Decisions, Decisions. Fantom, Fantom XR, XP 30..

[Cold Truth]

well, just when i think i am abouit to buy the Fantom XR module, these stupid companies throw me a curve ball!

i will have to get the fantom xr on my sisters credit, and that isnt something i want to really do- just in case.

the old fantom is on sale for 1099. at AMS and i am can cop that on three payments, so thats a great thing. all understanding is that this is still an excellent board, and the demose support that., unfortunately, i cant get a hold of any of these to check out for myself and compare them.

so here is my question- are the bells and whistles of the x really worth it (from a producers standpoint) especially when this other company will wind up taking me for about $400 more than what the XR goes for in major stores? after 10 months i will have paid $1750, which is basically the LIST price.

that basically will cover the regular fantom and three srx boards. it can only hold two, but i can always switch them out. all indications are that the piano on the srx board is better than even the newer piano on the xr board....

so, i am leaning towards the regular fantom. any opinons on this? if anyone has a solid reason why i should stick with the fantom xr over the "classic", let me know.

OR..

the XV5080 which recently dropped to $999... that is also an option- it holds four srx cards and 4 sr cards, thats 384 megs plus the original 64 meg rom...

and also, the now-classic and much loved XP 30 is now on sale at American Musical Supply for $600, and thats $200 a month for three months on a credit/debit card. just so you know. i weighed that option as well, but decided to go for the gusto.

 

[ACEBEATZ]

Yo cold,

Why don't you buy a good VST ? try the steinberg hypersonic and you,ll be amazed by the sound and the quantity of patches and you'll buy it for 200$. It sounds really great. For 1000$ i'm sure you can negociate with your seller to get 6 or 7 VST that worth 200$ each.Software is always negociable. Wut is fun with vst is that it sound as good as hardware and you can play with a midi controller.

Holla Ace

 

[Cold Truth]

lol, actually, i already own a few of them. i currently do everything in sampletank2, which i s an excellent program if i do say so myself. then there is the emu emulator package, which looks amazing. i love sampletank2 and i have a good, solid collection of sample cd's... garriton orchestral strings, ultimate piano collection, big brass section, etc.... native instruments b4...

the problem- and i am going to ruffle a few feathers here- is a few things.

there IS a difference, a real difference, in quality. vst's arent quite there yet. i went from a motif rack to sampletank2, and i would say that sampletank holds its own.... but it just lacks the sheer numbers, the depth of programming, and it does have a particular "sound". it is missing little nuances that these hardware modules will give me. the fantoms, motifs, and tritons are [roven and have a huge collection of sounds that i like. plus... and here is a big plus...

in recording this as audio, i can use (just saying as an example, not that this will always be the scenario) i can use every single effect, max out the processing of my fantom/xr board and it will record as a regular audio file, without taxing my pc for the effects. then, i can simply use my cubase sx EQ's and Waves Gold as mastering tools and not tax my pc too bad in the process. make sense?

 

[maddogg]

xv 5080....Hands down IMO.The expansion capabilities are amazing and its a roland board.So yeah thats my opinion.