Members jnurp Posted August 20, 2012 Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 I had a Fantom-s that I inexplicably sold 2 years ago due to wanting something with more bells and whistles and more modern...fast forward 2 years and I now realize that I was never so inspired and quick to write as I was with the fantom-s being my main board. It sounds wierd but i really want one back in my studio again. My question is that I was wondering if the next gen fantoms from the S which are the X series are the same exact synths just with a color screen. I had a fantom-s 61 key synth, is the X6 the same exact synth just with a color screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted August 20, 2012 Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 The Fantom S has 64 voices of polyphony, while the X has 128. The S has 64mb internal ROM. X has 128mb. So the native sound set on the X is considerably larger. Max RAM on the S is 288mb. X is 544. Max storage on the S is 128mb. X is 1gb. Also the X can record 8 audio tracks, while the S has none. Given a choice, you're better off with an X over an S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted August 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 are all the sounds from the S on the X as well? I would assume the X has a ton more factory presets. I LOVED the factory presets on the S, they always gave me a great start to the sound I would eventually get. Im not ashamed to admit Im a preset guy in the sense that I need a great preset to start sculpting into something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted August 20, 2012 Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 I own an X7, but I've never owned a Fantom S, so I don't know offhand if they kept all of the S presets on the X. You could probably download the patch lists and wave lists for each model and compare. I would assume that Roland included the S's presets and expanded on them with the X. The Fantom line is kind of oddball, but in some ways typical of Roland. I like Roland a lot, but they really had a false start with the original Fantom. Who puts out a workstation with no sampling at a time when everybody else's workstation has it? The S was Roland's attempt to rectify this, but by then Yamaha and Korg had much beefier sound sets, so Roland finally got it right with the X. In my opinion, the Fantom X is overall the best workstation Roland has produced. The XV5080 runs a close second, though it was released strictly as a rack unit, and the XP80 was also a decent offering for the time it was released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted August 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 does the X have the drum matrix? I think that was the best part of the S was the way I could shape and contour my own drums using their base presets and just moving those little blocks or adding and subracting them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted August 20, 2012 Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 Scroll down to "Keyboard Fantoms Compared" for an in-depth comparison: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may05/articles/rolandfantomxa.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted August 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 20, 2012 oh that is so awesome thx so much. That pretty much answered my questions. I just cant believe what people are asking on ebay for X6's right now. $1300???? thats bananas. I would have thought I could snag one of these for way under a thousand right now. I have sticker shock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rovito Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 My X6 is the core of my live rig. It's been rock solid and sounds great. I have lots of other synths old and new but the X6 just works great in a live situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Just because people are asking $1300 doesn't mean you should pay that. If you shop around enough you should be able to find one for $800 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rovito Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Beware of a problem with the four knobs at the top. If they get hit they are prone to self edit. Before you buy make sure they work properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rovito Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I paid 1400 new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Just because people are asking $1300 doesn't mean you should pay that. If you shop around enough you should be able to find one for $800 or so. I've noticed that as well. X6s usually show up on CL for about $800. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phazer Posted August 22, 2012 Members Share Posted August 22, 2012 I've got a Fantom X6 - great keyboard (unlike this Fujitsu laptop which has a lousy keyboard! The Fantom workshop booklet is an excellent way to learn the features of the keyboard without having to drudge through the extensive manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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