Wanting to upgrade from Fantom S... some questions

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divinedouggy
Posts: 5
Joined: 22:31, 2 October 2017

Wanting to upgrade from Fantom S... some questions

Post by divinedouggy »

My Fantom S is in pretty bad shape, and I'm looking to upgrade... I have on mind the possibilities of Fantom X, Fantom G, or FA-06. I would really like nice and vibrant sounds first and foremost. The Fantom S can sound a little cheap, I'm not sure how much better Fantom X would sound for example, or how much better the G would sound compared to that and so on. I've heard that Fantom sounds in general need to be worked with a bit to give them that "radio sheen" , I'm not sure how much that plays a factor in my interpretation of the Fantom S's sound as cheap. Some input and opinions here are welcome.

Also, I have some SVQ files of beats backed up that I'm attached to. They don't contain samples, just the patches that are built in to the Fantom S. If I import those files into the Fantom X, will the X approximate the instruments I used or will they all just reset to piano or whatever, retaining only the notes/other MIDI data? As I understand it, the Fantom G definitely wouldn't do this as it uses MIDI instead of SVQ... unless converting SVQ to MIDI retains the instrument information and the Fantom G approximates the instruments... but, I don't know how many instruments the different keyboards have in common, or whether they will make any attempt to emulate my original choice of instruments... I hope I'm making my question here clear enough.

The FA-06 seems to have convenient DAW integration which I'm interested in. I am not interested in live performance at all, just to make that clear. I'm interested in making electronicy hip hop compositions. I am also limited by budget (like most people I'd imagine), so I'm thinking the Fantom G would be an unlikely choice. I am fairly familiar and comfortable with the Fantom S's sequencer, though I'm sure there was plenty for me to learn about it still. Any input or answers to my questions would be highly valued! I'm also open to other suggestions besides the  keyboards mentioned but I'm trying to keep my focus. Too many possibilities and my head will start to spin.
dirwin
Posts: 14
Joined: 15:09, 13 April 2016

Re: Wanting to upgrade from Fantom S... some questions

Post by dirwin »

I have owned a Fantom S for 14 years. I do a lot of sequencing, live performing, and recording with it. 2 years ago I bought the FA 06 to replace it. The keyboard on the FA 06 is different than the Fantom S. Keys are a bit smaller and the action is not as good plus no aftertouch. Sometimes I will use just the FA 06 live but I generally still take the Fantom as it plays better for me. I have not tried the new FA 07 but from what I read I think it will play more like the Fantom. I have ended up using the Fantom for playing and MIDI to the FA 06 as the sounds of the FA are incredible compared to the Fantom. I still prefer to use the sequencer in the Fantom although the one in the FA seems to be easy to navigate. I think the FA 06 would be a good choice if the key size and action is not an issue for you. I recommend trying some keyboards out at a dealer first before making your decision.
divinedouggy
Posts: 5
Joined: 22:31, 2 October 2017

Re: Wanting to upgrade from Fantom S... some questions

Post by divinedouggy »

dirwin wrote:...the sounds of the FA are incredible compared to the Fantom...
Well, that's certainly a huge plus for the FA. I think after some thought, I will go with the FA-06. It's lighter, more modern (therefore apparently better sounds and probably more user-friendly), and cheaper - though, strangely I've found Fantom X8s at about the same price as the FA-06, even though the X6 is usually hundreds of dollars more expensive. What's wrong with the X8? Probably nothin, maybe just supply and demand or whatever.
cecchino
Posts: 78
Joined: 18:21, 8 June 2012

Re: Wanting to upgrade from Fantom S... some questions

Post by cecchino »

The weight of the x8 makes it a bad choice if you need to move it frequently for rehearsal, gigs and so on.
This is why the price is lower than x7 and x6, imho.
Demand is low as you guessed.
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