15 People You Oughta Know In The Roland Fantom Tutorials Industry

Posted by Keva on April 27th, 2021

Emerging from the mists of time comes the rejuvenated Fantom, Roland's brand-new front runner workstation synthesizer.

Released in 2001 as the 76-note Fantom FA76, the key-board sticks to its identification through an overwelming collection of revamps and name adjustments, culminating in the top-of-the range Fantom G (which I reviewed in SOS January 2009). With little development caution, Roland have actually let loose a new flagship workstation-cum-synthesizer which constructs on the Fantom's tradition with a new style created from the ground up for contemporary music manufacturing. Called merely the Fantom, it comes in 3 models: Fantom 6 (61 tricks), Fantom 7 (76 tricks) and the 88-key Fantom 8, henceforth referred to as F-6, F-7 and also F-8.

Fantom Design

Constructed of hard steel, the new Fantom is created to stand up to the rigours of life on the road-- simply as well, since I can see numerous gigging key-board gamers wanting to obtain their hands on one. These activities are optimised for low sound, so when you're practising Jordan Rudess licks at 3am, the audio of intensely rattling tricks shouldn't frustrate your neighbours, partner or cats.

I went with the semi-weighted action and selected the F-6 model for this evaluation. Prior to that I 'd spent some time playing the F-8 at Roland's Artist Relations Centre in London. Unfortunately none of my relationships were there, however I appreciated the pianistic feeling of the 88-key instrument, and consequently found the F-6 activity to be completely agreeable-- though I should confess, I do miss out on the pleasant rattle of Roland Fantom Tutorials the old G6 keys!

The inner audio engine equals for all 3 tools. If you want to expand the F-6's five-octave playing variety, you can make use of front-panel buttons to elevate or reduce the having fun register by approximately 3 octaves, while the 'transpose' switch permits you to change the key variety in semitones, up to 5 down as well as 6 up (a little complicated, I feel: 11 semitones each means would certainly have been far better).

I rejoiced to see the new Fantom has traditional separate pitch as well as modulation wheels, an improvement on the all-in-one sprung-lever joystick made use of on previous versions. But surprisingly, the joystick is still there, inhabiting pride of place at the front left of the instrument. I was good to go to groan regarding the wheels being held up eight inches from the front (a layout attribute that usually gets the raspberry in key-board evaluations), yet because of the joystick's addition, it's most likely the only method it would work-- and anyway, I have actually got long arms.

Something New

This computer system integration enables the Fantom to control prominent DAWs such as Logic Pro X, and also when attached to applications such as Logic MainStage, plug-in specifications can be presented on its touch-screen. At existing no software application editor is available; Roland feel that's not a high concern offered the total, extensive user interface and also high-resolution touch-screen.

Other technologies include vibrant RGB pads, an enjoyable 'motion pad' (reminiscent of Omnisphere 2's Orb and the Korg Wavestation Vector joystick), which mobilises the volume balance of 4 layered audios, either manually or automatically. In addition to the regular filter (information listed below), there's an onboard analogue filter with its very own specialized sound outcomes, convenient if you wish to run external signals via it. Applying the analogue filter to inner sounds involves a rather counter-intuitive effects-routing palaver, once I would certainly figured it out I was compensated by a noise that was discreetly warmer, fatter and unquestionably louder, with optional overdrive and also a hint of amp simulator thrown in.

Features rollovered from the G collection include chord memory (which allows a large menu of preset chord shapes to be caused with one finger), an arpeggiator as well as step LFO, which can be made use of to produce beats and synth expressions.

Modus Operandi

While the new functions are all useful, in my publication the most important innovation in the brand-new Fantom is its efficiency concept, which I feel will certainly make life a great deal less complicated for players. Gone are the needlessly proscriptive Studio/Live/Single modes of the Fantom G; in their location is an open, mode-free style with instantaneous access to sounds, controls as well as attributes.

