Roland Fantom-G none Instruction manual

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© 2009, 2010 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.
FGWS10
Studio Mode in the Fantom-G
®ÂØÒňήWorkshop
Fantom-G Workstation Keyboard

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About the Workshop Booklets
Roland’s Fantom G6, G7, and G8—the Fantom-G family—set a new standard
for excellence in workstation keyboards, with spectacular sounds and
incredible built-in effect-processing muscle. A beautiful full-color LCD
display and innovative performance features make getting around a pleasure
and make the G6, G7, and G8 a dream to play. For recording, the Fantom-G
contains a powerful 152 MIDI/audio track sequencer. Each Fantom-G can
also host two Roland ARX SuperNATURAL™ cards whose breakthrough
modeling technology provides sounds with amazing sonic detail, expressive
possibilities, and sound-design opportunities.
Each Fantom-G Workshop Series booklet focuses on one Fantom-G topic,
and is intended as a companion to the Fantom G6/G7/G8 Owner’s Manual.
This booklet requires Fantom-G Operating System v1.30 or higher. You can
download the latest Fantom-G O.S. for free from www.RolandUS.com.
About This Booklet
When the Fantom-G’s in Studio mode, it’s optimally configured for the
sequencing and recording of songs, with more simultaneous sounds and
effects than the other modes. This booklet explains Studio mode.
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.
Clicking or Pressing
As explained in the Power User Control Fantom-G Workshop booklet, you
can perform most operations on the Fantom-G using either a connected
mouse—sold separately—or the Fantom-G’s own front-panel controls.
If you’re using a mouse: If you’re using the Fantom-G’s controls:
You select parameters and objects with
a left click. You change the selected
parameter’s value by turning the scroll
wheel. You can often display a menu by
right-clicking an object.
You select parameters and objects with the
3, 4, 5, and 6buttons. Change a
selected parameter’s setting by turning the
Value dial or by pressing DEC and INC.
Left click Right click
Scroll
wheel
Value dial
In any situation, the best method to use is always simply the one that feels
most natural to you.
Going forward, when we want you to click an onscreen button or its
physical counterpart—your choice, of course—we’ll simply tell you to “click”
the button. The same mouse-centric logic will apply to any other virtual
versus physical control issues we encounter. If there’s only one way to do
something, we’ll tell you so. Beyond that, remember that whether you use a
mouse or the Fantom-G’s built-in controls is entirely up to you.

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About Studio Mode and Studio Sets
Studio mode is the mode to use for sequencing and recording songs. It’s the
place where the Fantom-G brings together the maximum number of sounds
and the greatest amount of effect-processing horsepower so you can create
complete musical arrangements for your songs. These materials are brought
together in a “studio set.”
You can save a studio set by itself in a project if you plan to re-use it
for other project songs. You don’t have to do this, though—when you
save a song, its studio set is automatically saved within the song.
Each studio set has up to 64 parts through which its sounds are played:
16 Internal parts—
• for Fantom-G patches, rhythm sets, and sample sets.
up to 16 EXP 1 parts—
• for the ARX board installed in Expansion Slot 1.
The number of available EXP 1 parts depends on the ARX board.
up to 16 EXP 2 parts—
• for the ARX board installed in Expansion Slot 2.
The number of available EXP 2 parts depends on the ARX board.
16 External parts—
• for playing sounds in external MIDI devices using up
to 16 MIDI channels.
A studio set also has:
24 audio tracks—
• for recording and playing back audio.
two audio inputs—
• you can send to audio tracks, to an MFX, or directly
to the Fantom-G’s outputs so you can sing or play another instrument
along with the Fantom-G, add a sound module, or use backing tracks.
The audio inputs have their own input effect processor.
a PFX (“Patch Effect”)—
• for every Internal part, as well as PFX for each
ARX part.
two MFX (“Multi-Effect”)—
• any Internal part, audio track, or the audio
inputs can use.
a global chorus—
• any Internal part, audio track, or the audio inputs can
use.
a global reverb—
• any Internal part, audio track, or audio inputs can use.
the mastering effect—
• with which you can apply the final processing
touch to the song’s mix.
Here’s what’s in a studio set:
Mastering Eect
Up to16 External
MIDI parts
Up to16 EXP 1 parts
Up to16 EXP 2 parts
EXP 1 eects
EXP 2 eects
MFX 1
MFX 2
Chorus, Reverb
16 Internal parts
16 PFX
24 Audio Tracks
Audio inputs
Input Eect
You can incorporate sounds from an external MIDI device in your main
Fantom-G mix connecting its outputs to the Fantom-G’s audio inputs.
You can layer Studio mode sounds by assigning different sounds to
different parts whose tracks play the same phrases. We’ll discuss
tracks and phrases in the Sequencing and Recording Fantom-G
Workshop booklet.

