Roland Fantom-X User manual

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Performing with the Fantom-X
®ÂØÒňΙ
No. 8 in the Fantom-X Workshop Series
Workshop

© 2004 Roland Corporation U.S.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the
written permission of Roland Corporation U.S.
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About the Fantom-X Workshop Series
The Fantom-X Workshop Series is a collection of booklets
describing how to get the most out of some of the exciting
features of the Roland Fantom-X family of products. Much of
what’s discussed in the series also applies to the Fantom-S
keyboard and, to a lesser degree, the original Fantom.
Each booklet covers a single topic, with easy-to-follow
explanations, procedures and illustrations. Have fun learning
to master the Fantom-X in convenient bite-sized pieces.
Other Booklets in the Fantom-X Workshop Series
• The Fantom-X Experience—A quick tour of how the major
Fantom-X creative tools interact.
• The Sounds of the Fantom-X—A tour of the Fantom-X
sounds and Patch mode.
• The Rhythms of the Fantom-X—Exploring the pads, drum
sounds and rhythms of the Fantom-X.
• The Fantom-X Effects—This booklet helps you get the most
out the powerful effects processing in the Fantom-X.
• Recording Music on the Fantom-X—Learn how to record
your music in the Fantom-X’s full-featured sequencer.
• Sampling on the Fantom-X—Capture loops, vocals, noises or
any other sound with the Fantom-X’s advanced sampling
capabilities.
• Smart Storage in the Fantom-X—Learn all about the
Fantom-X’s storage options for samples and other data.
• Making a CD of Your Fantom-X Music—Learn how to turn
your Fantom-X music into a final audio CD.
• Advanced Fantom-X Recording Techniques—Learn how
to use time-based effects, record arpeggios, work with
mastering effects and record realtime patch tweaks.
About This Booklet
The Fantom-X is a potent performance machine, chock full of
features that help make your onstage experiences fun, and
provide inspiration as you perform. You can easily combine
sounds, and split the keyboard so you can play different
patches with the left and right hands. You can also manipulate
your sounds in realtime using a powerful set of controllers.
In this booklet, we’ll cover the Fantom-X’s Performance mode
in detail as it relates to playing music in a live setting.
(Performance mode is also used in recording on the
Fantom-X, as described in the Workshop series booklet
Recording Music on the Fantom-X.)
Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet
Throughout this booklet, you’ll come across information that
deserves special attention—that’s the reason it’s labeled with
one of the following symbols.
A note is something that adds information about the topic at hand.
A tip offers suggestions for using the feature being discussed.
Warnings contain important information that can help you avoid possible
damage to your equipment, your data or yourself.

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About Performance Mode
The Fantom-X’s Performance mode allows its sound generator
to play multiple instruments—up to a total of 16—all at one
time. This differs from Patch mode, where you can play two
instruments at once—one on the keyboard and one on the
pads.
Each of the sound generator’s 16 instruments in Performance
mode is called a “part.” You can select any patch or rhythm
set for any part, and each has its own set of parameters that
determine how it plays.
The ability to play multiple patches and/or rhythm sets at once makes the
Fantom-X a “multitimbral” instrument.
A Fantom-X performance isn’t just about parts and part
parameters, though. Performance mode brings a number of
Fantom-X features together in one place, allowing it to do
some cool and sophisticated tricks. It’s ideal for using the
Fantom-X in a live playing setup.
Using Performance mode, you can:
• combine multiple patches and play them at the same
time, creating a single enormous sound.
• “split” the keyboard, so that you can play one patch with
your left hand and a different one with your right.
• map a range of patches to different areas on the keyboard,
providing access to multiple tone colors at the same time.
• process a patch (or multiple patches) using all three of the
Fantom-X’s MFX processors.
• use the Fantom-X’s realtime controls to affect only the
desired sounds while leaving the others alone.
• play the Fantom-X and control external MIDI devices—all
at the same time.
• recall a multitude of Fantom-X features at the touch of a
button.
As you can see, Performance mode is especially suited to—
well, duh—performing music. Hence the name.
Of course, you don’t have to use Performance mode in a live music
situation—Patch mode will work perfectly well for you if you don’t need
Performance mode’s added features.
For information on using Performance mode to create a musical
arrangement using the Fantom-X sequencer, see the Workshop series
booklet Recording Music on the Fantom-X.
Getting Into Performance Mode
You can enter Performance mode using either of two buttons.
Press:
• LAYER/SPLIT—to display the Performance Layer screen. This
screen is optimized for combining parts and defining key
ranges . It also provides information about the status of the
Fantom-X effects and sequencer. Most of what we’ll be
doing in this booklet starts with the Performance Layer
screen.
• MIXER—to display the Performance Mixer1 screen, where
performance parts can be manipulated in a studio-
like environment. This is the screen you’d most often
start on when working with the Fantom-X’s sequencer.
The Performance Mixer1 screen is discussed in detail
in the Workshop series booklet Recording Music on the
Fantom-X.

