How are your FAs doing so far?
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Don't know about FA08 but I love FA06's synth keys.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
I'm really pleased with my FA-06 so far.
I was quite unsure of whether to buy one in the first place, mainly because the online demo videos for such things are generally not to my taste - someone parping around with a terrible Brass preset / also those absolutely awful demo songs that were used to promote the FA-06. I'm sure this kind of thing works well for Roland etc. to sell their units to as broad a market as possible, but personally I find they almost work the opposite way, putting me off the products.
Anyway - I'm so pleased with mine, I've been able to do what I need with the samples, that is to play them from the keyboard and incorporate them into my studio sets for playing live with.
Also I think the virtual analogue synth engine deserves a mention - I really think it is so good with so many elements of control. I use an ancient Sequential Circuits Pro One for recording/live work, and I've just spent the morning making the Pro One sound I use a lot on the FA-06, it sounds so authentic! There is quite a lot of detail within the synth engine that can really push the sound towards that level of analogue authenticity I was hoping for, eg. the various Unison modes, the LP4 filter is modelled on the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, also you have the "Analogue feel" setting which makes those oscillators sound a little less stable etc.
I'd also point out that the synth engine is a lot more powerful than those Synth Lead presets would have you believe - a lot of them seem to be just one oscillator with the filter cut-off open almost full, no Analogue Feel- really brash bad presets. But that's a good thing, right? Because in a way it's meant that I keep getting pleasantly surprised by how good the FA is!
I was quite unsure of whether to buy one in the first place, mainly because the online demo videos for such things are generally not to my taste - someone parping around with a terrible Brass preset / also those absolutely awful demo songs that were used to promote the FA-06. I'm sure this kind of thing works well for Roland etc. to sell their units to as broad a market as possible, but personally I find they almost work the opposite way, putting me off the products.
Anyway - I'm so pleased with mine, I've been able to do what I need with the samples, that is to play them from the keyboard and incorporate them into my studio sets for playing live with.
Also I think the virtual analogue synth engine deserves a mention - I really think it is so good with so many elements of control. I use an ancient Sequential Circuits Pro One for recording/live work, and I've just spent the morning making the Pro One sound I use a lot on the FA-06, it sounds so authentic! There is quite a lot of detail within the synth engine that can really push the sound towards that level of analogue authenticity I was hoping for, eg. the various Unison modes, the LP4 filter is modelled on the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, also you have the "Analogue feel" setting which makes those oscillators sound a little less stable etc.
I'd also point out that the synth engine is a lot more powerful than those Synth Lead presets would have you believe - a lot of them seem to be just one oscillator with the filter cut-off open almost full, no Analogue Feel- really brash bad presets. But that's a good thing, right? Because in a way it's meant that I keep getting pleasantly surprised by how good the FA is!
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
That's one of the best statements I read on the FA06, NPC, cheers.
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mypupdaisy
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 06:39, 6 August 2015
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Mine is doing great, but I haven't been able to figure out one thing and I'm not real sure how to even ask what I'm trying to get it to do.
What do I use it for? Writing and arranging music.
I've watched how to create a basic sequence and can do this fine, but I would like to work on the first 4 measures, then move and work on measures 5 thru 10... but the examples don't show how to set this up.
Other than that, it's fantastic. My first workstation. Only had synth's in the past with software sequencers.
Thanks all.
What do I use it for? Writing and arranging music.
I've watched how to create a basic sequence and can do this fine, but I would like to work on the first 4 measures, then move and work on measures 5 thru 10... but the examples don't show how to set this up.
Other than that, it's fantastic. My first workstation. Only had synth's in the past with software sequencers.
Thanks all.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
loving the sequencer..great for sketching out song ideas when used in combination of the pads set to mute/play on tracks
example tune i'm messin with mute/unmute tracks live recorded down into a zoom h2n
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwtoRl0d6tc
example tune i'm messin with mute/unmute tracks live recorded down into a zoom h2n
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwtoRl0d6tc
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
My FA-08 still has me climbing the learning curve. Love the sounds and the features, and I've explored a lot of them. I just got the vocoder working, for example. (Forgot that little level knob beside the mike input.) But the action is frustratingly stiff compared to my FP-7, or to a decent acoustic piano for that matter. For that reason, I keep the FA-08 at home and use the FP-7 on gigs. One advantage of this is that since I do all my practicing on the FA, I just fly on the FP! I mostly play solo piano and big-band or jazz combo gigs, so I don't need a lot of tones, but I'd take the FA if I needed it, and put it on a double stand.
