Roland FA-08 Workstation: Krome & Kronos killer

[2020digging]

Take note Korg people. It had to happen and check the integration with DAW's. Something Krome is not good at. Anyone want to buy a Krome 61 keyboard?

[Synthoid]

I don't think anyone at Korg is worried.

[Bald Eagle]

It looks like a good board for the price and the FA-08 will be some competition for the Krome but it does not come close to a Kronos. Maybe next year Roland will expand on it if they achieve some success.

[2020digging]

It looks like a good board for the price and the FA-08 will be some competition for the Krome but it does not come close to a Kronos.

Price wise it looks like a great offering compared to the Kronos with the FA-08 touted at one half the price of the mid range Kronos. I suppose it comes down to a lot of things and sounds would be at the top of the list. The Roland has an Integra-7 inside and seems like a mix of the Kronos, Krome and Kross.

What I would like to see from Korg is a better integration with DAW's, especially since I own a Krome 61. I really like the sounds but connecting it to Logic and/or Ableton Live is not straightforward nor consistent. No one from Korg has done anything to educate it's clientele in this regard. Korg's hands off strategy does not engender confidence in it's product. I'm sure that Namm 2014 will uncover many more surprises and a software upgrade for the Krome would be most welcomed.

[shaneblyth]

Take note Korg people. It had to happen and check the integration with DAW's. Something Krome is not good at. Anyone want to buy a Krome 61 keyboard?

take note of the long thread in the Kronos forum http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=88017
There is a lot of detail both positive and negative talked about in that post. I for one find it a bit of a confused product. I certainly think the pianos such but some nice pad implications that are able tone live like. It comes across as an integer BUT it isn't. You'll see that in that post.

[shaneblyth]

It looks like a good board for the price and the FA-08 will be some competition for the Krome but it does not come close to a Kronos.

Price wise it looks like a great offering compared to the Kronos with the FA-08 touted at one half the price of the mid range Kronos. I suppose it comes down to a lot of things and sounds would be at the top of the list. The Roland has an Integra-7 inside and seems like a mix of the Kronos, Krome and Kross.

What I would like to see from Korg is a better integration with DAW's, especially since I own a Krome 61. I really like the sounds but connecting it to Logic and/or Ableton Live is not straightforward nor consistent. No one from Korg has done anything to educate it's clientele in this regard. Korg's hands off strategy does not engender confidence in it's product. I'm sure that Namm 2014 will uncover many more surprises and a software upgrade for the Krome would be most welcomed.

read that thread in the Kronos forum its not anything near a Kronos it doesn't have aftertouch and only a couple of slots. It is aimed more at the cheaper end like the Krome but after the discussion and looking at whats missing its quite a disappointing board. Yes it will suit some people well but it still seems it has one foot firmly planted 10 years ago.

[2020digging]

Yes it will suit some people well but it still seems it has one foot firmly planted 10 years ago.

I had a read and will follow that discussion from now on. Thanks. Now there's no doubt it is a stretch to say that it comes anywhere near a Kronos. But having said that the FA-08 is about as good as you could expect for someone wanting weighted keys and good sounds with the kind of functionality Roland are touting. It is a Krome/Kross combo at the very least. And your comment regarding the sounds is fair enough but it has very good expansion capabilities and the ability to incorporate your own samples. Not bad. But I am much more interested in it's ability to interface with my DAW. That's what I bought the Krome for. I like the Krome sounds, sure there are some weak ones in there but mostly all are very useable. I was and still am looking for an Integra-7. Maybe the price will come down after this? But even if I had the money the Kronos is far too expensive and I think this is the point Roland are making. The Kronos is also a very complicated machine to get the best out of. Again a feature set like the FA series would likely make it possible to access very good sounds with a very good range of functionality at an excellent price. What the Krome could/should've been.

[2020digging]

...Again a feature set like the FA series would likely make it possible to access very good sounds with a very good range of functionality at an excellent price. What the Krome could/should've been.

The Roland FA-06/08 workstation manual is now available:

http://www.roland.com/support/article/? ... d=63078472

Just a quick look through would suggest to me that it is a Krome killer. At least in terms of functionality. The Krome is the first synth/workstation I have bought from Korg and after many months of using and scratching my head over what could be but isn't I am convinced that the Roland FA_06/08 series is the way to go. What irks me about Korg is the lack of support and updates to software. Rather than updating features of the Krome, some that I find are at least 20 years out of date, Krome sit on their collectives.
When you look at the Roland manual take a look at page 36 and the way that Roland have split the rhythm patterns up into useable sections. That's just for starters. The 06/08 series are a combination of the Krome and Kross without the expense. Krome decide to split their products into 2 inferior products rather than bolstering their loyal support.
It's truly unfortunate and the times are now more about customers being "one bitten twice shy" Brand loyalty must be nurtured with excellent products and consistent support. This is where Korg will find themselves languishing against very stiff opposition. It's a shame because I do like some of the sounds but in terms of functionality the Krome sits too far into the past.

