Roland Fantom Upgrade V2

afr · Post by **afr** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:34 pm

Really interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE0TxSB ... e=youtu.be

00:00 FANTOM Version 2.0 Overview
01:38 New Sampling Features
02:24 Sampling to Keyboard
03:17 Sampling Keyboard and Input
04:04 Sampling the Vocoder
05:13 Multisampling
07:55 New Sequencer Edit Tools
08:52: TFX (Total Effects) Processor
09:42 Pad Sampler Routing, Zoom Edit, More Output Routing
10:05 New Scene Chain Markers
10:20 Zone Advanced Control and Zone Transpose
11:27 Increased Aftertouch Sensitivity and Touchscreen Wallpaper

I like to see this kind of improvement

May be this time Roland will not abandon the project

I hope to see something new from Korg, could be time for a new Kronos

Kevin Nolan · Post by **Kevin Nolan** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:23 pm

Fantom is _very_ interesting. By now - ZenCore, Supernartural Acoustic, V-Piano, Vocoder and Sample engines.

256 note polyphony, exquisite Ableton style sequencing, tight integration into Logic, amazing connectivity, looks stunning - and I'm aware of at least one more major synth engine upgrade to happen ( can't tell

).

Most of all - it sounds stunning. Virtual Analog, Pads, Pianos - are all to die for.

Don't own one - and don't want to buy more hardware but it is becoming quite irresistible.

billysynth · Post by **billysynth** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:19 am

Virtually everyone has released some new hardware or software except Korg even though we are in lock down. Unbelievable this new stuff is being released

I think if there was to be a Kronos replacement it would need to offer something huge...and that 'something' would have to be a virtual ARP 2600

within the replacement Kronos. A combination of synth controllers and 10 inch touch screen Modular capabilities.

You want us to buy the replacement Kronos Workstation...put the ARP 2600 in it!! Complete/Full Spec.

Would be lovely to see a trimmed down Oasys 2

I hope that Roland's 'Major Synth Engine upgrade' for the Fantom that Kevin mentions is the JP8

I love my Fantom 8

Vas

jtern · Post by **jtern** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:45 am

After having watched this video:

https://youtu.be/V-NgoVwZlnU

with a demo of the Fantom’s new v2 features, there’s only one thing I can say:

- I love my Kronos even more! What an amazing workstation it is, even after 10 years.
The Fantom is so limited it almost feels like a ”toy workstation” in comparison.

afr · Post by **afr** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:39 am

I have Kronos since the very beginning, I'm very happy, really no complaints about

But I would like to see something new, something like an integretion of korg gadget in a hardware form, integrated audio card, midi audio over USB

jtern wrote:After having watched this video:

https://youtu.be/V-NgoVwZlnU

with a demo of the Fantom’s new v2 features, there’s only one thing I can say:

- I love my Kronos even more! What an amazing workstation it is, even after 10 years.
The Fantom is so limited it almost fees like a ”toy workstation” in comparison.

Jan1 · Post by **Jan1** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:40 pm

The Kronos is a class act, and the updates after the first Kronos added a lot of value (such as sample streaming).
However it has a GUI and touchscreen as well as 32 bit coding which belong to a different age. If Korg addresses those areas and releases a new model which also allows you to upgrade the RAM to today’s standards I will be one of the first to get one.
The ball is in KORG’s court. KORG is a company which up to now knows how to build a good workstation without trying to reinvent the wheel in horrible ways.

That being said, the 2.0 update for the Fantom is a really good update and it brings the Fantom closer to what a workstation should be. There’s still work to be done though, especially when it comes to the sequencer which still is very limiting.

kday · Post by **kday** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:04 pm

Fantom with V2.0 OS Multi-sampling may be blowing everybody out of the water now. In the sampling department, no workstation can compete for ease and user friendliness in creating quick multi-samples programs.

But then again, Roland Fantoms have always been the king of Sampling Workstations since day One.

jtern · Post by **jtern** » Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:38 pm

kday wrote:Fantom with V2.0 OS Multi-sampling may be blowing everybody out of the water now. In the sampling department, no workstation can compete for ease and user friendliness in creating quick multi-samples programs.

But then again, Roland Fantoms have always been the king of Sampling Workstations since day One.

Lol. You must be joking. Watch the video I linked from 15:00 and forward and tell me again that the Fantom is the king of sampling. He has to speed up the video again and again because the editing is so slow. See the waveform render in ultra slow speed from 15:30. It’s a toy sampler, nothing more.

kday · Post by **kday** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:45 am

jtern wrote:
kday wrote:Fantom with V2.0 OS Multi-sampling may be blowing everybody out of the water now. In the sampling department, no workstation can compete for ease and user friendliness in creating quick multi-samples programs.

