As for the new FANTOM G6:

SPECS ARE SAD! What are they thinking?

Wave memory 256 MB! SADDDDDD!

BUT... there are two ARX superNATURAL expansion slots to further expand the internal WAV ROM. Depending on how much WAV ROM is on each ARX expansion board it could theoretically double the internal WAV ROM to 512MB or more possibly. I am anticipating the ARX expansion boards to have 128MB of WAV ROM each. If that is indeed the case then the total WAV ROM could shoot up to 512MB, which is more than any other ROMpler workstation currently on the market.

Best,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 01-17-2008).]

Don... did you know you can use the D-Beam to trigger the Break/Mute? Or that it can be assigned to the two Assign Switches by the LH? Or it can be assigned to an FC-7 switch?

There's plenty of flexibility in how you set a G70 up (but some of it is new to OS2 or OS3, so you might not know about it if you haven't kept up with the updates).

But.... no Break/Fills, just Break/Mutes. If you want a Break/Fill, you hit the Break/Mute on the 'one', then hit the fill when you want the pickup... simple! (especially if you use footpedal FC-7's). If you need a different Break/Fill, there's a workaround... Just jettison one (or more if you want a choice) of the Intros (I never use more than one or two, anyway) and reprogram it to be a Break/Fill. You just have to remember to hit it in the previous bar (just like Endings). Not so simple (but doable!)

For those who might not have played a G70 since it's first release, trust me... a LOT has changed in the OS since then.

Dikki, thanks. I was aware of that, but my point is it would very simple to incorporate a break/fill into the styles. The assignable button is fine.
Even the files converted from G70 to Yamaha don't have a smooth break/fill. Other than that, I think overall the Roland styles are much superior to Yamaha and Korg, in most cases, as are Ketrons.
DonM

DonM... there shouldn't be ANY Break/Fills from converted styles. The G70 does not have this feature (preferring a Break/Mute), so the smoothness of translated B/F's should be moot...

Perhaps it is the translation software? Trying to make something out of nothing!

My easiest way of making a Break/Fill on the Roland is to copy a fill into an Intro, leave the first beat on the drums (or not, depending on the style), then erase everything but the drums, then erase all but the last beat or two of the drum fill. On a slow tune, I might put a pedal closed Hihat on the '2' and '3'...

Actually, if you can do away with intros altogether for a style, you can do this to four of the fills and have them on Intros 1-4. You can then have a B/F appropriate to each level of the style, rather than the one B/F per style that Yamaha currently give you. Put Intro on a footswitch, and you now have a B/F at the level you are playing, triggered hands-free!

It's a VERY flexible system, once you get used to triggering the B/F just before you need it (like Endings)...

But yes, I would love to see this feature changed on the G70, and requested this very thing soon after I got my G70. But it's simpler to program a total Break, than to add one (up to four, preferably) more Fills to the OS (that's all a B/F is, really, a special fill with a break at the front).

But I'm hoping and praying for the manufacturers to finally bite the bullet, and start to give us a dedicated fill for EACH and every Variation to Variation, and a Break/Fill per Variation. On a four variation arranger, that's sixteen fills (including Fill-to-Same) plus four B/F's. Now that might seem like a lot of programming, but trust me, it is MUCH easier to create a fill that you KNOW where it is coming from, and going to, than something that needs to perform well in a variety of situations.

As this is simply a matter of changing the behavior of the lookup section tables, I don't see how this is any challenge to any modern arranger, they can as easily have 16 fills as 3 (like Korg do) or 6 (like Yamaha) or 7 (like Roland). Once the style writers find out how much easier this makes their lives, one can only hope the manufacturers jump on board...

The text issue is now fixed on the E80 (but apparently can't be added to a G70, but will appear on the next one, for sure). Maybe if it is added to the E60's successor, you might have something light enough to bring you back to the manufacturer whose styles you love so much...!

Using the Intros for break/fill is an old trick...I used to do it on my old PSR-8000.

What really makes it cool is that you could make the fill as many bars as you wanted, and as it's been mentioned, it automatically returns to the last Variation you were on, so it was very nearly hands free.

If you really want to keep a favorite intro, whilst needing the three intros for different fill/break/stops, you can always copy it to one of the endings you don't care for...then start the style using the ending...most auto-accompaniments allow for it.

I also use the intros as extra Variations...I often make them 8 bars long(or as necessary)and program in a suitable variation for a bridge or chorus.

I'm sure there are many different possibilities and tricks other members have discovered with styles.

Ian



[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 01-17-2008).]

Ian what experience do you have in creating styles from scratch and how proficient are you in explaining the Note transposition tables associated with styles..I have an idea !

Well, Spalding, I wish I could say I knew all about making styles from scratch, and knowing about NTT, but I don't make styles that way.

Creating from scratch never held much interest for me, so I didn't pursue it...it just didn't suit my lazy nature, and creation by taking parts from other styles (Yamaha, and later, styles from other brands that were converted) saved me time and the result was usable right away...NTT and NTR were already done.

Yamaha's "Style Assembly", which is only one part of Style Creator, is perfect for what I want to do with styles.

I have a large cache(still growing) of styles that I take parts from...some with cool string lines/pads, some with guitar parts I may find useful, others with bass lines, drums and phrases that may come in handy.

I also start with a template, a style of a certain genre that contains certain characteristics I have programmed into it...intro and bar lengths, for example.

I also use the "Groove and Dynamics" section of Style Creator quite a bit, not only for changing the swing/feel/groove, but also to make parts from other styles(usually of a different genre) fit into a new style.

I started making/assembling styles out of necessity, mainly because I found the transition from one variation to the next not to my liking, and never had any plans for making them for others, but I do share them with friends that may find use for them.

I'm sure there are others on this forum that can create from scratch...I hope they can offer you more than I can...I keep things pretty basic.

Ian



[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 01-18-2008).]

Videos of the new Fantom G are up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vyw6TjK2Q

The Fantom G is quite impressive...I wonder how many of these cool new features will be implemented in Roland's new TOTL arrangers.

Ian