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AT-5 rhythm to Roland FA-07


MichaelL

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Hi, it has been an interesting journey to discover which workstation addresses my needs in a keyboard. I was considering the mzx500 but the acoustic sounds aren't realistic enough for my purposes. The SuperNatural tones on the Roland FA-07 are the closest to real in my price range. However, the Roland lacks adequate rhytm patches. I have two questions:

1. Has anyone found a rhythm download of world and Latin beats for the MZX500?

2. Can I download the rhythm presets into the Roland FA-07. If so, what is the best way?

 

my own observations on the Roland FA series are it is almost as easy to use as the 500 but lacks touch screen, velocity driven layers, and arpeggiator for more than one part while playing but has 76 keys, good graphics and ease of use.

 

i also looked at the MOXF6 but was discouraged by the difficulty of use, poor graphics, layout, lack of velocity driven layering and 61 keys.

 

Both the Roland and the Yamaha require outboard monitors. I know the experts on the forum know all this, but for the newbies looking for the right keyboard it points out some of the things worth thinking about to make a satisfying purchase.

 

thanks for the help.

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Hi @MichaelL

The Roland FA-07 and the Yamaha MOXF6 are similar products, but both are quite different from the MZ-X500.

The MZ-X500 is an arranger/workstation (more arranger with some workstation functions) while the FA-07 and the MOXF6 are pure workstations.
So, in my opinion you should look better what product you need because all depends on your needs.

 

The FA-07 and MOXF6, even if they have some accompaniment functions cannot be considered arrangers, I have a MOX6 and a MZ-X500.

The MOXF is a great workstation, more difficult to program but way more powerful, especially in sound programming: it's a great instrument for live performances and as a composing tool. I think the FA is of the same kind but with the addition of the pads which are very useful, I cannot say which is better because I only have the MOX6 which is very similar to the MOXF.

 

The MZ-X500 is more oriented to one-man-band performances even if, as I said before, it also great for live performances.

 

What are your needs? 

:)

 

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Thanks Allanon, after thinking about the hex layer of your name tag I really valued your comments. The AT-5 is an arranger keyboard so I am aware of the differences. I have heard the sounds of the mzx500  and Roland FA series on you tube and much preferred the Roland unfortunately as I love so many things about the 500. For my needs the acoustic instrument tones are most important. The Roland seems to have that but lacks world and Latin rhythm presets which I really would like to have.

so either I get better acoustic sounds into the 500 or more rhythm into the Roland!

i will try the 500 in person. Maybe it will sound better.

 

I am currently living in Istanbul, though a native New Yorker, and would like to make Middle Eastern rhythms part of my composition, but lack the skill to develop them myself. Hence I would like to load the AT5 rhythms onto the Roland or find a download of world rhythms. Do you have any advice on this point?

thanks again for the help and bravo to the Casio forum advanced members!

 

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Michael

 

Both the Roland FA and the Yamaha MOXF allow velocity layering, but it is done via parameters (ie. "Velocity Range") assigned to the various voice/tone "parts" that make up a "performance", rather than via some discrete global "layer" function.  This ability is one of the basic features of what Allanon refers to as a "pure workstation".  I recommend downloading the PDF copies of the manuals for both units, and then doing an electronic search with the Adobe Reader "Edit / Find" command for "velocity".

 

As for the AT-5 rhythms, if the AT-5 can output them as parts of Standard MIDI Files (SMF), then you should be able to import them into any of the keyboards you mention, but would most likely require extensive revoicing to get them to sound correctly, depending upon how well the AT-5's drum tone map lines up with those of the intended target device.  Other than that, I know of no other means of directly importing or converting them for use on other devices.  One option would be to record them as audio backing tracks with a standalone digital audio recorder (eg. Tascam, Fostex, etc.), but my problem with pre-recorded backing tracks (audio or MIDI) has always been that they lack the spontaneity of the accompaniment from a real-time "arranger" unit (eg. MZ-X300/500), in solo (one-man-band) situations.

 

 

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Hi MichaelL!

 

Ive already embarrassed myself once, in the last 24 hours - on the matter of a piece of Forum-terminology of which I was totally ignorant ( thanks again BRAD! 😊), and I MAY be about to do it again!

 

I don't understand why, having considered, and then, apparently, discounted, as a potential purchase, the brilliant MZ-X500......

 

....... you would choose it's own, definitive, forum site, to, pretty much, ask for advice on what OTHER manufacturers keyboard you should purchase?!!?

 

You've got a god- given right to go where, and when, you like to seek advice on a new instrument, but SURELY there can't be ANY regular contributor to this Group, who, having read your post, would argue that you would be better served placing it on a more general keyboard forum?!?

 

Strikes me that you're VERY naive, or that you're expectations of a Group of musicians ( who's opinion of the X500 is, by definition, higher than yours ), being particularly keen on helping you, are overly high!!

 

But then I could be wrong!

 

Take it easy

Chris

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Hi and thanks to all who have taken time to reply.

1. I apologize for the double posting. It bothered me that I spelled rhythm incorrectly as a keyword and thought I was cancelling my original post. Actually I think the site corrected my correct spelling, but it won't happen again!

