Roland Fantom-S88 88-Note Sampling Workstation with Hammer Action

New Patches and Rhythm Sets built from new 64MB wave ROM. 32MB sample RAM (expandable up to 288MB). 16MB flash RAM

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Roland Fantom-S88 88-Note Sampling Workstation with Hammer Action reviews

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71 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 8 out of 10

 

6 People wrote reviews

Read all Roland Fantom-S88 88-Note Sampling Workstation with Hammer Action reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"Great turn around on the X8. A must try and buy keyboard."

Feature:
The most useful feature to me is the skip back sampling. You'll never loose an spontaneous idea again. All you have to do is play it and hit the skip back sampling to save your idea, or even turn it into a sample. Love the soft touch drum pads too. Just like having an Akai drum machine right on board. The least usefull feature for me is the "d-beam", but if you're into electronic music, it's a must have. Also love the large color screen. This is a real big plus for me.

Quality:
It's SOLID! No if's, ands, or buts. It has a very futuristic look. Should look and last in style for a long time.

Value:
With all the features that are packed into this keyboard, you are definately getting your money's worth. No regrets from me.

Desirability:
Good looking design. Very Modern! love the screen savers, large colr screen and the way it boots up with the lights. COOL!! You won't go wrong with this one. Looks damn good in my studio. It gets'a a lot of attention and complements from visitors.

Sound:
The sound quality is "Fat"! The guitar sounds are amazing, even the trumpets,saxes,flutes, and strings are as close to realistic as any keyboard could get, and lets not forget the awesome piano tones.

Support:
For the most part support is good. I've only had one guy that told me something wrong, but I called back after I couldn't figure it out and the person I spoke with that time was very knowledgable. He even stayed on the phone with me to make sure I had it right.

Overall:
I won't be searching for another keyboard for a long time. I'm truly satisfied with my purchase.

Submitted: 8/4/2004

Style of Music: Smooth Jazz, R&B, Pop, House.


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* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10 zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

"Spend an hour playing it...you'll be hooked !!"

Feature:
This keyboard is so comprehensive...easy and powerful sampling...the PA-5 piano action...the expandability...the touch sample pads...the comprehensive display screen...I could go on all day !!

Quality:
Hey...what can you say ?? It's Roland, and exudes quality all the way.

Value:
I much prefer the feel and sound of this over the Korg Triton 88 key...I find it easier to use, and warmer sounding...much better keyboard action...and over a grand less. Value is on par with the Yamaha Motiv8 (also a really nice board, but not as nice as the Fantom-S88 in my opinion).

Sound:
This keyboard sounds and feels like a million bucks...

Support:
I just ordered my Fantom, but from my Roland experience support is fantastic over the phone. Years ago I had a Roland organ that was constantly breaking keys, and they sent me keys even out of warrenty.

Overall:
I fully expect to keep this until Roland again ups the ante.

Submitted: 5/7/2003

Style of Music: Rock/classical/jazz/original


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About This Product!
Description
Docs, Multimedia
Roland's Fantom-S workstation keyboards are a complete solution for professional music production. The 61-note Fantom-S and 88-note Fantom-S88 both feature seamless integration of audio and MIDI - plus advanced sampling with realtime timestretch, sample chop and new "Skip Back Sampling." A Dynamic Pad Bank makes it easy to arrange and trigger audio, while all-new factory sounds, an onboard mastering processor and USB file exchange give the Fantom-S the power to take your music from idea to completion.

Features:
Advanced music production studios with 61-note keyboard (Fantom-S) or 88-note Progressive Hammer-Action Keyboard (Fantom-S88)

Seamless integration of audio and MIDI using ROM waves and sampling with realtime timestretch capability

All-new Patches and Rhythm Sets built from new 64MB wave ROM

32MB sample RAM (expandable up to 288MB) with .WAV/AIFF compatibility

16MB flash RAM retains your favorite sounds; optional SmartMedia storage

New "Skip Back Sampling" for continuous sampling - never lose an idea again!

