Roland Fantom-G User Manual

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© 2008 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.

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Single Mode in the Fantom-G

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Workshop

Fantom-G Workstation Keyboard

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About the Workshop Booklets

Roland’s Fantom G6, G7, and G8—the Fantom-G family—set a new standard
for excellence in workstation keyboards, with spectacular sounds and
incredible built-in effect-processing muscle. A beautiful full-color LCD
display and innovative performance features make getting around a pleasure
and make the G6, G7, and G8 a dream to play. For recording, the Fantom-G
contains a powerful 152 MIDI/audio track sequencer. Each Fantom-G can
also host two Roland ARX SuperNATURAL™ cards whose breakthrough
modeling technology provides sounds with amazing sonic detail, expressive
possibilities, and sound-design opportunities.

Each Fantom-G Workshop Series booklet focuses on one Fantom-G topic,
and is intended as a companion to the Fantom G6/G7/G8 Owner’s Manual.

This booklet requires Fantom-G Operating System v1.20 or higher. You can
download the latest Fantom-G O.S. for free from www.RolandUS.com.

About This Booklet

This booklet’s about Single mode, where you can approach the Fantom-G
in its simplest, most straight-ahead way. In Single mode, you can play one
sound on the keyboard and a rhythm set or sample set on the pads. It’s the
mode for working with a patch by itself, and for programming patches.

Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet

Throughout this booklet, you’ll come across information that deserves
special attention—that’s the reason it’s labeled with one of the following
symbols.

A note is something that adds information about the topic at hand.

A tip offers suggestions for using the feature being discussed.

Warnings contain important information that can help you avoid
possible damage to your equipment, your data, or yourself.

Clicking or Pressing

As explained in the Power User Control Fantom-G Workshop booklet, you
can perform most operations on the Fantom-G using either a connected
mouse—sold separately—or the Fantom-G’s own front-panel controls.

If you’re using a mouse: If you’re using the Fantom-G’s controls:

You select parameters and objects with

a left click. You change the selected

parameter’s value by turning the scroll

wheel. You can often display a menu by

right-clicking an object.

You select parameters and objects with the

3, 4, 5, and 6 buttons. Change a

selected parameter’s setting by turning the

Value dial or by pressing DEC and INC.

Left click Right click

Scroll

wheel

Value dial

In any situation, the best method to use is always simply the one that feels
most natural to you.

Going forward, when we want you to click an onscreen button or its
physical counterpart—your choice, of course—we’ll simply tell you to “click”
the button. The same mouse-centric logic will apply to any other virtual
versus physical control issues we encounter. If there’s only one way to do
something, we’ll tell you so. Beyond that, remember that whether you use a
mouse of the Fantom-G’s built-in controls is entirely up to you.

Hot Links

Each Workshop booklet is meant to be read in order from beginning
to end. However, if we mention an upcoming section—and you see
this arrow—you can click the arrow to jump there immediately.

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The Single Mode Display

In the Fantom-G, each mode’s Play screen functions as its home screen.
Here’s a detailed rundown of what you’ll find on the Single Play screen. There
are parameters you can set, informational readouts, and, of course, the three
global mouse buttons available on all Fantom-G screens at the top right.

In this screenshot, we’ve set the pads to Rhythm mode.

Top Information Strip

Screen name

Active effects area

Song location readout

Global mouse buttons

Screen name—• The title of this screen.

Active effects area—

• This informational area shows the effects that are

currently turned on. When an effect is on, it’s lit. Otherwise, it’s gray.

In Single mode, each patch has its own PFX, well as its own ch orus and
revebrb settings. You can also apply MFX 1 to an audio input or audio
track outp ut, and you can use the Fantom-G’s mastering effect on the
entire output. We’ll discuss effects in the Fantom-G Effects booklet.

Song location readout—• This shows your present location in the currently

loaded song.

Global mouse buttons—

• Available at the top of all Fantom-G screens,

these three icons act as buttons when you’re using a mouse. The first
button takes you to the Menu screen, the middle one acts as a Back
button to the previous screen where that makes sense, and the last
button opens the shortcut menu.

Keyboard Area

This area of the Single Play screen allows you to select the sound to be
played from the Fantom-G keyboard.

Part Group Part Number Type Category Category lockBank

Transposition area Selected sound Active tones area

Part group—• This parameter allows you to select the source of the sound

you want to play on the keyboard. You can choose, Internal, EXP 1 or 2
for sounds from an installed ARX board, or External to use external MIDI
sounds you’ll play from the keyboard.

When you’ve set Part Group to External, the Part Number, Type, and
Bank parameters operate in a special way. We’ll talk about this after
we explain how they work with Internal and EXP 1 and 2 Part Group
values.

