Roland new Fantom-0 series

[anotherscott]

I looked into the PC4 after you mentioned it recently but to be honest my initial reaction was that it looked like a fantastic option as far as the control surface, the design, it has aftertouch, etc., and I was really hoping to like it, but listening to demos I thought it sounded terrible, really some of the worst pianos I've ever heard in a modern board.

Well, there's always a lot of subjectivity to this. But in case you haven't seen it, this video at least gives you a taste of the different pianos in it, in case the demos you heard didn't show the range of piano sounds as well. Personally, I find these superior to the Roland pianos.

[3ptguitarist]

Do you know how deep the synth tone editing is for the VA engine and any other engines? The FA seems to have a lot of editing possibilities.

There are differences, but both permit extensive editing. Check the video below. Also, you can download the Parameter Guide for the Fantom-0 and check out pages 20-36.

Do you think the fantom-0 is better than the FA? I'm a beginner and a bedroom musician. I mainly use my FA to play piano. I'm kinda disappointed in the piano sounds and the synth engine has a lot of menu diving that isn't so fun to use lol. I do want better piano sounds and more controls that I can use with uhe diva and ableton. The fantom-0 has zencore and I'm wondering if that sounds better than the va engine in the FA? Do you think the fantom-0 would accomplish the above?

I don't see a Reason to Swap the FA for the Fantom 0 since they are so simmilar.
Shure the Fantom 0 has the New Shiny Zen Core instead of the Supernatural Synth and i like the sound and options on the Older SN Synth Better than the the New Zen Core.

Have you installed the SRX Banks for your FA that can be had for free at http://axial.roland.com/category/fa-06_fa-07_fa-08/ ?

You can have 2 SRX Banks loaded in your FA at the same time and there are 2 Piano Srx Banks there too.

I tried expansion 9 and I wasn't impressed with the sounds. Maybe 2 of them sound good to my ears. Maybe I'll try the other, but for the most part the piano sounds aren't as good sounding for me.

[AlesisVi61]

Important info about the DAW integration for the Fantom-0 series has come to light. I've been in contact with Roland support(as I was having trouble with Ableton appearing within my Fantom's DAW Control screen.)
I had confirmed that I had aa solid connection, but had very rudimentary midi functionality. After I had contacted Roland, I was told that I had to upgrade to Live 11 standard, in order for it to work properly.
On the one hand, I don't place much stock in what Roland says...while on the other hand, Roland has always had a sinister way of siphoning money out of Roland users....so I cannot really confirm or disconfirm what is going on with my Fantom.

[anotherscott]

After I had contacted Roland, I was told that I had to upgrade to Live 11 standard, in order for it to work properly.
On the one hand, I don't place much stock in what Roland says...while on the other hand, Roland has always had a sinister way of siphoning money out of Roland users

How does suggesting upgrading your version of Ableton put any more money in Roland's pockets?

[AlesisVi61]

After I had contacted Roland, I was told that I had to upgrade to Live 11 standard, in order for it to work properly.
On the one hand, I don't place much stock in what Roland says...while on the other hand, Roland has always had a sinister way of siphoning money out of Roland users

How does suggesting upgrading your version of Ableton put any more money in Roland's pockets?

If nothing else....the inclusion of Ableton with purchase, is a selling point for fans of Ableton(especially so, due to the tight integration between the Fantom-0 & Ableton.) All of which in turn, means more Fantom sales.

[anotherscott]

Ah. Giving you too much good stuff is sinister, they will addict you!

[AlesisVi61]

Ah. Giving you too much good stuff is sinister, they will addict you!

The Fantom keyboard itself,is a good value(the best Roland has ever offered in fact)....but Roland will always have some underlying scheme to siphon money out of you. Roland advertises that the Fantom works tightly with the included Ableton software(when in fact, it doesn't work at all....unless you spend $369 extra for the Standard version.) Then there's the matter of Roland's classic modeled softsynths($150 per VST & $600 for the whole bundle.) Roland should have at the very least, offered a discount on those, for Roland Fantom owners.)
Roland's flagship Fantom is insanely expensive, has no mutli-track audio recording,only a 7" display and only a small fraction of the HD space(when compared to the Korg Kronos/Nautilus.

