®ÂØÒňΠ™ Workshop Exploring the Fantom-Xa © 2005 Roland Corporation U.S. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Roland Corporation U.S.
About the Fantom-Xa Workshop Booklets Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet Roland’s Fantom-Xa workstation keyboard provides lots of creative power at an affordable price. It shares many of the features of its more expensive siblings—the Fantom X6, X7, and X8—including killer sounds, 128-note polyphony, a fullfeatured 16-track sequencer, sampling capabilities, and so much more. The Fantom-Xa Workshop booklets discuss some of the things you can do with your Fantom-Xa.
Patch Mode Immediately after power-up, the Fantom-Xa display looks like this: The F Buttons Beneath the display are six “F buttons,” labeled “F1-F6.” The buttons interact with what’s on the display, so their functions change depending on what you’re doing. Each F button’s current job is shown on the display directly above the button. You can also get to this screen by pressing PATCH/RHYTHM. When you’re viewing this screen, the Fantom-Xa is in Patch mode, where you can select and play single patches.
Selecting Patches and Rhythm Sets Selecting a Patch for the Fantom-Xa Keyboard Right now, the patch number “001” is highlighted, and therefore selected. 1. Press PATCH/RHYTHM to display the PATCH PLAY screen. (By default, this is the screen you see after power-up.) To select a parameter and change its value: 1. Press the appropriate CURSOR 3, 4, 5 and/or 6 button until the parameter is highlighted. 2. Turn the VALUE dial to choose the desired setting.
The Fantom-Xa patches are organized into categories that make them easy to find. You can quickly jump between categories by pressing any of the Fantom-Xa’s Pads 0-9 whenever the CATEGORY button is lit. Each pad is labeled for the group of patch categories it displays. Selecting a Rhythm Set for the Fantom-Xa Pads 1. Press PATCH/RHYTHM to display the PATCH PLAY screen. 2. Press F2 (PAD) so the F button’s onscreen “PAD” label is solidly outlined, as circled in red below.
A Brief Realtime Detour The current patch, Strangers, responds in interesting ways to the Fantom-Xa’s realtime controllers. Press F1 (KBD) and play the keyboard: • • • Push the modulation lever located to the left of the keyboard forward, and then release it to hear how vibrato can be added to the sound, and then removed. Press ASSIGNABLE beneath the D Beam so it lights, and move your hand up and down over the D Beam to hear what it does to the pitch of the patch’s various elements.
8. Play along with the pattern on the keyboard. This isn’t just fun—it’s also often a great way to start writing a song. 9. Jam a bit to find something you’d like to record. If you’d like to select a different keyboard patch, press F1 (KBD) and do so, as described back on Page 4. 10. When you’re done, stop the rhythm by pressing the flashing pad or by pressing the RHYTHM button so it’s unlit. Clearing the Demo Song When you first purchase the Fantom-Xa, its demo song loads automatically.
3. Strike a pad so its rhythm plays—recording begins and the Realtime Rec Control window opens. About Recording on the Fantom-Xa The Fantom-Xa’s recorder is a MIDI “sequencer” that captures MIDI data that the keyboard and rhythm section produce. When it plays it back, your performance is reproduced. 4. Let four beats go by so you can get used to the groove, and then play your idea on the Fantom-Xa keyboard.
Style parameter On this screen, you can select a different arpeggio— referred to as a “style”—or even create your own. 5. If the Style parameter isn’t highlighted, press 5 until it is. 6. Hold down some notes on the keyboard with one hand. 7. While you’re holding down the notes, turn the VALUE dial to select different arpeggio styles. Listen to how they can do many different things with the same notes. 8.
6. Once you’ve picked out a pad, press F6 (EXEC)—the Fantom-Xa asks if you’re sure you want to proceed. 7. Press F6 (EXEC) again to finish assigning the new sample to the selected pad. Once the process is complete, the Fantom-Xa takes you to the Sample Edit screen in case you want to refine the sample by editing it. If the SKIP BACK Button Isn’t Lit When your Fantom-Xa’s sample memory—or “sample RAM”— is full, the SKIP BACK button remains unlit and Skip Back Sampling isn’t available.