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Selecting Performances
Fantom-X performances are stored in groups, or “banks.” The:
• User bank—contains 64 memory locations in which you
can store your own performances, or edits of the factory
performances.
• Preset bank—holds the 64 pre-programmed factory
performances.
• Card bank—holds up to 64 performances that you’ve
stored on an installed PC memory card.
You can scroll and select stored performances on the
Performance Layer screen by highlighting the performance
number or bank name and turning the VALUE dial.
Most likely, though, you’ll find it more convenient to select
performances with the more direct methods described next.
Selecting from the Performance List
You can select a performance from the Performance Layer
screen or by opening the Performance List.
1. Press LAYER/SPLIT.
2. Press F5 (Perf List) to display the Performance List screen.
3. Press F2 (↓) and/or F1 (↑) to display the desired
performance bank: User, Preset, or Card.
4. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired performance.
5. Press F8 (Select) to confirm your selection.
Selecting Favorite Performances
The Fantom-X allows you to store the performances you use
most often as “favorites.” There are eight Favorite banks, and
eight performances can be stored in each bank.
The Fantom-X also has a feature called “Live Settings” that provides way to
quickly access both performances and patches during a live performance.
We’ll discuss this feature later in this booklet.
Adding a Performance to the Favorites List
1. Select the desired performance as described in the previous
section.
2. Press LAYER/SPLIT, and then press F5 (Perf List) to display
the Performance List screen.
3. Press F3 (Favorite) to display the Favorite Performance
screen.

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4. Press F2 (↓) and/or F1 (↑) to choose the desired Favorites
bank.
5. Turn the VALUE dial to select a location for the performance
within the selected Favorites bank.
6. Press F6 (Regist) to add the currently selected performance
as a new favorite.
From the factory, the Fantom-X comes with favorite performances already
stored in Favorites Bank 1. You can overwrite a stored favorite by simply
storing your own favorite performance its location.
Selecting a Performance from the Favorites List
From the Favorite Performance screen:
1. Press F2 (↓) and/or F1 (↑) to choose the desired Favorites
bank.
5. Turn the VALUE dial to select the location for the
performance within the selected Favorites bank.
6. Press F8 (Select) to recall the selected favorite.
Removing a Performance from the Favorites List
In the Favorite Performance screen, select the performance
you wish to remove from the list, and then press F5 (Remove).
Exploring the Factory Performances
Before we get into creating our own custom performances,
let’s try out some of the factory preset performances that
demonstrate the type of things you can do in Performance
mode.
After making a selection, play up and down the keyboard’s
entire length to check out what you’ve got. Play the drum
pads, too, and note how the sounds assigned to them change
when you select different performances.
Performance Description
PRST:34 Piano & Vox A really nice two-patch layer.
PRST:36 PhaserRhodes1 A fat electric piano, using all three MFX
processors.
PRST:46 Str Stack FS A rich and full strings layer, using three
patches.
PRST:49 Brass Sec FS A super-fat brass layer, using three patches.
PRST:51 Nice “Slicer” A massive split/layer, using two different MFX
“Slicer” effects.
PRST:52 Fat “Waves” Another massive split/layer, with the
arpeggiator assigned to the right-hand side of
the keyboard.
PRST:53 Tone Dly Ens A cool three-way split.
PRST:56 Neutron A huge three-patch layer, using all three MFX
processors.