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The Studio Play Screens
The Studio Play screens are where you set the
behavior of, and mix, the audio tracks and
sounds in a song. To display one, press the
STUDIO MODE button.
Help
area
The Fantom-G’s Help area shows the name of any parameter you
select, in order to help you keep track of what you’re doing.
Top Information Strip
Screen name
Active effects area
Song location readout
Global mouse buttons
Screen name—• The Studio Play screen title.
Active effects area—
• This informational area shows the effects that are
currently turned on. When an effect is on, it’s lit. Otherwise, it’s gray.
In Studio mode, you have 21 simultaneous effects, plus any effects
provided by your ARX board(s). Each part has its own PFX, while any
part, audio track, or the audio input can use MFX1, MFX 2, and/or the
global chorus and reverb. The mastering effect can be used on the
overall mix.
Song location readout—• This shows your present location in the currently
loaded song.
Global mouse buttons—
• Available at the top of all Fantom-G screens,
these three icons act as buttons when you’re using a mouse. The first
button takes you to the Menu screen, the middle one acts as a Back
button to the previous screen where that makes sense, and the last
button opens the Shortcut menu.
Selecting a Studio Set
You can select a studio set from any Studio Play screen in either of two
ways.
You can select a studio set from a list of onboard studio sets—
• by clicking F5
(Studio Set), choosing the desired studio set, and clicking F8 (Select).
This screen shows you the current project’s User studio
sets first, followed by the factory preset studio sets.
You can move through the list quickly by holding down the SHIFT button
as you turn your mouse’s scroll wheel or the Fantom-G’s Value dial.

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You may want to take advantage of QWERTY searching to quickly find
the studio set you want on this screen. See Page 4 of the Power User
Control Fantom-G Workshop booklet.
You can use the Bank and Studio Set Number parameters—• by selecting
the type of studio set you want with the Bank parameter, and then the
studio set itself using the Studio Set Number parameter.
The factory preset studio set PRST 001:Standard Set provides a good
starting point for sequencing, with Part 10 using a rhythm set, and
all other parts assigned to a piano sound. The User studio sets in the
default project are all good starting points for songs in a variety of
styles.
You can also create and save your own User studio sets with sounds you
like to use. To learn about saving studio sets, see the Saving Your Work
on the Fantom-G Workshop booklet.
The Studio Play Screen Buttons
There’s a separate Studio Play screen for each kind of track you can have
in a song. These screens present parts containing parameters you need for
controlling your tracks.
You can select the Studio Play screen you want by clicking its name at the
top of a Studio Play screen—the current screen’s name is colored aqua.
You can jump to any of these studio play screens by clicking its
button with your mouse.
You can also select a Studio Play screen using the using F7 (←) and F8 (→)
buttons.
The Studio Mode Channel Strips
The main area of each Studio Play screen looks like a console in a recording
studio, with each studio set part presented as a strip in which its most
important parameters are arranged vertically. Each strip holds too many
parameters to fit onscreen at one time—you can display the upper half of
the strip or the lower half, changing your view using the F6 button.
There’s also a third channel-strip view that shows what your realtime
controllers are up to. Press F6 to move between the three views.
You can also click F3 (Part View) to view all of a part’s parameters
arranged in a table. We’ll discuss the Part View screens later.
Using the Studio Play Channel Strips
Selecting a Part’s Channel Strip on a Studio Play Screen
You can select a part’s channel strip by:
Clicking the part strip’s
number with your mouse, or...
You can also move from part to part using the 3and 4buttons.
...setting the Part parameter
to the part strip you want.
Selecting a Part’s Sound from Its Channel Strip
Though you can assign a sound to a part during sequencing from the Song
Play and Song Edit screens’ Part Select window, you can also do this on the
Internal, EXP 1, and EXP 2 Studio Play screens. You can:
press F1 (Patch List)—
• to select a new sound for the currently selected
part, regardless of the part parameter that’s currently selected, or
press the ENTER button—
• after selecting the part’s Patch Name/Number
parameter.

