Roland Fantom-XR Sampler Synth Rackmount Module

Feature:
I own the Fantom XR, and for a rack unit there are tons of features.

Quality:
Excellent quality, I am impressed with roland in making a phenomenal piece of hardware.

Value:
The fantom isn't the cheapest, but its far from being a rip off. quality demands premium price

Sound:
Sound quality is quite good. I would recommend that you use a good mixer and EQ to get the sound you want out of the fantom, and to also mess with the patches to get your desired sound.

Ease of Use:
This unit is not the easiest piece of hardware to handle, for sure. But if you are well versed in studio equipment and synthesizers then the learning curve will be much better for you.

Support:
never used

Feature:
When using it, I keep on discovering new features. Just some things that were appealing to me: The editing capabilities are much wider then I experienced on older Roland synths. Especially the 78 types of effects of which 3 (besides chorus and reverb) can be used together in any configuration makes it much more flexible than what I was used to. The sample play functionality is very usefull and versatile. Just upload samples via USB, use the sample "as is" or edit it as you would do with any of the build in wave forms. For live performance, 64 "performances" can be prepared, which include the keyboard layout, effects, patches, midi setup etc.. An other nice feature is the Mix-In which makes it possible to mix any line or mic signal with the internal sounds. Very handy when e.g. playing along or to use as a mixer between this and another synthesizer. You can even add the multi-effects to this input and some special input effects like limiter, compressor or center-canceler.

Quality:
It looks very strong and sturdy. I have experienced a small problem: when quickly going through patches, sometimes a light crackle is heard it sounds like some digital noise in the effects. I will contact Roland about this.

Value:
At this moment for sure the most complete and best synthesizer on the market for my goals.

Desirability:
Great looks, small - easy to carry arround.

Sound:
The sounds are just great. As can be expected from Roland, the piano's are fantastic and most sounds are crispy and clean. But the use of multi-effects also makes it possible to create "dirty" sounds, distorted guitars, freaky voices, noisy organs etc.. The moderate use of these effects removes the electronic, unrealistic sound found on some other (including Roland) synths. The internal patches are already cover a lot of sounds, if this is not enough, editing the preset patches will give a lot more possibilities. If this is still not enough you may want to add sounds via any of the 6 SRX expansion slots or download samples via USB.

Support:
No experience yet.

Overall:
The expandability and versatility makes it a product that I will be holding on to for many years to come. When lost or stolen I would certainly replace it.