Fantom G Successor...I need one bad

[Quinnx.]

I need more than the 16 tracks tracks that the Fantom X offers

Right..
So since you already have the ipad..
you could simply connect it to the X via midi and use the ipad 16->unlimited midi/audio tracks offered
to add those extra tracks needed and control/record/play external gear and/or the fantom X.
The total cost would be a fraction of what it would be to get a G.
And don't forget that if you choose Cubasis, its DAW/Sequencer is far superior to the Fantom X/G
Especially for midi and audio manipulation and project loading times are almost instant! too.

This is all assuming that your main goal is to get away from being tethered to a PC and at the same time gain the extra tracks and flexibility that the G has to offer all of which you could have today! :)

[Synthtron]

Hey Quinnx thanks for your info, I am looking into cubase for iPad.

[thunderkyss]

I need more than the 16 tracks tracks that the Fantom X offers

Right..
So since you already have the ipad..
you could simply connect it to the X via midi and use the ipad 16->unlimited midi/audio tracks offered
to add those extra tracks needed and control/record/play external gear and/or the fantom X.
The total cost would be a fraction of what it would be to get a G.
And don't forget that if you choose Cubasis, its DAW/Sequencer is far superior to the Fantom X/G
Especially for midi and audio manipulation and project loading times are almost instant! too.

This is all assuming that your main goal is to get away from being tethered to a PC and at the same time gain the extra tracks and flexibility that the G has to offer all of which you could have today! :)

So can you get a connector for the iPad with two or more midi outs?

Or are you saying you'd have a midi out of the FX into the iPad & then the midi out of the iPad going to other external gear?

[Synthtron]

I do not believe there is any kind of multiple out device that can be connected to the iPad. You could initially connect it to a midi thru box.

[keysme]

Everybody and his brother is waiting for the next full-blown workstation from Roland and company but don't hold your breath. The FA-06/08 is indeed a step backward, in my opinion, in terms of quality (or lack thereof) of what a workstation keyboard really should be. The FA is a fair to middlin' effort by Roland but in my opinion somewhat of a disappointment coming from the same company that produced the Fantom G. The FA does not have a real sampler nor after-touch and the keys leave a lot to be desired too in my estimation. There are many nice sounds on the FA of course and that is probably its biggest drawing point. But the majority of musicians want more than just nice sounds and consequently they need to look elsewhere for their workstation keyboard needs. The FA is a good starter keyboard and the low price point is an indicator it was marketed to the masses who don't require cutting edge features and in that regard Roland delivered. ;)

You need to remember Roland chucked Cakewalk (of Sonar fame) which is a high-end configurable DAW software used in studios for music production purposes in conjunction with workstation keyboards such as the Fantom G. After Roland decided to sell their stake in Cakewalk the message to the music community rang loud and clear and that is that Roland has probably decided to forgo production of 'real' workstation keyboards in the foreseeable future. If that is truly the case then people should get used to the idea that Roland will probably continue producing these budget-based products with limited features that in my opinion aren't worth writing home about. These are my opinions of course and you may have a different view and to each his own.

I'm sorry for my harsh assessment but so far Roland has proven me correct in my analysis. The FA is once again a good starter keyboard, but alas, one with limited features and below average build quality sad to say also. Professional musicians demand par excellence and that is why more and more musicians have turned to Yamaha and Korg and other companies in order to satisfy their discriminating tastes for professionally made products. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I'm just pointing out some facts.

Roland is concentrating on the masses instead of musicians in my opinion. That is okay in theory because more people are exposed to the world of music and thus able to buy these budget-minded instruments. But what I find disconcerting is that Roland seems to have forgotten its original intention of marketing its products to professional musicians and in so doing brought name recognition to Roland and company. I guess Roland is okay with a business model that loses market share to the competition i.e. to Korg, Yamaha and the others? These budget-minded products are sold in greater quantity, in some cases, but at what cost? You need to sell boat loads of them to make a profit whereas higher-end products command greater name recognition and along with it a loyal following and higher profit margins. Yamaha and Korg have figured it out at least for now anyway.

Some say the workstation is dead or on its way out but the reality is the segment is alive and kicking if Roland would only wake up and smell the roses. Again, don't hold your breath. If you need a true workstation keyboard you either need to find a used Fantom G, since they're now discontinued, or look elsewhere like a multitude of other musicians have had to do now that Roland has bowed out of the game. A real pity in my opinion because I really think Roland could make a much needed comeback if they focused on musicians instead of the masses. It's actually commendable to make products for the masses but that should not be the sole extent of a company's marketing endeavors in my opinion. Musicians are the people that created the music industry in the first place and so discounting actual musicians is not an effective business strategy needless to say. You lose market share to the competition and your profits are mere pennies on the dollar unless you sell boatloads of those product(s). But in many cases that is difficult to achieve when the products themselves leave something to be desired. The FA and VR-09 are decent mid-range products but unfortunately Roland will probably continue to lose market share to the competition because the other companies continue to cater to professional musicians with higher-end products like the Motif XF and Kronos 2, etc. I still have my Fantom G7 and I probably won't upgrade until one of the Big Three or one of the other manufacturers comes out with a 256 note polyphony full-blown workstation that blows the competition away. I guess I can scratch Roland off that list but I really hope they jump back on the bandwagon. I know, I know.. don't hold your breath, right? :D

[Synthtron]

Namm had nothing to offer, I ended up getting a clean and barely used MV-8000 with the VGA/mouse expansion installed. It is not a Fantom BUT this has what I need as far as sequencing and sampling/audio recording goes. The MV-8000 compliments all of my synthesizer gear very well. Each Instrument now has its own dedicated Midi channel/cannels and up to 128 total.

[Quinnx.]

I do not believe there is any kind of multiple out device that can be connected to the iPad. You could initially connect it to a midi thru box.

what I use to connect to the IPAD is a usb hub (powered is best)
then i connect the fantom to the hub with a midi/usb cable these cost around $3.00 and worth every penny
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIDI-USB-IN-OUT ... 27e3ac09fa
(bought several)
because its a hub i can get audio to and from the ipad using any compliant usb audio interface which also connects to the powered usb hub.
Although with all the synth and sound app i have installed I can usualy get the sound i need directly from them with inter-app audio without needing to externalize the audio steam.
For mastering and mix down audio.. i have successfully used ipad AIR to send the audio over wireless and do my final monitored mix before doing a wav export mixdown.

One other thing to note is that I only use the hub to attatch multiple usb devices, however the usb/midi cable will work if directly connected to the ipad unpowered using a simple USB camera connection adapter.
http://imshopping.rediff.com/imgshop/80 ... ipad-4.jpg

One of the most interesting and fun to use sound manipulator aps I think.. is SMPLR in someways reminds me of the vsynth. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/samplr- ... 56420?mt=8