Roland FA-08 Workstation Overview
An Overview of the Roland FA-08 Music Workstation by GAK:
If you use a conventional keyboard to make your tunes, you'll recognise this conundrum; studio keyboards don't always cut it in a live situation, and live keyboards don't always get on with studio equipment. So each instrument solves only half of your problems. The Roland FA-08 workstation makes these issues disappear; studio heads will love the built-in audio interface and DAW integration, and live players will enjoy the 88-note pro-quality weighted keyboard and light 16kg weight. And whichever side you're on, you'll definitely love the huge variety of sounds, taken from the popular Integra-7 module and spanning the entire musical spectrum! Each of the 16 parts has its own effects engine, each with 67 effect types, on top of dedicated processors for drums, EQ, chorus and reverb. Add a powerful sampler and highly intuitive, easy to use sequencer and you've got all the tools of the trade - ready to make music wherever you are.
ADDITIONAL OVERVIEW:
NO WORK, ALL PLAY
Music workstations play an important role for keyboardists in a wide range of creative activities, from live performance to song development to production in the studio. However, they can often be complicated and difficult to use to their full potential, bogging down the creative process and inhibiting the flow of ideas. In developing the FA series, Roland has completely reimagined the music workstation to provide musicians an inspiring platform that’s extremely powerful and versatile, yet simple and intuitive at the same time. With a streamlined interface and focused, practical features that maximize your creative flow, the FA series allows you to experience newfound freedom to deeply explore and develop your musical ideas with less effort than ever before.
FAST WORKFLOW AND INTUITIVE REAL-TIME CONTROL
You can feel the speed of this new breed of instrument the moment you hit the power switch—unlike many workstations that can take a minute or more to boot, the FA-08 is ready to play in seconds. The panel is logically organized into dedicated sections, and the large color LCD presents a gorgeous look with inviting hi-res graphics for selecting tones, working with the sequencer, and adjusting various settings. It’s easy to navigate through the FA-08’s large sound selection by category and assign favorites for fast recall, while dedicated buttons deliver instant access to often-used functions such as transpose, octave range, and many others. With six knobs and a powerful yet easy-to-use assignment matrix, the Sound Modify section lets you control a wide range of parameters in real time for maximum expression while performing live and working in the studio.
INSTANT-ACCESS PERFORMANCE SAMPLER ONBOARD
Based on Roland’s mega-popular SP-404SX, the sampler in the FA series features fun, fast, hands-on operation and sampling/playback via convenient SDHC cards. You can play audio samples directly from the 16 pads on the FA-08 panel, making it easy to expand your performances with loops, backing tracks, one-shots, vocal phrases, sound FX, and more. Thanks to SDHC flash memory, your samples load instantly with no wait time, and you can use the four pad banks and clipboard function to rearrange your samples as needed for any performance. It’s super-easy to sample the FA-08’s own sounds or external sources via the Mic/Guitar and Line inputs, and you can even play WAV, AIFF, or MP3 samples that you’ve transferred from your computer. A variety of editing features allow you to tweak your samples to taste, including quick adjustment of playback position and level. In addition to sample triggering, the pads can be used for numerous functions such as muting parts, entering numeric values in the display, and more.
LIGHT AND MOBILE DESIGN WITH 88 WEIGHTED-ACTION KEYS
Incorporating Roland’s most advanced sensor technologies, escapement mechanism, and Ivory Feel features, the FA-08’s 88-note Ivory Feel-G Keyboard delivers inspiring weighted-action performance for all of your musical explorations. Derived from our high-end pianos, this keyboard provides superior touch and sensitivity in an innovative lightweight design that doesn’t compromise authentic playability. This makes the FA-08 much easier to transport than many other 88-note keyboards, something that gigging musicians will greatly appreciate.
