ROLAND UNVEILS NEXT-GENERATION
FANTOM KEYBOARD SERIES
All-New Expandable Keyboards Offer Fluid Workflow, Modeless Operation, Deep Computer Integration, and More
Roland, a leading manufacturer and distributor of
electronic musical instruments and professional video
products, announces the flagship FANTOM lineup, an all-
new series of professional keyboards for music production
and live performance. Developed from the ground up
for modern players, the next-generation FANTOM
6, FANTOM 7, and FANTOM 8 models fuse Roland’s
latest synthesizer technologies with fluid operation,
an intuitive color touchscreen, and deep computer
integration. FANTOM instruments also offer superb
playability, and feature rugged, tour-ready construction
to meet the demands of everyday life on the road.
Today’s professional keyboardists need an instrument that
lets them compose and perform music with no creative
roadblocks to slow them down. They also need to integrate
seamlessly with the computer-based environments that
form the backbone of modern stage and studio setups.
FANTOM is designed to meet all these needs and more,
giving players a new type of creative hub to realize
ideas and accelerate workflow like never before.
A key feature of FANTOM is its modeless interface,
which makes technical limitations and confusing
operation a thing of the past. Players never have to worry
about what features work in which mode—FANTOM is
always in full-on creative mode, providing a consistent
working experience in every musical scenario. And
with workspaces called Scenes, the instrument can
be fully customized and instantly reconfigured for
different composition and performance setups.
FANTOM’s flexible and expandable sound engine
leverages decades of research and development,
providing an endless range of inspiring and authentic
electronic, acoustic, and hybrid sounds. Players can
combine different synthesis technologies along with
the onboard analog filter for new and unusual sounds.
There’s also an enormous selection of effects available to
enhance individual sounds and process entire mixes.
With FANTOM’s potent DSP engine, players can focus on
music, not rationing processing power. It’s possible to run
all 16 parts with all available effects at once, complete with
full patch remain for seamless transitions. There’s never any
guessing about how many effects are available, or if sounds
can be changed smoothly without limiting complex patches.
FANTOM models offer exceptional playability and aftertouch
support with Roland’s best keyboards ever, including the
acclaimed PHA-50 on the 88-key FANTOM 8 and a brand
new semi-weighted action on the 76-key FANTOM 7 and
61-key FANTOM 6. In addition to the color touchscreen
interface, there are plenty of knobs and sliders for intuitive
and immediate control, plus a dedicated synthesizer
section with oscillator, filter, and envelope controls.
FANTOM is a complete music composition platform,
filled with creative options to build arrangements fast.
Available tools include RGB pads, a classic TR-REC style
pattern sequencer, real-time recording with piano roll
editing, and a grid for recording and launching clips.
FANTOM excels as a standalone instrument, but its powers
grow exponentially when connected to computers, analog
synthesizers, and other gear. DAWs and performance
software like Apple's Logic Pro and MainStage can be
operated from the touchscreen and panel controls, and
virtual instruments from Roland Cloud and others can
be easily controlled and combined with FANTOM's
internal sounds. It’s also possible to drive modular and
analog synthesizers from its dual CV/Gate outputs.
To learn more about the all-new FANTOM
keyboards, visit Roland.co.in.
The
Score Magazine
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