Why did you buy an FA 6 ?

[Synthtron]

I have used Roland for a long time too. Not everything has been perfect but you know what, neither are other companies.
I considered the FA-06 but the lack of an on board multitrack audio recorder has put it off for me for now.

The FA is a great instrument and all of those sounds from Roland's legacy inside are what still make it a consideration for me.

[Fantomtom]

I purchased a FA-06 two days ago as successor for my Fantom X6 because of the better integration in my setup, the better sync behaviour when the sequencer is in loop mode and the really great synth sounds.

But I have to say I'm disappointed at the moment. Maybe it's a matter of habit but I'm happy that I didn't find a buyer for my Fantom X6 which I'm using since 2008 ;-) There are mainly three issues for me: 1.) the cheap and ugly look & feel 2.) The volumes of the presets are extremely different. While browsing sounds my left hand is permanently at the volume knob. 3.) The USB MIDI bug which I described here: viewtopic.php?p=284108#p284108

I still hope the FA and I will became friends in the coming days. If not, I'll stay with my X6.

Audio input and vocoder (can now leave my microkorg at home).

I'm a vocoder addict ;-) Because you'll find only few demos of the FA's vocoder in web, this was one of the first things I tried out after unboxing. In my opinion the Microkorg vocoder sounds way better than the FA's one.

[Joe P]

I bought my FA08 for:

Light weight
Good action
Lots of great sounds
Ease of use
Gig friendly (studio sets)

Pads, sequencer and sampling are nice extras.

[jx3please]

Late entry I know but thought I would add my thoughts!

I play in a covers band so need versatility, but I was fed up of lugging around my G6 and Motif XS7 - both awesome but just too heavy. So swapped out for a Nord Stage 2 Ex and FA06 - about 1/3 of the weight overall so my back is happier!

I chose the FA06 because its range of sounds is good, particularly brass and strings and big synth sounds (these 3 are where the otherwise awesome NS2 falls down a little), it has a vocoder (we do Mr Blue Sky and Get Lucky), 5.7kg, you can load samples into to trigger from pads or keys.

Main downsides I see are lack of aftertouch, not a great keyboard to play, but just about does the job, that glossy finish - what were Roland thinking?!

Overall, I am really happy with my rig, and especially now I have Set List Maker on android tablet so changing programs on both boards is a breeze.

[Myrk-]

I bought it as a midi master controller for my hardware rig (no PC) - it has a range of fantastic features which on paper and in the showroom seemed like the shiz-niz. With its awesome sequencer it is a great tool for controlling 16 midi channels in a home studio setup, but unfortunately due to it's midi output restrictions (almost no functions in Part View effect external sounds) it doesn't serve me for live purposes too well. I've looked into other brands etc, but ultimately I think the FA is still probably the best weigh up of cost and functionality out there. Using it's own sounds without external gear this keyboard is soooooo good at what it does, and I recently found that I can use my JD-XA as a programmer for my FA-06 sounds which is a great feature considering the lack of a software editor!

[0kk0p3kk4]

- it was cheap
- it wasnt heavy
- it had good overall sounds
- had possibility for no-cut-when-changing-sounds
- thought it could handle multiple layering/splitting with every soundtype for multiple sounds and change those with 1 pad push within 1 studioset (but couldnt).

[JPWC]

I bought the FA06 because I want one of every MFG's workstation (keyboard lust) not count all the non-workstation keyboards.

The FA06 has become my primary live performance keyboard.

It's easy to program and configure; splits and layers in seconds. It has a great collect of sounds. It is light weight. Perfect for those all night long jam sessions, where anything might happen.

I've found the shiny panel a pain to read, so i stuck p-touch labels on the controls, hoping we get over-lays at some point.

I have acquired a nice set of keyboards. I review them often and judge them on how useful and how often I play them. The Roland FA06 is my "most used" keyboard, at home and out performing with others. Out of all my 27 keyboard, if the FA06 failed, I'd buy another.

[Gydur]

I bought one yesterday because of the number of presets and sounds available for free, and because of the good sequencer.

I also had a Roland Fantom G 6 before which I really liked, and therefore decided to go for a new Roland.

Plus my son will be born in January, and he will be named Roland...:)

[Fleer]

Welcome and congrats, Gydur.
Though I'm not the ideal guy to welcome you here, certainly in this thread, as I got my FA06 almost three years ago and still have to open the packaging. Anyway, very pleased I got one. Now only to find some time to play it ...

[Gatorjohn]

Holy smokes Fleer, git it goin!!

[Fleer]

I know, Gator. Damn!

[PugFace]

1. Fed up of DAWs with blue screen crashes, poor midi timing, umpteen USB cables etc; etc;
2. Liked the sampling on the FA as an audio track record method and to be experimental.
3. Liked the sound engines, all of them are good and are very flexible for many types of music.
4. Reasonable cost to buy, not over-priced
5. Cheap flash memory use
6. Very tight sample timing to midi timing in sequencer
7. Good quality sample recording, still cant believe its only 16bit audio, sounds far better.
8. Onboard compression and EQ for recording.
9. Very portable and light
10. Simple to integrate midi with audio sampling similar to ableton.