up with more customizable synth tones.

 

All in all I think this was a good acquistion. I basically bought a $450 sampler and for the remaining $750 got a nice synth tone module I can use to setup virtual racks with up to 16 patches. I hope I can set each tone in the studio set to it's individual midi channel and call them from the S90XS. It has a keyboard that I can use for playing some synth leads on occassion. I like the SN lead synths.

 

In terms of sonic pallete it is strong where my S90XS seems weaker. I always liked Roland for the big thick tones. This thing is barely wide enough to sit on my top tier. It looked bigger on YouTube. LOL

 

If I needed to play the keyboard a lot I would have had serious buyers remorse. I would have rather bought the used X6 that was local for $1000 than this for $1200. But this fits my particular needs well as long as it holds up physically or I do not lose the wal wart.

 

I'm betting the FA-08 is sweet but I am still totally sold on my S90XS as my main controller ..... if it only had 4 more Zones.

[Arielblacksmith]

Hello everyone! just registered for the forum in order to

add my opinion and questions. like some people, im back and

forth between the MOFX8 and the FA-08,

 

My biggest question is that im going to incorporate VST sounds

in my live gig (specifically 8dio libraries in Kontakt or a host daw) so easy alternating between my fa/mofx and my vst libraries is eesential. my biggest fear are latency issues. The keyboard magazine review of the MOFX8 says it supports it as an audio interface ( that means low latency right?) and making some research the FA-08 says it can also be used for this.

 

which one is better at this aspect? this may be the dealmaker or breaker. From the reading I see you can only control in 1 channel (FA-08), I dont know if that limits too much what i want to do (if i understood correctly).

 

Thanks in advance and happy to join the forums keyboard player in a metal band here.

[aellison62]

...all parts of a studio set are on the same MIDI channel, they cannot be separately controlled by the assignable knobs as was alluded to above....strike one.

In the "mixer" section of the edit mode you can adjust the level of an individual part but can't listen the the other parts simultaneously as you do this. No good. Strike two.

I suppose I could select the part I want to adjust via the pads as was suggested above (once again, great reply posts) and move that level in real time...

I am disappointed by this limitation. I guess I assumed the FA08/06 had this capability of real time multi-voice dynamic control as other workstations do (previously mentioned in my earlier post)

 

During my 2nd demo of the FA-08 I also confirmed that the FA Sound Modifier knobs ONLY control the CURRENT selected part and its associated MIDI channel. However, while CC07 Volume control only adjusts this one part, all other layered parts can be played/heard at the same time as long as the Keyboard Switch (Parameter Guide page 9) is set to ON for the split/layered parts (1-16). And using PAD mode 6 lets you quickly turn the Keyboard Switch ON/OFF for any of the parts 1-16. So this would work for me to balance part volume levels fairly quickly.

 

BTW...this works in a similar way when sequence mixing. Again, while you can only adjust the CURRENT selected part volume and other mix parameters with the data wheel, you can do so while the other parts are played back in the current song. All that said, it's too bad that the knobs can't be used as volume pots/per part while in Mixer Mode or when balancing Studio Set multi-parts in a layer/split. Yammy and Korgy sliders do this in mixes/combis

 

Thanks for the 2nd look, I think I can also make this work well enough in a live setting.It does seem a shame that the FA has this limitation.

[aellison62]

So, studio sets on the FA are NOT the same as Yamaha performances and I was trying to get the drum kit to play arps on a preset studio set but was unsuccessful. I would be surprised, once again, if this capability is not present.

 

On Yamaha performances, the drum kit selected in the performance has various arps which can be selected to play on latch or momentary. Korg has the same capability in it's combis with Karma (or even just drum arp). Kurzweil also has similar drum arp capability within it's setups.

 

I selected the drum kit in a studio setup and went to the menu page to scroll thru the preset arps but did not see dedicated "drum" arps, only synth types.

 

Am I missing something? (Again....?)

[Cybersoniq]

So, studio sets on the FA are NOT the same as Yamaha performances and I was trying to get the drum kit to play arps on a preset studio set but was unsuccessful. I would be surprised, once again, if this capability is not present.

 

On Yamaha performances, the drum kit selected in the performance has various arps which can be selected to play on latch or momentary. Korg has the same capability in it's combis with Karma (or even just drum arp). Kurzweil also has similar drum arp capability within it's setups.

 

I selected the drum kit in a studio setup and went to the menu page to scroll thru the preset arps but did not see dedicated "drum" arps, only synth types.

Am I missing something? (Again....?)

Be sure to check out the FA Rhythm Patterns and Groups (RP/RG) which I had fun playing around with during my last FA-08 demo. It's super easy using the soft keys under the FA's display to switch between drum track preset/user patterns for intro, verses, fills, etc. and you can play along on the keys in single/dual/split or multi-parts. I like the FA RP/RG better than the Korg drum track and I think it works like switching between drum arps in the Motif/MO. See FA manual pages 36-38 for the scoop on FA RP/RG. I'd assume you could also save your favorite Motif drum arps as SMF and import them into the FA RPs.