But then again, Roland Fantoms have always been the king of Sampling Workstations since day One.
Lol. You must be joking. Watch the video I linked from 15:00 and forward and tell me again that the Fantom is the king of sampling. He has to speed up the video again and again because the editing is so slow. See the waveform render in ultra slow speed from 15:30. It’s a toy sampler, nothing more.

I have the kronos, you can't tell me who's worst. lol Kronos is almost cryptic for sampling. The basic sample editing doesn't even work. You have to edit through the edit loop, just to edit the sample. on the Kronos it's a backwards mess. lol

Koekepan · Post by **Koekepan** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 4:57 pm

Akai has the kings of sampling. Roland isn't bad, but Akai makes Roland look bad. This remains true whether we're talking about a '90s version or an MPC One fresh from the wrapper.

I won't argue that the Kronos is great for sampling; it's not, and it wasn't intended to be. It has a different focus in terms of recorded audio. But if you want to suggest that Roland has it all wrapped up with a pretty pink bow, I could get you a dozen youtube videos without even trying that put the Fantom system to shame, courtesy of Akai.

kday · Post by **kday** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 6:25 pm

Yeah Akai has the best sampler, because it's a dedicated sampler. Kronos, Fantom and Motif are synth workstations with included sampling features. With this new V2.0 update, the Fantom sampling blows the Kronos sampling out of the water. It takes sound design and sample loops to a whole new level, because it was designed to be that way, as the Kronos was not designed to be an ease of use additional sound design tool. But Kronos do provide a good sampler, it's just a little tedious and backwards when it comes to editing sample points. As you don't trim like regular samplers, you have to go into a separate loop page away from sample edit, then do a trim in a different page to adjust loops points in a tedious process just to trim the sample, forcing all these extra steps to make quick edits. Kronos didn't want users to really enjoy designing their own sounds obviously, maybe they wanted people to feel it's better to purchase their Kronos sound libraries s instead.

Devnor · Post by **Devnor** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:49 pm

jtern wrote:Watch the video I linked from 15:00 and forward and tell me again that the Fantom is the king of sampling. He has to speed up the video again and again because the editing is so slow. See the waveform render in ultra slow speed from 15:30. It’s a toy sampler, nothing more.

That wav file is 2 minutes long. It's still slow :p

Its a gig ready sampler with zero load times. Once samples are inside the Fantom they are used as external waves in Zencore. So you've got those amazing filters and effects to process your samples. This is a great update. I'm hoping Sample Robot picks up on Fantom format so I'm not confined to editing loops on a 5x7 display.

maphill · Post by **maphill** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 4:29 pm

I'm lucky enough to have a Fantom and a Kronos.

The Fantom has an easier workflow for most things (not all). It's easier to jump in and get going. But my favorite aspect is the control surface. I really like the edit knobs and the light indicators on the sliders and rotary encoders. They are not perfect (slider lights don't align with the sliders), but having any feedback at all is incredibly helpful when jumping from scene to scene. Using the dedicated buttons on the lower right for categories and scene chaining is also really great for moving through a set.

But still, there are things sound-wise where the Kronos is still ahead. Deep-sampling (like GB pianos), string models, and other areas are nice. I like that effects live with the programs and can be easily copied into Combis. The effects structure is more flexible.

Back to Fantom: Another perk is that they are still developing it. Hoping for an organ model that's decent.

What I really want? A Kronos successor with a control surface more like the Fantom (or the OASYS) and an improved workflow.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 6:18 pm

maphill wrote:I'

What I really want? A Kronos successor with a control surface more like the Fantom (or the OASYS) and an improved workflow.

on the Kronos forum , we have a " Top 50 Most Wanted " Enhancements topic.

its worth a try to organize what users want/need.

all that said, if Korg is going to do anything, they will copy the success of MODX in a Korgian mentality. Under $2000, etc etc.

Thats where the improved GUI/navigation/Display would go, IMO.

In addition, there are serious cost issues to figure out to make an under $2000 keyboard viable.

kday · Post by **kday** » Mon Sep 28, 2020 2:14 pm

kday wrote:Fantom with V2.0 OS Multi-sampling may be blowing everybody out of the water now. In the sampling department, no workstation can compete for ease and user friendliness in creating quick multi-samples programs.

But then again, Roland Fantoms have always been the king of Sampling Workstations since day One.

I take that back.

After trying out multi-sampling in the Fantom V2.0, it sucks in comparison to the Kronos.

You can't actually multi-sample in Fantom V2.0. You only can import samples to create the multi-sample programs. Fantom only allow you to sample one sound to the keyboard at a time, then you have to save it to memory, then reload it into a multi-sample. With Kronos you can create multi-samples quick and easy right there in virtual memory on the spot. The only downside to Kronos sampling is they eliminated sample editing on the sample page and transferred sample editing to the loop page which is tedious and laborious.