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Adjusting Parameters with Your Mouse
To adjust a Studio Play parameter with your mouse:
Click the desired parameter.
1
Right-click to display a menu of the parameter’s values, or the Patch2
List screen if the Patch Name/Number parameter is selected.
The Studio Play Screen Channel Strips in Detail
The Audio Track Studio Play Channel Strips
On the Audio Track Studio Play screen you’ll find channel strips for mixing a
song’s audio tracks.
Top Audio Track Strip Section
Activity—• This indicator lights green whenever
there’s sound on the audio track. (This indicator
appears in both the top and bottom strip sections.)
Mute—
• When this switch is turned on, the audio
track is silenced.
Chorus—
• This parameter sets the amount of the
audio track’s signal sent to the global chorus effect.
Reverb—
• This parameter sets the amount of the
audio track’s signal sent to the global reverb effect.
Pan—
• Set the audio track’s placement in the
Fantom-G’s stereo mix using this parameter.
Level—
• This sets the audio track’s level in the mix.
Mute
Activity
Chorus
Reverb
Pan
Level
Bottom Audio Track Strip Section
Output Assign—• Select the Fantom-G output to
which you want the audio track’s audio to go. You
can select
A—
• to send it to the Fantom-G’s balanced
main stereo outputs.
B—
• to send it to the unbalanced B pair of
stereo outputs.
FX 1—
• to send it to MFX 1 for processing.
FX 2—
• to send it to MFX 2 for processing.
Recording—
• The setting of this switch determines
whether or not recording is turned on for this
audio track. When recording is enabled, the switch
is lit red.
The Internal Studio Play Channel Strips
The Internal Studio Play screen contains the channel strips for mixing the
internal Fantom-G patches, rhythm sets, and sample sets in a song.
Top Internal Strip Section
Activity—• This indicator lights green when a note
within the part’s keyboard range is played. (This
indicator appears in both the top and bottom strip
sections.)
Mute—
• When this switch is turned on, the part is
silenced.
Chorus—
• This parameter sets the amount of the
part’s signal being sent to the global chorus effect.
Reverb—
• This parameter sets the amount of the
part’s signal being sent to the global reverb effect.
Pan—
• Set the part’s placement in the Fantom-G’s
stereo mix using this parameter.
Level—
• This set the part’s level in the mix.
Output
Assign
Activity
Recording
Mute
Activity
Chorus
Reverb
Pan
Level

