Sonicstate Exclusive: Roland FA-06 preview
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Roland popped down a couple of days ago to give us the skinny on a new product which was released today. Taking the legacy of the Fantom workstations and combining the pallette of the sonically stuffed Integra-7 sound module, and performance chops from the recent Junos and Jupiters,plus a large colour display, the FA06 and FA08 (88 weighted keys) are Roland's new take on the keyboard workstation.
With 128 voice polyphony, 16 part sequencer (each with dedicated FX plus a total FX), it's got enough voices to handle some complex productions.
The all new (ground up design) sequencer integrates with the on-board sampler to create a flexible workflow as far as we can see.
It's like an alternate timeline where the 90's never ended but just dragged on longer.
I don't get all this hate. This is a nice and comparably affordable all-in-one production workstation for people who don't want to use computers in their studios. Sure, it basically is a de-luxe rompler but I'm sure that you still can coax some mean tracks out of this board together with a few analog mono synths, drumboxes and samplers. It's all about the person using a synth, be creative, be positive, fekk the haters and have fun, that's what I say. Back in '89 when I started making music, I would have killed for a workstation like the the FA-06... ah well, the times they are a -changin', eh...
If you like DAWs, why don't you just use the cheap master keyboard, and a MacBook pro? Try to perform live with that setup, and see what will happen when somebody unplug your Laptop or MacBook...WE NEED Workstations, and we need DAWs, everything have its use!
1slowstar
Agreed, workstations and DAWs both have their place in music, even though I only use computers for single-track recording and post-production, other than that it's 100% hardware for me. I guess the negativity towards the FA-06 is based on the fact that Roland can't seem to be bothered with releasing a new analog mono or poly synth but rather come up with yet another digital all-in-one box in the vein of the JV/XP series, just with more voices and patches. While I can relate to that to some extend, I think it's besides the point, Roland always catered to commercial producers since they went digital in the late 80s because this is where the money is. Quite a few of their legendary analog machines we still hold in high regard were commercial failures so I think we really can't blame them for keeping things low analog-wise... but who knows, maybe NAMM 2014 will have some surprise in stock for us.
rpocc
Well, the FA-06 will cost about 900 bucks, I doubt you could get all the stuff you mention for that kind of money but that's not my point anyway, what I'm getting at is that workstations still have their place in music production, just like DAWs and analog gear. Some people are annoyed at Roland for not giving them a new analog poly or drumbox and that's fair enough but IMO no reason to bash on every new digital hardware they bring out. It's getting old, you know.
This machine is pure brilliants. I have been playing for years on many machines from many brands, but none of them offered that thought out solutions nor ability to combine 16 instruments at once at such quality sound and many many more other stage ready tools. It is vast with functions, effects and tools, yet simple enough to quickly orient between them and use them all if needed . My mind is just blown away by it. I am sure who hates it is just because he hasn’t played it yet. Or he/she didn’t put right amount of time to it. But when you do, you experience such a concert you never expected you would be able to play all on your own. I guarantee that and applaud to my beloved Roland which again not just didn’t disappoint but actually surpassed my expectations, as always 🙏🤯👀❤️👏🤗
Great workstation, it's music first... I have bought it and i enjoy this gear each day of the week. Thanks for this demo
I have the Fa 06. Love it. Never getting rid of it but...There needs to be an update to The Sampler...pads need individual pitch controls, time stretch/warp capability plus bit rate conversion.
That’s what frustrates me the most, I was hoping to play them up and down the keyboard and edit them like a tone
I’ve got a Yamaha EX7 from 1998 that has a superb sampler
For people who want a affordable workstation! I was looking toward the Kross but I will easily pay more for this beast! To me seems better then the moxf and kross. I'm all in!
the kross sounds aren't great. the krome is a different story. I bought a krome over this fa and don't regret my decision at all.
@@dvamateur Krome has the touch screen, not the Kross.
Chris Seagrist the new yamaha modx6 kills the krome.