Part Number—• In Single mode, the keyboard part is always Part 1 when

you’re using internal sounds. The number of parts you can select with
an EXP board depends on the board’s capabilities. With external sounds,
this parameter sets your MIDI transmission channel.

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Type—• Use the Type parameter to choose the kind of internal sound you

want the keyboard to play. You select Patch, Rhythm for a rhythm set, or
Sample for a sample set.

Bank—

• The Bank parameters sets the area of memory from which you

can select an internal sound.

Category—

• Use this parameter to choose a musical instrument category

from which you’ll select an internal patch.

Category Lock—

• Once you’ve chosen a category, you can lock in that

choice to avoid inadvertently switching to another category as you
hunt for internal patches.

Transposition area—

• When you’ve transposed the keyboard, as explained

on Page 5 in this booklet, you can see the transposed pitches the
Fantom-G’s keys produce as you play.

Active tones area—

• This information-only area shows you the tones that

are turned on in the current patch or current rhythm set note.

To learn more about tones and patch programming, see the Editing
Fantom-G Patches Workshop booklet.

When You’re Controlling External MIDI Sounds

When Part Group on the Single Play screen is set to External:

Part Number—

• selects the MIDI channel on which the keyboard transmits

its data. Your external MIDI device must be set to the same MIDI channel
to receive the data.

Type—

• transmits a MIDI Bank Select MSB value, the first half of the MIDI

Bank Select message you’ll need to send to the external device if you
want to select one of its sound banks.

Bank—

• transmits a MIDI Bank Select LSB value that’s the second half of

your MIDI Bank Select message.

Dynamic Pad Area

The Dynamic Pad area of the Single Play screen provides a window onto—
and some control of—the Fantom-G’s pads.

The pads have their own booklet that explains their use: the Power
User Control 2: The Pads Workshop booklet.

Though the DYNAMIC PADS PAD MODE button is faster and easier to use, the
Pad Mode parameter in the Dynamic Pad area also sets what the pads do.

The remaining elements of the Dynamic Pad area are used only when the
pads are set to Rhythm pad mode or Sample pad mode. Here’s what they
do:

Pad Group Pad Part Pad ModePad Type

Selected soundBank

Pad Group—• Use this parameter allows you to choose the source of the

rhythm set you want the pads to play. You can select, Internal, EXP 1 or 2
for rhythm sets from an installed ARX board, or External to play external
sounds from the pads via MIDI.

Pad Part—

• This readout is always set to Part 8 in Rhythm pad mode.

Pad Type—

• This readout shows the pads are to play rhythm set sounds.

Pad Mode—

• This parameter selects the desired pad mode.

Bank—

• This selects the internal or EXP memory area from which you

want to select a rhythm set.

Selected sound—

• Use this parameter to select the desired rhythm or

sample set.

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Realtime Control Area

The Fantom-G’s realtime controls let you temporarily re-shape sounds
on-the-fly in Single mode. We’ll explain the realtime controls in detail
in the Manipulating Sounds in Realtime Workshop booklet.

Control slider settings

Control knob assignments and settings

S1 and S2 switches and D Beam

assignments and settings

Control slider assignments

Control slider settings—• As you move a control

slider, this area shows the slider’s current setting.
The TEMPO/VALUE LED to the left of the display
momentarily shows the setting more precisely.

Before you move a slider after powering up the Fantom-G, it’s set to its
middle position, where it has no effect on the current sound.

Control slider assignments—• This readout shows the jobs to which the

control sliders are currently assigned.

Control knob assignments and settings—

• This area shows the jobs

assigned to the four realtime control knobs to the left of the keyboard.
It also shows each knob’s current setting.

S1 and S2 and D Beam assignments and settings—

• This area shows the

jobs to which the S1 switch, S2 switch, and D Beam are assigned, and
the controls’ current settings.

When an S1 or 2 switch is set to the same job as a control knob, tu rning
on the S switch also lights the control knob’s settings onscreen.

The Help Area

Underneath the Control slider settings area, you’ll find the Help area, where
you can see the name of the parameter that’s currently selected on the
Single Play screen, as well as its current setting.

Transposing the Keyboard

Normally, the Fantom-G keyboard plays in concert pitch. (On the Fantom X6
and X7, Middle C is roughly beneath the F3 button. On the Fantom-G X8,
Middle C is roughly beneath the F4 button.) By transposing the Fantom-G
keyboard, you can play in any key you find physically comfortable as your
notes are automatically converted to the desired key.

As we noted on Page 4, the small keyboard under the Patch Number/
Name parameter shows the notes the keyboard’s actually producing.

If you register a Favorite of a patch you’re transposing, the Favorite
remembers the transposition for you.