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Bottom Internal Strip Section
Output Level—• This parameter lets you trim the
top section’s Level setting for the signal going to
the destination selected using the Output Assign
parameter, explained next. (It has no effect on the
level going to the global chorus and reverb.)
Output Assign—
• Select the destination to which
you want the part’s signal to go. You can select
A—
• to send the part’s sound to the
balanced main stereo outputs.
B—
• to send the part’s sound to the
unbalanced B pair of stereo outputs.
1-4—
• to send the part’s sound to one of
the Fantom-G’s four mono outputs.
MFX 1—
• to send the part’s sound to MFX 1.
MFX 2—
• to send the part’s sound to MFX 2.
Recording—
• During sequencing, the setting of this switch determines
whether or not data for the part is captured on the resulting MIDI track.
When sequencing is turned on, the switch is lit red.
Keyboard—
• When a part’s Keyboard switch is turned on, MIDI data
for the part is catprued on the currently selected MIDI track during
sequencing, even when the part itself isn’t selected. This allows you to
layer patches during sequencing.
Arpeggio—
• This switch, when it’s lit red, designates the part as the one
whose sound is played by the arpeggiator.
Sample—
• This switch, when red, sets a part as the one that can be
played from the pads in Sample Pad mode.
Rhythm—
• This switch, when green, sets a part as the one that can be
played from the pads in the Rhythm pad mode.
The EXP 1 and EXP 2 Studio Play Channel Strips
The controls for parts belonging to the ARX board installed in
EXP Slot 1—
• are displayed on the EXP 1 Studio Play screen.
EXP Slot 2—
• are displayed on the EXP 1 Studio Play screen.
Output
Level
Output
Assign
Activity
Recording
Keyboard
Arpeggio
Sample
Rhythm
Top EXP Strip Section
Mute—• When this is turned on, the part is silenced.
EFX 1—
• This parameter sets the amount of the part’s
signal being sent to the expansion board’s first
multi-effect processor.
EXF 2—
• This parameter sets the amount of the part’s
signal being sent to the expansion board’s second
multi-effect processor.
Pan—
• Sets the part’s placement in the Fantom-G’s
stereo mix using this parameter.
Level—
• This sets the part’s level in the mix.
Bottom EXP Strip Section
Output Level—• This allows you to trim the top
section’s Level setting for the signal going to the
destination selected using the Output Assign
parameter, explained next. (It has no effect on the
level going to the global chorus and reverb.)
Output Assign—
• This parameter selects the
destination for the part’s sound. You can select
DRY—
• to send the part’s sound straight to
the Fantom-G’s main stereo outputs.
EXP—
• to send the sound as directed on the
expansion board’s Effects/Routing screen.
Keyboard—
• When the Keyboard switch is yellow,
the part’s MIDI data is captured on the current
MIDI track during sequencing even when the
part’s not selected.
Arpeggio—
• This switch, when it’s lit red, designates the part as the one
whose sound is played by the arpeggiator.
Rhythm—
• This switch, when green, sets a part as the one that can be
played from the pads in the Rhythm pad mode.
Mute
Pan
Level
EFX 1
EFX 2
Output
Level
Output
Assign
Keyboard
Arpeggio
Rhythm

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External Studio Play Channel Strips
This Studio Play screen presents the channel strips
you’ll need for controlling sounds in a connected
external MIDI device.
Top External Strip Section
Pan—• Position the external sound’s placement in its
device’s stereo mix by sending it Control Change #10
(Pan) values via MIDI.
Level—
• Set the external sound’s level in its device by
transmitting it Control Change #7 (Volume) values
via MIDI.
Bottom External Strip Section
Keyboard—• When the Keyboard switch is yellow,
data for the part is captured on the currently
selected MIDI track during sequencing.
Arpeggio—
• This switch, when it’s lit red, designates
the part as the one whose sound is played by the
arpeggiator.
Rhythm—
• This switch, when green, sets a part as
the one that can be played from the pads in the
Rhythm pad mode.
The Part View Screens
The Fantom-G is all about power and flexibility, and for the user who wants
to really dig in—or who prefers a less graphic view of things—the Part View
screens present tables holding an expanded set of part parameters for the
Internal, EXP 1, EXP 2, and External parts in the current studio set.
To get to the Studio mode Part View tables, display the Studio Play screen for
the parts with which you want to work and click F3 (Part View).
Pan
Level
Keyboard
Arpeggio
Rhythm
This is the Level/Pan group of part parameters for
this studio set’s Internal parts.
Use F1 (Group/Up) and F2 (Group/Down) to select the kind of part parameters
you want to edit.
What Type of Part Do You Want To Edit?
Each kind of part has its own set of Part View screens. To select the type of
part with which you want to work, use the group’s F3-F6 button—or if you’re
using a mouse, you can click the part group’s name at the top of the screen.
Editing Part View Parameters
To select and edit a parameter, click its value with your mouse, or highlight
it using the 3, 4, 5, and/or 6buttons.
Some of the following descriptions involve sound-programming terms.
To learn more, see the Editing Fantom-G Patches and Rhythm Sets
Workshop booklet or the Owner’s Manual’s Page 89.

