Roland Fantom-X User manual

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Sampling on the Fantom-X
®ÂØÒňΙ
No. 6 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.
• Smart Storage in the Fantom-X—Learn all about the
Fantom-X’s storage options for samples and other data.
• Performing with the Fantom-X—Splits, layers, realtime
controllers and more make the Fantom-X hot onstage.
• 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
As you’d expect of Roland’s flagship keyboard workstation, the
Fantom-X contains a powerful, full-featured sampler that
allows you to capture any sound—loops, instrument and vocal
sounds, noises—and incorporate it as a sample in your music.
You can create your own samples or transfer them from
a computer—this is a great way to load samples and
beat loops from sampling CDs you’ve purchased. The
Fantom-X’s Tempo Sync feature automatically keeps beat
loops in time with the built-in drum machine and sequencer.
You can also manipulate Fantom-X samples in a variety of ways
using a range of sample-editing tools.
This booklet introduces you to Fantom-X sampling, showing
you how to use some of its most important features.
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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A Very Few Important Concepts. Really.
Sample Creation
Thump!=
A sample is simply a digital recording of a sound. There are
three ways such a recording can get into your Fantom-X:
• You capture the sample—recording, or “sampling,” the
sound directly into the Fantom-X.
• You load the sample—from the Fantom-X’s user memory or
from a PC memory card installed in your Fantom-X.
• You import an audio file—via USB from your personal
computer.
Technically, the factory built-in PCM waveforms the Fantom-X uses as the
foundation of its patches and rhythm sets are samples, too. This booklet
isn’t concerned with these chunks of audio, though—we’re mostly talking
about samples you put into your Fantom-X.
About the Fantom-X’s Sample RAM
Whether you capture, load or import a
sample, it’s held in an area within the
Fantom-X called “sample RAM.” This is
an area of fast, fluid, temporary memory
derived from SDRAM chips, the same
kind found in many computers. It’s
called “sample RAM” because it’s where
you work with your samples.
The Fantom-X sample RAM is 32 MB (MegaBytes) in size as
shipped from the factory, a good-sized chunk of space to get
you started with sampling.
In case you’re curious, “RAM” stands for “Random Access Memory,” and
“SDRAM” stands for “Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory.”
How Much Sample RAM Do You Need?
The Fantom-X performs CD-quality sampling—using a 44.1
kHz sample rate and a 16-bit word length. This means that:
• a one-minute-long mono sample—uses up 5 MB of your
sample RAM.
• a one-minute stereo sample—uses 10 MB of sample RAM.
If you’re the type of person whose samples will be mostly short
snippets of audio lasting only a second or so, you can see that
32 MB may be fine for you.
On the other hand, if you intend to work with beat loops,
capture vocal or instrumental performances, or use other
longer samples, you’ll want to add more SDRAM memory—for
a total of up to 544 MB—as described on Page 244 in the
Fantom-X Owner’s Manual.
You can see the size of each of your samples in the Sample List, as explained
later on in this booklet.
It’s a Nice Place to Visit, But A Sample Can’t Live Here
In the same way you can’t live in your
office or classroom, a sample can’t
permanently reside in sample RAM. When
you turn off the Fantom-X, it completely
clears sample RAM, starting you off with
a clean slate when you next power-on.
Obviously then, it’s absolutely critical that you put your
samples somewhere more permanent before you shut off the
Fantom-X.

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The Fantom-X provides two places to store samples. Both
utilize a form of long-lasting memory called “flash” memory.
You can store your samples in:
• user memory—The Fantom-X contains
32 MB of user memory for permanent
storage.
• card memory—You can install a PC
memory card (purchased separately)
in the Fantom-X’s rear-panel PC CARD
slot for up to 1 GB of permanent storage. You can also use
a Compact Flash or Smart Media card with a Compact
Flash-to-PCMCIA or Smart Media-to-PCMCIA adaptor.
When we say “PC card” or “memory card” in this booklet, we’re referring to
all three types of cards you can use with the Fantom-X.
To learn how to install a PC card and prepare it for use in the Fantom-X, see
the Fantom-X Owner’s Manual.
The Value of PC Memory Cards
Using the built-in user memory as the only place you store
samples can be fine if you won’t be expanding your sample
RAM—user memory’s always there, it doesn’t cost anything
and you don’t have to keep track of memory cards. Still, there
are good reasons for any Fantom-X user to install a PC card:
• It can store a backup of user memory—including all of your
samples, patches, rhythm sets and more, for safety’s sake.
• It can provide a place to put additional samples—so that
you can have on hand alternative samples for loading into
sample RAM.
• It can give you plenty of room for large samples—even if you
haven’t expanded your sample RAM. You can stash large
samples on the card, any one of which can be big enough
to fill the entire sample RAM.
• It can hold the contents of expanded sample RAM—if your
samples are going to require more space than 32 MB, they
won’t fit in user memory. This can easily happen when
you’re capturing vocal tracks, instrumental performances
or entire mixes as samples on the Fantom-X.