Dynamic Pad Bank with 16 velocity-sensitive pads for easy sample triggering

3 MFX processors, plus dedicated reverb, chorus and new mastering processor

Expandable via four optional SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards

USB port for .WAV/AIFF file exchange with a PC or Mac

4 Line outputs (2 stereo or 4 mono), stereo Line input and 24-bit S/PDIF digital output

Bold New Sounds
Explore entirely new sonic landscapes with a brand-new 64MB-equivalent wave ROM created just for the Fantom-S/-S88. Painstakingly sampled in world-class studios around the world, these new stereo-sampled waves are the finest building blocks ever offered in a Roland keyboard. But don't worry; you can start making music right away. Roland has already created an entirely new set of inspiring Patches and Rhythm Sets sure to fit into the music styles of today and tomorrow.

An Audio and MIDI Powerhouse
The idea behind the original Fantom was to keep the music flowing. So for the Fantom-S/-S88, a strong emphasis was placed on the way audio and MIDI are integrated. The result is a fluid environment in which both worlds can come together as one. Audio can be sampled using the stereo analog inputs, or imported via USB, and then integrated directly as a waveform in the expressive stereo 4-Tone synth engine. Audio can also be sequenced alongside MIDI data. The Fantom-S/-S88 will even automatically stretch your samples in real time to match any tempo!

Beyond Sampling
Instead of just adding sampling, Roland carefully thought out ways to make it even more useful in production. To start, the Fantom-S/-S88 both come with 32MB of sampling memory, expandable to 288MB - more sampling memory than any other workstation and enough space to resample an entire song! The onboard USB port makes it easy to load .WAV/AIFF files, or export your finished song to a computer for CD burning or Internet distribution.

To make triggering samples easier, Roland added a Dynamic Pad Bank. Samples can be easily mapped to the touch-sensitive pads; the pads can even be used to play ROM sounds or RPS patterns. Another Roland innovation is Skip Back Sampling. This function continuously samples your performances so you'll never lose a great idea. It also makes for an easy way to resample any realtime knob and controller tweaks.

Streamlined Mixing
A new Mixer View screen gives the Fantom-S/-S88 the feel of digital mixer - with intuitive graphic editing of a multitimbral Performance in one simple screen. Mix down your song using four knobs and the LCD to change track levels, panning and effects settings. Now audio and MIDI can be mixed together with the feel of a digital recording studio. Roland even makes it easy to set up your Performance using the new Layer View screen with quick graphic editing for layering and key zones. Features like these turn the Fantom-S/-S88 from a workstation to studio.

Complete Studio Effects and Mastering
The Fantom-S/-S88 is loaded with a complete set of pro-quality effects to take your song all the way to final mixdown. To start, you get 24-bit reverb on par with rackmount processors and professional plug-ins, plus a dedicated chorus processor that serves up warm, rich chorus and delay. Three multi-effects processors handle everything from tempo-synced delay and Lo-Fi processing to COSM Guitar Amp Modeling, Slicer, Isolator and more. Finally, a dedicated mastering processor lets you add the finishing touch with multi-band compression.

USB for Direct Sample Exchange
With onboard USB, importing samples from a PC or Mac is easier than ever. Just browse your computer's hard drive for .WAV and AIFF files, and import the sounds you want using simple drag-and-drop commands (the Fantom-S/-S88 will appear on your computer as a hard drive). Now the audio can be used as a synth waveform or even assigned to the Dynamic Pad Bank for sequencing. Likewise, you can also export a fully mastered song to your computer for burning CDs or MP3 creation.

V-LINK Onboard Video Control
With Roland's V-LINK feature, musicians can integrate video clips with their music for a more captivating performance. Using the optional Edirol DV-7PR Digital Video Workstation (sold separately), you can trigger video clips from the Fantom-S/-S88's sequencer or Dynamic Pad Bank. Capture your background music using Skip Back Sampling and paste it with the clip onto a single pad. Any audio/visual combination you perform can be recalled so you won't lose ideas. Never before has so much power and flexibility been offered in a workstation keyboard.