Many Thanks to Nick...just bought a FA-06, your excellent review/demo video helped in my decision process
cresshead How's the keybed? Are the keys semi-weighted or are they synth action keys?
+Manuel Giorgi synth action on the FA-06.
Played the FA-08 yesterday and the weighted keys and action feel fantastic, similar to their RD800 Stage Piano.
There is a bug in FA series and not resolved. In STUDIO SET mode, I have 16 track (Part). An Expression pedal is used to adjust the volume of the selected part and working good. When I was playing in Part 1, I dim the volume with the EXP. Pedal and without releasing the key notes, I change the Part from Part 1 to Part 2, and suddenly the volume of Part 1 turned to its original value. This is a big problem in live and no solution found in any forum. All user having problem is looking for a firmware update. Thanks Roland
I have come back to eat humble pie.
Without the actual keyboard, all this chat seems very blah blah, but I bought one, and it's a monster....it needs this much chat!
Apart from everything else, it's great if you have an idea and quickly want to get it down, so you don't forget it.
It's very easy to navigate, even without touch screen, of which would be nice, but the data wheel is very fast, and in many cases, touch screen would have my fat sausages hitting alsorts incorrectly.
You have to put the work in to learn it, but to be fair, you can discover loads by just fiddling, and watching youtube tutorials.
What complaint do I have? The tempo is a pisser to stop on the tempo you want. You need to really slow the knob to hone in on your 120bpm etc. (a minor niggle)
Sound capability? HOLY EFFING B'JESUS! Depending on your playing capability to get the fantastic patches to give them their best chance to shine, it will give you nigh on anything you ask of it. You want a sleezy sax? play it in that style, there you have it. Doing a film score for am-dram?, you'll have that sucker sounding like a Michael Bay film! (complete with explosions, if you load in samples)
As you can see, it needs a big demo, and lots of chat, so I beg forgiveness for my impatience two years ago.
It's now at about £779.00 (make em throw in a carry bag!)
WARNING!
Save Song does not save all edits or changes made during production
or mastering. For every song or edited version of that song your need to
save a new studio set and 16 new patches for every song save because
the Fa does not save this information as part of the song.
Also this means you can NEVER edit any patches or studio sets that are part of any saved song.
If you do edit any patches or studio sets you previous saved songs will never be the same
when you load them so all you work is lost.
Cp Mon that’s the only thing that pissed me off about this fuckin keyboard
I was pissed at first, but realized that you can make a studio set, and then make different songs that reference the same studio set or vice versa. This is probably why the "songs" and "studio sets" are not tied together as one file when you save. It's more flexible for those who wish to use it this way. You can kill them on other stuff, but not really on that design decision. Once you get used to saving all of the separate files before you shut down, it becomes second nature.
A very extensive and well done review. I might get this synth in the near future. The FA series is a really nice instrument that adds new life to the workstation market at a much lower price than usual.
Just ordered one of these bad boys used from musicians friend, I hope it’s in good shape because I really want this to be a long term piece of equipment in my arsenal
I have had an FA08 4 years. Great keys, piano sound, sequencer. Only gripe is you cannot adjust relative levels of the different sounds on the fly - you have delve into the screen and use cursor keys to select the layers one by one.
Really? That sounds crazy! Can you not use the assignable knobs?
@@flipstertube Of course you can, you can adjust the volume of the part you have chosen. So switch part inside the sound set of 16 parts and you change the level of the active sound. And if you set the 16 pads to act as patch selectors, you just press the corresponding pad, change levels with the knobs. Easy! I've had the FA-06 for a year, flipped it for a FA-07 (which I've had for almost another year) to get semi-weighted normal length synth keys and the extra 1.5 octaves. A highly versatile workstation for both live use and working out basic or mid-level song structures
This is not a follow up to the Fantom G but a MOXF6 alternative.
Where is the V-Synth + Integra 7 + Touchscreen + Cakewalk workstation I hoped for? No great Kronos X killer here to be found. It's a slightly better Korg Krome without a great piano sound and no touchscreen.
