Question for you Roland Peeps

Well, i'm trying to add a new keyboard to my arsenol... i've been looking at the Fantom S and X.... I know that the X is dope as hell, but the price is outta this world... i could probably cop a S for like 1000 less.... whas tha major differences besides the color interface?

new soundset in the X...supposedly. PC card slot instead of smartmedia. bigger memory capacity.

Hope this aids your choice.

Peace.

Polyphony. The S has 64 and the X has 128, with Roland products this can be a problem if you do heavy keyboard work.

x has more sounds and a better pianio and the pads are way better than the one on the s try it out

If you want to fantom x but dont want to pay the price for it just get the rack then.

I've got the S, and my homie just got the X rack, and the X deifnately has some better sounds, although a huge chunk of the sounds are exactly the same. IMO, for example the X piano is far better than my S piano patch. If polyphony is a big issue for you, then get the X, but I haven't run into any polyphony issues yet with the S. As for the pads, the X pads are way better. My S pads are so horrible it's a joke.

Anyways, assuming that you own an MPC already, the pads are a non-issue. It comes down to the sounds and the colored screen. Are you using a computer too? If so, I don't see why you need that color LCD. Cop the X-rack, its cheaper and more practical IMO if you are using other gear too.

I feel that, although their architecture is fantastic, alot of people, including myself stayed away due to an annoying interface. The cool thing about bringing out the Fantom series - I have an FA 76 - is the streamlining of the user interface. The Xrack is dope, but if you like a no-hassle screen, the keyboard models are the shillz...

True that, I admit, I had no idea how to use the X-rack interface. The S/X keyboard interface is the best out of the workstations IMO. It's so damn easy.

cuz i wanna cop one.... i do have a MPC but i'd only be bringing the fantom on dorm... not the MPC....I play the keys, so pianos will be used in a lot of ma tracks.... I won't be getting the rack, because i need the fantom to sequence on and stuff at school.... i still dont know which to get!!

I've heard quite a few people complain about notes droppin' out due to the polyphony issue on the S so if it's gonna be your only music tool and you're tracks are complex at all you might wanna spring for the X. I had the X and loved everything about it, the interface is crazy, the sampler is cool, the sounds were great, the drum pads, while garbage compared to the MPC, felt alright. As an all-in one workstation the X is pretty tight.

My only complaints about this board are the sample loading features, only three insert fx and the lack of a sample audition feature. The biggest problem for me would definitely be the sample loading features though. If you work with a lot of samples you basicaly have two options for loading samples, you can either load up ALL your samples or you have to load them up one by one. Now when I say ALL the samples, I mean ALL the samples, not just the ones for the song you want to work on. If you don't mind waiting fifteen minutes for this then I guess it's not a problem.

If it makes any difference though, the piano on the X is the best I've heard on any of the workstations out right now(except for the Kurzweil 2661 which I can't speak on cuz I've never heard it).

I just remembered a feature that might be the kicker for you, you can load up to 16 jpeg images of all your favorite prono stars to view on the X as a screen saver. Now if that don't make your decision easier, nothin' will. Just flowers' with ya.

Like I said before, if you do complex stuff then go with the X but if your tracks are more on the simple side then the S should be cool.

this cat always droppin knownleadge!!!!! carry on....................

my stuff is pretty complex... what is polyphony? i'm not exactly clear on what it is...

cooocooo1 wrote:
My only complaints about this board are the sample loading features, only three insert fx and the lack of a sample audition feature.

There's an audition feature on the S. I don't see why they would take it off of the X? I heard that the sampling features are nearly identical. There should be "preview" button on the bottom of the right hand screen when you are in either the edit or load screen.

MistaMike4u wrote:my stuff is pretty complex... what is polyphony? i'm not exactly clear on what it is...

Polyphony is the amount of voices you can have. If you are a keys player, and having enough voices will be an issue, most definately get the X. And also, if you are using this is a standalone workstation, if it's going to be the only thing your working off of in your dorm, the screen is a big plus. Honestly, people call it fluff, but shit, that screen totally eases up your eyes.

The sample has to be in ram before you can audition it, in other words you have to load the sample before you can preview it.

Polyphony is the maximum amount of voices that can be playing simultaneously. So, for example, if you're using a lush string pad that uses four stereo voices and you're playing 4 note chords you'd be using 32 voices and if the chords overlaped you'd be using even more. This is an extreme example but you should get the idea.