• You can keep data for different projects on different cards—
so you can simply pop in the card and have access to the
data you need in any given situation.
We’ll be describing how to save and load samples later in this booklet.
To learn even more about memory and storage in the Fantom-X, see the
Workshop series’ booklet Smart Storage in the Fantom-X.
Skip Back Sampling
Skip Back Sampling is a special sampling
mode that’s always listening to the Fantom-X
outputs, holding onto, or “buffering,” what it
hears. This means that you’ll never lose any
happy musical accidents—if something great
happens, just hit the blue SKIP BACK SAMPLING
button to safely retrieve it as a sample. As the
Fantom-X retrieves what you played, you’ll see
this screen.

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Skip Back Sampling stashes the audio it’s buffering in sample RAM. If
there’s no room left there, Skip Back Sampling’s not available.
When your Skip Back sample’s been captured, the Fantom-X
presents you with a screen on which you can assign it to a pad
for playing. Press the desired pad or turn VALUE to highlight it
in orange onscreen, and then press F8 (Exec) twice to place the
sample on the pad.
When you do this, you assign the new sample to a pad in the currently
selected rhythm set in Patch mode, or to the rhythm set being used by the
pad part in Performance mode. Adding a new sample to an existing rhythm
set’s a fairly common thing to do on the Fantom-X, and we’ll discuss it in
more detail later on.
Once you’ve captured a Skip Back sample, save it to its current user memory
before powering off the Fantom-X. If you’d rather store it somewhere else,
do so, and then re-place it in the desired rhythm set as described in
“Adding a Sample to an Existing Rhythm Set” later this booklet.
Since Skip Back Sampling’s always listening, it constantly
refreshes what it’s holding onto. By default, it retains the last
ten seconds of time. Here’s how to change this if you wish:
1. Press PATCH/RHYTHM and then press MENU.
2. Select System from the menu onscreen and press ENTER.
3. Press F2 (↓) or F1 (↑) to select the Sampling tab.
4. Set Skip Back Time to the desired value, from Off to 40
seconds, in five-second increments.
5. Press F8 (System Write) to save your setting, and then press
EXIT.
Smaller Skip Back Time settings give you smaller samples to work with,
which can be convenient if you’re interested in catching brief snippets of
inspiration—they also require less room in sample RAM. On the other
hand, if you’re looking to nab longer passages, use a higher value.
Sampling
The Fantom-X offers five different ways to
sample, not counting Skip Back Sampling,
which we’ve already discussed. Procedurally,
all five sampling operations are essentially the
same—we’ll get into the differences between
them a bit later. Let’s start with what they have
in common.
The Sampling Screens
All of the five ways the Fantom-X can sample—other than Skip
Back Sampling—start on the same few screens.
1. Press SAMPLING—the Sampling Menu
screen appears.
On the Sampling Menu screen, you can see how much space you’ve
used—and how much space you have left—in sample RAM.

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The Sampling Standby Screen Parameters
On the Sampling Menu screen, press the F button for the
desired type of sampling—the Sampling Standby screen
appears. The Sampling Standby screen offers a selection of
options that allow you to set up your sampling session.
If you select any type of sampling other than resampling, the front-panel
MIX IN button lights to show that you’ll be sampling input signals.
Here’s what the Sampling Standby screen’s parameters do:
• Input Select—The setting for this parameter instructs the
Fantom-X to sample from a specific input. You can select:
• DIGITAL IN—to sample from the Fantom-X’s stereo
coaxial DIGITAL IN jack.
• LINE IN L/R—to sample the analog outputs of a CD
player or other line-level device in stereo connected to
the Fantom-X’s L(MONO) and R INPUT jacks.
• LINE IN L—to sample a line-level device in mono from
the L(MONO) INPUT jack.
• MICROPHONE—to sample from a mic or other mic-
level device connected to the L(MONO) INPUT jack.
The Input Select parameter is unavailable during resampling, where you
always capture the Fantom-X’s own stereo outputs, not an input signal.
When you’re sampling from the AUDIO INPUT jacks, set
your sampling level by turning the Fantom-X’s LEVEL
knob as high as you can without causing its PEAK
indicator to light.
• Stereo Switch—This switch determines whether the
Fantom-X samples in stereo or mono.
• Pre Sample Time—The Fantom-X can add a little bit of
time to the front of a sample to help ensure that the very
beginning of your audio doesn’t get chopped off. Try
leaving it set to 0ms (“0 milliseconds”). If you’re missing
anything at the front of your samples, increase its value.
• Stop Trigger—The Fantom-X can stop sampling
automatically after a specified number of beats or length
of time. You can set this parameter to:
• MANUAL—so that sampling stops when you press F7
(Stop), or when you run out of room in sample RAM.
• BEAT—so that sampling ends after the number of
beats specified by the Sampling Length parameter.
When using BEAT, be sure to press TEMPO and set the Fantom-X’s tempo so
it matches the sample’s.