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dotcominfo
- Posts: 18
- Joined: 23:35, 14 September 2015
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
I've been playing mine for a couple of months now, and I love it. There's a lot to learn though, and I've been out of the game for quite awhile. The last workstation I performed and composed on was an Ensoniq EPS. Anyway, the FA-08 is an amazing instrument and tool that is leaps and bounds beyond the EPS (thankfully). I was always running into track recording limits and polyphony cut-offs, but those issues probably won't every be a problem on the FA-08.
My biggest challenge has been figuring out a good workflow for sequencing/songwriting. Until you learn how to rapidly get what you want out of the sequencer and sound/effects editing, putting your ideas into the keyboard can be a bit cumbersome (at first).
My only gripe about it so far is that the action on the keyboard isn't quite fast enough to play certain drum patterns. I get that this is not what the FA-08 was primarily designed for, but I end up slowing down the tempo to record things like fast high-hat.
My biggest challenge has been figuring out a good workflow for sequencing/songwriting. Until you learn how to rapidly get what you want out of the sequencer and sound/effects editing, putting your ideas into the keyboard can be a bit cumbersome (at first).
My only gripe about it so far is that the action on the keyboard isn't quite fast enough to play certain drum patterns. I get that this is not what the FA-08 was primarily designed for, but I end up slowing down the tempo to record things like fast high-hat.
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Dyffryn Studios
- Posts: 25
- Joined: 10:45, 8 December 2014
- Location: Remote Welsh Mountain UK
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
User experience over the last 18 months with my FA06.
I play in a 5 piece amateur rock band (we are all over 50). We practice most weeks in a back room of the local village Hall and play 2 or 3 gigs a year. We play a range of music but mainly pub rock classics from rock and roll, Jail House rock, through to more modern and current rockers, Sex of Fire, You Belong to Me.
I use the FA as my one and only keyboard. I do play other instruments in the band (Guitar and Wind Synth) so not having a heavy and bulky keyboard to transport works well. I originally used a KCA500, which was ok , but wasn’t giving me the clarity and stereo I needed. It was also very heavy. I invested in 2 12inch active PA speakers. I used the Yamaha DBR12’s and find them superb. There are many others on the market that will do the same job, I chose the Yamaha’s as they were going for a good deal second hand on Ebay. I find the portability, sound and flexibility so much better than the KCA.
I create a studio set for each song and then save it as a favorite. I program the set list as sequential favorites, then I just have to go to the next favorite for the next song. Having a studio set for each song lets me apply any changes to the patches on a song by song basis, as what sounds great at home on headphones, sometimes sounds different in a band context with drums and lead guitar.
The sheer range of high quality sound generation capability avail in the FA06 and the sample pads work well for all the songs we do so far. I have found myself running out of keys a few times and miss not having 88 notes, but then again being able to put the keyboard in a bag and transport it on the car’s parcel shelf is so convenient. I do have an 88 note stage piano, I would like to use that but its just the weight and hassle of getting in and out the car with all the other gear.
The keyboard action is a bit cheap and nasty but that’s what you get for lite weight convenience. So far it hasn’t stopped me adapting my limited playing style and is great for organ. I have managed to get some great organ sounds out of the FA, not probably as good as say a Nord Electro 5, but in the mix with guitar and drums it would be hard to tell. I use the Lesley effect in stereo. Use the switches to turn it on and off. It does the job fine.
Here is a links to some 100% live and rough rehearsal recordings where you can hear the FA06 it in context with the rest of the band.
The recordings were rough and ready. I used a Zoom H4 with the 2 on board mics recording the sound in the room on tracks 1 & 2. For rehearsals we put the vocals though my keyboard PA. I have taken a stereo feed from the keyboard mixer feeding the PA, which includes the vocals and recorded that on tracks 3 and 4 on the Zoom. I then just mix the 4 tracks down to stereo, so probably the keys are a little loud on some of the tracks.
On this track All Day and all of the night, I created a brass part for the verse and for the Chorus organ and pad.
https://soundcloud.com/99-chimp/sets/re ... -june-2016
On Sex on Fire. I am playing a chopped guitar part, the guitar arpeggio, the Chorus Synth and the held synth (use a foot pedal to hold just the synth part)
On Another Brick in the wall, Helicopter sample triggered from pads, Low guitar part echoing the vocal (left hand) and a Hammond on right hand
Working on Nutbush City, and a couple of ABBA songs next.