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- Reimagined music workstation designed to maximise your creative flow
- 88-note Ivory Feel-G Keyboard provides premium weighted-action performance in a lightweight design that's easy to transport
- Over 2000 sounds from the flagship INTEGRA-7 sound module, including
- SuperNATURAL synth and acoustic tones and drums; add even more tones via internal wave sound expansion slots
- SuperNATURAL synth engine is fully compatible with the expansive collection of free INTEGRA-7 synth tones available from Roland's Axial sound library site
- 16-track sequencer with non-stop loop recording makes it easy to build songs quickly; export your sequencer tracks to an SDHC card as a complete stereo mix, or as multitrack audio or MIDI data for use in your DAW
- Onboard sampler based on the SP-404SX features 16 pads x 4 banks and direct recording/playback via SDHC cards
- Polish your sounds with a multitude of studio-quality effects, including 16 independent MFX engines, six COMP EQ processors for drums, unique TFX(total effects), and global EQ, chorus, and reverb
- Tweak tones, effects, and external MIDI devices in real time with sixuser-assignable Sound Modify knobs
- Intuitive, streamlined interface with large colour LCD
- Press one button to instantly configure the FA-08 for use with your DAW via USB
- D-Beam, Rhythm Pattern, Arpeggiator, and Chord Memory functions to expand your creative palette
- Guitar/Mic and Line input jacks for performing, sampling, and DAW audio recording; dedicated input reverb provides ambience for performing/recording
- USB ports for sound expansion data, updates, and audio/MIDI interfacing with a computer; MIDI communication with the iPad is possible when using Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit
- KEYBOARD
- Keyboard - 88 keys (Ivory Feel-G Keyboard with Escapement)
- SOUND GENERATOR SECTION
- Maximum Polyphony - 128 voices (varies according to the sound generator load)
- Parts - 16 parts
- Tones
- - SuperNATURAL Acoustic
- - SuperNATURAL Synth
- - SuperNATURAL Drum Kit
- - PCM Synth
- - PCM Drum Kit
- * GM2 compatible sounds are included.
- Wave Expansion Slots
- - 2 slots
- * The wave expansion slots are rewritable internal waveform memory. You can download data from the Axial sound library site and write it via a USB flash drive into the FA's internal wave memory (slot).
- Favorite - Yes
- Effects
- - Multi-Effects: 16 systems, 68 types (Vocoder can be used only on part 1.)
- - Part EQ: 16 systems
- - Drum Part COMP+EQ: 6 systems
- - Chorus: 3 types
- - Reverb: 6 types
- - Master Compressor (This can be changed to Insert FX (78 types).)
- - Master EQ
- - Total Effects (TFX): 29 types
- - Mic Input Reverb: 8 types
- SEQUENCER
- MIDI Tracks - 16
- File format - Original, SMF export/import supported, WAV export supported
- * Sampler trigger data can be recorded.
- SAMPLER
- Format - 16-bit linear, 44.1 kHz, WAV/AIFF/MP3 import supported
- Maximum Polyphony - 8
- Number of Samples - 16 Pads x 4 Banks (for each song)
- * Samples cannot be used as wave data for the sound engine.
- OTHER
- Rhythm Pattern - Yes
- Arpeggio - Yes
- Chord Memory - Yes
- Controllers
- - D-BEAM Controller
- - Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever
- - Assignable Switch x 2 (S1/S2)
- - Control Knob x 6
- - Sample Pad
- - Tempo Knob
- Display - 5-inch Graphic Color LCD
- External Memory - SD Card (SDHC supported)
- Connectors
- - Headphones Jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
- - MAIN Output Jacks (L/MONO, R): 1/4-inch TRS phone type
- - Sub Output Jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
- - AUDIO INPUT Jacks
- - LINE: Stereo miniature phone type
- - GUITAR/MIC: 1/4-inch phone type
- - FOOT PEDAL Jacks (CTRL 1, CTRL 2, HOLD)
- - MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT)
- - USB FOR UPDATE Port
- - USB COMPUTER Port (USB Hi-Speed AUDIO/MIDI)
- * (Use a USB cable and a computer with a USB port that support USB 2.0 Hi-Speed.)
- - DC IN Jack
- Power Supply - AC Adaptor (PSB-1u)
- Current draw - 1,300 mA
- Accessories
- - Quick Start
- - Leaflet "USING THE UNIT SAFELY"
- - SD Card (installed in the product when shipped from the factory)
- - SD Card Protector (installed in the product when shipped from the factory)
- - AC Adaptor
- - Power Cord
- - Options (sold separately)
- - Keyboard Stand (*1): KS-G8, KS-G8B, KS-18Z, KS-12, KS-J8
- - Pedal Switch: DP series
- - Expression Pedal: EV-5
- - USB Flash Memory (*2)
- - Wireless USB Adapter: WNA1100-RL
- *1 When using the KS-18Z and KS-J8, ensure that the height of the unit is one meter or lower.
- *2 Use USB Flash Memory (supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Flash Memory) sold by Roland. We cannot guarantee operation if other products are used.
- SIZE AND WEIGHT
- Width - 1415 mm 55-3/4 inches
- Depth - 340 mm 13-7/16 inches
- Height - 142 mm 5-10/16 inches
- Weight - 16.5 kg 36 lbs. 7 oz.
