Individual Outputs? How to use all FA features in a live gig

[Tom_Air]

Hey guys, I already had my mind set on the new Roland FA-06 as the main keyboard I'll be using in a live band setup, where I need to both play sounds with splits & layers, and run audio tracks from the original production at the same time.

The FA-06 can do all that but then I found out there's a major problem with utilising it - not enough physical outputs!

How would the front-of-the-house mix engineer in live venues can have individual control over the keys/loops/other sounds, if they are all coming out of the same output? I know specifically the FA has also a sub-output, but this would be used to send a click to the drummer I guess.
This is a problem which is true also to MOX, KROME, Juno-GI and any other mid-budget, light, keyboard/workstation.
Am I missing something? How can you do a live gig where the mix engineer doesn't have control over the different elements?

I know the more expensive Fantom,Motif,Kronos have multiple outputs, but they also cost more than double and weight more than double! I don't have a roadie nor extra cash unfortunately, but I'm sure we all agree that additional outputs shouldn't cost and/or weight that much more anyhow ;-)

Looks like I will have to use a laptop with an external soundcard after all (was hoping to use the FA-06 audio interface), which means long gig setup times, and no need for a workstation as I can run sounds and audio tracks from the laptop. I was hoping to have a keyboard workstation (that costs like a laptop+soundcard essentially) to replace my laptop needs, but I just don't get how can I actually use it in a real professional live gig, with only 1 set of stereo outputs?....:-(

Any insights on this?
And specifically about the FA-06/08 - do you thing there's a chance Roland will come out also with an expansion board of more physical outputs?

Cheers, and happy to join this forum :-)

Tom

[analogaddict]

I believe the only thing you can do is prepare carefully and get all the levels "right" before the gig. If your drummer has his own click, you can use the sub out for tracks, but they'll be in mono. I play with a band with loads of tracks, and I've loaded the tracks as samples and trigger them from the pads. All the intros are on track, so we don't need a count-off (or click track for that matter) but even so you'll need to decide if you can live without click, mix all sounds or use tracks in mono with no click...

[Igglethorpe]

Are we sure the FA sub out is mono? Everything I see confirms a TRS stereo plug. All you need is a splitter and your sub becomes stereo. As far as I can tell the sub's audio can't be adjusted much so you would either need to have a mixer in front to adjust audio levels or have the audio levels set in the sample recordings ahead of time.

[Igglethorpe]

I just confirmed sub out is TRS stereo.

[analogaddict]

I just confirmed sub out is TRS stereo.

Ah!!! Great news - this means that if we make mono programs an hard pan them, it'll be possible to sen for instance one channel bass in mono and one channel Hammond to a Ventilator or similar - and back thru the synth..! Thanks!!!

[bennyseven]

For click tracks, I use an older expander (K1r not worth for selling it) via Midi. So Samples could be routed via the Sub in your case.

[Tom_Air]

For click tracks, I use an older expander (K1r not worth for selling it) via Midi. So Samples could be routed via the Sub in your case.

This is a great idea actually! Could u recommend a good and simple product to just run that midi out into and get a simple percussive sound out? (preferably battery powered I guess, as it's just for click purposes).

Also if the Sub Out is indeed stereo than we have 2 stereo outputs (4 mono) and then a big question is whether the Headphones out can get its signal from a 3rd, "virtual", output inside the FA-06 routing matrix?
If not, then this is something we should suggest Roland, as it will allow us to have 3 stereo outputs, without changing the hardware, purely a software update.

[PauloF]

For click tracks, I use an older expander (K1r not worth for selling it) via Midi. So Samples could be routed via the Sub in your case.

This is a great idea actually! Could u recommend a good and simple product to just run that midi out into and get a simple percussive sound out? (preferably battery powered I guess, as it's just for click purposes).

Also if the Sub Out is indeed stereo than we have 2 stereo outputs (4 mono) and then a big question is whether the Headphones out can get its signal from a 3rd, "virtual", output inside the FA-06 routing matrix?
If not, then this is something we should suggest Roland, as it will allow us to have 3 stereo outputs, without changing the hardware, purely a software update.

The sub-out can be used as 1x STEREO or 2x MONO (with different Parts being routed to any of the OUTs at will).

The Sub-Out can't be heard on the PHONEs out (BTW, all the other Multi-out synth brands have the same issue as far as I'm aware), but when live your mixing guys can forward a monitor mix with the 4 OUTS of the FA, if this is possible.

[Igglethorpe]

I'm not seeing a way to have the pads go out the SUB output. It appears only parts have this functionality. Am I missing something? It looks like the only thing you can configure in the sample pads is under sample edit - effect switch on and off. This either bypasses or includes system effects on the main output.

[Tom_Air]

If that's the case then I can route the main keyboard sounds to the sub out (stereo right) and the pads to the main.

I will still have the problem of running a click sort of track to the drummer...

Perhaps we can do that through the midi channel, going to a simple device next to the drummer. Still need in that case to make sure those audio tracks (playbacks) I'll be playing from the SD card (with the trigger pads) will be synced with the FA-06 internal bpm (midi clock) so it will send midi to the drummer device which is actually in sync.

I'm close to give it all up, and go back to a midi-keyboard playing stuff through a laptop with Ableton/Mainstage+Focusrite sound card, it's just that the setup time of it is sooooo much longer and cumbersome than just having a keyboard, power on, bam ready!

(Also thought about MPC1000 for the playback needs + Juno DI or any other lower budget, LIGHT, keyboard with lots of usable sounds)

[Igglethorpe]

If you send your main keyboard sounds out the sub output you will loose all system effects (Reverb / Chorus). MFX would be intact.

[kimu]

But is it possible to have click on the sub alone from the sequencer?
Or splitting the sub between click and sample?

[bennyseven]

But is it possible to have click on the sub alone from the sequencer?

yes.

Or splitting the sub between click and sample?

no.