Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Forum for Fantom-S/S88, Fantom-X6/7/8, Fantom-XR and Fantom-Xa
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mugur_clape
Posts: 10
Joined: 18:40, 17 October 2016

Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by mugur_clape »

Hey guys. A good friend of mine gave me a nice deal on his Fantom-X7 and I'm really tempted. My questions are: Is it reliable hardware-wise? and Can the factory sounds still keep up with 2017 needs. I'm not looking for perfect realistic sounds, just good quality solid sounds that can cut through live band mixes. Apreciate any advice. Happy new year everyone!
Rodan
Posts: 486
Joined: 14:33, 10 June 2006
Location: San Diego, USA

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by Rodan »

I think most owners would say the Fantoms are very reliable. I've had mine at least 10 years but it hasn't been used for gigging. One potential problem is the four knobs to the left of the display. The potentiometers have been know to crack. They are not hard or expensive to replace, but they can give odd, intermittent behavior that is hard to track down if you are not aware of the problem. As for the sound, I suppose only you can judge that. I'm still drawn to mine even though I have newer gear to choose from.
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Andy Keys
Posts: 1843
Joined: 13:44, 7 August 2007
Location: UK

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by Andy Keys »

I've had mine almost 10 years and it's done a lot of gigs. No hardware issues at all.
I bought an XR recently too, to replace it live (only because it's so damn heavy).
If you like the sounds, go for it. Especially if the price is fair and you know the previous owner so you'll have an idea of how well it's been treated.
gcoudert67
Posts: 195
Joined: 12:58, 19 August 2014
Location: Dunstable, UK

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by gcoudert67 »

Soundwise, remember it's also a sampler so it can always sound contemporary. As far as presets are concerned, maybe a few of them are a bit dated but raw PCM waveforms have pretty much been the same in every ROMpler / synth for years now so you can still program your own modern-sounding patches. I have two Fantoms (an X8 and an X7) and I love them.
mugur_clape
Posts: 10
Joined: 18:40, 17 October 2016

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by mugur_clape »

Thank you all for the replyes. I got the keyboard and i like it allot. Now I'm triyng to make some performances and there is one thing that just blows my brains out. I'm trying to save a performance with a delay that syncronises with the tempo. I set the tempo to 87 and after I write the performance the tempo returns to 120 no matter what i do. I tried switching everything in the System setup Sync/Tempo but nothing...
gcoudert67
Posts: 195
Joined: 12:58, 19 August 2014
Location: Dunstable, UK

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by gcoudert67 »

In Performance mode, press F4 (Ctrl Setting), press F1/F2 (up/down) to select 'Tempo'. Enter the tempo you want ('Recommended Tempo') and save the Performance using the Write button. This saves the tempo with the Performance.
If you don't do this, the tempo switches back to the default setting of 120bpm every time you come out of the Performance. The same thing happens when you work on a song: when you switch to edit a patch and go back to the song and its associated Performance, the tempo changes to 120.
mugur_clape
Posts: 10
Joined: 18:40, 17 October 2016

Re: Should I buy a Fantom-X in 2017?

Post by mugur_clape »

Yup...I figured it out earlier today...it took me a while. :)) Thank you!
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