Roland Clan Forums

I've been looking closely at the range of workstations, including the Fantom X. From my perspective, the Fantom's sequencer seems way better than Korg's and Yamaha's. The Fantom also has all the necessary editing tools in the sampler section.
The effects section would need an upgrade in the next edition, I think. Korg didn't really do this in their new M3 (still 5 inserts), but Yamaha are now including nothing less than 16 (8x2).

What other areas do you feel should be adressed in the next Roland workstation?

regards, Hugo

This subject has been covered numerous times in the past.

But you're right about the MFX section. Still, they are good and get the job done. However, more would definately be better.

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Roland Fantom X7, Alesis Fusion 6HD, Novation X/A-Station 25, Alesis Micron

1) presets in FX units, including user-defined presets ... I guess it's not there, or am I missing it ?

2) REAL audio tracks feature, I mean streaming directly from media, bypassing RAM. Not that crap that Roland pissed us of and selling it for money. MV or Alesis Fusion users know what I am talking about.

3) "patch remain" workjing: when I am browsing sounds and I move cutoff / resonance etc. a little bit, after I switch to next patch, cutoff / resonance is moved too, not in original new patch's state.

4) little bit more buttons for tweaking sound

3) "patch remain" workjing: when I am browsing sounds and I move cutoff / resonance etc. a little bit, after I switch to next patch, cutoff / resonance is moved too, not in original new patch's state.

Patch Remain is implemented BADLY! Even in the Juno-G.

The way it is, it is useless. Some controllers (like cutoff/resonance) should be reset even in patch remain, otherwise the feature is unusable.
On the contrary, some controllers, like expression or volume, should be NEVER reset, whether you are in Patch Remain or not.

I never, never found a keyboard that resets the volume pedal position when you change patch... on the Juno, I would like to use patch remain to keep the position of the volume pedal, but I cannto do it because cutoff and resonance would not be reset, with an unpredictable effect.

The problem is that it is not a bug, but this behaviour is by design, as it works exactly in the way it is written in the manual. So it's unlikely they will ever fix it... they should simply understand that the feature has not been designed in a correct way, from a musician point of view.

Ah, what's more: on the Juno-G, Patch Remain does not work in Live Settings mode. I don't know if this is a bug or it is by design (but the manual does not say anything...), anyway the way this Patch Remain function is implemented is really buggy and annoying: why don't they fix it? The Fantom has been on the market for a long time...

More MFXs should be useful

Dynamic pad bank is great, I love it, but aren't much good rhythm sets, and only 32 user rhythms.
Also, only 64 performances (internal memory)

128 voices are great, but the next Fantom should have atleast 180 or so...

Patch remain is also a problem.

Also, some real time controllers missing - I would add some sliders with lots of lights, like on Korg Oasys

Maybe a color screen with a better resolution: but hey, it's not a TV, it's a keyboard...

Also, only 64 performances (internal memory)

This is another problem, and it is common to any model.

I think it is time to remove such limitations, because in modern operating systems there is no reason to put these limits. I can understand that in 1986 maybe you had only 6 bits to store the patch number in some register and so you could have only 64 patches, but today I can't believe...

For example, in Live Settings mode there is no reason to limit the number of banks. You only have 20 banks, but they could be 100, 1000 or one million, as long as you have available memory.

I don't know if these limits are due to bad software design or marketing reasons, but they really should remove them...

I would like more favourite sound banks.
SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE DUMP!!!! thus unlimited performance

Patch Remain works as it should on Roland's XPs. Sounds are held fairly smoothly (totally smothly if there are no EFX activated) with hold down during a patch change, and all slider edits are voided. I have no idea why Roland wrecked this perfectly implemented XP feature on the Fantoms, but they'd better put it back the way it was on whatever's next or I'm not buying.

Because of this I've gone back to using my XP-80 in my praise band, where fluid changes during quiet passages are a must. My maxxed out Fantom S is still my main club board though... it sounds better.

1) An addition to the Live settings mode that I can set program changes to differend channels that my modules in my rack also switch to the correct settings for the next song.


2) That Skip Back sampling not only generates an audio file but that it's also possible to pass the MIDI data to the sequencer.


3) Slicing and start/end editing for audioevents in audiotrack mode. Fade in/out editing would be nice too.


4) Offline audio processing to be a lot faster, but I'm afraid this is a harware thing.


5) SysEx dumps of soundbanks


6) Streaming audiotracks, why use RAM?


7) Track naming in the sequencer


8) On a new Fantom: VGA output and 8 motorised faders and endless rotary's


9) On a new Fantom:
VA-synthesis or the option to add it.
FM-synthesis or the option to add it.


10) On a new Fantom:
Build in harddrive and/or USB host

Basicly I want a merge of the Alesis Fusion and the Fantom

This is something I've been thinking of last days... The problem with huge sample banks is the loading time. It'd be great if those time were reduced to minimum, but perhaps there is another aproach.

Many people leave their synths always switched on in their studios, for not having to reload samples all the time. The problem comes when you switch it off, or have to move it for gigging.

¿Wouldn't it be possible to keep the RAM contents when the unit is in stand-by mode? And if you need to move the synth, ¿shall a reloadable battery keep the memory contents for several days?...

Some synth manufactures have approached to this problem using non volatile RAM, which is terribly expensive (like on the alesis fusion, or the old yamaha SY series).

I wonder why anybody has tried the battery aproach... ¿I'm missing something?

Regards, Urtzi.

Another idea: a small trackball or trackpad, and a PS/2 port for an external mouse, together with a user interface that makes use of the mouse (i.e. to move notes in the sequencer etc.)

Well, in general, file-system hardware bus should be not-so-terrible-slow as in current Fantom. That's basic reason why is Roland loading any kind of stuff so slow, and no direct audio streaming from media.

Also internal HHD, or CF-card slot would be fine, instead of that outdated PC-CARD slot that makes us to buy additional adapter.

And USBstorage+MIDI over USB at once, no need to do anoying swithing USBmidi USBstorage mode !!! Also an option to stream audio output digitaly to computer thru USB (Virus TI-like) would bu nice.