Sound quality of the G

[RolandRules]

This is my 2nd Fantom G but I'm selling it.

I compared it to older Roland stuff and other older keyboards from Korg and what a shock...

I did a direct comparison on big studio mains.

Wow, the output first of all is very weak, it's like 25% of the output volume of the other keyboard.

And the sound is so thin, compared to the WIDE and DEEP sound of the other keyboards.

The manager of my local store who sold Korg for years told me that before the converters, and components were better and now they are cheap, and made in China.

He told me how his Korg Trinity was sounding so big compared to the newer stuff like the M3.

Anybody else experienced this?

[Flumpster]

It took you 2 Fantom G's to realize you didn't like it ? Surely you could have worked this out after one.

"Wow, the output first of all is very weak, it's like 25% of the output volume of the other keyboard."

What am I missing here? If one instrument is not as loud as another then surely you turn the gain up ? My sax is far louder than my acoustic guitar but you would never know in the mix.

"And the sound is so thin, compared to the WIDE and DEEP sound of the other keyboards."

ok.. this explains it all.. You aint got a clue what your talking about ;) Stick to asking managers ;)

[RolandRules]

First of all I had no other keyboard to compare it with the first time.

It sounds better than vsts, so thats why i bought it again, cuz i liked the songs i did on my first one.

But then when i heard it side by side with other keyboards. And im young, i never used those older keyboards, or never played them.

Wow, it sucks! no stereo image at all no deepness, the reverbs are small and sterile.

I'm in the market for older synths now. I'll get 4 or 5 for the price of my G lol...

And as for the ouput, yes it does make a huge difference. The signal is not only weaker but thinner.

It does change a lot of things becuz if the output is hotter, you get a better signal and noise ratio. Also, the op-amp stage does change the whole tone and frequency band. Same way people prefer older pre-amps and samplers..

[Lenny]

It's true that perhaps not all sounds are as full or authentic as a dedicated board, like the organs or pianos. But you may not be into geogeous string ensembles, beautiful ep's, sweeping pads, or killer leads. Not mention sampling capabilities, RPS triggering, or even recording on your workstation. In that case, run down to your nearest pawn shop and pick yourself the Poly 6 they still have there before it's gone.

[RolandRules]

Well i just bought a big 24 track recorder to replace the G...

I'm not telling what it is but converters are crazy on this unit.

I did test with various converters and machines, and I lose quality when recording in the G.

You have to put re-emphasis on samples, and it add unwanted transients to recorded material.

and yes, I'm into strings and other sounds like this of course.

Well pretty much everything suck on it, because of the lack of width and deepness. No matter how well programmed the patch is, it's still stuck within the quality limitation of the G.

Pretty much all that has been produced in the last 10 years suck on the audio market.

But people dump their high quality stuff for nothing on ebay, soo.. :)

[pigpen]

I have a Korg Trinity, Korg Oasys. The Fantom sound is as full deep and wide as on these boards. And better than a Korg Triton.
I would check your leads if you think its thin, and the volume is down.

[BrianJ]

Well i just bought a big 24 track recorder to replace the G...

I'm not telling what it is but converters are crazy on this unit.

I did test with various converters and machines, and I lose quality when recording in the G.

You have to put re-emphasis on samples, and it add unwanted transients to recorded material.

and yes, I'm into strings and other sounds like this of course.

Well pretty much everything suck on it, because of the lack of width and deepness. No matter how well programmed the patch is, it's still stuck within the quality limitation of the G.

Pretty much all that has been produced in the last 10 years suck on the audio market.

But people dump their high quality stuff for nothing on ebay, soo.. :)

What 24 track recorder did you get that sounds better than your G?

[RolandRules]

WOW i just received my loaded jv 1080 with 3 cards for 400$....

Smoked the fantom G in a matter of seconds.

The sound of the G just plain sucks compared to it.

The JV is huge, warm, fat...i cant believe it.

Well the G is almost sold anyway.

I'll get myself plenty of equipments with that money!

[G-Man]

Regarding the output, you should've checked Menu - System - Sound - Output Gain. You can increase the value up until 12dB, and by default is set to 0dB. As for the sound, this is a subjective matter. Many people seem to feel confortable wih the XP or previous Fantom sounds, probably because they've been using them for quite some time. Convertors made in China? For Korg, yes, that might be true, considering the way it sounds :D

[RolandRules]

Well i dont know how much subjective it can be.

But let's say the sounds are like a cadillac compared to a civic...

Just crazy, every patch is inspiring.

The pianos are gorgeous compared to the toy piano of the G.

[Quinnx.]

At the end of the day.. its each to his/her own

no one can tell you what does it for you..

hope your happy with what you got

for me..
I can get all the deep wide sound from the G any time i like.. probably because i have been working with the fantom for many years..

good luck anyway..