Anyone heard of a new model Roland Fantom being released?

[J.F.N.]

Re: Duran Duran Fantom EX Video

 

Shimmer reverb is totally overrated, always makes me wonder if my tinnitus is coming back again!

 

Else, it's a pretty powerful machine, definitely wouldn't mind owning one, not that I need one, and I defintely don't have space for one... haha!

[Paul Woodward]

2 hours ago, J.F.N. said:

Re: Duran Duran Fantom EX Video

 

Shimmer reverb is totally overrated, always makes me wonder if my tinnitus is coming back again!

 

Else, it's a pretty powerful machine, definitely wouldn't mind owning one, not that I need one, and I defintely don't have space for one... haha!

Ditto, I was looking for an all in one when a Fantom 7 came up cheap nearby…but it’s huge and I wanted a piano keybed so it was a no go for me (88 wouldn’t even fit under my desk, never mind trying to lug it anywhere). Certainly has a lot in there with the expansion though….and the back panel is just a dream for connectivity.

[Fleer]

NexT, Roland Fantom nEXt. 

[AnotherScott]

On 4/25/2024 at 10:30 AM, Paul Woodward said:

Another point of view, from consumers aware of the previous model, is that they have just installed the software for you and screenprinted an EX on, which can feel equally disappointing after all these years.

It may be disappointing, but it probably serves Roland's marketing purposes, that their flagship is no longer 4.5 years old, that people don't have to be hesitant to buy it on the fear that an entirely new model may be just around the corner.

 

On 4/25/2024 at 3:52 PM, David Emm said:

Its everything in their history

Still some significant exceptions. The Fantom S/X/G stuff is missing ("rompler'-wise, they have the older XV-5080 and the newer Zen-core, but they're missing some of that good stuff in between), and they're still missing a good amount of the Integra's SuperNatural Acoustic functionality. A D50 emulation seems like an obvious omission (a bit surprisingly so, considering the recent D-05), and V-Synth would be the icing on the cake.

[Radagast]

On 4/25/2024 at 11:44 AM, J.F.N. said:

 

Nothing surprises me with Korg these days, looking at the last 2 years of product chaos it seems they've fired the entire marketing dept. and left the keys in the hand of some rigid bean counters not understanding yota about anything...

 

 

 

Speaking of Korg, Roland has now produced the sequel to the Kronos, not Korg.  Korg is now only interested in building musical toys.

[Motif88]

On 4/26/2024 at 9:17 AM, Paul Woodward said:

Ditto, I was looking for an all in one when a Fantom 7 came up cheap nearby…but it’s huge and I wanted a piano keybed so it was a no go for me (88 wouldn’t even fit under my desk, never mind trying to lug it anywhere). Certainly has a lot in there with the expansion though….and the back panel is just a dream for connectivity.

Have you considered the Fantom 08?

 

Not the same keybed but way better than the synth action of the full Fantom 7. The 08 is smaller and lighter. If I was stll moving gear I would have kept the Fantom 08 that I had for less than a month.

[J.F.N.]

27 minutes ago, Radagast said:

Speaking of Korg, Roland has now produced the sequel to the Kronos, not Korg.  Korg is now only interested in building musical toys.

 

You mean you're not interested in a Korg Wavestate/Modwave/Opsix SE for the same (or higher) price as the Nautilus 61?

 

How odd, mystery that the Korg Marketing Dept. didn't manage to figure that out already..

 

[Radagast]

On 4/27/2024 at 10:39 AM, J.F.N. said:

 

You mean you're not interested in a Korg Wavestate/Modwave/Opsix SE for the same (or higher) price as the Nautilus 61?

 

 

 

Correct.

[Stokely]

Well, due to the discounts on the non-EX model I pulled the trigger on the 6.  I wouldn't have except Sam Ash sent me a "last day for your VIP coupon" for 15% off that stacked.  So brand new (it better be in the box and not an on-floor model) Fantom 6 for just over 2200 plus tax.    That's less than most if not all the current used offerings (though I have seen those as low as 1999 on GC, they don't last long).  