[SanderXpander]

If you're mainly concerned with getting good sounds in your DAW you should be looking at VSTis. Omnisphere and/or Komplete Ultimate are cheaper than the FA and offer way better DAW integration, not to mention higher quality sounds and more of them.
EDIT: also, be wary of Roland support, they abandoned their last workstation while it was still being sold and left it pretty much half finished. You can look for comments on the G6/7 anywhere and find loose ends. A real shame, as it had a lot going for it.

[2020digging]

If you're mainly concerned with getting good sounds in your DAW you should be looking at VSTis. Omnisphere and/or Komplete Ultimate are cheaper than the FA and offer way better DAW integration, not to mention higher quality sounds and more of them.
EDIT: also, be wary of Roland support, they abandoned their last workstation while it was still being sold and left it pretty much half finished. You can look for comments on the G6/7 anywhere and find loose ends. A real shame, as it had a lot going for it.

Sure, I'm aware that companies can and do relinquish responsibility of their products when issues arise. Apple have turned support into an art form with consultants ringing you back if need be. This is after languishing between not owning up to issues and then being forced to. They realised the false economies of this.
Re VSTs - in effect I am trying to avoid the clutter that VSTs can impose on a DAW. By that I mean there is usually an issue of compatibility and or intense CPU usage not to mention the dreaded effect they can have on latency. This is where the modern workstation can have positive results. It is external hardware and is a more relaxed approach to idea generation. A song can be worked out or at the very least parts of the song can and then committed to a record either on board or to the DAW. I like this approach after years of the purely DAW approach. In effect it also saves having to upgrade your computer to cope with the strain that some VSTs put on it.

[SanderXpander]

I think it is clear from your description that you don't have a lot of experience running VST based productions. Just going by "there is usually an issue of compatibility" (?) and "the effect they can have on latency" (they don't, latency is determined by CPU speed and the audio interface driver). It's true that you need an up to date computer and a decent soundcard.

It's of course entirely fine if you'd rather not go this route, enough people on here still prefer hardware workstations, also because they can lay down the initial idea on the hardware. I was just reacting to you saying you bought the Krome for DAW integration - and in that case VSTs are the clear winners. It might be worth to look into this option more seriously if that is your main point of focus. Your sound quality will improve, as will your DAW integration.

But if you prefer a hardware workstation for other reasons, I'm certainly not going to stop you
Hope you find something that works for you.

[maranite]

The FA-08 probably will take some sales form the Krome, though a Krome 88 is stall $100 cheaper than the weighted FA-08.

Is it a Krome killer? Debatable. It seems like many people on this forum rant on about the technical features of a board without considering the target market. The Krome doesn't sport the FA-08's sampler, and has only a third of the voices that ship with an FA-08, but that doesn't make it a bad board.

The Krome has the most complete / well thought out performance midi/controller implementation I've seen on a board in this segment... a lot of very subtle features have been cleverly thought through to make it a great board for creativity & gigging - like being able to play a chord, then have the joystick only bend/mod a single note of that chord... or being able to switch programs without killing the voices currently being played. While I'm sure someone will disagree with me, my opinion is that the implementation of effects processing on the Krome is superior to the FA-08 too.

None of these features add up to a sampler - so if a sample (sans PC) is what you really have to have, then get an FA-08.

[2020digging]

None of these features add up to a sampler - so if a sample (sans PC) is what you really have to have, then get an FA-08.

I checked out the Roland FA and stuck with my Krome. I only wish that Korg would update the software every now and then esp so that the sequencer is easier to work. Most times it is frustratingly off. The drums come in late often. However the touch screen on the Korg is far superior to the Roland and the sounds are also very good.

[Elohimfetus]

If you're mainly concerned with getting good sounds in your DAW you should be looking at VSTis. Omnisphere and/or Komplete Ultimate are cheaper than the FA and offer way better DAW integration, not to mention higher quality sounds and more of them.
EDIT: also, be wary of Roland support, they abandoned their last workstation while it was still being sold and left it pretty much half finished. You can look for comments on the G6/7 anywhere and find loose ends. A real shame, as it had a lot going for it.

I agree with this guy about everything except for the vst vs hardware sound quality...but that's opinion based and computer based. His is probably bigger than mine...hehe

The roland support issues...are facts. They drop stuff like a bad habit. The Fantom-S was out for 1 year and then they come with the Fantom-X. 1 year and my board was obsolete. VStudio-100 interface, I finally saved the money and found a great interface on sale 1.5 years later DOES NOT WORK WITH MAVERICKS ON 2009 IMAC and may never. Other IMacs still have issues. Now I have to use Windows 7 via Boot Camp.

Almost makes me want to sequence on the keyboard and just record to a TASCAM DP-32.....almost...

[Elohimfetus]

The biggest issue I see with the Krome is the keys on the 61...they suck...my Fantom S from 11 years ago has better keys. The 88 keys felt decent but...not perfect.

Not hating I like the Krome there are many excellent features.

So that being said everything else looks pretty damn awesome...I like the sequencer...some one just told me the same sequencer is in the Triton. I guess that's what others were talking about above. It's new to me so I was impressed.

Kronos can not be touched by the FA. It has like 9 engines and one of them is an MS-20...just sayin