How do people use the FA-06 live?

[chrisfp99]

Hi there.

Potential new FA-06 owner here. Just wondering how you all set the keyboard up for playing live. Not interested in sequencer, samples or arpeggiator.

Do you stay in Studio Set mode? Do you use the part select mode to select different sounds in a Studio Set? Or move around between Studio Sets? Is that easy?

Or do you use Favourites?

Just a Korg guy trying to get a feel for the workflow.

Thanks for your responses.

[Klimper]

I only play live with my FA just using the sampler for some special sounds in intros.

I always play in studio set mode somtimes with one sound at a time only and pick the sounds with the favourite buttons. I have a second Keyboard just as a MIDI masterkeyboard and all my sounds come from the FA. So I have only one audio out and only one preset to choose from.

Changing from a Kurzweil I had to learn that other keyboards aren't as flexible as the Kurzweils are.

[Mr.olsson]

I play in a hardrockcoverband so we use many differents intros, so on the pads i have about 10 intros. My gear on stage are roland fa-06 on the top, Korg krome bottom and a korg karma on a own stand. I only use k&m spider PRO and a k&m babyspider.

[Benjaminimus]

In my cover band, I use one Studio Set for each song in a live set, and I arrange rather complex layers and splits, with some parts faded in by expression pedal, and some solo parts selected using the pads. I am finding that I can pretty much cover anything using the FA-08 as my only board.

[Tomdini]

I use the Favorites to switch between studio sets, one studio set per song (occasionally I'll combine patches from two or three songs we always play back-to-back into a single studio set, particularly if each song only uses one or two patches, to keep things simple).

I then use Pad Utility to put the sample pads into part select mode. I can switch between sounds as required with a push of a pad, including jumping to Part 16 and triggering any samples I have loaded on the pads right from the keyboard!

As a Kronos user, I sometimes miss Set List mode but the Favorites system has been working out just fine for me on the FA-06. I get around plenty fast and achieve some sterling results with this amazing workstation!

It's easy to move between studio sets. I leave the Favorites button highlighted during a performance, which means I just have to hit one of the buttons below the screen to instantly switch Favorites, or three buttons max if I need to switch Favorites banks first (one keystroke for "Bank" to indicate you want to change banks, one keystroke for which numbered Bank you want, and then the keystroke of the Favorite you want to load) but even when I have just a few split seconds between songs, I never struggle to get my next batch of sounds ready to go for the downbeat.

The FA-06 is really an astounding piece of kit. The synthesis engine is very, very good sound-wise (I play a Moog in my rig and my bandmates sometimes can't tell whether I'm generating a sound from the actual Moog or from the SuperNATURAL engine) and pretty flexible once you dive into it. It programs similarly to a Minimoog with a number of extra features only the digital realm can provide. Anything the keyboard might be lacking sound-wise (detailed orchestral articulations, pop brass and saxophones, ethnic instruments) are all filled in with the downloadable Axial expansions.

I find the Kronos, while a versatile and immeasurably powerful workstation, often plays backup to the FA-06 just because I get things done a lot quicker in the FA. I love my Kronos and in some ways it is, on paper alone, a far superior machine but the FA-06 is a deceptively mighty instrument. The Kronos' virtual analog synth engine and the tonewheel engine alone are worth the price of admission. The Kronos pianos are also, in my opinion, the best factory pianos ever released in a digital keyboard and on par with any premium sample-based piano VST's available today (but I was able to get a classic Elton John rock piano sound with much less effort from the SN-A piano engine, and its biting brilliant quality is still my go-to piano of the two keyboards). The Kronos effects engine is also much more expansive and powerful, although Roland's effects are plenty tweakable and sound quite good, I do enjoy being able to layer on the FX in the Kronos much as I would in a DAW. That being said, the FA-06's more limited FX capabilities force me to be more creative and to squeeze every drop of tone from the patches I program.

Ultimately, I would never be able to pick just one of the two. That's why I gig with both!!!!

-Tom

[Joe P]

I have an FA08 and in my rock and blues cover band I use one Studio Set. It is my bottom board and so I have it set up with all my bottom board sounds - mostly acoustic pianos, EPs, strings, pads and a synth or two. I put Pad Utility in Part Select mode and select the parts that way. I have another Studio Set strictly as my horn section, bot are saved as faves in Bank 1 along with a couple of other song-specific set-ups.

In my Doors tribute I also use Studios Sets saved in Favorites. Unfortunately, my faves are now exceeding 10!

[chrisfp99]

Thanks all for your really useful and comprehensive replies.

For those of you with the FA-08, how do you find the action? Anyone in a position to compare it with the RD 800?

And how do the piano sounds compare?

Thanks.

[Tomdini]

The action is a bit heavier and more like an actual concert grand piano than the RD-800, which has a lighter, crisper weighted action. Escapement is perhaps a bit cleaner and certainly faster on the RD-800, so rapidly repeated notes are easier to articulate, but overall the FA-08 has a world-class hammer action up there with any flagship offerings.

In general, the FA workstations have a lot of high-end features going for them without the high-end price tag. They put just enough flagship quality in the boards where they need it most.

In terms of sounds, I am not particularly impressed with Yamaha's pianos nowadays. They sound nice, certainly, they're not BAD, but I find them a bit chimey and PCM'ish, they just don't jump out at me like the SuperNATURAL pianos or the Kronos HD-1 pianos, which are both significantly warmer and more detailed. Years ago this wasn't the case; I long stated that the S90 has the nicest Yamaha C7 patch you'll find anywhere but these days, my favorite C7 in any format (including many a Kontakt library and my own private libraries) is onboard the Kronos. I won't comment on any engineering or architectural reasons for this..... not sure how the Yamaha pianos are constructed, but both the SN-A and HD-1 pianos utilize non-looped samples and provide control over all of the mechanical noises and resonance (both sustained and non-sustained) and that makes for some stirringly life-like piano sounds.

-Tom

[kwood84]

@Tomdini

How do you assign studio sets to favourites? I'm finding it a bit of a fiddle to change my studio sets quickly between songs. Just the push of a favourites button would be great!

[cello]

@Tomdini

How do you assign studio sets to favourites? I'm finding it a bit of a fiddle to change my studio sets quickly between songs. Just the push of a favourites button would be great!

Hi - and welcome to the Clan :)

If you are playing a sound (tone or studio set) then press the favourite button. Now press the bank button. The buttons below the screen light up - these are banks. 10 banks of 10 sounds. Press and hold the favourite button and one of the lit buttons and it will be saved as a favourite.

Page 16 of the Quick Start manual explains in more detail.

[ElevenPhingahz]

There are many Youtube tutorials on the FA-06 / 08, Ed Diaz has the best. Easy to understand & very informative. Ed rocks!!!