Assuming I like it as much as I think I will, for maybe the first time ever my rig feels "done".  I have two keyboards that really can cover any ground for me in a pinch, or play a gig alone for those quick setup/short gigs.   

The wife said "fine" when I explained I hadn't yet sold a few keyboards to make room/fund this purchase.  Got work to do in that regard, and I'm not looking forward to it with great anticipation (the whole selling ordeal...)

I may opt for the EX upgrade down the road, I may not.   

[TJ Cornish]

There is a lot to like about the Fantom platform. There are a few quirks, but on the whole they have done a good job of making it a good balance of power and accessibility.

[TJ Cornish]

On 4/27/2024 at 9:09 AM, Radagast said:

Speaking of Korg, Roland has now produced the sequel to the Kronos, not Korg.  Korg is now only interested in building musical toys.

I’m really sorry that I agree with you. The Nautilus is a disappointing “flagship” compared to what the Kronos and OASYS were. 

[David Emm]

2 minutes ago, Stokely said:

The wife said "fine" when I explained I hadn't yet sold a few keyboards to make room/fund this purchase.  Got work to do in that regard!

 

Here's a fine example of a "real keyboardist." You know what you need vs. what you just have GAS for. VERY high on your gear list is keeping peace in the household by trading things out and making sure your wife gets her fair share of goodie moments. Its just as important as your gig bag of spare power supplies, proprietary cords & critical flash drives, yez it is!

[RABid]

20 minutes ago, Stokely said:

So brand new (it better be in the box and not an on-floor model) Fantom 6 for just over 2200 plus tax.

That is a REALLY good price. I also consider my Fantom 7 + ex upgrade my forever keyboard. Well, actually, my retirement home/nursing home keyboard. When they hall me away I will demand they bring my F7EX and SPD SX Pro.

[Keyboardplayer]

The new Roland Fantom EX has the exact same hardware specs as the Fantom (2019). The only difference is now Roland provides a few model expansions inside the keyboard. The price increase is because you're paying for those onboard model expansions. ICYMI, there have been several YouTube videos demonstrating note cut off, i.e. polyphony issues on the Fantom (2019). I've spoken about the Fantom polyphony issues in another thread but since there's been no changes to the Fantom EX, other than, from what I've read so far, a couple new studio quality reverb(s) and of course the inclusion of a few model expansions. Therefore, I would expect the polyphony note cut off issue to still reside on the Fantom EX. FWIW, the Montage M also has some polyphony issues of its own and even though Yamaha is aware of the situation there's been no word yet on any possible fix. Yamaha and I would also assume Roland and Korg use more than one polyphony chip on their newer keyboards. For instance, Yamaha has 4 polyphony chips on the Montage M that handle the AWM2, User, FM, & AN-X. That is to say, 128 note max for the AWM2, User, FM, and 16 note for the An-X engine. In other words, 400 note polyphony is divided up in four sections and the ONLY way you can utilize more than 128 note polyphony at a time, whether live or in the studio, is to use performances/parts/patches from more than one section/engine. Since the Fantom/EX supposedly have 256 note polyphony, I assume it's separated on two chips. My Yamaha Genos has two polyphony chips. They say the music gear/keyboard industry is about 10 years behind the computer industry for whatever reason. I think the Big Three i.e., Yamaha, Roland, & Korg plus the others as well I would assume, basically milk technology for all it is worth before basically being forced to offer newer technology because of slowing sales and loss of income, once people catch on to the rehashed shenanigans. The Big Three are looking 100 years into the future, and they produce products accordingly. They want to stay in business, obviously, but unfortunately they can't give consumers what they really want all in one souped-up keyboard. Because they need multitudes of repeat customers in order to survive financially for another 100 years. 💡 A souped-up future-proof keyboard means people would hold on to them for a lot longer before seeing any need to upgrade. So it's basically incremental this, incremental that, hoping enough people will keep buying the latest/greatest whatever. Nickel and diming consumers, who they obviously need in order to sustain profitability. So in conclusion, no souped-up keyboard for any of us any time soon. 😉 I'm hoping they prove me wrong, but only time will tell.  