• TIME—so that sampling ends after the amount of time
specified by the Sampling Length parameter.
• Sampling Length—When Stop Trigger is set to BEAT or
TIME, Sampling Length allows you to specify the number
of beats or the amount of time after which sampling
automatically stops.
The Sampling Length parameter is only available when Stop Trigger is set
to BEAT or TIME.
• Auto Trigger Level—(see “Start Sampling Automatically” on
the next page).

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The Auto Trigger Level parameter is available only when F2 (Auto Trig) is
enabled, as described in “Start Sampling Automatically” below.
• Gap Time—During Auto Divide sampling, this parameter
sets the length of silence that causes the creation of a new
sample.
The Gap Time parameter is only available for Auto Divide sampling,
described later on in this booklet.
Start Sampling Automatically
You can automatically start sampling when the Fantom-X
receives an input signal of a specified level.
• F2 (Auto Trig), for “Auto Triggering”—When this feature’s
turned on, sampling automatically starts when the
selected input receives audio at the level set by the Auto
Trigger Level parameter. Press F2 (Auto Trig) so it turns red
to enable this feature.
When Auto Trig is turned on, F8 (Start) is disabled, since you no longer
need it to begin sampling.
• Auto Trigger Level—When the Auto Trigger feature is turned
on, the Fantom-X automatically starts sampling when the
input signal reaches the level specified by this parameter.
Automatic Trimming Setup
Press F3 (Trim Sw) so it turns red to enable the trim switch.
When the trim switch is turned on, the Fantom-X automatically
sets the sample’s Start and End points on the Sample Edit
screen to the beginning and end of the captured audio to set
you up for trimming, or “truncating,” the sample. (We’ll discuss
truncating later on.)
Dividing Audio Into Separate Samples on the Fly
During sampling, you can manually divide up your audio into
separate samples. To do this, press F8 (Divide) whenever you
want a new, separate sample to begin.
The Fantom-X’s Auto Divide sampling can automatically create a new
sample for you each time a specified gap between sounds occurs, as we’ll
discuss in a little bit.
Input Settings
On the Sampling Standby screen, press F1 (Input Setting) to
display the Input Settings screen where you can select from a
variety of input options.
The diagram at the left of the
screen shows the components
through which the input signal
flows on its way to sampling,
and to the Fantom-X outputs for
monitoring.
• Input Select—is the same parameter found on the Sample
Standby screen, repeated here for your convenience.
• Digital Input Level—When DIGITAL IN is selected as the
Input Select value, you can adjust the input signal’s level
using this parameter.

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Applying Effects as You Sample
The Fantom-X allows you to add up to four effects to an
incoming audio signal as you sample so the audio is captured
with the effects permanently applied. Use the remaining
parameters and buttons on this screen to set up these effects.
The first of the four effects is called the “input effect.”
• F7 (In FX Sw)—Press this button so it turns red to enable
the input effect.
When the Input FX switch is turned on, you see the currently selected input
effect added to the signal-flow diagram at the left of the screen.
• Input Effect Type—This parameter selects the input effect
algorithm, or “type.” You can select EQ, ENHANCER,
COMPRESSOR, LIMITER, NOISE SUP (for “Noise Suppressor”)
OR C CANCELER (for “Center Canceller”).
The Center Canceller effect can remove lead vocals and soloists’ instruments
from the center of a stereo mix.
• F8 (In FX Setup)—Press this button to display a window
in which you can customize the currently selected input
effect.
You can also add effects from an MFX processor or the
Fantom-X’s chorus or reverb to the sample.
To learn about the Fantom-X’s MFX, chorus and reverb, see the Workshop
series’ The Fantom-X Effects booklet.
• Mix In Output Assign—allows you to sample the input
signal dry, without applying any MFX processing, or to
send the signal to the desired MFX processor.
• Mix In Output Level—sets the amount of the input signal to
be sent to the Mix In Output Assign destination.
• Mix In Chorus Send Level—sets the amount of chorus to be
added to the sampled input signal.
• Mix In Reverb Send Level—sets the amount of reverb to be
added to the sampled input signal.
To return to the Sampling Standby screen, press EXIT.
What Happens Each Time You Sample
Every time you sample, the same things happen:
• You capture audio as a new sample—from the selected
input(s), or in the case of resampling, from the
Fantom-X’s A output pair. It begins when you press F8
(Start), or when the audio’s level reaches the Auto-Trigger
parameter’s threshold if Auto-Triggering is turned on.
• You stop sampling—when you press F7 (Stop), or when the
designated number of beats or period of time has elapsed
if the Stop Trigger parameter is set to BEAT or TIME.
• The Fantom-X puts the new sample in sample RAM—so you
can play and/or edit the samples.
• The Fantom-X temporarily allocates a user memory location—
as the sample’s address so a patch or rhythm set that plays
the sample knows where to find it. If it’s a stereo sample, a
pair of consecutive locations are set aside for the sample.