This is most arguably the best MID RANGE keyboard ever made.
+Gianluca Di Stefano After the MOXF
HipHopPianist nah I think it’s the best one ever made till this day
I have the fa06 and love it very much but the new yamaha modx6 is a sweet synth.
MODX, except for the sequencer. It has all the sounds from the Montage.
Well, I'm sold.
I did end up getting one..i was sold by this Video...i made 2 videos already on my channel..Thanks guys..
Roland FA-06 - Mr. Roland is out at the Beach
Recently bought one (limited Black Edition!) and it does sound amazing.
I've played Roland for decades and I was a bit thrown by the new terms instead of Performances and Patches like on my trusty XPs... Just takes some getting used to, I suppose 👍
I would still go for the keyboard in the background...
The only synth worth having in this video is the one in the background.
Exactly. I love my Juno-106. These are the classics that need to inspire a new generation roland synths. Specifically products based on the Juno-60/106, the Jupiter-8, SH-1, and the System-700 stuff would be incredible. Synths like the System-700 are beyond my reach, and i would die for even a MS-20mini style knock off.
Brendan S I had a Juno 60 traded it in for Prophet '08, but have an Alpha Juno 1. Roland has not been relevant in analog since the JU-2. A shame.
I think you guys have faulty earballs! I've been playing Roland keyboards since '82 when they brought out the JV-80 and I still use my XP-30 for my main piano most of the time. I like the Integra 7 SuperNatural voicings and all the sounds they have in that board. I've used many of their sounds for the music I've been playing for years, got great responses! Roland has put out some great products, you guys certainly aren't with the program, perhaps need to listen or use your imagination a tad more! I intend to buy Roland always regardless what you so-called musicians say!
Nice wedding band instrument! :-)
I mean, why listen to the customers who want some exciting neo-analog stuff, lol.
In the hands of the wedding band keyboardist, yes, but apart from everything else, it can sequence 16 different external analogue instruments AND trigger samples, AND record all those synth, including onboard patches.
There are a gazillion analogue synths out there, inc the new Roland boutique SE-02, so they did listen!
I have an FA-06 and the way you can run your external synths by an easy sequencer, is fantastic.
One instance is I feed my bass station 2 straight back into the 06, add effects, and sample it, to trigger when needed.
It's the right tool for a specific job.
@@LFOVCF Can the Roland JD-XI do the same?
If I buy this keyboard...first thing I am going to do (even before touching a key) is delete that demo song !!!
KnockSquared word!!! I did exactly that lol
One big flaw of this keyboard is that there is no quick and easy way to adjust the volume of the pad samples. Song recording is a charm. Ability to add the free expansions (only 2 at the time) is awesome. In some aspects it is indeed the best midrange workstations.
I'm a little confused since he said, it doesnt have a resample function, but it's a full sampler(without velocity sensitivity) can you sample from the audio input(ex i want to sample another keyboard, a guitar, my voice ect) or do you have to import samples, or sample them from the onboard sounds?. If you can sample from the input, what is the audio sample rate, quality and whatnot, memory space available, how many sample banks.(does it give you 16 samples per patch or operate separately from the main combis or whatever.) And finally, can you map the samples across the keyboard to different pitches and play it as such like you could on the fantom g.
Be cool to know what quality the stems are exported out as?
How many user rewritable studio sets does it have?
hope to hear more about loading SRX sounds...with 2000 that's 4000 short of the integra 7 which has ALL the SRX boards...i think you can install SRX board n this according to the roland site but no specs on how many slots yet.
cresshead replying to myself!...i have a FA-06 now..it's flippin excellent..and all the srx card libr from roland axial...so have 6000 sounds...epic synth!
+cresshead So you can download the other 4000 sounds free from axial? Or are you saying you purchased them?
I was half expecting them to say that it has SCSI..
Greetings.......Is there a SWING KNOB to control the arpeggios like the Yamaha Motif XF.! It would be GREAT to have it.