Technical Info

Specifications

Keyboard
Fantom S: 61 keys (with velocity and channel aftertouch)

Fantom S 88: 88 keys (Progressive Hammer-Action mechanism and channel aftertouch)

Maximum Polyphony
64 voices (shared with the sampling section)

Parts
16 parts

Wave Memory
64 M bytes (16-bit linear equivalent), Waveforms: 1,228

Preset Memory
Patches:
- Fantom S: 640 + 256 (GM2)
- Fantom S88 648 + 256 (GM2)

Rhythm Sets: 32 + 9 (GM2), Performances: 64

User Memory
Patches: 256

Rhythm Sets: 32

Performances: 64

Card Memory (SmartMedia)
Patches: 256

Rhythm Sets: 32

Performances: 64

Data Format
16-bit linear (File Type: .WAV/AIFF)

Sampling Frequency
44.1 kHz (fixed)

Maximum Sampling Time
Internal memory (32 M bytes) only: Mono: 360 seconds approximately., Stereo: 180 sec. approx.

With DIMM (288 M bytes): Mono: 54 min. approx., Stereo: 27 min. approx.

Number of Samples
User memory: 2,000 (maximum total approximately 16 M bytes)

Card memory: 7,000 (128 M bytes SmartMedia)

Sequencer Tracks
- Phrase tracks (16 MIDI channels per track): 16
- Pattern track (16 MIDI channels per track): 1
- Tempo track: 1
- Beat track: 1

The Pattern Track can hold up to 100 patterns.

Resolution: 480 TPQN

Tempo: 5 - 300

Note Capacity: approx. 400,000 notes

Song Length: 9,998 measures

Recording Method: Realtime recording, Step recording

Effects
Multi-Effects: 3 systems, [S] 77 types / [S88] 78 types

Chorus: 3 types

Reverb: 5 types

Input Effect: 6 types

Mastering Effect: 3-band Compressor

Expansion Slot
Internal sound generator expansion (Waveforms, Patch): SRX expansion boards: 4 slots *1

*1 = If the maximum DIMM expansion is installed, only two SRX slots will be available.

Sampling memory expansion: DIMM: 1 slot (supports 128 M bytes, 256 M bytes (3.3 V))

Memory card expansion: SmartMedia card: 1 slot (supports 8 M bytes/16 M bytes/32 M bytes/64 M bytes/128 M bytes (3.3 V))

Arpeggiator
Preset: 128

User: 128

Rhythm Pattern
Preset: 256 (32 groups)

User: 256 (32 groups)

Chord Memory
Preset: 64

User: 64

Display
320 x 240 dots, four-shade graphic LCD (QVGA)

Pads
16 pads, Velocity and Aftertouch sensitive

Controllers
Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever

Control Knobs x 4

Assignable Switch x 2

D Beam Controller

Connectors
Headphones Jack

A (MIX) Output Jacks (L (MONO), R): 1/4 in. TRS phone type

B Output Jacks (L, R): 1/4 in. phone type

Input Jacks (L (MONO)/MIC, R): 1/4 in. phone type)

Hold Pedal Jack (Half Pedal possible)

Control Pedal Jack (assignable)

MIDI Connectors: IN, OUT, THRU

USB Connector: Supports file transfer (mass storage class)

Digital Audio Interface: COAXIAL/OPTICAL OUTPUT only

AC Inlet

Power Supply
AC 117 V, AC 230 V, AC 240 V

Power Consumption
17 W

Dimensions

Fantom S (W x D x H): 41-3/8 x 14-1/8 x 4-5/16 in. (1,050 x 358 x 109 mm)
(1,050 x 358 x 109 mm)

Fantom S88 (W x D x H): 55-7/16 x 17-15/16 x 6 in. (1,408 x 455 x 151 mm)

Weight Fantom S: 12.5 kg; 27 lbs 9 oz

Fantom S88: 29.5 kg; 65 lbs 1 oz

Accessories
Quick Start Guide

Owner's Manual

Sound/Parameter List

Sample Data (Audio) CD

CD-ROM (Editor)

Power Cord
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