This user address is strictly temporary. Be sure to permanently store the
new sample in user or card memory before turning off the Fantom-X.
• The Sample Edit screen is displayed—where you can see
your sample and set its parameters, as described later
on. You can also audition your sample on this screen by
pressing and holding down F8 (Preview).

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The Five Flavors of Sampling
(Basic) Sampling
Basic sampling captures audio coming into
the Fantom-X while nothing else is going
on—no patch or rhythm set is being played,
no arpeggios or rhythms are playing, and
the sequencer isn’t running.
To perform basic sampling:
1. Press SAMPLING, and then press F1 (Sampling) to display
the Sampling Standby screen.
2. Set the following parameters and switches as desired:
• Input Select
• Stereo Switch
• Pre Sample Time
• Stop Trigger and Sampling Length
• F2 (Auto Trig) and Auto Triggering Level
• F3 (Trim Sw)
3. If you want to adjust the digital input level or add input
effects, press F1 (Input Setting) and set the parameters on
the Input Settings screen. Press EXIT when you’re done.
4. Use Auto Triggering to start sampling or press F8 (Start).
5. If you haven’t set Stop Trigger and Sampling Length, press
F7 (Stop) to finish sampling.
6. Save the new sample to user or card memory as described in
“How to Save an Individual Sample” later in this booklet.
Resampling
Resampling captures the sound of the
Fantom-X itself, or, more specifically, the
stereo sound of its main OUTPUT A signal.
It allows you to:
• capture an entire mix as a stereo sample—
that you can transfer to a computer for
burning on a CD or for editing.
• create insanely complex sounds—by sampling a sound over
and over, tweaking it or adding more effects each time.
Transfer a resampled mix to a computer via USB, and use CD-burning
software to create an audio CD. For detailed instructions, see the Workshop
series’ Making a CD of Your Fantom-X Music booklet.
To resample:
1. Press SAMPLING, and then press F2 (Resampl) to display
the Sampling Standby screen.
2. Set the following parameters and switches as desired:
• Stereo Switch
• Pre Sample Time
• Stop Trigger and Sampling Length
• F2 (Auto Trig) and Auto Triggering Level
• F3 (Trim Sw)
3. Use Auto Triggering to start sampling or press F8 (Start).
4. If you haven’t set Stop Trigger and Sampling Length, press
F7 (Stop) to finish sampling.
5. Save the new sample to user or card memory as described in
“How to Save an Individual Sample” later in this booklet.
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Mix Sampling
With Mix sampling, you can simultaneously
capture audio coming into the Fantom-X
input(s) along with audio from its keyboard,
pads, rhythms, arpeggiator or sequencer.
Mix sampling allows you to:
• perform “live bouncing”—You can
combine already-sequenced or sampled materials with
new live sounds to create new samples.
• capture live sounds along with Fantom-X sounds—You can
record a vocal/keyboard performance or jam with another
connected instrument and capture it all as a new sample.
1. Press SAMPLING, and then press F3 (Mix) to display the
Sampling Standby screen.
2. Set the following parameters and switches as desired:
• Input Select
• Stereo Switch
• Pre Sample Time
• Stop Trigger and Sampling Length
• F2 (Auto Trig) and Auto Triggering Level
• F3 (Trim Sw)
3. If you want to adjust the digital input level or add input
effects, press F1 (Input Setting) and set the parameters on
the Input Settings screen. Press EXIT when you’re done.
4. Use Auto Triggering to start sampling or press F8 (Start).
5. If you haven’t set Stop Trigger and Sampling Length, press
F7 (Stop) to finish sampling.
6. Save the new sample to user or card memory as described in
“How to Save an Individual Sample” later in this booklet.
Auto-Divide Sampling
Auto Divide sampling creates a new sample
each time a sufficient amount of silence, or
a “gap,” occurs in your audio. This is great for
creating a series of samples from sounds on
a sampling CD that has a collection of related
sounds played one after another. Rather
than capturing each selection individually,
you can just play the CD into the Fantom-X once and allow
Auto Divide to turn each sound into an individual sample.
1. Press SAMPLING, and then press F4 (Auto Divide) to display
the Sampling Standby screen.
2. Set the following parameters and switches as desired:
• Input Select
• Stereo Switch
• Pre Sample Time
• Stop Trigger and Sampling Length
• F2 (Auto Trig) and Auto Triggering Level
• Gap Time—This parameter sets the length of silence
in-between sounds that causes Auto Divide to create
a new sample.
• F3 (Trim Sw)
3. If you want to adjust the digital input level or add input
effects, press F1 (Input Setting) and set the parameters on
the Input Settings screen. Press EXIT when you’re done.
4. Use Auto Triggering to start sampling or press F8 (Start).
5. If you haven’t set Stop Trigger and Sampling Length, press
F7 (Stop) to finish sampling.
6. Save the new samples to user or card memory.
The Save All Samples feature—described later—can quickly store all of
your Auto Divide samples to user memory in a single operation.