How can you get your songs play one after another I can seem to do that with this keyboard and I find this very annoying 😠
Why didn't they put sliders on it for organ use. Turning the wheel is not good.
I wonder if a controller sliders could be hooked up for that.
this keyboard is crisp and sounds phat, and its warm. those negative comments are shit cause i have one. the pianos are to die for
3 months later....do you still love the board?
+Ranan Jerry you are very right i got a jp80 as well and they are totaly different i love roland gear always have some people they sit on there ears you know what i mean shitttie ears cheers
Ranan Jerry facts bro. And I’ve been creating some dope sounds on this thang!!!!
NO ONE to my knowledge has shown off the arpeggiators on this machine yet on any official demo or otherwise. It SAYS it has arpeggiators and I'm guessing that as this is in direct competition to the Yamaha MOX they may not be quite as good - anyone point me to reviews showing arpeggiators in action?
I think this is the same level huge revolution that was made by Fantom-S. I still do like more the MOXF and the custom wave-sound playback it has. I am proud Juno-D and SP-404 owner, so thumbs up for Roland! Good job!
Thank you Nick, nice preview. I like the idea of the Integra 7 and an iPad. Not interested in this at all - perhaps if I was starting again from zero of had absolutely no kit. Thank you Gareth, thanks Nick!
I'm new to roland family.. give me a thought which is better.. roland fantom x6 or fa-06?
If you want classic roland sounds, the fantom x is good, if you drool over the integra-7, the fa-06 is good for you
Fantom G.
I am sold too… nice job Roland
Is there any word or phrase in english language to replace the expresion "it´s very cool"?
Wow, so much good music is going to be made with these really authentic and interesting digital sounds.
Is this supposed to be a fantom replacement?
It is easy to use and good sounds, BUT, I miss the tough silver metal of the Fantom X and G.. This FA-06 has a cheap easily scratchable black plastic body
Does roland fa06 have bluetooth?? Anyone help
Just sounds like a Roland Juno Di .....all the same sounds? maybe some extra things, sampler, 16 track sequencer etc.
Thank you for the excellent presentation. I see that the keyboard split two ways and it split more than two ways? Second question is when did split two ways how many layers and I have on each side thank you for answering my question in advance
I'm always hesitant of anything that has category buttons like "Keyboard/Organ". I guess if you're playing lots of stock sounds this helps. But it seems that Roland have looked at what Korg are doing and just said "meh." In the meantime I look at what Roland are doing and say "meh."
NO after touch or Velocity sensitivity on the pads?? WTF
trigger pads only...yeh i'd like it to have velocity and maybe pressure...but that ads to the final cost, at £825 street price this is amazing for what you get. okay you don't get everything...but you're also not paying £2599.....something has to give right?
cresshead Nah, it sounds like shit. The entire keyboard should have been the thing to "give." Roland should focus less on making shit like this and more on getting back to their analog days.
There is loop sampling, but I'm curious if multi-sampling exists in Roland FA-06 to sample and create your own instruments.
So..uncomplicated to work the sequencer. For me, that's a game changer. 1 note chords too? I can get very good demos off to a pro, and I'm all set. Ordered the 08' today!
Homie on the right never looks impressed with anything lol. He like "Yeah okay nigga"
It seems like a mix between Fantom G6, Juno Gi and (with some limitations in terms of quality sounds) Integra. Not very suitable for pro musician and no good design, but for the price, you'll have a lot of joy !
20 years after Kurzweil uses the inserts of every Program within a Performance (DSP functions are hardly linked into a program), Roland introduces that new "Perfomance" mode, where every program uses its own insert effect...any questions about this?
Just saw this again. There are great reviewers on this gear now and it helps... This review, not so much, but I do really appreciate all of the sonicstate reviews, fwiw. Anyhow, about the FA-06. Fuck the haters. Fantastic piece of gear for what it is, even 5 years later. And yes, it's all about the individual to get out what he/she wants out of it. Food for thought.
Can any of those total FX be used on individual tracks while recording? If not, could you sample an internal sound with Total FX on it - then add that sample to the sequencer as an audio track?