I play in a 5 piece amateur rock band (we are all over 50). We practice most weeks in a back room of the local village Hall and play 2 or 3 gigs a year. We play a range of music but mainly pub rock classics from rock and roll, Jail House rock, through to more modern and current rockers, Sex of Fire, You Belong to Me.
I use the FA as my one and only keyboard. I do play other instruments in the band (Guitar and Wind Synth) so not having a heavy and bulky keyboard to transport works well. I originally used a KCA500, which was ok , but wasn’t giving me the clarity and stereo I needed. It was also very heavy. I invested in 2 12inch active PA speakers. I used the Yamaha DBR12’s and find them superb. There are many others on the market that will do the same job, I chose the Yamaha’s as they were going for a good deal second hand on Ebay. I find the portability, sound and flexibility so much better than the KCA.
I create a studio set for each song and then save it as a favorite. I program the set list as sequential favorites, then I just have to go to the next favorite for the next song. Having a studio set for each song lets me apply any changes to the patches on a song by song basis, as what sounds great at home on headphones, sometimes sounds different in a band context with drums and lead guitar.
The sheer range of high quality sound generation capability avail in the FA06 and the sample pads work well for all the songs we do so far. I have found myself running out of keys a few times and miss not having 88 notes, but then again being able to put the keyboard in a bag and transport it on the car’s parcel shelf is so convenient. I do have an 88 note stage piano, I would like to use that but its just the weight and hassle of getting in and out the car with all the other gear.
The keyboard action is a bit cheap and nasty but that’s what you get for lite weight convenience. So far it hasn’t stopped me adapting my limited playing style and is great for organ. I have managed to get some great organ sounds out of the FA, not probably as good as say a Nord Electro 5, but in the mix with guitar and drums it would be hard to tell. I use the Lesley effect in stereo. Use the switches to turn it on and off. It does the job fine.
Here is a links to some 100% live and rough rehearsal recordings where you can hear the FA06 it in context with the rest of the band.
The recordings were rough and ready. I used a Zoom H4 with the 2 on board mics recording the sound in the room on tracks 1 & 2. For rehearsals we put the vocals though my keyboard PA. I have taken a stereo feed from the keyboard mixer feeding the PA, which includes the vocals and recorded that on tracks 3 and 4 on the Zoom. I then just mix the 4 tracks down to stereo, so probably the keys are a little loud on some of the tracks.
On this track All Day and all of the night, I created a brass part for the verse and for the Chorus organ and pad.
https://soundcloud.com/99-chimp/sets/re ... -june-2016
On Sex on Fire. I am playing a chopped guitar part, the guitar arpeggio, the Chorus Synth and the held synth (use a foot pedal to hold just the synth part)
On Another Brick in the wall, Helicopter sample triggered from pads, Low guitar part echoing the vocal (left hand) and a Hammond on right hand
Working on Nutbush City, and a couple of ABBA songs next.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
I am a little disappointed with the amount of usable sounds for me... Most instruments do not sound good in my opinion, they are lacking liveness. I have not tried tweaking them, but right out of the box, only handful of sounds really makes me smile, unfortunately.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Have you downloaded the EXP packs from Axial? Although old, some of these sounds are still being used in film, TV and game scores today. They're that good.tgchan wrote:I am a little disappointed with the amount of usable sounds for me... Most instruments do not sound good in my opinion, they are lacking liveness. I have not tried tweaking them, but right out of the box, only handful of sounds really makes me smile, unfortunately.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Sold mine. It was good for couple of years. Every trouble was somehow succeeded, besides the thing that supernatural sounds cant be splitted multiple times "simultaneously" in various midi channels within one studio set, or at at least didnt find a way , and of course the pitch bend didnt last the use. But it was a good board anyway.
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
My FA continues to amaze me. I have never had such a creative, easy to play synth. It's dead easy to setup (and I have owned several synths / keyboards over the years). Studio Sets can be created in a few minutes, which can fit in nearly any situation that I have thrown at it. For bread - n - butter sounds, it really can't be beat imo. The synth bits have a lot to offer also. So for me... it's doing great so far. Are there things I would change if I could? Sure.. I would add aftertouch.
