A friend of mine just brought one and asked me to go around to see it next week.

Anyone got one here?

Chas has a G7, I think (unless he's ditched it by now). He wasn't all that impressed after owning it for a while. I tried one quite a bit a while back. HATED the organ sounds (you will too!).

Overall, it wasn't the groundbreaking WS that Roland fans were really looking for, from what I read. Sound familiar? Since 'Mr. Roland's' death a few years back, to be honest, I haven't seen them do much but tread water. Sometimes it IS about the man at the helm...

Thanks Diki,

I'll stay away from the organs whilst I am around their house..although no doubt is the first thing I will get shown!!

The USB mouse is a nice toy

Seems Diki is right, Roland is in decline...

Only their V-synth can be called an innovative instrument... The rest of their instruments feel like grey and more of the same to me.

Yep, I have to agree, although the Roland RD-700GX, with the SuperNATURAL™ acoustic piano add-on, is a very, very nice play...tried one last week...the new addition really cures the thin mid-range, and the action has a lovely feel.

Maybe things will turn around...the economy hasn't been helpful to any of the manufacturers, and perhaps Roland will return to the TOTL arranger flock when times are better.

Ian

You know, 'grey' about sums up my feelings for Roland. I have felt for years that their keyboard products have lacked soul for a and I always picture men in white overalls designing them.

Build quality is good, sound quality is exactly as you expect...they are consistant but nothing makes me sit up and pay attention. However their is nothing offensive about them and a Roland always makes a good part of any studio setup, If nothing else than to recreate 80s pop music perfectly! 'Better the Devil You know' in this instance

Yes, I still have the G7. Being something of a packrat, I tend not to trade/sell things once I've purchased them, but on reflection, I shouldn't have purchased it.

In all fairness, I know (deep down in my heart ) that I have not explored this machine fully. The problem for me is that most of the workstation-type stuff that it can do, I'm not interested in. That's my problem, not the instruments. I have always bought synths primarily for the sounds (what else?) and the sounds of the Fantom G are not measurably better than those in the SonicCell (which I also have). Diki is correct about the organs. Not many that one would describe as "tasty". The 'best' piano is OK, but I don't find it better than the one in the SonicCell. Diki's G70 piano sounds better to me, somehow, but that could just be the player . BTW, all kidding aside, the sound (or impression) you get from a synth piano voice has a GREAT DEAL to do with how it is played.
I haven't played he Motif XS (I have a Motif ES) or the Korg M3 so I really couldn't compare them as workstations geared towards modern music, but, given my long-standing love affair with my Triton, if I had to pick one in the blind, it would probably be the M3.

If you look at the Fantom site, you will see that it has it's share of 'Fanboys' (and detractors) so I'm guessing it's probably a mainstay in the HipHop world. Being used to the relative simplicity of an organ, I would find it 'challenging' to use on a gig and would probably never take it on one. If you're ONLY after the sounds, I would recommend getting a SonicCell instead.

How you feel about this particular board will have a lot to do with the type of music you play and how willing you are to fully explore the potential of this machine. For instance, judging it solely by the quality of it's organs or pianos is to do it a disservice. It is so much more than just a sound module. JMO.

chas

I've heard some positive feedback on the FantomG from some hardcore rap and hiphop guys, so perhaps it is simply geared up for a style that few of us have much interest in? As we get older, and young people stay the same age the gap between what we look for in a keyboard and what they do grows wider and wider...

Thanks for the kind words, chas, but I have to admit, after hearing and playing (sometimes both!) the Roland pianos in the E80, E50/60, RD700GX, FantomG, and Sonic Cell/GW8, it really IS about the sound, to a certain extent! Roland nailed it in the G70 and FantomX, and for reasons that passeth all understanding, changed the patch for the rest

That desire to tinker with something close to perfect can bite you in the ass if not careful..!