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Creating Your Own Performances
A Fantom-X performance brings a host of features together in
one place, at the single touch of a button.
A performance contains:
• settings for 16 different parts.
• settings for the Fantom-X’s realtime controls.
• effects settings.
• rhythm group settings.
• the designation of one part to be played from the pads,
the so-called “pad part.”
• the designation of one part to play an arpeggio, the so-
called “arp part.”
• arpeggio settings.
• a master tempo setting.
• Chord Memory settings.
• settings for the control of external MIDI devices.
You can freely edit any of the Fantom-X’s preset performances or
create your own, storing your changes to any user performance
location.
Starting From Scratch
When creating a new performance from scratch, we
recommend starting with the factory-preset performance
PRST:01 Seq:Template. This performance has all its parameters
set to their default settings, providing a perfect “blank slate”
for creating a performance from the ground up.
Another method of starting from scratch is to initialize a
selected performance, resetting its parameters to the factory
default settings.
From the Performance Layer screen:
1. Select the desired performance.
2. Hold SHIFT and press F1 (Init) to display the Performance
Initialize window.
3. Press 6 or 5 to select Default.
4. Press F8 (Select).
5. Press F8 (Exec) to initialize the selection.
Selecting Sound Control in Step 3 above initializes only the Offset and
Vibrato values in the performance—we’ll explain these later. All other
performance settings remain as they were.
You’re not changing anything in a stored performance when you initialize
it. You’re creating a new performance in the Fantom-X’s work RAM. Nothing
gets saved until you store the performance to a user memory location.
We’ll cover storing performances later in this booklet.
About the Performance Layer Screen
The Performance Layer screen is the place to start when you’re
setting up the Fantom-X for live playing. It features a graphical
display that makes setting up your own layers and splits easy.
It also provides useful information about what’s happening in
the currently selected performance. As such, you’ll probably
want to make it your “home” screen while playing live with the
Fantom-X.

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Press LAYER/SPLIT to display the Performance Layer screen.
Information strip
Name area
Part and Key Range
area
Realtime Control
area
Information Strip
At the top of the Performance Layer screen, you’ll see useful
information about the currently selected performance and the
Fantom-X sequencer.
Transpose amount Loop status
Effects status
Current song name Current measure Sequencer status
Current tempo
Current time signatureOctave Shift amount
• Current song name—shows the name of the currently
loaded song.
• Current measure—shows the current song location by
measure number.
• Sequencer status—shows the current playback state of the
sequencer.
• Octave Shift amount—shows the current value of the
Octave Shift function.
• Transpose amount—shows the current amount of keyboard
transposition.
You can quickly transpose the entire performance by selecting the
Transpose value and turning the VALUE dial or pressing INC or DEC. A value
of C signifies no transposition. You can transpose up 6 semitones by dialing
in the F# value, or down 5 semitones by dialing in G.
• Effects status—shows the on/off status of the Fantom-X
effects processors. Effects that are currently turned on are
highlighted.
• Current tempo—shows the performance’s Preferred Tempo
setting (we’ll show you how to set this in a bit). If a song is
playing, this shows the song’s current tempo.
• Current time signature—show’s the song’s time signature
at the current location.
• Loop status—shows when looped song playback is turned
on. “Loop” is shown in green letters when looping is on.
The song and sequencer information on the Performance
Layer screen is very handy when you’re playing along with the
Fantom-X sequencer during a live show. For more information
on using the sequencer, see the Workshop series’ booklet
Recording Music on the Fantom-X.
Name Area
The name of the current performance appears here, as well as
the currently selected part’s patch or rhythm set.
Name of the selected performance
Name of the sound assigned to the selected part

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Part and Key Range Area
The part and key range area provides information about the
16 parts in the current performance. You can see the parts that
can sound when you play the Fantom-X keyboard, and the key
range in which they can be played.
Settings for four parts at a time are displayed horizontally
onscreen. Select parts for playing and editing using 6 and/or
5. During selection, the display scrolls so you can select any
of the performance’s 16 parts. The black arrow at the left edge
of the screen points to the current selection. When a part is
selected, you can play it on the keyboard.
When you choose a new performance, Part 1 is automatically selected.
Part number Keyboard switch Key range indicator
Selection arrow Pad Part indicator
Here’s what’s here:
• Part number—This shows each part number.
• Keyboard switch—A part’s keyboard switch setting
determines whether or not the part sounds when the
keyboard is played, allowing you to play multiple parts
simultaneously. If a part’s keyboard switch box is:
• checked—the part sounds.
• not checked—the part doesn’t sound unless it’s the
currently selected part.
To place a check in a part’s keyboard switch box, highlight
the box and turn the VALUE dial.
• Key range indicator—Each part can play over the entire
keyboard or within a specified range of keys. The key range
indicator shows the key range set for a part by displaying
a blue line over a picture of the Fantom-X keyboard. We’ll
discuss setting a part’s key range in a bit.
• Selection arrow—This shows the currently selected part.
• Pad Part indicator—This indicates that a part is set to be
playable by the drum pads. We’ll talk about this later.
Realtime Control Area
This area shows the currently active realtime control knobs
and switches, as well as the current D-Beam status.
Layers and Splits
One of the Fantom-X’s most powerful performance tools is its
ability to “layer” sounds and “split” the keyboard. If you’re new
to electronic keyboard terminology, here’s what these terms
mean. In a:
• layer—two or more parts can be played simultaneously
from the Fantom-X’s keyboard.
• split—two or more parts can be assigned to their own range
of keyboard keys, allowing you to play different patches or
rhythm sets on different areas on the keyboard.
A layer or split can be simple—using only two parts—or
complex, using up to 16 parts. Layers and splits can even be
used together in the same performance.

