Roland FXWS04 User Manual

®ÂØÒňÎ

™

Workshop

The Fantom-X Eects

© 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.

FXWS04

1

1

About the Fantom-X Workshop Booklets

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 Fantom-X Experience—A quick tour of how the major
Fantom-X creative tools interact.

• 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.

• 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.

The Fantom-X contains a suite of effect processors: three
multi-effect processors, a stereo chorus, a stereo reverb,
and dedicated mastering effects. When you’re playing,
sampling, performing, and creating final master mixes, they’re
indispensable tools that make up a big part of your sound. The
Fantom-X effects don’t just sound great—they’re flexible, too,
and can be applied in all sorts of imaginative ways.

This booklet will introduce you to the Fantom-X effects, and
explain important concepts that’ll help you harness the power
of these potent sonic tools.

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.

2

Effect Basics

Outputs Are Effects Are Outputs

What Are Effects?

Effects are enhancements you apply to an audio signal. An
effect can make the original audio sound as if it’s occurring in
some real or imaginary physical space. It can add complexity
to the audio, or it can even change its personality in ways
ranging from subtle to outrageous.

The most common effects include:

• reverb—which places the audio in some sort of simulated
acoustic environment.

• delay—that makes one or more copies of the original
signal and plays them back a bit later in time.

• chorus—that makes multiple copies and plays them back
slightly out of time and tune to make them shimmer.

In modern music, effects play a big part in achieving a
musician’s sound, and range from the simple to the insanely
complex. The Fantom-X, for example, offers 80 types of effects
that can do all sorts of things to an audio signal.

Algorithms

Under the hood, an effect is actually a complex mathematical
routine called an “algorithm”—since the Fantom-X deals
with digital audio, pretty much everything it does involves
manipulating numbers in some way behind the scenes.

An effect algorithm is run by one of the Fantom-X’s effect
processors, thus creating an effect. When you’re working with
Fantom-X multi-effect processors—we’ll explain what these
are in a little bit—you apply the desired effect by selecting the
algorithm that produces it.

Here’s an important concept to grasp as you learn about using
effects on the Fantom-X. Sounds in the Fantom-X—a patch’s
tones, a rhythm set’s drum keys, a performance’s parts—have
outputs that can be connected, or “routed,” directly to the
physical jacks on the back of the Fantom-X, or to the Fantom-X
effect processors. (The effect processors’ own outputs can then
be routed to the desired physical jacks). Getting a sound into
an effect processor—so its effect can be added—is all about
setting the sound’s output.

To learn about patch tones, see the Workshop booklet The Sounds of the
Fantom-X. The Rhythms of the Fantom-X explains drum keys. Sequencing on
the Fantom-X and Per forming with the Fantom-X describe parts.

There are several available output settings:

• MFX—sends a signal into a multi-effect processor.

• A—sends a signal in stereo directly to the first of the
Fantom-X’s two output pairs, the OUTPUT A (MIX) L (MONO)
and R jacks, as labeled above the jacks. The signal can also
be sent separately to the chorus and reverb processors,
which themselves feed the OUTPUT A jack pair.

• B—sends a signal in stereo directly to the second of the
Fantom-X’s two output pairs, the OUTPUT B L and R jacks.

• 1-4—sends the signal in mono directly to one of the four
OUTPUT jacks, as labeled beneath the jacks.

• TONE and PAT—We’ll explain these output options later.

All of these settings will be covered in depth later on.

The Fantom-X effects are “post”-type effects. Changes you make to a
signal’s output level therefore affect the loudness of its effects.

The Fantom-X’s stereo DIGITAL OUT signal is identical to the signal coming
out of the OUTPUT A (MIX) L (MONO) and R jacks.

3

The Fantom-X Effect Processors

Multi-Effects (MFX) Processors

The Fantom-X contains a set of multi-effect processors, or “MFX
processors” for short. They’re called “multi-effect” processors
because each one is capable of producing any one of 78
different effects.

For a list of the 78 MFX algorithms, see Page 270 in the Fantom-X Owner’s
Manual.

Each MFX processor uses a single effect algorithm at a time. Even so, there
are 12 “combination” algorithms that incorporate a pair of effects, and a
number of the algorithms contain several distinct effect elements.

Two MFX or Three?

The number of available MFX processors depends on the
Fantom-X’s operating mode. In:

• Patch mode—there are two MFX processors available. One
is dedicated to the currently selected keyboard patch or
rhythm set, and the other is dedicated to the pads’ rhythm
set or patch.

• Performance mode—there are three MFX processors
available. You can send any part’s sound to any of the three
MFX processors.