2. I went to the Roland site first and was unable to get a completed registration. So I couldn't ask my question directly. I read all their postings and that actually pointed out that several FA buyers were disappointed in the limited rhythm patches as well as only twenty user slots. My rhythmic abilities are limited and constructing world beats in different time signatures are a real difficulty for me. So, since I was considering a 500 (and still am) I tried your forum and very glad I did, because of the generous advice I received. As an owner of an AT5 and a Privia I feel I have shown my unbiased appreciation of Casio quality and value. Thus I did not feel like an interloper!

3. Since so many of you seem to own multiple keyboards and are so knowledgable that I reached out to see what would happen. After all these researches I am leaning toward getting the 500 thanks to all your kind replies about the difficulties of rhythm importing. And that the 500 has almost everything I am looking for in an arranger/workstation.

4. Finally, as a seventy year old New Yorker with 5 CDs of piano improvisation on New Artists Records ((founded by Max Roach and Connie Crothers) and currently living in Istanbul Turkey, it is a breath of fresh air to be called naive! This is the first Internet forum I have ever joined and the first time I have ever asked advice (about almost anything) from colleagues in a similar field. So, yes, along with the ignominious "newbie" appellation I must cotton to my continuing naivety about almost everything in the world, and, since I am of an age to remember the head of IBM saying he thought the earth only needed half a dozen mainframes, especially the wonderful high tech milieu I have landed in. I chose this particular forum because I thought I would find the most serious and advanced users here.

 

i hope I may still ask questions that are global in this forum as the 500 and your enthusiasm about it is shedding light on my confusion... Maybe an outboard pair of Mackie MR 5s would do the trick.

 

Many thanks again for all your help and perhaps my next posting will be the birth of a new 500 (once someone has it in stock here in Istanbul).

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Hi MichaelL,

Well.....!! 70 eh?!? Nice to see that there's someone else on the Forum who's at least in the same age range ( ish ) as me -- although, I confess, I'm a little way off reaching your excellent figure! 

 

Okay - Firstly ...... I'm VERY proud that, of all the "foot-in-mouths" I've achieved on this, as you infer, quite excellent Forum, I've never yet referred to anyone as a "newbie" 😊

 

Second ...... you, obviously, had a very good reason in asking the questions you did -- although I'd "defend" my reply to you by gently pointing out that you really DID give the pretty clear impression, in your first post, that you'd discounted purchasing an X500, ( quote: " I WAS considering the mx500.... acoustic sounds aren't realistic enough ....." ), which is what "pushed my buttons"! 

 

Third ..... ISTANBUL?!!? ...... You won't even find one in LONDON!! 😂

 

Fourth .... You've obviously, dare I say, like myself, devoted the majority of your life to  creating music --- and that ALWAYS gets unconditional respect in my book.

 

Fifth....... Well..... Welcome along, basically 😊

 

Take it easy

Chris

 

 

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Thanks, Chris. Yes, I had discounted the 500 at first when my greedy eyes feasted on the Roland's 76 keys and beautiful look, but then I realized any keyboard I bought in the $1500 price range would be missing something... 76 keys, 

world rhythms, only one arpeggiator, touch screen, great acoustic voices and on board higher quality speakers.....Wow, like why not ask for Ferrari while I am at it!! I guess I was naive on that one, Songwriter!

 

Anyway, I realized I was judging the acoustic abilities of the 500 on the YouTube videos (excluding Ralph Maten's superior abilities with sonic concoctions which come from I don't know where). So I must actually play one! The only keyboard I played which comes closer was the Yamaha A3000, the oriental model, at $1600, but, even though they tout their Super Articulation voices, I didn't like the acoustic tones, especially the brass, pand the orchestral sounds. Generally were phony sounding and lacked immediacy... Though maybe that could be fixed. So for quality and price the Casio is definitely a winner, even though it doesn't come with a Ferrari.

 

As to its availability in Istanbul the two biggest stores both carry the 300 and 500 but are currently waiting delivery... Which is why I haven't tried one yet. And although the prices are inflated for Yamahas and Nordstrom ( the MOXF8 goes for $2500), the Casio's actually cost less than in the states...The 300 at $600US and the 500 at $800US. I don't know why that should be, but there it is. Actually I thought they might be discontinuing in Turkey hence the lower prices but apparently not. So now I am thinking the 300 (I multitrack anyway so how important is the hex layer?) a pair of Mackie XR5s,  a decent mic and a nice pair of headphones all for about $1000.

 

yes, music, especially borderline experimental jazz piano, has been on the menu for over fifty years. You can find me at newartistsrecords.com under Michael Levy. But ironically I made a living representing commercial illustrators in NYC... I always thought I would have an agent so the universe made me one instead.

My composing interests, however,lean toward Phllip Glass, Beethoven and the Beatles (good luck to me).

 

Lastly, anyone who reads this, please, please, see my post about the 1978 musical version of H.G. Wells War of the Worlds by Jeff Wayne and Universal pictures in the member forum....

 

Six or eight wailing analog synths, rock band, full string section AND Richard Burton narrating. This is a must see! I cannot be more emphatic. It is so retro, 70s and synthed out! I would love to hear what you guys think! Wear headphones!

best to you all, Mike

 

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