In the past, the Fantom G was just as expensive, but for the most part, had toy-ish sounds & if you wanted a sound upgrade, you had to spend an additional $449 for ARX cards(which only had 2 sound categories per sound card.
If all that isn't sinister, then I don't know what is. Roland users who only have a budget for a keyboard like the Fantom-0, don't necessarily have an extra $1,000 for the Ableton upgrade and Roland's classic VST libraries( not to mention all the other libraries available.)
Roland's pricing & price-gouging is the reason why I never seriously considered a Roland workstation....that is, until the Fantom-0 series presented a good value( but won't really offer any real values beyond the keyboard itself.)
Before the Fantom-0 series came out, I had dismissed Roland altogether, because the first time Roland ever came out with a workstation with a bunch of great sounds & functionality(the flagship Fantom)...t was so damn expensive, that I gave up on the idea of ever owning hardware again.
Then....out of nowhere, the Fantom-0 series came about and I wasn't ready for it....so the only way I could afford the Fantom 06, was to go with the 12 payment plan(through my usual retailer via their in-store financing)...so I am paying not only $125 a month,but also an additional $40 a month on my Adam Audio T5V's...as well as another $33 a month on a Zoom Q8n video unit.
All that said, shelling out another $369 for Ableton is unthinkable(unless of course, I rob a bank.) So for the next year, I won't be able to afford to use Ableton with my Fantom(unless of course, I use a separate midi controller keyboard and just fiddle around with the Lite version.) However...I can't even do that, as Ableton does not support Nektar controllers and there is no general midi setting for non-supported controllers.
All of which means that I would be forced to buy another midi controller(for which I have no money for either.)
Roland's marketing tactics are such bullsh*t...stating that Ableton Live Lite has tight integration and Ed Diaz of Roland says that the Fantom-0 has $6,000 sounds(when the product page clearly states that it has $3,500.)

[AlesisVi61]

Ah. Giving you too much good stuff is sinister, they will addict you!

The Fantom keyboard itself,is a good value(the best Roland has ever offered in fact)....but Roland will always have some underlying scheme to siphon money out of you. Roland advertises that the Fantom works tightly with the included Ableton software(when in fact, it doesn't work at all....unless you spend $369 extra for the Standard version.) Then there's the matter of Roland's classic modeled softsynths($150 per VST & $600 for the whole bundle.) Roland should have at the very least, offered a discount on those, for Roland Fantom owners.)
Roland's flagship Fantom is insanely expensive, has no mutli-track audio recording,only a 7" display and only a small fraction of the HD space(when compared to the Korg Kronos/Nautilus.

In the past, the Fantom G was just as expensive, but for the most part, had toy-ish sounds & if you wanted a sound upgrade, you had to spend an additional $449 for ARX cards(which only had 2 sound categories per sound card.
If all that isn't sinister, then I don't know what is. Roland users who only have a budget for a keyboard like the Fantom-0, don't necessarily have an extra $1,000 for the Ableton upgrade and Roland's classic VST libraries( not to mention all the other libraries available.)
Roland's pricing & price-gouging is the reason why I never seriously considered a Roland workstation....that is, until the Fantom-0 series presented a good value( but won't really offer any real values beyond the keyboard itself.)
Before the Fantom-0 series came out, I had dismissed Roland altogether, because the first time Roland ever came out with a workstation with a bunch of great sounds & functionality(the flagship Fantom)...t was so damn expensive, that I gave up on the idea of ever owning hardware again.
Then....out of nowhere, the Fantom-0 series came about and I wasn't ready for it....so the only way I could afford the Fantom 06, was to go with the 12 payment plan(through my usual retailer via their in-store financing)...so I am paying not only $125 a month,but also an additional $40 a month on my Adam Audio T5V's...as well as another $33 a month on a Zoom Q8n video unit.
All that said, shelling out another $369 for Ableton is unthinkable(unless of course, I rob a bank.) So for the next year, I won't be able to afford to use Ableton with my Fantom(unless of course, I use a separate midi controller keyboard and just fiddle around with the Lite version.) However...I can't even do that, as Ableton does not support Nektar controllers and there is no general midi setting for non-supported controllers.
All of which means that I would be forced to buy another midi controller(for which I have no money for either.)
Roland's marketing tactics are such bullsh*t...stating that Ableton Live Lite has tight integration and Ed Diaz of Roland says that the Fantom-0 has $6,000 sounds(when the product page clearly states that it has 3,500.)

[oboemaroni]

I'm a bit unclear on the sequencer, am I right in thinking there's no way to just record a simple performance? I don't necessarily need a full linear sequencer, but to have no way of capturing an idea when inspiration strikes wouldn't work for me.

[TheFrozenSea]

Sent my faulty unit back but will have a brand new one coming in a week or so I have been playing around with my Nord Lead 4/Elektron Octatrack combo as sort of a poor mans workstation. It's all good fun, and there are some obvious pros over the Fantom. But the Fantom was faster and more fun to work with sequencer-wise. Also I am planning to create my own library of sampled analog oscillators to use with the Zen-core engine, I hope it'll turn out well