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Solo Sampling
Solo sampling allows you to play or
sing along with music playing on the
Fantom-X, and capture only the live audio.
When you want to record audio—such
as vocals, guitars and such—to add to
sequenced tracks on the Fantom-X, use
Solo sampling. Once you’ve sampled the audio and assigned
it to the keyboard or a pad, you can place it into your
arrangement.
1. Press SAMPLING, and then press F5 (Solo) to display the
Sampling Standby screen.
2. Set the following parameters and switches as desired:
• Input Select
• Stereo Switch
• Pre Sample Time
• Stop Trigger and Sampling Length
• F2 (Auto Trig) and Auto Triggering Level
• Gap Time—This parameter sets the length of silence
in-between sounds that causes Auto Divide to create
a new sample.
• F3 (Trim Sw)
3. If you want to adjust the digital input level or add input
effects, press F1 (Input Setting) and set the parameters on
the Input Settings screen. Press EXIT when you’re done.
4. Use Auto Triggering to start sampling or press F8 (Start).
It’s a good idea to begin playback a few beats before the location at which
you want to record to give yourself a count-in-like period.
5. Start playback of the song section to which you want to
add live audio, and then begin performing.
6. If you haven’t set Stop Trigger and Sampling Length, press
F7 (Stop) to finish sampling.
7. Save the new samples to user or card memory as
described in “How to Save an Individual Sample” later in
this booklet.
How a Sample Gets Played
We’ve already noted that you can audition a sample by
pressing F8 (Preview) on the Sample Edit screen; you can also
do this in the Sample Parameters screen.
However, to use a sample in your music, you play it in a:
• patch—Each one of a patch’s four tones can play a
stereo sample, or two mono samples, instead of the
Fantom-X’s built-in PCM waveforms.
To learn more about patches and tones, see the Workshop series’ Sounds of
the Fantom-X booklet.
• rhythm set—Each of the four tones in a rhythm set’s drum
keys can play a stereo, or two mono, samples instead of
the built-in PCM waveforms.
To learn more about rhythm sets and drum keys, see the Workshop series’
Rhythms of the Fantom-X booklet.
You can freely designate samples for use in new or existing
patches or rhythm sets. We’ll discuss how to go about doing
this shortly.
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How Patches and Rhythm Sets Keep Track of Samples
Sample-playing patches and rhythm sets identify the samples
they play by their locations in user or card memory. Every
sample—even a new one—is assigned a memory location.
• Samples you’ve saved—are stored in the user or card
memory locations you’ve selected.
• Unsaved new, imported or edited samples—are automatically
allocated temporary memory locations for use as long as
the Fantom-X remains powered-on.
Be sure to store unsaved new or edited samples into user or card memory
before turning off the Fantom-X.
Patches and rhythm sets don’t actually know anything about
the sample other than where it’s located.
The section later in this booklet called “Saving Samples, Their
Patches and Rhythm Sets” describes how to save your sample-
playing patches and rhythm sets successfully.
The Sample List
All of the samples in sample RAM or stored in user or card
memory are shown on the Sample List screen—you display
the screen by pressing SAMPLE LIST.
At the top of the
screen is a graphic
representation—called a
“waveform”—of the list’s
currently selected sample.
When a:
• sample’s information is in black type—the sample is currently
loaded in sample RAM.
• sample’s information is shown in gray, and has “UNLOAD” to
its right—the sample’s saved in user or card memory, but
is currently unloaded.
• sample has the word “NEW” to its right—it hasn’t yet been
stored to user or card memory. Its location is temporary.
• sample has the word “EDIT” to its right—the sample has
been edited, and its newly edited version hasn’t yet been
saved to user or card memory.
Mono samples are shown in the sample list with “MONO” in
the Ch (for “Channel”) column. With stereo samples:
• the left side and right sides—show “L” and “R” in the Ch
column, respectively.
• the sample’s name—is shown in the left-side sample’s
Sample Name column only.
We’ll discuss sample sizes shown in the sample list a bit later.
For most operations involving a single sample, all you need to
do to select the sample in the sample list is to highlight it.
Checkmark samples when you
want to load or unload, delete
or import multiple samples in one operation, or when you’re
creating a new multi-sample patch or rhythm set.
• To checkmark a sample—highlight the sample and press
F5 (Mark Set).
When you mark a pair of stereo samples, the checkmark appears to the left
of the left-side sample’s name.
• To un-checkmark a sample—highlight the sample and
press F4 (Mark Clear).

14
Placing a Sample into a Patch or Rhythm Set
You can create a patch or rhythm set for playing a sample—or add it to an
already-existing patch or rhythm set—before or after editing.
Before placing it in a patch or rhythm set, store the sample
in user or card memory first as described in “How to Save an
Individual Sample” later in this booklet.
As noted earlier, you play a sample—or use it in a sequence—
as an element within a patch or rhythm set. There are a few
ways to create a sample-playing patch or rhythm set. First,
though, let’s take a moment to talk about Tempo Sync.
