Requests to Roland (official)

1. Ability to sort or recall stored user scenes alphabetically, so we don't have to remember a number or a bank/slot.

2. Live set-list style recall with text notes (similar to but more enhanced than Fantom X) for performing stage musicians. Being able to see a list of songs/scenes and touch on one and pull up lyrics, chord charts, notes, etc on the screen during performance mode would be great.

3. Ability to use the TR-REC buttons to step through a set list (1-16, and shift 1-16 for 32 quick recalls of scenes) during live mode for a performance

Every
Single
Super
Natural
Acoustic
Sound

1. Full Multi-sampling capability and the ability to play samples on the keyboard.
2. Skip-back sampling ability like on the Fantom X series Workstations.
3. Ability to load SoundFonts files like on Kronos.
4. Ability to use user samples as source samples for partials and tones on the keyboard.
5. Ability to edit both left and right sides of a stereo sample separately. (pan/amp/pitch,delay)
6. 4-part harmony pitch shift effect for vocals.
7. Full Fledge editable Arp generator with ability to play 4 Arps at once in many popular musical styles
8. Ability to buy all Fantom X sound expansion cards sounds in Fantom format.
9. Ability to load user sampled sounds directly to a specific key on keyboard.
10. Ability to turntable scratch sampled sounds on the Motion X-Y Pad controller interface screen or Wheel.

1: Ability to import or convert sounds (patches/performances) from all previous Fantom models (Fantom, Fantom X, Fantom G etc.). That would require all the (multi)samples from the previous models (included all the expansion cards samples) to be available on the new Fantom.
If technically not possible a 1 to 1 import, at least the possibility to convert as near as possible to the originals. Then we will be able to just refine the results, and not be forced to re-program everything from scratch.

2: PC editor/librarian of course

3: multi-sample import and full integration with the sound engine(s)

1. *ALL* SuperNATURAL acoustic sounds
2. Tonewheel organ engine
3. Patch editor/librarian
4. FM synthesis
4. Jv/srx card-engine

1 - 64 midi tracks for internal or external use
2 - 24 audio tracks
3 - trigger patterns or clips via pads
4 - sampler
5 - more than one arpeggio instance, at least 4 with more options
6 - supernatural or new equivalent engine
7 - FM Synthesis would be nice...
8 - Better piano roll
9 - The ability to use samples as waveforms for the synth engine

Thanks

Leo

Multi sampling...and of course you should be able to combine these samples in partials/tones so that they can be played on the keyboard.

Very important for me: Variphrase of the V-Synth, especially the legato sample play option

The SideBandFilters of the V-Synth

Audio tracks for the sequencer

Virtual wind instument, like Yamaha VL-1

Integration of Windows computers, not just Mac

Thanks!

My wish list would contain only sequencer ergonomics so that in the end you
- don't have to hold buttons like shift while pressing other buttons
- don't have to use mandatory touch gestures
- don't have to use a stylus or be very precise with your finger tip
- don't have to deal with surprising behavior

First up, I'm not an owner, however I am considering and have been testing this out.

Here's my feedback on what I want to see -

- Number one request - Aftertouch needs to be fixed and offer better calibration options. Right now the control seems to be buggy, there is no difference between any setting other than 0 (off) for any instrument. In addition when it does engage it goes from zero aftertouch to 100% virtually instantly and requires ridiculous amounts of pressure to engage.

- There needs to be an option to soften up the hammer/felt in the piano. Ideally I'd like to be able to go all the way from brass Challen beaters for that unique almost harpsichord like sound on the Beatles "Piggies" to very soft beaters that give you that romantic soft big grand piano sound, especially on the higher strings where I find the current V-Piano to be very harsh no matter what settings I've tried.

- Full sampling based instruments, whether that's Supernatural tech or just the ability to import and work with Motif libraries doesn't matter to me. But I want to have specific pianos, keyboards etc, maybe even make my own instruments using multi-layered instruments with trigger controls for different layers that aren't just velocity, but also things like pedal on/off (including velocity of on/off), key off etc. This is a must for a workstation.

- Massive improvements to the non-synth based libraries. It's time to move on, these sounds are the same as on 20 or even 30 year old keyboards, what was ok for back then is definitely not ok for now. You are competing against Nord, Yamaha, even against yourselves with your other instruments and even with Korg, more importantly until the DAW support adds direct VST control for all DAW's you are competing against those VSTs. The organs must sound big and complex, not just octaved synth notes. Tonewheels don't just have soft movement they have a lovely subtle graininess and grit even before you add distortion, none of this is present on the Fantom versions currently, they just sound like soap (no other way to describe it), soft, soapy, lacking in definition, highly synthetic, not an analogue for analog. This also goes for the electric pianos. When you dig in these should start to break up in a beautiful raspy way that interplays between the keys to create great sounds. On the orchestral side the sounds are as bad as the synths in the 80's right now, the strings are so synthetic and chorded sounding, the brass is a bad joke, this is your flagship keyboard, everything on it should scream quality. Look at the quality of libraries like East/West and consider how ancient that library is now yet it still sounds a million times better than any orchestral stuff on the Fantom right now. The Fantom is not a scorer, but you should at least be able to make modern pop-hit sounds with it.

- Moving back to the synth definitely more synth modules would be welcome, specifically a good wave shaper module and some more emulations of analog modules. Those retro Moog-ey sounds are all the rage right now. The analog filter is awesome on this unit and all the other filters.