Did you watch the video ? That's what he does, so yes.
sounds great, the Integra sounds are really good
Seems like a great workstation for the price, and I'm sure I'll end up buying one, but I wish they could have loaded ALL of the Integra sounds on it, or at least offered a more expensive model that had all of the Integra sounds.
I like this board... Next to my Motif xf and Kronos.. It would be great. Nice sounds, good sequencer, loading in 8 secs :-) very nice gui, much better gui than my kronos... Well done Roland...
Im debating on what I should buy between the Jupiter 50 and the Fa 06..Someone give me their thoughts :D
To answer your question, with jupiter-50/80, you'll have to work with a daw to record your music, with fa-06, recording music is optional between the onboard sequencer and a daw, by the way, both synths sound amazing (i should know, i've tried them both)
+OfficialTragic Beatz the only advantage i see of the jupiter 80 over the FA-06/08 is that Jupiter has more SUPERnatural sounds and a touch screen, if you want that. I'm happy with the FA-08. Studios Sets are superior to what's available in the Jupiter from hat I've seen. Depends on your needs.
If it were my first keyoard I would surely get this over an MOX or Krome. But now we want something BIG!
...why not go touch screen in this day and age?
I think in this instance to keep the price down.
sonicstate Touschscreens cost like nothing
Mikhail Zhuk tell that to the apple shop people when your ipad screen cracks....honestly touch screens are not 'nothing'...they add to the cost plus you have to create a o/s that can use it well.
cresshead That's because Apple rips people off. It costs Apple 15 cents to buy the extra 16 GB from an apple ipad 16GB to a 32GB. It costs the consumer 100 dollars. Touch Screens are absolutely pretty cheap if the display is already a high resolution screen because of scales of economy.
I agree with you, we all need a BIG TOUCH SCREEN!
Didn't like the limited travel keyboard, some sounds really not that different to the di. Sampler can't load wav files for assigning synth etc.
Sounds do seem a bit weak, but then again I'm listening to them on UA-cam. No after touch it seems. Plus no time stretch, so sampler seems limited. Not sure about multi-sampling yet. Plus those keys seem to clack quite a bit. A bit underwhelmed, but it's new so I'll have to give it a chance and see.
Beautiful sounding machine, but that demo song.....😳
wow this is a must have if you making music
this is perfect light-weight gig keyboard,
might buy this to replace my mx-61
Better wait to hear if the sounds are as good as the Motif sounds. I could never do without the pianos on my MX49. MOXF6 or Korg Krome might be OK, but I'd like to hear more from this keyboard.
MX sounds like crap versus both MOXF and FA
can this be used as a midi keyboard
looks and sounds fantastic...they're gonna sell a ton of these...it's
rolands answer to the korg krome or korg kross....or the Yamaha MOxf6
Roland have moved on from analogue, they would sell far fewer units than we would like to imagine.. how few Jupiter-8s were made? (and how few of us have actually used one?)
As to the FA-06/8 - yukk what a monikker! At least a name to go with the styling..
It's a viable gigging keyboard.. but more inputs for live processing of other sound sources..
Is the sampling only pad based? I would rather have a 'proper' sampler, for keyboard playing - my analogues sampled and played via the pcm synth section with fx... nice!
I like the roland FA. Good presentation also. But I really dont like this annoying metronome click! Can I switch the click sound???
Roland...continuing a great legacy of not caring what customers actually need or want from them.last thing they made worth a damn was the vsynth.
+leepicciotto Yeah that great legacy of some of the best synths ever made.
Get over yourself.
This machine has held up..u still complaining?
@@DutchCrunch333 Still complaining? No this was a turd and I haven't given it a second thought since I left that comment 6 years ago
@@purgeyou I have most of them. This isn't about their legacy, its about this turd. Get over yourself and stop being one of these mindless idiots that think everyone needs to feel the same way you do about everything.
No time stretch but the BK-9 has that for its styles ect and backing tracks stuff.
The BK-9 might be better for live play stuff.
