Roland Fantom-xa Manual

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SEQUENCER

128

VOICE

NEW ENGINE

USB PORT

SAMPLER

& SYNTH

EXPANSION

HIGH RESOLUTION

MULTI-PURPOSE

INTEGRATED

SRX

FA NTOM-X ADVANTAGE

PC Card Slot

Editor Software Included

The Fantom-Xa’s 240 x 64 backlit LCD provides friendly,

icon-based communication.

SAMPLE EDIT screen

SONG EDIT screen

Instantly select sequencer tracks and synth

layers with the push of a button.

The Fantom-Xa’s Pad bank can trigger

sounds and phrases, and can also

double as a numeric keypad.

The Fantom-X editor for Mac and PC allows full-

scale computer control via simple USB connection.

A free copy is supplied with every Fantom-Xa.

Many of the attributes that make the flagship Fantom-X

series so popular have been ported to the Fantom-Xa.

Check out these mouth-watering specs: 128-voice

polyphony, up to 644MB expandability, Skip Back Sampling,

high-resolution built-in sequencer, realtime audio time-

stretching, COSM®modeling effects, mastering processor,

USB port, WAV/AIF compatibility, and an SRX expansion

slot. The Fantom-X’s sequencer has the largest capacity in

the industry, and the Fantom-Xa is no

different. It’s always waiting

for you to start recording

—

just press the Record button from

any mode and you’re off.

Under the Fantom-Xa’s hood is one of the most powerful

synth engines on the market. It’s loaded with great raw

waveforms, semi-modular structures, multiple filter types, and

up to eight syncable LFOs per patch, including the Fantom’s

user-programmable Step LFO, which you’ll find highlighted in

the Pulsating and Beats&Groove categories. Use the onboard

rhythms to launch a breakbeat from the pads, then press the

Category Lock button to surf through dozens of perfectly

sync’d rhythms for instant dance-floor inspiration. Enable the

Xa’s arpeggiator (choose from over 100 programmable

patterns) and warp it with the twist of a knob.

The foundation of any workstation is its sounds. They

should inspire you to play, create, and write music, and

keep you coming back for more. Like its big brothers, the

Fantom-Xa shines with great patches, covering all the

traditional keyboard and orchestral categories, plus banks

of modern electronic textures and beyond. Over 1,000

patches are categorized by family (Electric Guitars, Soft

Pads, Organs, etc.) so it’s easy to find your sound quickly.

The Fantom-Xa is equipped with a powerful and

innovative feature found in the Fantom-X series: Skip Back

Sampling. It’s an ultra-cool sound design tool, and is also

handy for “rescuing”magical moments that you would have

otherwise lost. If you play a great lick, for example, and

wish that you could hear it back (and even retain it as a

sample), simply hit the Skip Back button and there it is!

Skip Back can also be used for handy recording of external

guitar or vocals in time with the internal sequence, or as a

productive way of quickly resampling your realtime

performance with knob and controller tweaks.

Whether you’re sequencing MIDI tracks, triggering

samples, or even recording audio directly to RAM, the

Fantom-Xa makes combining these elements a simple

process. Lay down a drum track by combining the internal

drum sounds with audio loops, which can automatically

sync to tempo via realtime time-stretching. Then record

some keyboard parts via MIDI and finish your song by

tracking a guitar or vocal as audio. The high-resolution

sequencer holds up to 400,000 events, and supports

Standard MIDI Files.

The Fantom-Xa is loaded with studio-quality COSM effects.

There are three MFX processors onboard, plus dedicated

reverb, chorus, and even a mastering processor with

multiband compression. Export your polished, finalized

mixes to a PC or Mac via USB for CD burning.

There’s no shortage of I/O on the Fantom-Xa.

Take advantage of four audio outputs, a

headphone out, a pair audio inputs, MIDI

in, out, and thru, a Hold pedal input (half-

pedal recognition), Control pedal input

(assignable), and a USB port that supports

file transfer and acts as MIDI interface. One

handy USB cable connected from Fantom

to computer is all you need. The onboard

PC Card slot allows up to a gigabyte (!) of

patch and sample data storage. You’ll also get Roland’s

famous D-Beam controller and V-LINK output.

Flagship Features

Deep Synthesis

Stellar Sound Bank

World-Class Effects

Optional DIMM 512MB

Sampling 516MB

RAM 4MB

Optional DIMM approx.101min. (mono)

644MB

102min.

■Wave Memory

■Sampling Time

Max.

approx.

Wave Expansion 64MB

Standard ROM

64MB

RAM approx.47 sec. (mono)

Skip Back Sampling

Seamless Audio/MIDI Integration

Connectivity and More

*D Beam light has been

colored for illustrative

purposes only.

Actual infrared light

beam is invisible.

SRX-Series

WAVE EXPANSION BOARDS

“Phantom” is a registered trademark of and is licensed by Phantom Guitar Works.

Rear Panel

Visit us online at www.Roland.com All specifications and appearances are subject to change without notice.

All trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

Printed in Japan SEP. 2004 RAM-3865 GR-GEN-SE C-4

Keyboard

Sound Generator Section

Maximum Polyphony

Parts

Wave Memory

Waveforms

Preset Memory

User Memory

Card Memory (PC card)

Effects

Sampling Section

Data Format

Sampling Frequency

Maximum Sampling Time

Number of Samples

Sequencer Section

Tracks

Resolution

Tempo

Note Capacity

Song Length

Recording Method

Others

Arpeggiator

Rhythm Pattern

Chord Memory

Display

Pad Buttons

Controllers

Connectors

Expansion Slots

Power Supply

Current draw

Dimensions

Weight

Accessories

61 keys (with velocity)

128 voices (shared with the sampling section)

16 parts

64 MB (16-bit linear equivalent)

1,228

Patches: 768 + 256 (GM2); Rhythm Sets: 36 + 9 (GM2); Performances: 64

Patches: 256; Rhythm Sets: 32; Performances: 64

Multi-Effects: 3 systems, 78 types; Chorus: 3 types; Reverb: 5 types;

Input Effects: 6 types; Mastering Effects: 3-band compressor

16-bit linear (File Type: .WAV/.AIFF)

44.1 kHz (fixed)

mono: 47 sec. approx.; stereo: 23.5 sec. approx.

*When sampling memory isn’t expanded (4 MB)

mono: 102 min. approx.; stereo: 51 min. approx.

*When sampling memory is expanded with DIMM (516 MB)

User memory: 2,000 (maximum total approximately 4 MB);

Card memory: 7,000 (PC card)

Phrase tracks (16 MIDI channels per track): 16; Tempo track: 1;

Beat track: 1; Pattern: 100

480 TPQN

5 – 300

approx. 400,000 notes

9,998 measures

Realtime recording, Step recording

Preset: 128; User: 128

Preset: 256 (32 groups); User: 256 (32 groups)

Preset: 64; User: 64

Graphic 240 x 64 dots backlit LCD

10 pads (Trigger/Category Selection/Numeric Keys)

Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever, Control Knob x 4, Assignable Switch x 2,

D Beam Controller

Headphones Jack, A (MIX) Output Jacks (L/MONO, R): 1/4-inch phone type,

B Output Jacks (L, R): 1/4-inch phone type,

Input Jacks (L/MONO/MIC, R): 1/4-inch phone type,

Hold Pedal Jack (Half Pedal recognition),

Control Pedal Jack (assignable), MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT, THRU),

USB Connector (supports file transfer and MIDI), AC Adaptor Jack

SRX expansion boards: 1 slots

DIMM: 1 slot (supports 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB (3.3 V))

PC Card: 1 slot (supports SmartMedia and CompactFlash using a PC card adapter)

DC 9 V (AC Adaptor)

1,200 mA

1,065 (W) x 358 (D) x 114 (H) mm, 41-15/16 (W) x 14-1/8 (D) x 4-1/2 (H) inches

10.9 kg / 24 lbs. 1 oz. (excl. AC Adaptor)

Owner’s Manual, CD-ROM (Editor, USB MIDI driver), PC Card Protector, AC Adaptor (PSB-1U)

Specifications

Fantom-X Editor Software System Requirements

■Operating System : Mac OS (Classic) 8.6 or higher, Mac OS (X) 10.2 or higher ■CPU/Clock : PowerPC G3 / 233 MHz or higher (Classic), PowerPC G3 / 500 MHz

or higher (OS X) ■Memory (RAM) : 128 MB or more, 256 MB or more (recommended) ■Hard Disk : 120 MB or more ■Display/Colors: 800 x 600 or higher /

32,000 colors or more, 1,024 x 768 or higher (recommended) ■Other : OMS 2.0 or higher required (Classic)

Windows Macintosh

■Operating System : Microsoft®Windows®XP, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows Me, Microsoft Windows 98 ■CPU/Clock : Pentium®/

Celeron®processor 400 MHz or higher, Pentium III 500 MHz or higher (recommended) ■Memory (RAM) : 128 MB or more, 256 MB or more (recommended)

■Hard Disk : 120 MB or more ■Display/Colors : 800 x 600 or higher / 65,536 colors (16 bits High Color) or more, 1,024 x 768 or higher (recommended)

Although Roland has tested numerous configurations, and has determined that on average, a computer system similar to that described above will permit normal operation of Fantom-X Editor software, Roland cannot guarantee that a given computer can be used satisfactorily with this software based solely on the fact that it meets the above

requirements. This is because there are too many other variables that may influence the processing environment, including differences in motherboard design and the particular combination of other devices involved. If you are using the system together with other software, the system requirements may exceed those listed above.

Once a musical instrument generates sound vibrations, it reaches the human ear through various mediating objects, each of which significantly affects the sound. The material and configuration of the instrument, the electric/electronic/magnetic amplifying system, the air and the

reverberation of the room all affect the final sound. Sound modeling, the latest DSP technology, "virtually" reconstructs these objects. Roland’s breakthrough Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM)uses the advantages of multiple modeling methods and succeeds at accurately