Roland FXWS01 User Manual

The Fantom-X Experience

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Workshop

© 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.

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About the Fantom-X Workshop Booklets

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About This Booklet

The Fantom-X Workshop booklets explain some of the exciting
features of Roland’s Fantom-X family of products. Each
Workshop booklet covers a single topic, and is intended as a
companion to the Fantom-X manuals.

This booklet requires Fantom-X O.S. Version 2 or higher. To
learn about the latest Fantom-X software, visit www.RolandUS.

com, or call Roland U.S. Product Support at 323-890-3745.

Other Fantom-X Workshop Booklets

• The Sounds of the Fantom-X—A tour of the Fantom-X
sounds and Patch mode.

• The Rhythms of the Fantom-X—Exploring the pads, drum
sounds, and rhythms of the Fantom-X.

• The Fantom-X Effects—This booklet helps you get the most
out the powerful effects processing in the Fantom-X.

• Sequencing on the Fantom-X—Learn how to record using
the Fantom-X sounds and its full-featured sequencer.

• Sampling on the Fantom-X—Capture loops, vocals, or any
other sound with the Fantom-X’s built-in sampler.

• Smart Storage in the Fantom-X—Learn all about the
Fantom-X’s storage options for samples and other data.

• Performing with the Fantom-X—Splits, layers, realtime
controllers, and more make the Fantom-X hot onstage.

• Making a CD of Your Fantom-X Music—Learn how to turn
your Fantom-X music into a final audio CD.

• Advanced Fantom-X Sequencing Techniques—Learn how
to use time-based effects, create arpeggios, work with
mastering effects, and record realtime patch tweaks.

• Audio Tracks—This booklet explains how to record live
vocals and instruments in your Fantom-X songs.

One of the best things about the Fantom-X is the inspiring way
in which all of its elements come together to make the creative
process such a complete musical experience.

While each of the other Fantom-X Workshop booklets covers
one area in depth, we felt there had to be one that brought all
of the pieces together. That’s what this booklet is about.

Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet

Throughout this booklet, you’ll come across information that
deserves special attention—that’s the reason it includes 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.

Getting Ready

You’ll want to listen to the Fantom-X as you go through this
booklet, so plug a pair of headphones into the Fantom-X’s
rear-panel PHONES jack—you’ll need headphones with a 1/4”
plug—or connect the Fantom-X‘s A (MIX) L (MONO) and R
outputs to the left and right inputs, respectively, of your mixer
or other monitoring system.

For more about connecting the Fantom-X to headphones or your audio
system, see your Fantom-X Owner ’s Manual.

You’ll also need to connect the Fantom-X to a grounded AC
power source using the supplied power cord, and then turn
the Fantom-X on, of course.

We’re referring to a patch as simply a “sound” here so we don’t get too
caught up in technical details for now. However, a patch can actually be
an amazingly complex, multi-faceted thing. To learn more about patches,
check out The Sounds of the Fantom-X Workshop booklet.

The Fantom-X also has a Performance mode, designed for working with
multiple patches at the same time, onstage and during recording.

If you’ve already stored some of your own patches in the Fantom-X, the
patch names you see may be different that the ones shown here.

The Basic Fantom-X Tools

Let’s take a moment to get comfortable with the display and
the controls you’ll use to get around on the Fantom-X.

Patch Mode

Press PATCH/RHYTHM. The Fantom-X display
looks like this:

When you press PATCH/RHYTHM, you put the Fantom-X in
“Patch mode,” where you can select and play single patches. A
patch is a Fantom-X sound.

The Fantom-X’s Color Display

The display is your window into all Fantom-X operations,
providing information and constant visual feedback.

The F Buttons

Beneath the display are eight “F buttons,” labeled “F1-F8.” The
buttons interact with what’s on the display, so their functions
change depending on what you’re up to. Each F button’s
current job is shown on the display above the button.

In the Workshop booklets, when we refer to an F button, we
put its current function in parentheses, as in “F1 (Patch List).”

The Cursor Buttons and the VALUE Dial

The Keyboard and Pads

Many Fantom-X displays contain multiple settings, each
of which is called a “parameter.” Before you can change a
parameter’s value, you must select it. When a parameter’s
value is selected, it’s highlighted, as shown here.

Right now, the patch number “001” is highlighted in blue, and therefore selected.

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 VALUE dial

In a sense, the Fantom-X is like two instruments in one: a
synthesizer and a drum machine, and both of these instruments
are always available. At any time you can:

• play a patch on the keys.

• play a rhythm set on the drum pads.

(If you’ve had your Fantom-X for much more than a few
seconds, you’ve probably already discovered this.)

In Patch mode, the keyboard typically plays a single patch
up and down its entire length. The pads, on the other hand,
typically play a “rhythm set.” A rhythm set is a special type of
patch in which each pad plays its own sound.

If you want, you can play a rhythm set on the keyboard—so that each key
plays a different drum or percussion sound—or play a normal patch on the
pads—so that the same sound plays on all pads, at different pitches.

Selecting Patches and Rhythm Sets

To Select a Patch for the Fantom-X Keyboard

1. Press F7 (Part Kbd) so “Kbd”—in the lower-right-hand
corner—turns light blue on the display if it isn’t already.

We’ll see how these controls work together in a little while.

Nothing changes when you press F7 if the keyboard part was already
selected. In real-world keyboard patch selection, though, the process
begins with this button-press.

2. Press F1 (Patch List). The Patch List display appears, as
shown on the next page.