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Transposing the Keyboard by Semitones

To transpose the keyboard by half-steps, or “semitones”:

1 Press the TRANSPOSE button so it lights.

To transpose the keyboard:

2

down by semitones—• press the -OCT button

once for each semitone by which you want to
lower the pitch.

up by semitones—

• press the +OCT button

once for each semitone by which you want to
raise the pitch.

The screen briefly shows the amount by which you’re transposing.

To return the keyboard to concert pitch, repeat Step 2 in reverse.

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Turning off the TRANSPOSE button doesn’t switch off transposition—it
merely sets you up for transposing by octaves, as we’re about to see.

Transposing the Keyboard By Octaves

To transpose the keyboard up or down in octave steps:

1 Make sure the TRANSPOSE button is unlit.

To transpose the keyboard:

2

downward by octaves—• press the -OCT button

once for each octave by which you want to
lower the pitch.

upward by octave—

• press the +OCT button

once for each octave by which you want to
raise the pitch.

The screen momentarily shows the amount by which you’re
transposing.

To return the keyboard to concert pitch, repeat Step 2 in reverse.

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The Patch List Screen in Depth

The Patch List Screens

There are actually several Patch List screens—the one you want depends on
what kind of sound it is you’re looking to play on the keyboard. Getting to
the right Patch List screen’s always the first step.

Navigating to the Desired Patch List Screen

On the Single Play screen, select the Part Group parameter, and 1
choose the source of the sound you want. You can select:

Internal—

• to select patches, rhythm sets, and sample sets from

ROM or stored in the currently loaded project.

EXP1 or EXP 2—

• to select patches or rhythm sets from an installed

ARX board.

External—

• to select sounds in an external MIDI module.

Click F1 (Patch List) to display the desired Patch List screen.

2

Selecting an Internal Patch for the Keyboard

Click F3 (Patch) if it’s not already blue.1

Choose the desired patch category and then the patch within the 2
selected category.

Click F8 (Select) to load it into work RAM.

3

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Selecting an Internal Rhythm Set for the Keyboard

Click F4 (Rhythm Set) if it’s not already blue.1

Highlight the desired rhythm set.2

Click F8 (select) to load it into work RAM.3

Selecting Keyboard ARX Patches and Rhythm Sets

When you set the Single Play screen’s Part Group parameter to EXP 1 or EXP

2, and then press F1 (Patch List), the Fantom-G shows you a patch list screen

that contains the sounds available on the selected ARX board.

The Patch List screen for ARX-01 The Patch List screen for ARX-02

Highlight the desired sound.1

Click F8 (select) to load the selected sound into work RAM.2

Selecting a Sample Set for the Keyboard

A sample set is a type of patch that plays samples already loaded in
your sample RAM.

Click F5 (Sample Set) if it’s not already blue.1

Highlight the desired sample set, and then click F8 (select) to load it 2
into work RAM.

Selecting an External Sound to Play on the Keyboard

The External Patch List screen allows you to transmit a MIDI Program Change
value to your external MIDI device to select a sound from its currently
selected sound bank.

If you don’t want to change sounds in your external device from the
Fantom-G, select NO SEND on the Patch List screen.

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To select a sound from any sound bank in an external device simply by
selecting a patch on the Fantom-G, set the desired sound’s Bank Select
MSB and LSB values on the Single Play screen using the Type and Bank
parameters, go to th e Patch Li st screen and select the so und’s Program
Change value, and then save this setup as a Favorite.

Highlight the desired Program Change value, or NO SEND if you don’t 1
want to transmit one.

Click F8 (select) to return to the Single Play screen.

2

Patch List Screen Tools

QWERTY Searching on the Patch List Screen

On Page 4 of the Power User Control Fantom-G Workshop booklet, we
introduced QWERTY searching, a valuable tool you should certainly take
advantage of in the Patch List window.

Previewing Patches and Rhythm Sets

When you’re looking for patches and rhythm sets on the Patch List screen,
the Fantom-G’s Preview feature lets you audition each sound before
committing to its selection. To audition a patch or rhythm set, highlight it
and then hold down F7 (Preview).

By default, the Preview feature’s set to play a musically appropriate phrase
for the currently selected patch or rhythm set.

Customizing the Preview Feature

If a musical phrase isn’t the way you want to check out your sounds, you can
change the way Preview works. Here’s how:

Press the MENU button, and then click F2 (System).

1

Select the Preview parameters on the left side of the screen.2

Select the Preview Mode parameter. Set it as desired to:3

PHRASE—• This is the default setting with which the Fantom-G

chooses an audition phrase for the sound to play. (If you select

PHRASE, skip down to Step 6 below.)

CHORD—

• The Fantom-G plays a four-note chord each time you

press F7 (Preview) on the Patch List screen.

SINGLE—

• The Fantom-G plays one of a series of four notes each

time you press F7 (Preview) on the Patch List screen.