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Creating Layers
In this section, we’ll be using the Patch List screen to select patches and
rhythm sets for the parts in our performance. If you don’t know how to use
the Patch List screen, see the Workshop series booklet The Sounds of the
Fantom-X, or refer to the Fantom-X Owner’s Manual.
1. Press LAYER/SPLIT to display the Performance Layer
screen.
2. Press 6 or 5 to highlight the desired part. (We’ve selected
Part 1 here, as shown circled in red.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to place a check in the selected part’s
keyboard switch box.
4. Press F1 (Patch List) to display the Patch List screen where
we’ll select a sound the selected part. You can see the
number of the currently selected part the top of the Patch
List screen.
5. Choose the desired patch or rhythm set, and then press F8
(Select) to return to the Performance Layer screen.
6. Press 6 or 5 to select another part, and then turn the
VALUE dial to place a check in its keyboard switch box.
7. Press F1 (Patch List) to display the Patch List screen again
on which you can now select a sound for this part.
8. Choose the desired patch or rhythm set for the second
part in your layer. When you play the keyboard to audition
your selection, you’ll hear both parts’ sounds at the same
time.
If you want to audition a selected patch or rhythm set in isolation, press
and hold F8 (preview).
9. When you’ve decided on a patch or rhythm set, press F8
(Select).
10. Repeats Steps 7-9 to layer any additional parts.
A Word About Layers and Polyphony
Patches and rhythm sets are collections of sounds called
“waves” and “samples.” Every synth and sampler has a limit to
the amount of waves and samples it can play at one time. This
limit is referred to as an instrument’s “available polyphony,” and
each sample or wave in use is called a “voice” in this context.
Many Fantom-X patches are very complex, using lots of waves
and/or samples to create their sound. Ultra-fat sounds can
actually use up to eight voices when you play a single key!
The Fantom-X can play a hefty 128 voices at once, and this
is usually more than enough. However, when you’re layering
patches, it’s possible you’ll notice some notes not sounding
when you’re playing lots of chords.
If you run into this situation, check the patches you’re using
and see if you could swap one (or more) of them out for a
patch that uses fewer voices.

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Another method is to reserve voices for the most important
parts in your performance. This can be done on a Part View
screen, which we’ll discuss a little later in this booklet.
You can easily see the number of voices you’re using at any one time from
the Performance Layer screen. Hold down SHIFT and press F4 (Voice Mon)
to view a dynamic display of the number of voices currently in use.
Creating Splits
Splits are created by defining key ranges for layered
performance parts. With a split, a layered part is confined to
one area of the Fantom-X keyboard.
You set a part’s key range by selecting its lowest and highest
notes, displayed as “note numbers.”
To set the key range for a part:
1. Use the procedure in “Creating Layers” to turn on the
keyboard switches for the desired parts and for selecting
their sounds.
2. On the Performance Layer screen, press 6 and/or 5 to
select a part whose key range you’d like to set.
3. Press F3 (Key Range). The Key Range window pops open.
In this window you can see the part’s keyboard switch, as
well as the part’s current lowest and highest notes.
4. Press 4 and/or 3 to select the Lower value.
5. Turn the VALUE dial to choose the part’s lowest note.
6. Press 4 and/or 3 to select the Upper value.
7. Turn the VALUE dial to choose the part’s highest note.
8. Press 6 and/or 5 to select additional parts as desired, and
then repeats Steps 4-7 to adjust their key range settings.
9. When you’re finished, press F8 (Close).
Each Fantom-X patch can play across a 128-note range. Even though your
keyboard has fewer physical keys than this—61, 76, or 88, depending on
the Fantom-X model—you can get to these additional pitches by shifting
the octave range of the keyboard using the -OCT and +OCT buttons. When
you shift the Fantom-X keyboard up or down by octaves, the key range
indicators in the Performance Layer screen update to show the current
location of each part’s key range.
Configuring Realtime Control
The same realtime control of Fantom-X sounds that adds so
much to their expressiveness in Patch mode is also available in
Performance mode.
You can use any of the Fantom-X’s reatime controls to
manipulate the currently selected part’s sound, configuring
the part so it responds in the desired manner.
When you use realtime control, it doesn’t just affect the sounds inside the
Fantom-X—a string of data can also be sent to the MIDI OUT jack, from
where it can travel to external MIDI devices. This data is transmitted on the
MIDI channel assigned to the currently selected part.
In addition, the Fantom-X’s Pitch Bend/Modulation lever affects
the sound of any part whose Keyboard switch is turned on,
whether or not the part is selected. Pitch Bend and Modulation
MIDI messages can also be transmitted on the part’s channel.
To set up a performance’s realtime control from the
Performance Layer screen, press F4 (Ctrl Setting)—the Control
Setting (Performance) screen appears in which you can press
F2 (↓) and/or F1 (↑) to select and set up each of the
Fantom-X’s realtime controllers.