Tempo Sync: Automatically Keep Samples in Time
The Fantom-X’s Tempo Sync feature can
automatically time-stretch a sample so it’s
always in time with the built-in sequencer,
rhythm or arpeggio. This is especially handy when you’re
laying sampled beat loops into a sequence. As you tweak the
sequence’s tempo, the sample automatically stays in time.
Tempo Sync is non-destructive—it only changes how the sample plays,
not the sample itself. You can also time-stretch a sample permanently, as
we’ll explain later on.
You can activate Tempo Sync for a sample:
• as you assign the sample to the keyboard or pads. We’ll
discuss this in the following sections.
• by setting the Wave Tempo Sync parameter.
The Wave Tempo Sync parameter belongs to the tone playing the sample in
a patch or rhythm set. To edit the parameter’s setting, select the patch or
rhythm set playing the sample, press PATCH EDIT and press F2 (↓) to reveal
the Wave parameters. If you decide to turn off Tempo Sync at any time, you
can turn off the Wave Tempo Sync parameter.
For Tempo Sync to work properly, the Fantom-X needs to know
the sample’s original tempo. You can set a sample’s tempo on
the Sample Edit screen, as we’ll describe later.
You don’t need to manually set the sample’s tempo if you’ve
captured the sample:
• using Skip Back sampling while playing along with a
rhythm.
• using solo sampling as the sequencer plays.
If you turn on Tempo Sync while sending a sample to the keyboard or pads,
be sure to set the sample’s original tempo afterwards if it hasn’t been set
already.
Creating a Patch that Plays a Single Sample
Starting from the Sample List or Sample Edit screens, you can
create a patch that plays a single sample up and down the
keyboard—we’ll describe how this process on the next page.
In both cases, you wind up on the Assign to Keyboard screen.
Once you’re on the Assign to Keyboard screen:
1. Press F2 (Tempo Sync) to turn on Tempo Sync if desired.
2. Press F8 (Exec).
3. When the Fantom-X asks if you’re sure, press F8 (Exec)
again—a new patch is created, named after its sample.
After creating the patch, you can edit it to refine its sound and behavior.
See the Workshop series’ The Sounds of the Fantom-X.

15
Creating a One-Sample Patch—Sample List Screen
1. Highlight the desired sample in the sample list.
2. Press F7 (Load Utility).
3. Press F1 (Assign to Kbd)—if you’re in:
• Patch mode—The Assign to Keyboard screen appears.
• Performance mode—Performance mode’s Assign to
Keyboard part-selection window pops open where
you can choose the performance part in which the
new patch is created. Highlight the desired part and
press F8 (Select) to display the Assign to Keyboard
screen.
Creating a One-Sample Patch —Sample Edit Screen
1. On the Sample Edit screen, press
F6 (Assign KB/Pad)—the Assign to
KB/Pad window opens.
2. Press F6 (Assign to Kbd).
3. If you’re in:
• Patch mode—The Assign to Keyboard screen appears.
• Performance mode—Performance mode’s Assign to
Keyboard part-selection window pops open in which
you can choose the part in which the new patch will
be created. Highlight the desired part and press F8
(Select) to display the Assign to Keyboard screen.
Adding a Sample to an Existing Rhythm Set
You can add a sample to the currently selected rhythm set
starting from the Sample List or Sample Edit screens. In either
case, you send the sample to its pad on the Assign to Pad
Screen.
The Assign to Pad screen is the screen to which you’re sent immediately
after Skip Back sampling.
In Performance mode, the sample is added to the rhythm set assigned to
the part currently designated as the pad part.
Once you’re on the Assign to Pad screen:
1. Press F1 (Tempo Sync) to turn on Tempo Sync if desired.
2. Press the pad to which you’d like to assign the sample, or
select it onscreen using 3, 4, 5, 6 or the VALUE dial—
the currently selected pad appears in orange onscreen.
3. Press F8 (Exec).
4. When the Fantom-X asks if you’re sure, press F8 (Exec)
again.
After adding a sample to a rhythm set, you can tweak its level and other
characteristics by editing the rhythm set. See the Workshop series’ The
Rhythms of the Fantom-X.

16
Adding a Sample to a Rhythm Set—Sample List Screen
1. Highlight the desired sample in the sample list.
2. Press F7 (Load Utility).
3. Press F2 (Assign to Pad)—the Assign to Pad screen
appears.
Adding a Sample to a Rhythm Set—Sample Edit Screen
1. On the Sample Edit screen, press F6 (Assign KB/Pad)—the
Assign to KB/Pad window opens.
2. Press F7 (Assign to Pad)—the Assign to Pad screen
appears.
Creating a New Sample-Playing Rhythm Set
You can create an entirely new set that plays the selected
sample or group of samples. When you’ve generated a bunch
of related percussion samples using Auto Divide sampling, or
when you’ve chopped up a sample—we’ll get into this later—
this is a great way to quickly build a new rhythm set that plays
all of your new samples.
