I can only say that I envy you hvaing the oppartunity to play around with all that gear.
I'm an old school and don't really like the soft lane, even though one can hook up a hw controller for the softies and get all the advantages of flexible soft and hands on hw. Not to mention that modern hw basicly are soft driven. It's just a nicer feeling using dedicated hw. But then again, how dedicated should the hw bee to be called truly dedicated? I mean, if you want drumsounds you usually don't go to the closest dealer an buy yourself a drumkit...
From your hands on experience of pros and cons I think I'll go MV. Well, now it's all up to the piggy...poor thing
I had XP-60 for few years and used it to extent. Now I use Xa as sequencer. Though I use computer based sequencers too, I love to program on keyboard sequencer.
Among the workstaions I have used (Korg N364, Triton, Karma, Le, Roland XP-50 XP60 and Fantom Xa) for sequencing, I found XP-60 as most usefull and easy sequencer in all aspects. (Except it has only one rhythm part!)
I have a very different point to mention regarding this topic.
You might feel all these things funny but they are facts.
I have complaint about Fantom Xa's sequencing abilities.
If Roland has given some facilities or shortcuts for sequencing in XP-60 then why they couldn't include all those in Fantom? Really its a puzzle for me atleast.
Few points to mention:
*Can't play loop in pattern in Playback Mode (Possible in Record Mode)
*System menu shoud be independant of Performance, Patch or Sequencer Song modes. You can't access System Menu from Sequencer Mode.
*Can't copy effects from any other Performance or Patch.
*Can't write GM Bank sound to User Bank.
*Can't view GM Bank Patch setting by pressing Patch Edit.
*Track Solo mode NOT AVAILABLE.
Hey .. Don't get bugged up ... but this is a fact... these all functions were there in XP-50 XP-60/80.
Then why not in Fantom?
Anyone of you have faced these of different problems with Fantom? or solutions for my problems?
Ohh, sorry, I didn't answer the thread question...
YES, I do use the Fantom sequencer. I find it really nice to just hit rec and off you go. No poweringupcomputerloadwaitstateinspirationdrop (hey, nice word..).
Yeah, you're absolutely right Adwait. I recently got a Fantom XA and those features do not appear to be in it. The main one that got me was no loop recording in pattern mode??? Why even have a pattern mode then? But whatever, I can make do with song mode doing the speed sequncing tricks they had on their website. My only question is to you or anyone else who has a XA, does your XA go crazy when trying to sequence samples? For some reason mine does. Tracks won't stay muted, sometimes instruments will completely jump to different tracks, and the tempo starts to go haywire everytime I switch screens. Sequencing the midi internally is fine, but when I try to sequnce with sampled sounds on the keys, things really get interesting! Yes, I have the latest OS. Also, one time while I was messin around in patch mode my screen went completely blank and I had to power it up again to get it back on, thus losing my song. I've had mine for about a week now. Anyone else had any problems like these specifically on the XA??
Thaks for the replyc JB. There are two reasons to thank you.
* As I'm using this forum Kinda thing for the first time. And you wrote back to me....
* Secondly, I got to know that its not only me who has problem with fantom XA's performance.
My keyboard stops responding and I have to power it up again.
Couple of days back, an amature player came to me with his Fantom Xa to edit sounds and his keyboard did the same interensting things.
Do you have any idea that any of the Roland people read this site?
Jb, I didn't understand your problem regarding loop recording in pattern mode. I can record pattern in loop but I can't play it back in pattern mode.
Yeah, that's really what I meant. I can record loops, but it wont play back in a loop. I guess the work around in that is to put it in record mode, rehearsal, and turn the clicks off. I also found out what my problem was when it came to samples. I called up one of the Roland tech guys and he basically told me I need to save my samples to a patch before I do anything, then proceed with everything else. I did that, and oddly enough when I shut down the machine and turned it back on, my patch was saved, but my sample wasn't. So I guess now I have to save the sample seperate from the patch. Anyways, for my tempo issue I remeber him telling me about this global tempo command which I turned to off. No more tempo problems.
i also use the fantom sequencer, i find it very easy to operate
to jbplaya and Adwait:
to play patterns back in song mode you have to enter the pattern in the sequencer for the number of times you want it to play back (i have just been using song mode and loop for my desired measure, i will then copy/cut/paste as needed)
and to save samples and patches, you must go to the save/load menu and "save all samples" this will save your samples to the card or user memory, then write your patch, you can write you patch before but remember to "save all samples" before you turn off your fantom
Oh... Now I got to know that we are sailing in same boat JB..
One more thing I found out about fantom.. I forgot it to write in the earlier post....
Most Biggest small thing they forgot....
Unable to take the cursor to bar number and enter it by NUM PAD, VALUE DIAL or INC DEC. Just pressing > never takes you the right number. So inconvinent.
Anyways, I haven't tried out sampling part of it as the music style with which I work is Indian and here we tend to use live Indian rhythms like Tabala, Dholak, Chanda Dholkee and Pakhawaj and melody instruents like Sitar, Bamboo Flute. For Western type or music, I prefer to use Reason 3.
Unable to take the cursor to bar number and enter it by NUM PAD, VALUE DIAL or INC DEC. Just pressing > never takes you the right number. So inconvinent.
if you hold the shift key down and press inc or dec buttons it will go superfast. I find it quicker than a mouse now.
I got your problem ..... Don't get confused with 480. It s the resolution per count. You got it correct.
In MPC, you have 96 and here you have 480. You have more space to move your notes if you face poliphoney problem. Plus, moving note a TICK here and there while having more resolution is good. you don't loose swing.
I think, MPC has only 0 to 8 or 9 values for swing. Am I right? SO its good to have more resolution to add feel to the notes.
Have I answered PARTLY to your problems? I can go in detail if I'm on correct track. Please reply
I compose electronic music and i use the fantom x sequencer + audio tracks for almost everything. If it is not sequenced on the fantom then it's by another hardware sequencer.
One interesting little thing is the soft thru on the fantom. I hooked up a behringer knob box to my fantom and use it for any knob tweaks. I can control the fantom sounds or external synths with it. The fantom sequencer handles all the midi CCs i throw at it without complaining.
sorry I was a bit wrong there. I use the shift key and dec and inc when using track edit functions. (it makes the numbers fly faster than I can turn the dial) I use that shift key all the time so thats why it so burnt in my brain.
To go fast though the bars in a sequence press the direction you want to go and then the opposite direction. It flys
So if you want to go forward press and hold >> keep holding and then press <<
To get to exact positions I believe the Fantom gives you a total of 4 locations which I think you can set using the loop button.
I used to use Cakewalk on always had markers at different bars but for some reason I find I can navigate quicker on the fantom with no markers.
I do use the loop function occasionally to trial different sounds out.
Why you were wrong YAAR... ( In India, Yaar means Friend).. I had a hope with that statement.. ha ha... anyway..
But thats the stupid thing with this keyboard. I have used Roland XP-60, XP-50, Triton Classic, Karma, Studio and all keyboards other than Fantom Xa have ability to change bar numbers with various options.
Anyways.... Roland has favoured us by atleast giving us the facility to change bars by pressing >.
Ya I really go mad when someone takes out the facilities from newer versions ....