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You can enable each part’s response to any realtime controller
by pressing F7 (Ctrl Switch) and setting the checkboxes on the
Control Switch (Performance) screen as desired.
You can set each part to respond to or ignore the following
realtime controllers:
• P.B. (Pitch Bend) • Aft (Aftertouch)
• Mod (Modulation) • Hold (Hold pedal)
• Ctrl (Control pedal) • Beam (D Beam)
• Knob 1-4 (the four REALTIME CONTROL knobs)
When a box is checked, its part responds to the corresponding
controller.
Adding Effects
In Performance mode, all of the Fantom-X’s killer effects are at
your disposal, ready to enhance any performance in a variety
of ways. To learn about the Fantom-X effects and how to set
them up in a performance, see the Workshop series booklet
The Fantom-X Effects.
Rhythms and the Arpeggiator
Assigning the Pads to Play a Performance Part
The Fantom-X pads can always play one of a performance’s
16 parts—this part is referred to as the “pad part.” The pads
can play its sound whether the part’s keyboard switch box is
checked or not.
If the part designated as the pad part has its keyboard switch box
checked—or it is currently selected within the performance—its sound
can be played on both the pads and the keyboard.
You can select the pad part on the Pad Setting (Performance)
screen. To get there from any Performance mode screen:
1. Press the PAD SETTING button to display the
Pad Setting (Performance) screen.

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2. Press 6, 5, 3 and/or 4 to highlight the Pad Part number
as circled in red in the previous illustration.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to designate the part as the pad part.
Using a Rhythm Group in a Performance
The Fantom-X‘s rhythm groups provide rhythm patterns to the
drum pads. Each performance remembers its selected rhythm
group and whether the RHYTHM button is turned on or off.
Stored in each rhythm group is a “recommended “rhythm set that’s
automatically selected when a rhythm group is first selected. When you’re
selecting rhythm groups in Performance mode, this rhythm set is selected
for the part designated as the pad part.
To learn about working with rhythm groups, rhythm patterns and the drum
pads, see the Workshop series booklet The Rhythms of the Fantom-X.
Using the Arpeggiator in a Performance
In Performance mode, the arpeggiator can be used with any
of the 16 performance parts. This part is designated as the “arp
part,” and it can be selected from the Arpeggio (Performance)
screen.
The on/off status of the ARPEGGIO button and all of the current
settings in the Arpeggio (Performance) screen—including your
arp part selection—are remembered when a performance is
stored.
The Arp/Rhythm parameter values are shared by the arpeggiator and the
rhythm patterns.
Assigning the Arpeggiator to a Performance Part
1. From any Performance mode screen,
hold down SHIFT and press ARPEGGIO
to display the Arpeggio (Performance)
screen.
2. Press 6, 5, 3 and/or 4 to highlight the Arp Part number,
shown here circled in red.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired arp part.
To learn about using the arpeggiator, see the Workshop series booklet The
Fantom-X Experience.

