Roland FANTOM-8 EX Synthesizer Workstation

Advanced Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB)

FANTOM EX is a digital synthesizer that uses Roland's Analog Circuit Behavior technology to recreate the richness and warmth of analog circuitry. It features three ACB instruments, including Circuit Mod and Condition functionality, which allows users to dial in their preferred vintage character. The JUPITER-8 ACB Expansion recreates the iconic 1981 JUPITER-8 polysynth, while the SH-101 ACB Expansion recreates the 1982 SH-101 mono synth. The JX-3P ACB Expansion introduces streamlined visuals, easy preset recall, and tuning stability through digital-analog oscillators. Both SH-101 and JUPITER-8 are preinstalled, but the JX-3P is available for free download on Roland Cloud for FANTOM EX owners and FANTOM EX Upgrade for original FANTOM models.

Cutting-edge SuperNATURAL and V-Piano technologies

Acoustic piano is the home base for many keyboardists. The SuperNATURAL sound engine and V-Piano and technology in FANTOM EX deliver supremely authentic and deeply expressive pianos that sound and play like the real deal. The V-Piano interface has been updated for a streamlined workflow, and the German Concert V-Piano Expansion 01, developed for Roland’s RD-2000, comes preinstalled. Core SuperNATURAL acoustic and electric pianos are also onboard, along with the newly developed SuperNATURAL Acoustic Piano 3 Expansion.

Creativity without compromise

With no confusing modes, technical limitations, or sonic compromises to derail your creative process, FANTOM EX fuels your creativity with its fast, fluid workflow. FANTOM’s creative process facilitates and enhances the way modern musicians work by providing intuitive compositional tools, instant-recall creative environments, and deep integration with your DAW. Forget about having to remember which features work in which mode — FANTOM is always in Creative mode.

Make the Scene

Whenever you enter your creative zone, FANTOM EX is ready with custom creative spaces called Scenes that contain your sounds, clips, patterns, and performance layouts — all triggerable with a single touch. A Scene can be a complete song, a segment of a song, or merely a starting point with your sounds arranged just the way you want them. You can chain Scenes together or swap them out instantly — with no glitches or gaps.

Stunningly authentic sounds

To achieve its stunningly authentic acoustic and electronic sounds, FANTOM EX runs digital modeling, sampling, and analog synthesis technologies simultaneously. You can sample your own sounds and trigger up to two gigabytes of loops and one-shots from the onboard performance pad matrix. FANTOM features a routable analog filter and allows mixing soft synths with its internal sounds for added warmth and grit. For countless composers cross-genre, the piano is the heart of the creative process. FANTOM EX incorporates Roland's advanced V-Piano technology that meticulously models the components of the instrument and lets you fine-tune them to craft pianos that match your personal taste and respond just like their acoustic counterparts.

Add motion to static sounds

Low-frequency oscillators add motion to static sounds. Having more LFOs gives you more modulation possibilities and more ways to explore new sonic vistas. With two LFOs per partial, four partials per Tone, and 16 Tones per Scene, FANTOM EX gives you an astonishing 128 LFOs per voice to work with. FANTOM’s Step LFOs have 16 steps of beat-synced automation with 35 curve choices per step. This lets you easily create long evolving passages, animated modular-synth-type textures, and immersive soundscapes with deeply intricate movement.

Masterful connectivity

The FANTOM EX is incredibly powerful on its own, delivering exceptional performance and versatility. Its capabilities expand even further when connected to additional equipment like computers or analog synthesizers. FANTOM's onboard 16x3 audio interface lets you record studio-quality sound and route it to and from your DAW. Plug mics and instruments into the XLR combo connectors and route sounds to external destinations via eight 1/4-inch outputs. FANTOM serves as a versatile MIDI control surface, enabling seamless DAW and plug-in adjustments via its intuitive touchscreen. Mix and layer soft synths with FANTOM's internal sounds, and then route them through FANTOM's analog filter section.