- Expand the DAW integration beyond Logic/Mainstage. This is a great feature that allows the Fantom to become a wonderful controller and heart of a studio. It just needs to be able to do what the Kontrol does. Whether through some sort of software integration on OSX/Windows/IOS with a Roland written VST/AU host application or more directly within other DAWs. Personally I like Reason, Live and Studio 1 more than Logic, I'm sure that people using Protools and others would like to leverage this too.

- The UI is nice, but it's only "almost" intuitive. I wish you didn't have to dive into other menus to edit things and find controls. Ideally you should just keep pressing an edit/enter button or double tapping on an entry to dive into the current selection till you hit the raw controls for that thing, then have a back/exit that consistently navigates you back to the previous/parent window. e.g. You have the first page which has the various scene presets, click one and go into the layer view, rather than having three views of layers with the layer button just use a scroll wheel at the bottom of the screen to zoom in/out there, now click one of those layers to go into single layer mode and have an option there to hear it solo as you're editing rather than automatically going "single layer mode", then on any parameter in there I want to click the instrument component and go in to edit it directly, not go through another menu to reach that etc. I would also want that menu to show that it's not taking you out of the current location, because right now it feels like you press it to go to some system settings completely different page. So overlay it with a transparent/blurry background or make it not take up the whole page so it feels like a menu for the current settings. It's little touches like that which will make things feel even more fluid.

- Components of a scene should be edited as part of the scene locally to that scene rather than being referenced. I dislike that you edit a component and it edits the component for all scenes everywhere, regardless of the ability to just store changes it's not enough. Components should be local to the scene only, sure you should be able to store some user preset components for reuse in multiple instrument patches/scenes but you the scenes should own the components and their current settings. This would make it feel much more intuitive and prevent accidental screwup of the whole library/performance.

Hi

I’d like to take a different route.

Tell us Roland, what is it that you will actually release in future updates?

Obviously you have a well thought out road map for this synth based on the technical spec that only you know...what mother board/s, chips etc are in the Fantom.

Why ask us what we want when we don’t even know what the mother board spec is???

Tell us what you’re going to give us and tell us now please.

People don’t know what decisions to make...shall I sell my Kronos? Shall I sell my Moog Voyager XL to finance the Fantom?

I know some people will say ‘you buy it for what it is now’. Well I disagree with that...if Roland state they will support for a long time then that’s part of the business transaction, so tell us now what else you’re going to give us. And Roland obviously must have scheduled time releases for each update.

They have already told us Electric Pianos are the next update...they haven’t given us a date but we know the EP’s are coming.

So, tell us Roland, everything else that you are working on, and will work on!!

Regards
Vasillious

Also Roland needs to fix two substantial V-Piano faults/bugs :

- The hammer noise doesn't come from the string, it shouldn't pitch with the note.

- The string resonant system has a flaw causing it to built up a standing wave at around B4 (which then also becomes a wolf note that you cannot dial out by reducing the volume of that key), it also gives it a "bell" like property which would be a flaw in a real piano as you should have a much more even harmonic sympathetic resonance across the board that doesn't drown out notes with the sustain pedal held.

And, I would really like to see the "Motional Piano" thing contort more than just faders in the scene. If you could use it with a single scene but to automate any parameter (via the parameter delta/difference whatever you called it thing) then you could build some really crazy patches and effects using this, especially with some automation on the XY position (pre-recorded user input perhaps).

New synth engines - and also bring over the ones from the Jupiters such as the JX-3P and Juno.

Super Natural acoustic engine\sounds.

Ability to use samples as basis for keyboard sounds. To put user samples into the regular sound engine instead of just using them on pads.

Patches seperate from scenes - Not sure if my terminology is correct here but basically the ability to edit sub sounds without effecting any other scene or performance in which the same sound is used. Like the Montage. It has been so nice to have that feature.

New PCM samples that are fresh.

Thanks for listening! Great job so far with the Fantom!

1. The complete V-Piano - not just the limited version from the RD-2000.

2. Better EFX routing options (see Korg Kronos routing options)

3. Add a proper Shimmer reverb, such as from the Boss RV-6 pedal

4. Adopt a support philosophy similar to the way Korg has supported the Kronos - i.e. future versions with new hardware designs should utilize the same platform so that older hardware can upgrade to the new version.

You know, I was about to say “Forget V-Piano completely”, I honestly don’t think it’s very good anymore, I’m not sure that the full thing can fix it.

It came out over ten years ago and it shows, its time for a complete update for a flagship instrument. It sounds synthetic and thin, there is no detail in the sound, no harmonic richness. I believe that it is some next generation of supernatural, involving samples as well as synthesis but if that’s true then every single note sounds like it comes from the same sample. The microtuning ability is there mostly to cover the chorus like phasing issues you get between octaves notes that happens otherwise. More controls in a dated instrument won’t overcome its inherent limitations or make it sound less dated.

It’s time to write a new piano and bring it to the Fantom platform first. What I’d want to see is a hybrid of multisampling and the v-piano controls, so you could import different samples to have different real world pianos based off of those samples, it could import and blend all the “open” notes and build a single convolution input function for the open setting etc, “profile” the harmonic content, then apply the v-piano simulation tonality controls etc to the result. I.e. allow the v-piano to handle the tails and effects like “lid” and “damper” (if no damper samplers are included), and the samples or a hybrid of samples and synth to handle the attack/transients and mechanical sounds.