When you’re using multiple beat loops in a song, place each one on its
own pad in a new rhythm set. This’ll allow you to play the loops into the
sequencer to build your song.
When you create a new rhythm set from two or more samples, the samples
are mapped to consecutive drum keys starting at C2, in the same order
they’re shown in the sample list.
1. Press SAMPLE LIST.
2. Highlight the first sample you want to use and press F5
(Mark Set) to checkmark it.
3. Repeat Step 2 for all of the samples you want to include in
the rhythm set.
4. Press F7 (Load Utility).
5. Press F4 (Create Rhythm).
6. Select where the new rhythm set is to be placed. In:
• Patch mode—turn VALUE to select the keyboard or
pads.
• Performance mode—turn VALUE to select the desired
performance part.
7. Press F8 (Select).
8. Press F1 (Tempo Sync) to turn on Tempo Sync for all of the
selected samples if desired.
Tempo Sync can be turned on or off for individual samples later on by
setting the Wave Tempo Sync parameter, as described earlier.
9. Press F8 (Exec) to finish creating the new rhythm set.
After creating a rhythm set, you can tweak the level and other characteristics
of its samples by editing the rhythm set. See the Workshop series’ The
Rhythms of the Fantom-X.
Creating a Patch that Plays Multiple Samples
You can select up to 128 samples in the sample list and create
a single multi-sample patch that uses them all. Before creating
the patch, assign each sample to the desired keyboard note as
described in the next section so the Fantom-X knows where
you want it placed.
Multi-sample patches that use samples in user memory can be stored in
user memory. Multi-sample patches that use samples in card memory can
be stored in card memory.

17
Multi-Sample Patches vs Rhythm Sets
Since multi-sample patches and rhythm sets both play more
than one sample, what’s the difference between them?
In a Multi-Sample Patch: In a Rhythm Set:
The Fantom-X maps each sample
to multiple keys—stretching the
sample’s pitch up or down above
and below its designated note—so
there are no silent keys between
samples.
Each sample plays only on its own
single drum key.
All of the multisamples are played
by the same patch tone, so they
share tone parameter settings.
Each drum key has its own
parameters
See The Sounds of the Fantom-X to learn about tones, and The Rhythms of
the Fantom-X to learn about programming rhythm sets.
Preparing Multi-Samples
At the end of this section, you’ll be re-saving your samples using the Save
All Samples command. If there are any samples in sample RAM you don’t
want to re-save, unload them before proceeding as described a later on.
1. In the sample list, highlight the first sample you want to
prepare and then press MENU.
2. Turn VALUE to highlight “Sample Parameter” and press
ENTER.
3. Set the Original Key parameter to the keyboard note at
which you want the sample to play at its original pitch.
4. Press SAMPLE LIST and highlight your next sample.
5. Press ENTER to jump back to the Sample Parameter
screen.
6. Set the Original Key parameter for this sample.
7. Repeat Steps 4-6 for all of the remaining samples you want
to use in the multi-sample patch.
8. Use the Save All Samples command—described later in
this booklet—to re-save the samples at their new pitches.
Creating a Multi-Sample Patch
1. In the sample list, highlight each sample you want to
include in the multi-sample patch, and press F5 (Mark Set)
to checkmark it.
2. Press F7 (Load Utility).
3. Press F3 (Create Multi-Sample).
4. Name the new multi-sample patch and press F8 (Write).
5. Select the desired user or card memory location and press
F8 (Write).
6. When the Fantom-X asks if you’re sure, press F8 (Exec).
7. If you’re in Performance mode, the Fantom-X displays a
window in which you can select the part to which you’d
like the new patch assigned—highlight the desired part
and press F8 (Select).
8. Press F1 (Tempo Sync) to turn on Tempo Sync if desired.
Tempo Sync can be turned on for individual multisamples by setting the
Wave Tempo Sync parameter, as described earlier.
9. Press F8 (Exec).
10. When the Fantom-X asks if you’re sure, press F8 (Exec)
again.

18
Saving and Loading Samples
Saving Samples, Their Patches and Rhythm Sets
To store samples and their patches and rhythm sets:
1. Save the sample or group of samples—to user or card
memory before placing it in a patch or rhythm set since
the patch or rhythm set will need to know where the
samples permanently live.
Skip Back sampling always sets aside locations in user memory for
its samples that are large enough to also serve as permanent storage
locations. For that reason, it’s perfectly okay to send Skip Back samples to a
rhythm set pad before saving the samples to user or card memory, as long
as they’re eventually stored in these original user memory locations.
2. Save the patch or rhythm set—to user or card memory.
The specific procedures for saving patches and rhythm sets are described in
the Workshop series’ Sounds of the Fantom-X and Rhythms of the Fantom-X,
respectively.