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Setting the Master Tempo
For each performance, you can choose a master tempo setting
called the “recommended tempo. ”This setting provides tempo
information for the rhythm patterns and the arpeggiator.
1. From the Performance Layer screen, press F4 (Ctrl
Setting).
2. Press F2 (↓) and/or F1 (↑) to select the Tempo tab.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to select the desired tempo.
4. Press EXIT to return to the Performance Layer screen.
You can press TEMPO and manually change the current performance’s tempo
setting. When a new performance is selected—or the current performance
is re-selected—the tempo setting reverts to the recommended tempo
stored in the performance.
Working with External MIDI Devices
With its extensive set of MIDI capabilities, the Fantom-X excels
as a master controller in a multi-instrument MIDI rig. Each
performance part can store settings for controlling external
MIDI devices on one of 16 different MIDI channels, allowing
you to reconfigure an entire MIDI setup just by selecting the
performance.
When working with external MIDI devices in Performance
mode, you can:
• choose up to 16 sounds in external devices by sending
Program Change and/or Bank Select messages when you
select a performance.
• send up to 16 different volume and 16 different pan settings
to external devices when you select a performance.
External device program change, volume and pan values are set in the Part
View screens discussed in the next section.
• use the Fantom-X’s realtime controllers to transmit MIDI
Control Change messages that allow you to manipulate
the sounds in external devices in realtime.
• set up layers and splits that play sounds in other MIDI
devices as well as on the Fantom-X itself.
In a performance, each part transmits MIDI note messages in its designated
key range.
To get the most out of using the Fantom-X with other MIDI
devices, you’ll need a basic understanding of the fundamentals
of MIDI. If you’d like to learn more about how MIDI works,
contact Roland Product Support—they can point you to some
excellent learning resources.
Working Out Part Details
With the basic performance setup out of the way, you can
dig into a multitude of parameters to affect the sound and
behavior of its individual parts, including their interaction with
external MIDI devices. All of these parameters can be found on
the Part View screens.

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The Part View Screens
From the Performance Layer screen, press F2 (Part View) to
display the first Part View screen.
On the Part View screens, the performance’s part parameters
are presented in an easy-to-read table. Each horizontal line
represents one part and contains a set of its parameters. To
edit a parameter on a Part View screen, highlight the desired
parameter and turn the VALUE dial.
There are far too many part parameters to display at once, so
they’re spread out over eight Part View screens. To select the
desired screen, press its F button.
In the Fantom-X Owner’s Manual, the chapter “Creating a
Performance” provides detailed information on the parameters
found on the Part View screens. There’s more information there
than we have room for in this booklet, but here’s a quick
overview of each Part View screen to get you started.
• Level/Pan—Here you can set the volume and pan for each
part. You can also select patches and/or rhythm sets on
this screen. See Page 107 in the Owner’s Manual.
• Output/Effect—On this screen, parts can be routed to the
Fantom-X’s outputs and effects processors. See Page 108
in the Owner’s Manual.
• Pitch—This screen lets you to make coarse and fine tuning
adjustments to each part. Portamento and pitch bend can
be set here, too. See Page 109 in the Owner’s Manual.
• Offset—Here you can adjust basic filter and envelope
settings for each part’s patch or rhythm set. These settings
are relative values—or “offsets”—of those stored in the
patch or rhythm set. See Page 110 in the Owner’s Manual.
• Key Range—You can adjust each part’s key range and
velocity sensitivity here, as well as reserve playback voices
for individual parts. See Page 110 in the Owner’s Manual.
• Scale/Tune—On this screen, you can set a part’s sound
to play in a tuning of your own choice or design by
programming the tuning of each note in an octave. See
Page 111 in the Owner’s Manual.
• External—Here you can set up the control of external MIDI
devices and enable parts’ reception of MIDI data from
within the Fantom-X or from an external device. See Page
112 in the Owner’s Manual.
• MIDI Filter—On this screen, you can tell parts to ignore
specific MIDI controllers, including onboard control. See
Page 113 in the Owner’s Manual.
Part View Parameter Tables
The following tables show where you’ll find all of the part
parameters on the Part View screens, along with a key to their
onscreen abbreviations.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the part parameters that can be
adjusted. But don’t worry—you can often make a performance sound
great without touching them, or with a just a few tweaks.

