Some questions about Fantom (= need expert help hehehe

[nandopo]

Hello folks! Been reading the boards for quite a while but just registered today.

I've been reading a lot lately cos i'm about to buy a key to complete my setup (Which consists of a triton classic 61 for now). My list started with the usual ones... Kurzweil K2600, Motif ES8 and FAntom X8 since i already havea korg.

For what i've read motif's highlight are the rom samples but i can get that with a rack so it isnt really a matter. (Even tho being a HArd rock keyboardist I'd love to have the same machine as Bon Jovi's David Bryan hehehe).

I could test both the fatom and the kurzweil for an hour or 2 at a store last week. The Kurzweil just plain amazed me in the real time controllers part. My head just blew when i saw what i could do and as much control i'd have about the patches while playing live. But as a downside the presets suck big time and it's a kindof old equipament with hard to find hardware expansions duo to their age (At least hard to find here in Brazil, where i live).

Fantom on the other hand had some very good presets, it's te newest of the 3 i listed and has a great distribution network here in brazil. But i was afraid bout the live tweaks it can offer me, so here go some questions (=

1) I read about the delay when changing patches, and that a new motherboard from roland lessened this problem , whats the version of this motherboard and how can i check it on the one i'm wanting to buy? And if the delay appears, will it show a lot when i change say, Piano / Strings layer to a lead synth from the favorite page?

I was planning to dumping my most used patches in 1 or 2 favorite pages and just gof rom there in all performances live.

2) How easy is it to work with imported sample libraries or sample files? For exemple insert a sample in a key int he middle of a combination (think u guys call it performance) (Say c1) and use it whenever i need. Something i do on my korg a lot is recording small intros from songs, vocal effects or in-song speeches etc and use them in the middle of the song. But thats a task i'd like to transfer for my new synth cos of storage capacity (Since i still use floppys on the triton).

3) Can i assign these samples to the pad? or some other effects or the pads work only for drum things?

4) I read that i have only 64 user performances i can record on the keyboard's memory? is that it ? If i buy i smartmedia card i read that i can have only another 64 group even if the card is like 1gb, is that so?

5) is there a big internal hd to use with the keyboard? for exemple , i expand my sample memory to te max 512. Do i have a place t dump a very big sample of 500 mb?

6) How many real good presets u guys think u use in your keyboards?

Well this those are the first doubts i have ... fr sure i can go from there and ask you guys some more questions based on answers and my further reading about the fantom.

Been studying and making questions on forums about the k2600 for the past 5 days now it's fantom's time heheheheh Hopefully i can have a decision by this week's end.

[Quinnx.]

Storage:
So far upto 2048mb CF

Presets:
Enough to get you started and satisfied for a while.

real time control:
On all paramiters:

Possibilities: Endless...
But is dependant on the indevidual creativity imagination and skill

now go buy it now!

Results not Excuses
MSN: fantom01@hotmail.com

Get optimised: Rev 9.1
http://knightspawn.fws1.com/woodhazel_f ... ilesys.htm

QuinnX universal tranlator below:-
(lets not be misunderstood)

!!!!!! Emphasis not anger
!!?? Confusion or Stupidity
ABC are you getting the point
&*$% Anger (but rarely seen)


Fantom-X6 with Audio Track Expansion (OS 2.0)
Windows 2000
Intel P4 2g
512mb

[nandopo]

Quinx but in a CF card can i store like 300 different performances (eg. 1 for each of the set list of one of my bands... so say i play in 5 bands each band with a setlist of 50 different songs) Can i have all these performances stored in a CF and just load them up before each show to match the set list for the night?

Other thing... Lets say i am playing a piano pach... then when the song gets to the chorus i need to add some 1 or 2 patch strings, how hard is to make that while playing live. On the k2600 i sawu can mute channels u're not using and then just unmute them using soft buttons so that can get me from 1 to 3 patches at the same time real fast ..is this possible on the fantom?

And last is it possible to assign different sampled pieces (like intros, or a speech for exemple, or some 1 note big effect) to the pad and just release the sample with 1 press of the pad?

Thanks a ton for the time spent in answering m question (=

[Radon_22]

You can do that quickly/efficiently one of two ways:

1) use a layered piano/strings patch and adjust via expression

2) use performance (layer/split) mode and have the strings on an un-checked part.

I use method one for a piano/strings combo, but for other layered instruments I find that performance mode works best.



As to assigning samples to the pads, this is one of the Fantom's strong points. Check out "User 07" on a FantomX in performance mode for a few ideas.

Radon_22

"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office" - Robert Frost

[nandopo]

Thanks for the answer...

By the way by expression u mean hittin thekeys more fiercely, right ? So i have 2 patches separated by velocities?

Any idea about the first question about the Memory card? For all i understood i can't get a say 1gb or 2gb card and store many sets of different performances in it , like 1 folder for band a's set list performances, another for band b's set , another for band c's and so on ... is that so ? So in fact i'd need a large card for samples and things like that and several (as many as my bands are) smaller cards to stroe different performances according to the set lists?

