WNAMM04: New Fantom-X Gets The Gig

US 128-Voice Fantom-X Series Expandable to Nearly 1GB of Sounds 05/02/04

Rolands new Fantom-X is full o Ram (up to 1gb!)

This years NAMM sees Roland introducing a new line of workstation keyboards, the Fantom-X Series. Building on the Fantoms introduced last year, the new Fantom-X range is available with a 61-note keyboard (Fantom-X6), 76-note keyboard (Fantom-X7) or 88-note Progressive Hammer-Action Keyboard (Fantom-X8), these 128-note workstations are the first with capacity for nearly 1GB of wave data when fully expanded. Each model boasts a brand new wave ROM with amazing new sounds, room for 4 SRX expansions and up to 544MB of sample RAM—large enough to be used like a digital recorder—plus a sexy new look with an industry-first color LCD screen. Put simply, the Fantom-X Series is an entirely new breed of workstation. Powered by Roland’s new sound generator chip, the Fantom-X Series makes it possible to play expressive 4-tone Patches with 128-voice polyphony, and can be expanded to nearly 1GB of wave data—far more memory than any musical instrument on the market. The internal 128MB wave ROM is loaded with brand new sounds recorded in top studios and mixed by talented engineers like Dan Blessinger (Martinsound), resulting in a level of quality and expressive realism that is unsurpassed. Take the new 88-key split piano, for example, which utilizes over 700 samples to create the ultimate acoustic piano Patch. The sampling section is also beefed up with capacity for up to 544MB of RAM using optional DIMMs. This massively exapndable amount of memory lets users record long samples in the fashion of a digital recorder with full wave editing capabilities (a new PC Card slot lets users store samples on cards with up to 1GB capacity). Between this “linear” recording capability and the realtime timestretch, users get total integration of audio and MIDI using the Fantom-X Series’ high-resolution sequencer. And thanks to their new color LCD screens with smart color-coded schemes, using the Fantom-X Series just got a whole lot easier on the eyes. Of course the Fantom-X Series inherit many of the most popular features of their predecessors as well—like the Dynamic Pad Bank (with improved gel pads), Roland’s innovative “Skip Back Sampling” feature, and V-LINK technology for integrating audio and video. There are also plenty of onboard effects including COSM® Guitar Amp Modeling, Lo-Fi processing, Slicer and more—plus a dedicated Mastering processor. An onboard USB port makes MIDI connections easy, as well as importing or exporting audio in .WAV/AIFF format. With features like these, the new Fantom-X Series will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding player or studio musician. Connections to the Fantom-X Series include four 1/4-inch outputs (two stereo), a stereo 1/4-inch input, S/PDIF digital I/O, MIDI In/Out/Thru, a PC Card slot and USB port.

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