Stereo Chorus

Before chorusing

The chorus processor has a second algorithm—Algorithm 02: Delay—that
can provide a high-quality delay instead of a chorus if you wish.

You can send an audio signal to the chorus:

• after the signal’s gone through an MFX processor—by setting
its output to MFX and adjusting the signal’s MFX chorus
send level.

• directly—by setting the signal’s output to A or B and
adjusting the signal’s non-MFX chorus send level.

All signals routed into the chorus arrive in mono. The chorus itself expands
the signals into stereo.

The output of the stereo chorus can be routed to physical output pair A or
B, as described later on.

After chorusing

Stereo Reverb

The Fantom-X also has a stereo reverb that’s always available
to any patch, drum key, or part. A reverb makes many copies
of the original signal, playing them back close together at
diminishing volumes to simulate the way in which sound
decays as it bounces off the walls of an actual physical space.

The Fantom-X contains a stereo chorus that’s always available
to any patch, drum key, or part. A chorus makes a copy of a
signal and delays its playback by small, constantly varying
amounts, subtly altering its tuning as well. When the copy’s
blended with the original signal, a shimmering effect, popular
for electric piano and synths, results.

Before reverb

After reverb

4

You can send an audio signal to the reverb:

• after the signal’s gone through an MFX processor—by setting
its output to MFX and adjusting the signal’s MFX reverb
send level.

• directly—by setting the signal’s output to A or B and
adjusting the signal’s non-MFX reverb send level.

All signals routed into the reverb go into the effect in mono. The reverb
added to signals is stereo.

The output of the stereo reverb can be routed to physical output pair A or
B, as described later on.

The Master Effect Switches

The Fantom-X provides a quick way to turn effects
on or off. Press EFFECTS and then F8 (Effect Sw) to
show the effects’ on/off switches.

This is what the switches look like in Performance mode.

Press an effect’s F button to toggle it on or off—when it’s on, it
lights red. To close the window, press EXIT.

The Mastering Processor

When you’ve created a final mix for transfer to a CD or
other recording medium, the Fantom-X’s mastering processor
allows you to smooth out any remaining overall issues in
your mix. The mastering effect offers three frequency-range­dependent bands of compression for this purpose. To learn
about mastering on the Fantom-X, see the Workshop booklet
Advanced Fantom-X Sequencing Techniques.

Overview of Working with Effects

Each time you apply effects—no matter what you’re doing—
you’ll follow pretty much the same basic steps. You’ll:

1. Select the desired effect(s).

2. Send your sounds into the effects.

3. Customize, or edit, the effects.

In the next several sections, we’ll explain how to perform each
of these steps as you apply effects to patches, rhythms and
parts. The flexibility of the Fantom-X effects means you have
lots of choices in how the effects are used and will sound.

If you write songs on the Fantom-X, sooner or later you’re likely to want to
move a new musical idea from Patch mode to Performance mode so you
can add more instruments—and you’ll want to make sure the sound of
your effects doesn’t change. We’ll list the steps for doing this later on in
“Moving Effects from Patch to Performance Mode.” If this is all you want
to know, skip ahead by clicking here. For a deeper understanding of the
Fantom-X effects, however, read on.

5

Selecting Effects

The MFX Structure in Performance Mode

MFX

The MFX processors are the Fantom-X’s most powerful, so
they make a good place to start when selecting your effects.
To navigate to them, press EFFECTS, and then F3 (MFX1/2) in
Patch mode, or F3 (MFX1/2/3) in Performance mode. When you
do this, the screen for one of your MFX processors appears.

The currently selected MFX processor’s name appears in large
black letters to the left of the current algorithm’s name. Each
other available MFX processor’s name appears in white.

While MFX 1 is always assigned to the keyboard and MFX 2 to
the pads in Patch mode, in Performance mode, you can route
your signals in and out of the three MFX processors in a variety
of ways. By selecting the desired MFX structure, you can keep
the MFX processors separate, or combine them in interesting
and useful ways. The order in which effects are added can
significantly change the final sound, so the Fantom-X offers 16
possible MFX structures that are all graphically presented on
the display. Let’s discuss a few MFX structures as examples.

In the MFX structure illustrations, signal flows from the left
edge of the screen to the right edge.

To toggle between the available MFX processors, press F3
repeatedly until the one you want to work with is selected.

Select Your Algorithm

Set the Type parameter to select the desired algorithm for your
current purposes.

We’ve added the colored arrow outlines to show how the

signal flows—you won’t see them onscreen.

In this MFX structure, any signal sent into each processor
passes only through that processor, as shown by the separate
red, purple and blue arrows. The three MFX processors operate
completely independently.

6