Roland Fantom-8 EX

Start your engines.

The FANTOM EX includes the most comprehensive collection of premium sound engines available in a hardware instrument. ACB, ZEN-Core, V-Piano, SuperNATURAL, and other Roland technologies spark inspiration everywhere, providing expressive and inspiring sounds for every style of music.

Compose without limits.

The FANTOM EX is designed for non-stop creation, with a highly flexible architecture that lets you bring musical ideas to life in seconds. Freely combine internal engines to create classic sounds, unique voices and complex sound textures. Expand your reach with integrated control modes for leading music production software. And go even further with an extensive selection of premium sound content on Roland Cloud.

All at once.

The FANTOM EX delivers the power you need, so you never have to compromise on your musical vision. Core custom processors ensure smooth and precise operation with plenty of headroom, allowing plenty of polyphony and full patch remain for seamless transitions. There are dozens of effects, including new studio-quality reverbs and updated Master FX to help shape the overall sound. A characterful analog filter is also available, perfect for adding extra warmth and grit to tones.

Complete control.

Instantly shape sounds and compose effortlessly with the easy-to-use, ergonomic panel full of push buttons, rotary knobs and faders. Immerse yourself in a beautiful color touchscreen that dynamically changes in highly intuitive ways. And personalize the look by importing custom graphics for the screensaver and start-up view.

Advanced Analog Circuit Behavior.

Roland's Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology brings an authentic analog sound experience to life in the digital realm; by faithfully mimicking analog circuits and all their interactive behaviors at the component level. The FANTOM EX includes three ACB instruments with the latest developments, including Circuit Mod and Condition functions for setting different degrees of vintage character.

• JUPITER-8 ACB Expansion.
  The JUPITER-8 was released in 1981. It is one of the most vaunted and sought-after polysynths of all time. The JUPITER-8 ACB Expansion places a full circuit-level recreation of this vintage icon in the FANTOM EX.
  
  
• SH-101 ACB Expansion.
  The SH-101 ACB Expansion for FANTOM EX is an ultra-detailed sound replica of the famous 1982 Roland SH-101: an influential monosynth that continues to shape and inspire electronic music styles around the world.
  
  
• JX-3P ACB Expansion.
  In 1983, the JX-3P ushered in an era of sleek looks, easy preset recall and stable tuning via analog oscillators under digital control. Indistinguishable from the sound of the original, the JX-3P ACB Expansion brings this underground classic to your FANTOM EX workflow.
  
  
• JUPITER-8 and SH-101 ACB Expansions are pre-installed. The JX-3P is a free download on Roland Cloud for FANTOM EX owners, and buyers of the FANTOM EX Upgrade for original FANTOM models.

The Power of ZEN-Core.

The flexible and expandable ZEN-Core Synthesis System draws on decades of Roland R&D to deliver a diverse range of electronic, acoustic and hybrid sounds. Develop nuanced and expressive tones with up to four partials, each with an independent oscillator, filter, amplifier, dual LFOs and effects. And use up to 16 tones in a Scene to build complex splits, layers and sequenced parts.

Model Expansions.

From rare and hotly sought-after classics to the designs of tomorrow, Model Expansions give you unprecedented access to the historic and ever-evolving world of Roland synthesizers. The FANTOM EX comes with six pre-loaded Model Expansions powered by the versatile ZEN-Core system.

• n/zyme Model Expansion
  n/zyme is a thoroughly modern instrument with a brand new synth engine developed for the FANTOM environment. With a combination of layered wavetable oscillators, phase and shape modulation, resonant filters and two insanely powerful step LFOs, n/zyme is a highly interactive music tool that encourages endless creative explorations.
  
  
• Vintage Model Expansions
  The vintage-inspired JD-800, JUNO-106, JUPITER-8, JX-8P and SH-101 Model Expansions contain the essence of legendary Roland instruments, expanded with more polyphony and other modern features for today's music makers.
  Learn more about the ZEN-Core Model Expansions.
  

World-class Pianos

The acoustic piano is the basic instrument for many keyboard players. The V-Piano and SuperNATURAL technologies in the FANTOM EX give you deeply expressive pianos that sound and feel like real pianos. The V-Piano interface has been revamped for a smoother workflow, and the German Concert V-Piano Expansion 01, developed for the RD-2000, is pre-installed. The SuperNATURAL acoustic and electric pianos are also included, along with the newly developed SuperNATURAL Acoustic Piano 3 Expansion.

Essential Organs.

Roland's Virtual ToneWheel engine faithfully mimics the sound generation process of vintage organs, with different tone wheel types, adjustable percussion, key click, leakage and more. There's also a lush rotary effect with variable speed, brake control and tube distortion features. The touchscreen, sliders, knobs and keyboard action are automatically configured to complete the authentic organ experience: with hands-on tone control and classic lightning-fast playability.

Endless inspiration.

On Roland Cloud, you'll find an ever-expanding selection of ZEN-Core Sound Packs and Wave Expansions to explore. There is a diverse range of styles and new titles are added every month, so your music will always sound fresh.

Far-reaching DAW Integration.

The FANTOM EX fits effortlessly into any computer-based production setup. You have custom touchscreen controls and dedicated modes for popular software platforms, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, MainStage, Cubase and Studio One. The built-in 16x3 audio/MIDI USB interface lets you mix and layer soft synths with hardware sounds, send sequencer parts to computer tracks, route DAW sources through FANTOM EX effects and much more.

Huge connectivity.

The FANTOM EX's ruggedly equipped rear panel lets you interface with almost anything. Connect microphones and instruments via the XLR combo connectors and route sounds to external destinations with eight individual ¼-inch outputs. Work with MIDI devices and control software synthesizers directly from the touch screen. And control modular and analog synthesizers from the dual CV/Gate outputs.

Sampling workstation.

The FANTOM lets you sample internal and external sources, or even both at the same time. Sample directly to the built-in pads for quick triggering, or to the keyboard to play different pitches instantly. Or create detailed multisamples, with up to 352 samples per tone. You can even use samples as the basis for a ZEN-Core tone, taking personalized sound design to the next level.

Composition powerhouse.

The FANTOM EX is a versatile platform for musical composition that excels at speed. Create arrangements in a snap with the clip-based workflow. Trigger sounds, clips, and patterns with the 16 RGB pads. Compose with the classic TR-REC-style step sequencer or capture sounds in real time. And refine your tracks with the large touchscreen and intuitive piano-roll editing.

A universe of Roland effects.

High-quality effects editing is essential for professional sound design and music production. The FANTOM EX is packed with on-demand effects from the extensive Roland library, ready to give your parts color, space and depth. Newly developed Shimmer Reverb and Modulation Reverb algorithms provide sound quality that rivals the best standalone processors. There is also a dedicated Master FX processor with preset templates for quick results, and updated graphic interfaces for the Mastering Comp and Mastering EQ sections.

Choose your FANTOM EX.

Each FANTOM EX model has the same internal features, panel layout and connection options. The only differences are keyboard configuration, size and weight.

• FANTOM 8 EX
  The FANTOM EX top model: with 88-key weighted keys with wood finish (PHA-50)
  
• FANTOM 7 EX
  Middle model with 76 keys with synth action.
  
• FANTOM 6 EX
  The most compact FANTOM EX features 61 keys with synth action.