Fantom-G worth the upgrade from Fantom-S...?

[SCREWDIO]

Hi all-

First post here. I'm along time Roland user, so I'm psyched to get some feedback on this.

I own a Fantom-S with a memory upgrade and SRX07 card. I use it mostly for playing synth-pop/rock live and also in an 80's cover band. I'm considering getting a Fantom-G. The S does its job just fine, but i have the means to upgrade, if in fact its worth while.

My question is, is it really worth the upgrade...? Aside from a really nice big screen and some added memory and polyphony, does the G "sound" better than the S...? Should I just wait for the next generation of boards when there will be hopefully an even more dramatic difference between the S and whatever is next...?

Many thanks for your help !!!

[sambasevam]

Fantom S owner here. Stay with the S. It has SRX options. If i were you, I'd get 3 more SRXs and kick ass with the Fantom S, or upgrade to a Fantom X but not to a Fantom G. Too much money for very little productivity value,imo ofcourse.

[luislobo]

sambasevam

Do you really own a Fantom-G or is this based on forum reading?
I had a Fantom-X8, now have a Fantom-G, and if you ask me I wouldn't go back.
I agree the first impression is not quite the best (first 1/2 months) but as you get into it and manage to gather a set of valid patches you won't give it back...

Regards,
LL

[Artemiy]

I have had a Fantom-S, then Juno-G, then X6 and finally a G6 which I'd never downgrade from. It has 22 effect processors, with each part having it's own MFX - and combined with much more transparency in the sound engine, you get a rich final mix that the previous Fantoms simply can't touch.

[Jimknopf]

I had an X and - despite my well known criticism of too slow development of the G OS - would never even consider to get by with an S or an X again.

The G is already vastly superior with its present OS in many aspects, and in contrast to S and X it will even get better with OS updates. It is a much better live keyboard than S and X especially, and after selling my X and buying a G I never looked back with any little bit of regret. S and X are nothing but (positive) history for me, and the only things I casually miss are some SRX sounds, which I can easily replace with samples (enjoying Yase for doing so), or perhaps one or two better working functions on the matured X OS.

Now with ARX-03 for the first time it has become clear that ARX is really beginning to outdate SRX as well. You get nothing comparable to ARX-03 on any SRX card (and hardly on any other workstation, despite different articulation efforts).

So despite criticism a clear yes for the G and not for the S or X from my view.

[Septimo]

of course you wouldn't go back, that would be dumb once you're there... I don't think no one would be dumb enough to ask that... The question was, is it worth to upgrade to a G not downgrade from G to S...

Maybe... but Listen to Sam... invest in some way cheaper SRX boards and you'll be sounding like a G two generations down... Of course the G is way nicer with graphics/ video games and what not but that won't really help your music. And it has alot more sounds in it but nothing too drastic from what has been heard already... SRX's blows out whatever G has to offer in terms of content... mainly the difference in sound is that the G sounds Better EQ'd. And really I think it's that... They (Roland and their followers) like to say that 24 bit this and that but i bet it's just eq'd better with the effects better tweaked. but who knows really? The X has 24 bit outs too and it sounds duller in comparrison. But now as they say, these are the "better ones".

I would say wait it out if you already waited this long.. It won't be too long before Roland comes out with a new machine that will be drastically diffeferent in sound that is out now.. And don't be fooled into thinking you'll be doing final mixes on a G cus it is as much of a scetchpad for ideas as is the X or the S. Could you possibly do it all on there? possibly.. but will you knowing that it's so much easier on a computer? maybe at gunpoint as Warren Harris stated before with the MV-8800.. Yeah it can be done on there but i think you'd rather walk 2 miles on broken glass than to do anything finalised on one of those machines.. And even if you do, it still won't be 100% right... They are what they are,(instruments) not what they are advertised as and are pretending to be.(full studios)

[Septimo]

And wait to see where they take ARX.. All that power to stick one instrument in them is a waste of energy and is bad for the environment..

[Quinnx.]

The S is so far behind now as far as architecture goes that I have to say the answer to the question is YES.
This is because the difference between the S and the X is not as major as the difference between the S and the G is much greater.

S to G

Go for it..

[Artemiy]

I was answering from my mobile, so had to be quick. I double what Quinnx said: the leap between S and G is two synth generations. Not only you get more effects and more sounds, but also 128 voice polyphony, 2x more than on the S. Plus there is a gazillion of other new features.

[AnthonyB]

Hello, (sorry this post may waiver form the original posters question)

I nearly had the first fantom, Fantom S, and the Fantom X, but went for the triton studio instead. Now that I have the korg OASYS, i have elected to go for a Fantom G7 to go with it. But now i'm not so sure it is a correct decision to buy one (i have one on order for April 17th - rolands next delivery to my shop "bonners", and can cancel any time i want), and go for a Yamaha XS, Korg M3, or Kurweil etc.

Also, as soon as I announced i was going for the fantom G, on the Korg forum, one member wrote this (to someone enquiring about a M3 purchase):
http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=41758

Well, Just what you want to hear when you are waiting for your £2400 keyboard.. NOT!. -

Anthony

[bassman]

Hello Anthony,

With all due respect, when I read a review about a particular manufacturer's product on a competitior's forum, I take it with more than a grain a salt.

I'm not sure why you chose to post this. . . . . it is an obviously slanted and biased view. The poster even quoted himself on an earlier slam at Roland. To roughly quote an earlier post of mine, "I think that Roland is still stuck in the JV(19)80's."

There's no way I would let a review like that influence my purchase. I would look for more pertinent and level-headed info.

Just my opinion. . . . .

[AnthonyB]

OK, thanks Bassman.

I suppose, with my Korg OASYS, you could say 20-30 years of" technology" has been implemented in to it (Korg legacy with its poly six and MS 20, and the DX7 with it's "MOD 7" - however, they STILL sound great.

Anthony

[cyclops]

AnthonyB: Don't listen to anybody from any Korg-related forum, especially this one. There are too many fanboys in there, I can't even count. And this UCanDream guy seems to be one of them. If I were you, I wouldn't even bother to go there again.

[howardS]

You said that the S does the job just fine. If you do some searches on this site, SCREWDIO, you will see that the X has a broader palette of sounds and it takes SRX cards. Given the current price of the X in the used market wouldn't it be a better investment for you to sell the S and get an X. For the price of 2 more SRX cards you could probably upgrade from the S to the X. If you only needed 1 extra SRX card for your S then you might find that you don't even need any additional SRX cards for the X given that the X has a bigger soundset than the S.

[SCREWDIO]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. For me the most important thing is sound quality and ease of use, especially line. Honestly, the internal sequencer and audio recording mean little to nothing to me. For me, my Fantom-S is all about its ability as a live board. To build on that a bit more, realistic pianos, strings and brass mean little to me as well. My sound set needs is pretty well grounded in vintage and modern synths, as in synthetic pop and dance and DJ sounds--New Order, Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Digitalism, etc.....Tweak-ability of sounds is important as well as sample ability.

So, yes the S has been a fine board for me. There is nothing "wrong" with it.....It might seem trivial, but the larger screen on the Fantom-G I "think" would mean a lot to me--easier to see in clubs, easier to program with, easier to navigate (mouse control), etc...User interface is a big deal to me. I've looked past other synths simply because of the ease of use factor or really lack thereof......