Else, does fantom have a internal hd or something built in where i can record some patch changes and some performance changes or its all up to the cards ?

Thanks a ton for the attention folks

[rollinsmth]

I use my X8 for playing live in 2 different bands and also for recording my own works in a home studio and I don't think there is another keyboard that's better suited for it. You can think of it like this...the X comes out of the box with a certain amount of memory to store a certain number of patches, performances, songs, patterns and samples. If you want to store MORE patches, performances, songs, patterns and samples, then you can stick a CF card (or any other with appropriate adapter) in the back and there's your "bigger drive". Just for organizational clarity...I keep one CF card with EVERYTHING on it for one band...patches, performances, samples that I assign to pads or keys, sequences and text files that I can read from the screen. I keep another CF card with EVERYTHING on it for the other band. And I keep seperate memory cards for the recording projects that I do.

[nandopo]

Rollin Thanks for the explanation. Yeah its like i thought then ...i can't just have a big CF holding all my sets in different folders... so it'd be better to have medium cards separated by bands.

Do u know if i can have for exemple a performance from 1 cf that uses samples that are stored in another cf ?

Also u said text files? SO theres an option for me to have say, some cheating notes of chord progression / parts of the song or my own notes of what does what in a combination set? wow if thats true u just made me decide for it right now d=

Else, if i can put CF patches and performances on the favorite section? or ill have to edit favorite section everytime i turn the key on to add the CF patches / Performances to it

Again, thank you very much

[Radon_22]

Yep, every live setting patch/performance can have its own on-screen text. It can really be handy if you're like me and forget chord progressions, forget the words to a song, etc.

"Live play" also allows you to seamlessly switch between your favorite patches/performances/songs. With 20 banks of 8 apiece (160 total, for you math impared) You could easily separate your favorites for different bands.

Radon_22

"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office" - Robert Frost

[nandopo]

wow GREAT u guys just made my day lol

How big is the text space ? How many lines u can write? the full screen? can u really see anything live or its more cool than functional? And hows the edition of this ? computer based ?

This live mode part, can i store my performances in it internally or save them to a cf too? like again in my exemple, i have banks 1-2-3 set to band #1 , 4-5-6 Band #1 7-8 Bnd #3 but all these performances use performances i created and stored in a CF , can i program the key to load the CF the config i need at the show of the right band?

Wow still amazed byt the "i'll never frget the lyrics for a song again' utility d= hehehehehehhe

Thanks for taking the time to answer Radon

[Radon_22]

The text space is probably around 1/3 of the screen, but text size is adjustable with 5 different fonts.

Also, a slight correction to my earlier post: there are 320 slots in Live mode, not 160.

If I understand your live mode question right, you can access songs/performances/patches from both internal and CF sources.

While there is a limit to the total number of performances even with a CF card, You'll find that the ability to load songs in live mode allows you to "cheat" this boundary to a certain degree.

Radon_22

"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office" - Robert Frost

[dboulden]

Just wanted to mention that the text space in Live Play mode is much larger than 1/3 of the screen. I use 2 live play banks for live mode, 1 for each half of our set. Each text file is around 120 lines long (about 3k of text each one). You can simply scroll up and down the text file withy the jog wheel.

)

Dave

http://www.drstudio.demon.co.uk/
"Musicians fall into three categories: those with a physical block, those with a mental block and those with a wooden block". Unfortunately, I'm in the 1st category!

[nandopo]

Ah ok got it Radon... when u talk about songs u mean other alternative than performances... i think i get it.

Well thanks a ton for te time answering my questions all, im 99% sold for the fantom, thanks to the great help i gt in this forum! Thanks a ton!

Last question heheheh The poliphony issues... how often it really is an issue to layer like 2 or 3 patches and run out of polyphony playing a 4 key chords with the right hand and then rhythm an octave bass on the left ...

Saw some people complaining about having polyphony troubles real easily when using some more elabporate patches....

Again thanks a TON!

[dboulden]

I believe the maximum number of tones a patch can use is 8 (stereo tone per part, 2 tones x 4 parts) which gives a worst case of 16 notes at any one time with the 128 tones of polyphony available.

)

Dave

http://www.drstudio.demon.co.uk/
"Musicians fall into three categories: those with a physical block, those with a mental block and those with a wooden block". Unfortunately, I'm in the 1st category!

[nandopo]

Let's say ... i have a patch like u said, 4 layers + stereo so 1 note press 16 notes. (Say a Piano Patch like that)

I layer it over another sound like that so 1 note press is like 32 notes. (say some Strings patch i can layer on the piano on the chorus of the song)

so a 4 finger chord = 128 polyphony. the bass would not be possible in this scenario. My question is , how many of the good patches use the 4 layers + stereo (16 notes) thing?

This happens a lot on my triton and i just hate it hehehe so i thought i should ask beforehand d=

[dboulden]

No, it's one note press = 8 tones (4 parts, two tones per part for stereo patches).

)

Dave

http://www.drstudio.demon.co.uk/
"Musicians fall into three categories: those with a physical block, those with a mental block and those with a wooden block". Unfortunately, I'm in the 1st category!