If you selected

4 CHORD or SINGLE, set up the notes you want the

Fantom-G to play for Preview. There are two parameters for each of
the four Preview notes:

Preview [1-4] Note Number—

• allows you to select the note to be

played.

Preview [1-4] Velocity—

• allows you to select the volume at which

the note plays, with a value of 127 being full volume.

Click F7 (Sys Write) to store your Preview settings, and then press EXIT

5

to leave the screen.

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Selecting a Rhythm Set for the Pads

When the pads are in the Rhythm pad mode, here’s how to select the rhythm
set they play from the Single Play screen:

Highlight the Pad Mode parameter and select

1 RHYTHM.

Highlight the Bank parameter and set it as desired. You can choose:

2

USER—• to select one of your own rhythm sets to play.

PRESET—

• to select a factory preset rhythm set to play.

GM—

• to select one of the built-in General MIDI rhythm sets to

play on the pads.

To learn about General MIDI, see the An Introduction to MIDI InFocus
booklet you can download from the RolandUS website.

Highlight the Number/Name parameter.3

Select the desired rhythm set.4

To learn about the rhythm pad settings on the Pad Settings screen, as
well as more abou t Rhythm pad mode and about using the pads, see
the Power User Control 2: The Pads Workshop booklet.

Selecting a Sample Set for the Pads

When the pads are set to the Sample pad mode, you can select a sample set
to play on the pads from the Single Play screen. Here’s how:

Highlight the Pad Mode parameter and select

1 SAMPLE PAD.

Highlight the Number/Name parameter.

2

Select the sample set you want to play on the pads.3

To learn about the sample pad settings on the Pad Settings screen,
more about Sample pad mode and about using the pads, see the Power
User Control 2: The Pads Workshop booklet.

About Sequencing and Recording in Single Mode

You can sequence MIDI tracks or record audio tracks from any of the
Fantom-G’s modes, since you never know where you’ll be when you get an
idea you want to capture.

Though Studio mode’s the best place for this kind of work—allowing you to
incorporate a lot more sounds, and mixing screens designed for multitrack
sequencing/recording—you can still grab something from the keyboard
and/or pads (with multiple audio tracks if you like) in Single mode.

You sequence your currently selected Fantom-G sound or record audio using
the method we laid out in the Fantom-G Possibilities Workshop booklet, and
which we’ll discuss in more detail in the Sequencing and Recording booklet.

We’ll talk about how to set up your live audio sound in the Fantom-G
Effects Workshop booklet.

Everything you play on the keyboard or pads is captured on its own MIDI
channel on the currently selected MIDI track. What you played

on keyboard—

• is on MIDI Channel 1.

on the pads in Rhythm pad mode—

• is on MIDI Channel 10.

on the pads in Sample pad mode—

• is on MIDI Channel 9.

About Using Effects in Single Mode

In addition to being able to use the global chorus and reverb,
each patch, rhythm set, and sample set in Single mode has its
own patch effect, or “PFX.” You work with a sound’s PFX on the
Effects Routing screen you see when you press the EFFECTS
ROUTING button. To view and edit the PFX effect for the

sound played on the keyboard—

• set the Effect Routing screen’s Part

parameter to Part 1.

rhythm set played on the pads in Rhythm pad mode—

• set the Effect

Routing screen’s Part parameter to Part 8.

sample set played on the pads in Sample pad mode—

• set the Effect

Routing screen’s Part parameter to Part 7.

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We’ll explain the Fantom-G’s effects—and the Effects Routing screen—
fully in the Fantom-G Effects Workshop booklet.

Voice Reserve

It’s pretty unlikely you’ll run out of notes as you play the keyboard and pads
in Single mode, but if you do, it means you’re exceeding the Fantom-G’s
polyphony. Every synth or sampler has a maximum number of voices it can
play at once—this is referred to as its maximum polyphony. The Fantom-G
can sound a hefty 128 internal voices at a time, with additional voices
available from installed ARX boards.

Each sound wave a patch, rhythm set, or sample set plays is a “voice.”
Fantom-G patches, for example, can play up to as eight voices at a time—
from four stereo tones—for each note you play. This is one of the reasons for
its great sound. As older notes sustain and new notes are played, though,
you might be surprised exactly how many voices are in use at an given
moment.

There’s an easy way to find out. Here’s how:

On the Single Play screen, press F3 (Part View).

1

Press Press F2 (2 ↓) to display the Voice Reserve screen.

Play what you want to play on the keyboard or pads—the Fantom-G

3

shows you graphically how close you’re getting to the 128-voice
limit.

The End

We hope you’ve found this workshop helpful. Keep an eye out for other
Fantom-G Workshop booklets available for downloading at www.RolandUS.
com.