[aellison62]

Thanks Cybersoniq, I knew they had to be there !

[jvckey]

Just got my FA-06 yesterday. I'm quite amazed about the quality of the sounds (here called "tones"), and you can easily get lost digging between the 2000 of them. They're grouped by categories, instead of preset banks like the old JV-XP series. Lots of lead sounds (more than 40), excellent for a prog enthusiast like me.

 

Everything tone related is presented in studio sets (analog to old "performance" modes), 16 parts groups (part 10 for percussion) that can be played in single part mode (for sequencing, i.e., song mode) or layered mode. It has 512 user programable studio sets (apart from the presets), for gigging, at least for me, is more than enough.

 

Just two questions I have, for someone who already got it. As tones are identified by up to 4 numbers, I was wondering if there is a fast way to call a tone, other than dialing, turning pads in "numeric mode" or previously having saved it into a favorite bank.

 

The second question is: I got my FA-06 for gigging, but at home I'd like to play it from my Yamaha MO-08 (weighted keys). Can I connect them through USB or MIDI, so I can just play the keys of my MO08 to make sound my FA and control everything else in my FA? Sorry I don't have any idea of MIDI implementation, just tell me where could I start.

 

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Michael W]

Can I connect them through USB or MIDI, so I can just play the keys of my MO08 to make sound my FA and control everything else in my FA?

 

Yes, if you use a regular MIDI cable to connect the MIDI OUT of the MO08 to the MIDI IN of the FA, you should be able to quickly and easily use the MO08 keyboard to play the FA.

 

Regarding using the MO08 to "control everything else" in your FA - what is it that you want to do, exactly? Someone with more knowledge than me would need to explain if it is possible to map the cc numbers transmitted by the MO sliders and knobs to specific parameters in the FA.

 

[CEB]

Axial is effing cool.

 

In Integra SH-101 sets are nice. But I still may keep my 101 in the rig. I haven't decided. The 101 cuts through the band really well. Plus if I tilt my head sides ways while moving the sliders on the 101 I can look European.

 

The sampler, Axial downloads and the on board synth sounds and price are the strength of the 06. This would make a nice tabletop unit.

[Adan]

Re the FA-08 action:

 

Roland seems to have fixed whatever it was that caused the Ivory Feel G to feel broken on the FP-4F and RD-64; I found it more enjoyable to play.

 

Disagree, I think they're all the same. Also disagree that anything is "broken." It just is what it is, a weighted keyboard with significant compromises to fit a lightweight package. As far as action, I'd rather play the Roland than the Korg Krome or Yamaha MOX8, but the Casio PX5 is better than all of them, imo.

[Doerfler]

Plus if I tilt my head sides ways while moving the sliders on the 101 I can look European.

 

[Adan]

Plus if I tilt my head sides ways while moving the sliders on the 101 I can look European.

 

 

Ha. No, sorry, you do not look European. (not that I think you really want to)

[OB Dave]

I stopped by my local GC this morning and explained what I was up to, and they were totally cool with me dorking around with the FA-06 for an hour. It's a really nice little keyboard and the display is gorgeous.

 

So, the organs are editable, but to do so you have to dive a few layers into the menus, use buttons to select which drawbar, and turn the wheel to move the selected drawbar. But they can be controlled in realtime via MIDI Sysex, and I'll have new DB-1 firmware with FA-06 support on the OBD website soon.

 

[video:youtube]

 

[jvckey]

Regarding using the MO08 to "control everything else" in your FA - what is it that you want to do, exactly? Someone with more knowledge than me would need to explain if it is possible to map the cc numbers transmitted by the MO sliders and knobs to specific parameters in the FA.

 

Thanks for replying keybdwizrd, I just want to control the keybed from my MO-08 (play the FA06 with weighted keys)...to control more things I think it should be more complicatted, and for playing at home I don't need anything else.

 

Just a nice finding I made today: The sampler can be assigned to a part (1-16) in the studio set, and each pad (16x4 banks=64) is linked to a key. This means that the samples can be actually triggered from the keys. Just find out the correspondence of the pads with the keys. Combine (layer) conveniently the parts and you can trigger samples without stopping playing. I wanted to mention this because a remember previous posts saying that this wasn't possible.

[rickzjamm]

OB Dave, did you play the FA 08 as well?

[OB Dave]

No, I did not. They only had the one FA-06 in stock. But I downloaded the manual from the Roland website and the FA-06 and FA-08 share the MIDI implementation document, so it appears that the '06 and '08 share the same Sysex device ID, so the commands should be the same. Would still need to confirm this though. Or perhaps if somebody here has an '08 and knows how to run MIDI-OX, I can send them some Sysex strings to send to the Roland and see if it responds as expected.

[ABECK]

I can give it a shot. I've only used MIDI-OX To capture MIDI messages from my keyboards, never the other way around. But, I'm game.

[OB Dave]

Awesome, thanks - check your PM.