[tapes]

On 5/1/2024 at 2:59 AM, Keyboardplayer said:

The new Roland Fantom EX has the exact same hardware specs as the Fantom (2019). The only difference is now Roland provides a few model expansions inside the keyboard. The price increase is because you're paying for those onboard model expansions. ICYMI, there have been several YouTube videos demonstrating note cut off, i.e. polyphony issues on the Fantom (2019). 

The ”previous” models also had an unusable after touch. I wonder if that’s been fixed here - I doubt it, if the technology underneath remains the same. The Jupiter-X (which I have) has a similar issue, but IIRC it was even worse on the Fantoms. 

[Paul Woodward]

My cynical self wonders if they will offer a Poly AT upgrade next like the Nautlius….

[zephonic]

51 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:

My cynical self wonders if they will offer a Poly AT upgrade next like the Nautlius….

 

Except on the Nautilus 73. AT would make mine just about perfect! I can’t believe Korg decided to upgrade only the 61 and 88…

[AnotherScott]

1 hour ago, Paul Woodward said:

My cynical self wonders if they will offer a Poly AT upgrade next like the Nautlius….

Nautilus upgrade was for AT, but not poly AT

[Paul Woodward]

1 hour ago, AnotherScott said:

Nautilus upgrade was for AT, but not poly AT

Yes, but it was a physical upgrade offered to address a key missing feature from a flagship board while other manufacturers offered it. Yamaha’s flagship has Poly AT, it leaves Roland’s a little behind on specs given its a ‘new’ board. As for Korg….

[Stokely]

Blargh, no new Fantom for me yet.  Sam Ash (they of the closing stores) refunded my order after they called and said they only had "not great condition" floor models on hand.

Might end up with the EX after all down the road. 

Not worried at all about polyphony for my needs.  Live only, and no sequencing (for now at least) and I don't tend to do lots of layering of patches.

[ProfD]

2 minutes ago, Stokely said:

Blargh, no new Fantom for me yet.  

Might end up with the EX after all down the road. 

No worries.  Provides more time to sell other gear.  The new Fantom will cost nothing between gear sales and gig money.😎

[RABid]

1 hour ago, Paul Woodward said:

Yamaha’s flagship has Poly AT, it leaves Roland’s a little behind on specs given its a ‘new’ board. As for Korg….

But only the 88 version. I would have gotten a Montage 6M to pair with my Fantom 7 if it was poly aftertouch. Instead I got the MODX+6 and the Hydrasynth Pro combination. I'm satisfied for now. I only need one keyboard with poly aftertouch. My Fantom 7 with the EX upgrade still resides as the anchor of my system and I am happy with it.

[Stokely]

5 hours ago, ProfD said:

No worries.  Provides more time to sell other gear.  The new Fantom will cost nothing between gear sales and gig money.😎

That is EXACTLY how I'm looking at it   

My rep emailed me back and said we can do "something", and to call him in response to my "can we make a deal on the EX" email.

I'm not expecting a huge break on (technically) a new model.   Nothing close to the deal I had of course, though it would be the EX and the SW warranty as value added.  I'm afraid to call him as I know it'll be more than I want to spend until I make those sales!

I did just sell my Lester K through Gear Exchange and so far so good on the experience.   That was my "test the waters" listing before putting keyboards up there.   Saves 7% if I get paid in SW gift card balance, so that's also a bit of an incentive to buy from them.

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, Stokely said:

My rep emailed me back and said we can do "something"....

 

That was my "test the waters" listing before putting keyboards up there.   Saves 7% if I get paid in SW gift card balance, so that's also a bit of an incentive to buy from them.

Yep. Combination of sales through SW Gear Exchange and SW gift card and a reasonably negotiated price on the Fantom EX is a win all around.😎

[Radagast]

19 hours ago, Paul Woodward said:

Yes, but it was a physical upgrade offered to address a key missing feature from a flagship board while other manufacturers offered it. Yamaha’s flagship has Poly AT, it leaves Roland’s a little behind on specs given its a ‘new’ board. As for Korg….

Yes, as for Korg, they shouldn’t be discussed in a group of serious keyboard manufacturers.  There should be a separate forum for musical toy companies .  Oh wait I forgot there’s Korg Forums.com.