Editing is immediate: if you intend to change the filter on a synth, you can reach for the huge, vibrantly illuminated cutoff knob and right away begin twirling, whereupon a back-lit interactive chart presenting filter cutoff and also vibration settings in a consolidated contour shows up on screen. Discontinue twirling for a second approximately, as well as the chart goes away. No demand to scrabble about with 'spot edit' as well as 'filter' buttons before making changes-- you can execute real-time edits as you play, without any trace of sonic suspension.

Various other quick-change panel parameters consist of lit up rotating ADSR controls for amp, filter and pitch envelopes, each of which presents its very own interactive graph when you make an adjustment. For deeper, more deliberative noise editing and enhancing, there are 'zoom' and also 'pro' edit modes, the previous being a selection of the latter's most generally used setups.

Return Of The V-Piano

To backtrack somewhat, in 2009 Roland launched an appealing brand-new digital piano. Part of the business's 'V' collection (V-Drums, V-Guitar, etc), the V-Piano price over 5 grand and weighed in at a back-breaking 38kg, so was never going to be the stage piano of selection for your standard gigging artist. Nevertheless, it had one distinctive advantage over its rivals: rather than making use of examples, the piano sound was produced by physical modelling.

Doing away with samples meant there were no unpleasant enter tone in between key-board zones and dynamic layers-- this thing seemed entirely smooth, and the total piano tone (modelled on traditional grand pianos with added ingenious timbres) was attractive and also convincing. My SOS colleague was impressed, and also leading gamers added their kudos. (Review Nick Magnus's evaluation in the May 2009 problem.).

Followers of the V-Piano will be glad to recognize that the instrument has actually been revived and currently lives on inside the new Fantom. Taking advantage of brand-new coding as well as enhanced audio top quality, it sounds excellent-- dynamic, intense as well as open, one of the most usable workstation piano I've discovered. The piano is infinitely customisable, supplying users control of cover open/shut position, hammer, damper and also key-off sound, vibration settings for string, damper, trick-- off, cabinet and audio board, and duplex scaling (no, I really did not know what that was either).

You can also alter the quantity degree, tonal personality (more difficult, or more mellow) and adjusting of each key. The latter will certainly be welcomed by individuals that write songs in non-Western adjustings, and could additionally be made use of to produce a sensible honky-tonk effect!

This durable, epoch-spanning key-board workstation looks set to be a future standard.

Structural Introduction.

In the brand-new Fantom, the tiniest indivisible system of noise is called a wave, which could be a tool multisample or a solitary drum hit. At the time of composing Roland have not released a wave checklist, however I counted 2108, covering the range of music timbre from acoustic to electronic.

A single important audio called a 'Tone' consists of 4 partials, each housing a wave of some description.

There are over 3500 tones, provided in containers called 'Zones'; a 'Scene' contains 16 areas, as well as you can specify various MIDI get channels (however, obviously, not 'omni' mode) each.

The Fantom's different area, scene as well as master effects creates some quite complex effects directing!

The Fantom's different area, scene and also master impacts produces some quite intricate results routing!

Scenes, which keep results, EQ settings and sequence information for each area, are the Fantom's default carrying out state. Scenes are kept in four financial institutions of 128, with 16 noticeable on display at one time: the financial institutions contain 272 factory presets, leaving 240 ports complimentary for individual scenes.

The Fantom includes 3 audio engines, called Zen-Core, Drum and the aforementioned V-Piano. The mysteriously named Zen-Core integrates a new synth sound engine (based upon VA innovation created for the V-Synth) with Roland's enduring PCM engine, as well as is utilized to create the sound of a single tool such as an organ or synth. As you 'd anticipate, the prosaically called 'Drum' engine consists of a collection of drum and also percussion packages, with a different audio on each secret.

At present the instrument's ROM dimension has not been revealed, however I can tell you that, in sensible terms, polyphony is endless-- you can execute full-range piano glissandi with the sustain pedal down over an elaborate sequenced backing without any trace of voices quiting or glitching.

Released in 2001 as the 76-note Fantom FA76, the key-board clung to its identity with an overwelming collection of revamps as well as name modifications, finishing in the top-of-the variety Fantom G (which I evaluated in SOS January 2009). With little advance caution, Roland have released a new front runner workstation-cum-synthesizer which constructs on the Fantom's legacy