Let me preface this by saying that I love Roland instruments; most of my rig is comprised of Roland. But, while everyone talks about the potential of the Fantom G, the harsh reality is that Roland has made a decision to focus its attention elsewhere. There have been quite a few users here that love the G but still feel that the X has features that SHOULD have been retained in the G. I agree with that assessment. ARX could have been something game changing to borrow a phrase from Korg. It has not changed anything. Imagine however if Roland would have done an ARX card that incorporated the best of SRX and took that concept to its full potential. Roland would rule the workstation market. Instead, Roland chooses to release ARX EP. Even better, with ARX Roland could have created a piano to rival the best in the business. Remember that at one time, the Ultimate Grand in the X was critically acclaimed.
There is a computer analogy that fits here. Please understand my friends that I am not dissing the G. I AM dissing Roland. The computer analogy is the Commodore Amiga. In its time there was NO computer that could touch it. Few people realize for instance that ALL of the visual effects for Babylon 5 including the ship models were accomplished on the Amiga with the Video Toaster plug in. While PC users were dealing with CGA and VGA, the Amiga was light years ahead. It was a true hardware mulitasking machine that had astounding potential. But who killed the Amiga? Quite simply it was Commodore itself. At the time, Commodore made the dreadful mistake of trying to take Apple head on by competing in what was then known as desktop publishing. But the Amiga's real strength did not lie in that less computer intensive activity. Its stength was the powerful graphics and sound capabilities. The best 3D programs like Imagine, Real 3D, and others were on the Amiga. IBM and Apple users simply could not access the power of these programs as well as other creative suites found on Commodore's beast. The Amiga is dead although the community is LARGE for Amiga emulation.
In essence, the G IS a fantastic workstation backed by a company that has lost its way. Roland have an AMAZING track record my friends in such instruments as the Jupiter 8, the XV series, the V-Synths, the Fantom X, and the stage pianos that people like Sir Elton John loved. Yet they had some short sighted blunders too. Roland released the Fantom FA-76 which was severely lacking compared to the Triton and the Motif ES. The Fantom S was the first serious workstation by Roland and the X was an AMAZING achievement and I cherish my X8. I was an owner of the original Fantom and really loved it but, its limitations reflected Roland's myopia. If the G is going to be able to compete with the XF and Kronos, it will be because end users will develop for it. The Jupiter 80 should be a clear sign that Roland's interest in the G has waned.
Someone mentioned Sweetwater. I LOVE Sweetwater and these guys will be brutally honest about instruments. I was wavering between acquiring the Kronos or the XF. Please bear in mind that each workstation is roughly the same price point and so the commission is roughly the same for the sales engineer. Yet my sales rep feels that Kronos is far more powerful and with a more efficient workflow than the Motif. Obviously, except for Japan, the Kronos is still vaporware. But, when one looks at the artists involved with the Kronos project, one cannot help but be impressed. Jordan Rudess, Herbie Hancock, and George Duke are to me at least analogous to the middle three of the 1927 Yankees. On the Korg forums OASYS owners are giving serious consideration to selling their very expensive OASYS for the Kronos. I think this is significant. Also, Sweetwater is a Roland dealer as well as a Yamaha, Korg, and Kurzweil dealer. The reason why they have not "dropped" the G is quite simple: the G is still Roland's flagship workstation. Sweetwater understands that the Roland name carries significant cachet and would not drop THE flagship of a major company if there was nothing to replace it. The Jupiter 80 is a synth and would not qualify although it DOES look tasty. If I didn't have a PC3, I would have jumped on the Jupiter 80 in a heart beat.
I downloaded two of the three manuals for Kronos. To say I was astounded is an understatement. The main manual weighs in at 1100 pages and guess what? The step by step tutorials are simply the best I have seen from any of the "big three."
Finally, with all due respect, to the person that stated "for all the bells and whistles of the Kronos,it is not really better than the G" I would have to ask what constitutes better? Features wise the G (and the X) cannot touch the Kronos. Synthesis wise, the G cannot touch even remotely the power of the PC3 (not the stripped down un-editable LE series). But if the G WORKS for YOU; if you are creating great music with it then your perspective on the Motif XF, the PC3XK, and Kronos will be that the G stands up to them. But, Korg just may have a real winner in this one. They need to after the obscenely priced OASYS and the distilled M3. I have not bought a Korg since the Wavestation EX. I still have it and love it although HD-1 will bring more options and I may just give my Wavestation EX to a friend that really needs a keyboard. Pardon the pun but is IS good karma.
Some people have mentioned the "superiority" of soft-synths. I think they are wonderful for studio use, but - and perhaps I am a Neo-Luydite - I do not feel that a laptop can stand the rigors of night after night real time gigs in biker bar for instance.
I decided to go for the Kronos PARTLY because I could not find a decent price for a V-Synth GT. True that the V-Synth is not a workstation, but, I believe it approaches the power of Kronos far more realistically than anything in the Fantom series. This of course is just opinion and I am under no delusion that my opinion means anything.
The people who have made the G a success are people like Artemiy. I remember getting the Tweakbook for the X and it was as if the X was a new instrument. I have heard G users say the same about the G Tweakbook. But the G is no longer the buzz as is XF and Kronos. Roland STILL could do something revolutionary with ARX. I TRULY believe this. If they had done so, I would NOT be buying a Kronos. Maybe they will do it though. Perhaps the Kronos will be as crippled as the G was upon release. Remember the LACK of multisampling on the G??
I am not hedging my bets however. The Kronos will fit VERY nicely for my needs along with my X, XV-88, and PC3. We are virtually in June of 2011, and I would wager that IF Roland ARE going to release a new workstation, it will be late in 2012 although it COULD be unveiled at Winter NAMM.
If you are happy with the G and you are making great music with it then I am happy for you!! But we each have different needs and approaches. I have waited since the G's initial release for a reason to buy one. Roland failed ME in that respect and after almost four years, I need to look elsewhere. Kurzweil's PC3 is a bitch to program but it IS undeniably powerful. IF Roland IS going to do anything with the G it will have to be soon; it seems as though the XF and Kronos are going to be battling for market share in 2011 IMHO.
I do want to reiterate that this little rant is NOT against the G. I do think it is a splendid instrument that much like the ill-fated Amiga, will never achieve its full potential. I am quite cognizant of the fact that Roland WILL release something astounding in the next iteration and PERHAPS I will rue the purchase of a Kronos. But four years and little movement seems to speak volumes to me and as such, it is time to add a new flavor - for ME.
Final note: I REALLY like Quinnx's idea of a Fantom X mode for the G. Will it happen by Roland? Nope. But, just like the people who virtually recreated the venerable Poly-800 into a cool piece of kit, it will be end users that will breathe new life into the G. I hope that will come to fruition.
All the best,
Vlad.
PS: My kudos for what they are worth go out to the G users who have made ASTOUNDING music with this axe even when it was crippled. More power to you!!
"Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream" - John Lennon "Tomorrow Never Knows"