Would easily rate it a 9/10
Would easily rate it a 9/10
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Skijumptoes
- Posts: 681
- Joined: 11:08, 21 June 2010
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Get an expression pedal for aftertouch, it works far better than aftertouch on the keyboard itself, you don't have the extra travel on each key, or have to press them down far too hard to get it to work. Many times i've seen people demonstrating keyboards say they prefer aftertouch on a pedal and i've dismissed it.
However, I got a cheap M-Audio EX-P to test the water myself, so cheap, and works great - and it IS so much better than putting extra force on a key, far more precise.
Plus, with the expression pedal you can strike a key with the Aftertouch midway/full on - which is great for synth/trance sounds if you're wanting to build/swell as you play. - oh, and you have a ton of other assignments too. :)
However, I got a cheap M-Audio EX-P to test the water myself, so cheap, and works great - and it IS so much better than putting extra force on a key, far more precise.
Plus, with the expression pedal you can strike a key with the Aftertouch midway/full on - which is great for synth/trance sounds if you're wanting to build/swell as you play. - oh, and you have a ton of other assignments too. :)
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
2 years on from my last post and I still love my FA08. One thing I learned was that all the factory patches are bass-heavy. Whether that is for it to sound good through tinny headphones in a music store I don't know, but I had to EQ bass out of just about every part in every studio set.
I've used it as a soloist, in a duo rock cover act, 4 piece rock band, 7 piece rock band, 5 piece Doors Tribute, in the pit for Anything Goes and Little Mermaid, and for a Floyd Tribute act. I've also used it to compose and record music for Modern Dance (my wife is an instructor).
My next endeavor with it will be to work on a tone wheel sound that I can route through my MiniVent.
Regards,
Joe
I've used it as a soloist, in a duo rock cover act, 4 piece rock band, 7 piece rock band, 5 piece Doors Tribute, in the pit for Anything Goes and Little Mermaid, and for a Floyd Tribute act. I've also used it to compose and record music for Modern Dance (my wife is an instructor).
My next endeavor with it will be to work on a tone wheel sound that I can route through my MiniVent.
Regards,
Joe
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Skijumptoes
- Posts: 681
- Joined: 11:08, 21 June 2010
Re: How are your FAs doing so far?
Hey! I picked up an old Hammond Organ beginning of the year, sadly it's not a true tone wheel but i just love anything from around the 60's-70's so had to get it when i saw it.
However, it came with a 1970's Rotary cabinet (Leslie). And when i got the FA, i connected them together and loaded up some of the FA's organ patches, shut down all the effects on the FA, fed it through the Leslie cabinet, and through the Hammonds real spring reverb, and it sounded wonderful! Absolutely filled the room with swirling goodness!!
Hate to think what my neighbours thought! :-)
And definitely agree on the bass heavy sentiment, i have a studio set ready to roll now, and it has the EQ and compression set to how i want it based on experience with using the FA for a while, (Oh, and of course Part 10 turned right down) So, if i fancy switching the Rhythm Pattern on and playing it's all there for me to go - I just call it 'My Go To' Studio Set, and it loads on default! - Well worth doing if you haven't. :)
In fact, i was quite a while into owning my FA until i realised that the Tone dial was actually adjusting the global EQ on a single knob control - I presumed this was something on top of the EQ setting. So, anyone not aware of that, it's a handy thing to know.
However, it came with a 1970's Rotary cabinet (Leslie). And when i got the FA, i connected them together and loaded up some of the FA's organ patches, shut down all the effects on the FA, fed it through the Leslie cabinet, and through the Hammonds real spring reverb, and it sounded wonderful! Absolutely filled the room with swirling goodness!!
Hate to think what my neighbours thought! :-)
And definitely agree on the bass heavy sentiment, i have a studio set ready to roll now, and it has the EQ and compression set to how i want it based on experience with using the FA for a while, (Oh, and of course Part 10 turned right down) So, if i fancy switching the Rhythm Pattern on and playing it's all there for me to go - I just call it 'My Go To' Studio Set, and it loads on default! - Well worth doing if you haven't. :)
In fact, i was quite a while into owning my FA until i realised that the Tone dial was actually adjusting the global EQ on a single knob control - I presumed this was something on top of the EQ setting. So, anyone not aware of that, it's a handy thing to know.