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Part View Level/Pan Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Patch Type under “Patch”
Patch Bank under “Patch”
Patch Number under “Patch”
Keyboard Switch KB
Solo Switch So
Mute Switch Mu
Part Level Level
Part Pan Pan
Part View Output Effect Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Part Output Assign Out
Part Output MFX Select (unlabeled)
Part Output Level Output
Part Chorus Send Level Chorus
Part Reverb Send Level Reverb
MFX 1 Source 1
MFX 2 Source 2
MFX 3 Source 3
Chorus Source C
Reverb Source R
To learn about the Output Effect screen’s parameters, see the Workshop
series booklet The Fantom-X Effects.
Part View Pitch Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Part Octave Shift Oct
Part Coarse Tune Crs
Part Fine Tune Fine
Part Mono/Poly M/P
Part Legato Switch Legato
Part Pitch Bend Range Bend
Part Portamento Switch under “Portamento”
Part Portamento Time under “Portamento”
Part View Offset Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Part Cutoff Offset Cutoff
Part Resonance Offset Reso
Part Attack Time Offset Attack
Part Release Time Offset Release
Part Decay Time Offset Decay
Part View Key Range Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Keyboard Switch KB
Part Keyboard Range Lower under “Range”
Part Keyboard Range Upper under “Range”
Part Velocity Sensitivity Offset Velo
Part Vibrato Rate under “Vibrato”
Part Vibrato Depth under “Vibrato”
Part Vibrato Delay under “Vibrato”
Voice Reserve Voice

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Part View Scale Tune Screen
In the Part View Scale Tune screen, you can set a part’s
sound to play using a tuning of your own choice or design
by programming the tuning of each note in an octave.
Part View External Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Receive Switch RX
Receive Channel Ch
External Bank Select MSB under “BankSel”
External Bank Select LSB under “BankSel”
External Program Change Number Prog
External Level ExtLevel
External Pan ExtPan
Part View MIDI Filter Screen
Full Parameter Name: Shown As:
Receive Program Change Switch PC
Receive Bank Select Switch BS
Receive Pitch Bend Switch PB
Receive Polyphonic Pressure Switch PA
Receive Channel Pressure Switch CA
Receive Modulation Switch Md
Receive Volume Switch Vo
Receive Pan Switch Pn
Receive Expression Switch Ex
Receive Hold 1 Switch Hd
Phase Lock Switch Phase
Velocity Curve Curve
Saving a New or Edited Performance
To avoid losing your work, store your performance in the
Fantom-X’s user or card memory before selecting another
performance or powering off. Here’s how.
Start by pressing WRITE—the Write Menu screen appears,
ready to store your performance since you’re in Performance
mode.
Press ENTER to display the screen where you’ll name the
performance, or if you prefer, press F1 (Perf)—if Performance
isn’t already selected, just press F1 (Perf ).

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To name a performance:
1. The first character position is underlined, so turn VALUE to
select the first character of the performance’s name.
2. Press 4 to move the underline to the next character’s
position, and turn the VALUE dial to select the second
character.
3. Repeat Step 2 to enter the characters of the rhythm set
name you want.
As you name the performance, you can:
• Press F1 (Change Type) repeatedly to jump between
upper-case, lower-case and numeric characters.
• Press F2 (Delete) to remove the character at the underline’s
current location.
• Press F3 (Insert) to insert a blank space for selecting a new
character at the underline’s current location.
When you’ve finished naming the performance, press F8
(Write). The Performance Write window pops up:
1. Use F3 (↓) and/or F2 (↑) to select the Fantom-X’s internal
user memory as the location in which the rhythm set is to
be saved, or to select Card if you’ve installed a memory
card.
2. Turn the VALUE dial to select the user or card location in
which you’d like to store the performance, and then press
F8 (Write) to store the it.
Don’t worry about replacing one of the factory performances. They’re all
copies of preset performances permanently stored in your Fantom-X.
3. The Fantom-X asks if you’re sure you want to proceed.
Press F8 (Exec) to finish storing the performance.
Other Performance Tools
Chord Memory
The Fantom-X’s Chord Memory feature allows you play a group
of notes—up to the entire 128 that the sound generator can
produce—by pressing a single key. This group of notes is
called a “chord form.” Most of the time, of course you’ll use
Chord Memory to play chords, which use far less than 128
notes.
There are 64 preset Chord Memory chord forms available, as
well as 64 user locations for storing your own. A performance
remembers whether the CHORD MEMORY button’s on or off,
as well as the selected chord form.
You can use Chord Memory either Patch or Performance
mode, but it’s particularly useful in Performance mode. This
is because Chord Memory only uses Performance Part 1—all
other parts are unaffected. For example, you could split the
keyboard to play one-finger chords in Part 1 with your left
hand while soloing on another part’s lead patch with your
right hand. Or you could use Chord Memory to play chords
in a tight multi-split setup where there aren’t enough notes
available in a key range to finger complex chords.
Chord Memory should be used only with polyphonic patches.
To turn Chord Memory on, press CHORD MEMORY so its
indicator is lit.

