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.