Might have preferred this sequencer on the new Fantom instead of the clip-based one.
is gareth related to jim?
so was nick trying to nonchalantly place a roland analog synth in the back...or was he being cheeky?
No aftertouch gfs Roland, some controller it will make if it doesn't have that huh?
That said I kinda like it, an accessible cut down Integra with a nice flat sound you can eq into the mix easy. Not sure how that would go down with live ppl though.
I love the SP series of samples, no velocity pads is out of touch in 2014 though! You already got stock from the sp555 , why not use those?
Is a quick rehash bc the jupiter 80 bombed ? The high Rez screen looks nice. If it had aftertouch I would of bought it as a controller and something so I could get loops together without switching on the mac.
Yet again Roland needs to get into 2014. You lost a sale bc of aftertouch...think about it ???
Why does Roland insist on always using demo songs that sound like late 80s talk show bands?
No touchscreen?
Come on it's 2014!
Sorry Roland. You don't win my heart like that. This sounds flat, and digitally quirk free. No smile from me.
+johncastello Did you try king korg?
***** I
+cuckoomusic As if Roland gives a fuck about hipsters.
***** I have both. They are different.
purgeyou ha ha ha.. No they go all in for EDM.
What's up with the JUNO 106 in the background. Forget the FA-06, let's hear the Juno.
sounds better than the Fantom, and the Korg Krome and Kross. Will probably sell very well.
Seems like another rehash of their ages old engine. The Aira range of synths/drumboxes looks a bit more promising.. will we see a preview of those anytime soon Nick?
I played one of these and the keyboard action is totally shit to put it bluntly. Cheap plastic feel that I couldn't stand playing all night at a gig especially if I had to play piano and EP sounds. The construction of the instrument is also very plastic, despite the fact that it's very lightweight. It offers a lot of keyboard workstation for the money and the sounds are very good. But why oh why do all these companies neglect aftertouch at the cheaper end of the market. Even just a few years ago, the more budget keyboards still offered aftertouch. If the keyboard action was better and the build quality felt a bit more solid, then I'd be interested in one of these for gigs. I'll stick to my Kurzweil PC361 for now. Much nicer keyboard action with aftertouch, great user interface and a solid build!
Roland was and still is a great company. Not everything they do appeals to me. This board would go in the " not into it" file.
I've had the keyboard since a month after it came out and I still use it every beat. Hate the sampler isn't for drums and shit but other then that the keyboard bomb as fk
I was hoping to get excited by this, but instead I got sleepy. Maybe I'll get an old roland midi controller to make up for Krome crappy keys...
Haha they are super crappy
People, how much is this electric piano
Pure beast
Remake the one in the background that's the way to go
IS THIS A SUCCESSOR TO JUNO-Gi?
No, the new Juno-ds is the successor of the Juno-di/gi, fa-06 is the affordable version of the integra-7 sound module
***** thanks mate! already figured it long ago though.
okay, just thought you might wanted to know about the new 2015 juno-ds :)
This seems a bit too complicated...
Roland named it FA-06 as in they said Fuck Analog six times when fans asked for a true 808 :) JK i like roland stuff.....
@@yellingyellow5209 No it's completely digital.
dear lord the demo song was so awkward.
The lounge singer at the Ramada Inn will love this when he's filling requests from the Shriners that are in town for the convention...right before they climb into their clown cars ...
Looks like a HS-60 in the background...
Pulse Wave? ^___^
Now Casio got Touch Screens in their pianos and soon in their workstations.
Teddy Bass wow, which models? I'm curious.
16 sounds together waw.
Not even close to the Fantom G. Why would I want to go backwards? 2018 and still no better workstation from Roland than the Fantom G. What is going on at Roland?
Roland just make us a new MV.If you need help just ask!!
If a "regular" person ever masters this device, it's reason to assume that this person could also perform heart and brain surgery simultaneously while designing all of the on-board systems for the space shuttle while doing an Irish Jig and learning to speak Icelandic during a coffee break...... Easy-peasy