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Selecting and Auditioning Chord Forms
1. With Chord Memory on, hold down SHIFT and press
CHORD MEMORY to display the Chord Memory screen.
2. With the Chord Form value highlighted—as shown
above—turn the VALUE dial to select a stored chord form.
3. To hear a chord form, play single notes on the keyboard.
You can play chord forms on one key at a time—if you strike multiple keys
the chord form for the last key played is heard.
If you let go of one key while another is held down, the remaining key’s
chord form plays.
Since Chord Memory is only active on Part 1 of a performance, you may get
some surprising atonal results when playing layers. To remedy this, isolate
Part 1 into its own key range when working in Performance mode.
4. To hear chord forms played as a rolled chord, press F1
(Rolled Chord) so its indicator turns red. To alter the
playback of the rolled chord, select Rolled Chord Type and
turn the VALUE dial.
The speed of a chord roll is determined by the force with which you strike
the key.
Editing a Chord Form
To edit a chord form, select it and then press F7 (Edit). The
Number/Note window pops open. To:
• add a note to the chord form—play it on the keyboard.
• delete a note from the chord form—highlight the desired
note, and then press F5 (Delete Note).
To save your changes:
1. Press F8 (Write) to display the Chord Name screen.
2. Enter a name of up to 16 characters, and then press F8
(Write). The Chord Write window pops open.
3. Turn the VALUE dial to choose a user location, and then
press F8 (Write).
4. When the Fantom-X asks if you’re sure you want to finish
storing the chord form, press F8 (Exec).
Using RPS
RPS—short for “Realtime Phrase Sequence”—is a powerful
feature that allows you to play and of the 100 possible patterns
stored in a Fantom-X song from a single key or drum pad.
Using RPS, a keyboard key or drum pad can be assigned
to play—or “trigger”—a pattern. Up to eight patterns can
play simultaneously, and there are parameters that let you
determine how each pattern plays.
A pattern can be as simple or sophisticated as you like—from
a short repeating phrase to a full-blown multi-MIDI-channel
musical arrangement.
RPS phrases aren’t samples—they’re made up entirely of MIDI data, which
you can record using the Fantom-X sequencer. To play a sample using RPS,
record a pattern using the patch or rhythm set that plays the sample.

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Record Your Patterns
Before you can use the RPS function, you’ll need to create a
new song—or open an existing one—and record the patterns
you wish to use. This is done using the Fantom-X sequencer.
To learn about recording patterns and about songs, see the
Workshop series booklet Recording Music on the Fantom-X.
When you’re recording a pattern for use with RPS, use realtime control
sparingly. RPS works best with patterns that contain only note data.
Setting Up RPS
After your patterns have been recorded in a song—and with
the song loaded into the Fantom-X’s song memory—you can
assign drum pads and keyboard keys to trigger the patterns.
To do this, hold down SHIFT and press RPS to
display the RPS Setup screen.
The top line of the RPS Setup screen displays the name of
the currently loaded song—the song that contains your
patterns—the current song measure and the current playback
status of the Fantom-X sequencer.
To adjust parameters on the RPS Setup screen, press 6, 5, 3
and/or 4 to highlight the desired parameter and then turn
the VALUE dial to select the desired value.
When you’re done setting the RPS parameters, you can return
to the previous screen by pressing F8 (Exit).
Common RPS Settings
Common RPS settings affect the way all patterns are triggered,
whether they’re played from the pads or the keyboard.
The Trigger Quantize value determines when a pattern starts
playing after being triggered by a pad or key. If it’s set to:
• REAL—the patterns start playing as soon as it’s triggered.
• BEAT—the patterns start playing at the beginning of the
next beat.
• MEASURE—the patterns start playing at the beginning of
the next measure.
When Trigger Quantize is set to BEAT or MEASURE, the patterns start in
time with the current tempo setting.
The Velocity Sens setting determines the volume at which
triggered patterns play. You can set it to:
• OFF—so the patterns play at the volumes recorded in the
patterns.
• LOW, MED, HIGH—so the patterns’ volumes are dictated
by how hard you strike their pads or keys. The selected
setting, LOW, MED or HIGH, determines the amount of force
required to trigger a pattern at its maximum volume.