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The Studio Mode Part Parameters
Group: Available Settings:
Level/Pan These are a part’s most basic parameters. If
the current part group is:
Internal, EXP1, or EXP 2—• you can select a
sound for a part, mute it, adjust the part’s
volume or panning, set whether or not
its sound plays in response to MIDI data
received from the Fantom-G keyboard or
an external MIDI device, and set its MIDI
channel.
External—
• you can enter MIDI Bank Select
and Program Change values for selecting
a sound in an external device when the
studio set’s selected, or set the MIDI
Volume and Pan values to be transmitted
at that time.
Keyboard You can turn a part’s KBD switch on or off,
set its key range, and set its velocity range.
By turning on a part’s ARP button, the part’s
sound is used for the arpeggiator. You can
designate a part as the rhythm set part so
its sound plays from the pads in Rhythm
or Rhythm Pattern mode. When you’re
working with an Internal or EXP part, you
can designate it as the sample set part so its
sound is played from the pads when they’re in
Sample Pad mode.
Group: Available Settings:
Output/EFX These parameters allow you to set the output
destination of Internal or EXP part sounds.
When the current part group is:
Internal—• a part’s sound can be sent
directly to the A or B pair of stereo outputs,
or to the individual Outputs 1, 2, 3, or 4.
You can also set the part’s output level and
the amount of its sound sent to the chorus
and reverb effect processors.
EXP 1 or EXP 2—
• the part’s sound can
be sent directly to the A stereo output
pair with the DRY setting, or, with the
EXP setting, follow the routing on the
expansion board’s Effects/Routing screen.
You can also set the part’s output level, as
well as the amount of the sound to be sent
to the expansion board’s EFX 1 and EFX 2
processors.
Pitch For Internal and EXP parts, this group offers
parameters for transposing a part’s sound, and
for overriding its pre-programmed pitch-bend
and portamento (glide) settings, depending on
the EXP board installed.
Scale Tune This group allows you to use your own tuning
scale with Internal and EXP parts.
Vibrato With Internal parts, these settings allow you
to add vibrato to a part’s sound in addition to
any that’s already pre-programmed into the
sound.
Offset These Internal-part parameters allow you to
offset certain important values programmed
into a part’s sound, including filter cutoff and
resonance, and the filter and amp attack and
decay envelopes.

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Group: Available Settings:
Mono/Poly/Legato With these Internal-part parameters, you
can set a part’s sound to be monophonic or
polyphonic, and you can set it to move from
note to note in a legato manner.
MIDI Rx Filter For Internal, EXP, and External parts, this
group sets whether a part responds to various
MIDI control-change messages. For Internal
parts that use the same MIDI channel, you
can lock in the timing, or “phase,” of note
timings. You can also select individual velocity
curves for Internal and External parts.
Voice Reserve
Each sound wave a patch, rhythm set, or sample set plays is a “voice.” The
Fantom-G can produce 128 Internal voices at a time, with additional voices
available from installed ARX boards.
Any Fantom-G patch can play up to eight voices at a time from as many as
four stereo tones. When you’re playing back or working on a full arrangement
with lots of MIDI tracks playing lots of patches, you can find yourself using
a lot of polyphony. If you don’t hear everything you expect to hear when
you play your song, check the Studio mode Voice Reserve screen to see how
much polyphony you’re using.
The Voice Reserve screen is the second-to-last Part View screen—display it
using F2 (Group/Down).
If any of your arrangement’s important sounds is losing notes due to
excessively high polyphony use, you can reserve a fixed number of notes for
its part by setting the VoiceRsv (“Voice Reserve”) parameter.
You can also address polyphony issues in a more fluid way by editing
your patches’ Patch Priority values, as explained on Page 89 of the
Fantom-G Owner’s Manual. Once you’ve tweaked the parameter,
you’ll need to save your edited patches and, if they’re saved to new
locations, re-select them for your song’s parts.
The End
We hope you’ve found this workshop helpful. Keep an eye out for other
Fantom-G Workshop booklets available for downloading at www.RolandUS.
com.