To further help ensure that your storage and retrieval of
samples and their patches and rhythm sets are trouble-free:
• Store samples and their patch/rhythm sets together—To
make sure that each patch or rhythm set can find its
sample(s), store the patch/rhythm set and its samples in
the same area: to user memory or on the same memory
card. This way, if you’ve got the desired patches and
rhythm sets, you’ll also have the samples they need.
• More card memory space is better—If you decide to use card
memory, you’ll appreciate having a few larger memory
cards more than having a greater number of smaller cards.
Samples can get big when you’re recording vocal and
instrumental performances, and each sample must fit in a
single storage area.
• Store songs and samples together—When a song uses
patches and/or rhythm sets that play samples, store
everything in user memory or onto the same PC card. Once
you’ve done so, use the Fantom-X’s Save Song + Samples
feature, described later, when you re-save your work as
your song and samples evolve. This’ll grab everything at
once that you need for the song: the song data, samples,
patches, rhythm sets, performance and so on.
Checking the Available Sample Storage Space
You can make sure you’ve got enough storage space before
attempting to save a sample or a group of samples.
The following two sections involve a little math. If this bothers you, you
can always just try to save your data. The Fantom-X will tell you if you don’t
have enough storage space.
Learning the Size of Your Samples
The first thing you’ll want to know is how big your samples are.
You can find this out by pressing SAMPLE LIST.

19
Samples are measured in bytes, the way things are usually
measured in computer-based devices. Since most samples
you record are thousands of bytes in size, the Fantom-X counts
them in thousands to make life easier. Each thousand bytes
is called a “kilobyte,” and is abbreviated on the Fantom-X’s
display as simply “KB,” as in “100 KB,” “32752 KB,” and so on.
Samples in the Preset sample list can demonstrate how a
sample’s length—and whether it’s stereo or mono—affects its
size. If you’re not currently viewing the Preset sample list as
shown on the previous page, press F1 (Preset).
Turn VALUE to display samples P0019, P0020 and P0021.
If you’ve already set your Fantom-X so it doesn’t automatically load its
preset samples at startup—as described later in this booklet—you won’t
see the samples’ sizes displayed. Sizes are shown only for loaded samples.
P0019 and P0020 are the left and right sides of the stereo
Sample BG Stack. The left and right sides of this roughly four-
second sample are both 359 KB in size. “359 KB” means 359,000
bytes, so the sample’s size is 718,000 bytes in total. On the
other hand, the brief, mono bass-slap sample P0021 BassPhr
01/16 is only 11 KB. Most samples you’re likely to create will be
in the hundreds of KBs.
• If you’re saving a single sample—check its size on this
screen.
• If you’re saving a new group of samples—add their sizes
together to learn how much space you need in KB.
• If you’re re-saving samples you’ve been tweaking—add their
sizes together to learn how much space you need in KB
since editing may have changed their sizes slightly.
Displaying the Available Storage Space
Once you know how much room your sample data needs, you
can easily find out how much storage space you have.
1. Press PATCH/RHYTHM, and then press MENU.
2. Press 6 once to select System, and then press ENTER.
3. Press F4 (Info).
4. Press F2 (↓) or F1 (↑) once to select Memory Info.
On this screen, you can see how much space is available in
your sample RAM—shown as “Sample”—in user memory and
in card memory.
The amount of memory you have for sample storage is
counted in “megabytes,” or “MB.” A MB is 1,000 KBs, or one
million bytes—yipes! You’ll obviously need to do a little math
to make sure you’ve got enough room in user memory or on
a card.

20
How to Save an Individual Sample
When you save a stereo sample, its left and right sides—which are really
two separate samples—are automatically saved together in a consecutive
pair of memory locations.
1. Press WRITE—the Write menu appears.
If you were on a sampling screen prior to
pressing WRITE, sample-saving is already
selected onscreen, as shown here.
2. Press F3 (Sample), or, if Sample is already selected as
shown above, you can press ENTER instead to display the
sample-naming screen.
When you name a sample, you’re giving it a name for use within the
Fantom-X. When the sample is written to user or card memory, it’s written
there as an audio file, and the audio file is automatically named after
its user or card memory location. (The Fantom-X name is contained in
this audio file.) When you connect the Fantom-X to a computer, it’s the
audio file name you see—not the name of the sample as shown in the
Fantom-X.
To name a sample:
1. The first character position is underlined, so turn VALUE to
select the first character of the sample’s name.
2. Press 4 to move the underline to the next character’s
position, and turn VALUE to select the second character.
3. Repeat Step 2 to complete the sample’s name.
As you name the sample, 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, or
• Press F3 (Insert) to insert a new character or space there.
When you’ve finished naming the sample, press F8 (Write). The
Sample 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 sample is to be
saved, or to select Card if you’ve installed a memory card.
2. Turn VALUE to select the user or card location in which
you’d like to store the sample, and then press F8 (Write) to
store the sample.
3. The Fantom-X asks if you’re sure you want to proceed.
Press F8 (Exec) to finish storing the sample.