Roland FA-08 Review

Check out this user review of Roland's Workstation the FA-08

[@simonsardine2925]

I appreciate the time you put into this video. Thanks much!

[@darrickkeels6387]

Matt Lamb Thank you. It is a lot of work for sure but I enjoy it. I am trying to get more videos done. Stay tuned.

[@lucasnovel]

excellent explanation. great keyboard prints. thank you.

[@emmanueltshimoa]

nice video. How do you have a full sound when you connect the main output to the mixer ? the sound seems to be very low even if I put it to the max on both ends (piano and mixer) how can I resolve it.

[@user-pk4sd9dd2w]

Hey! I'm buying an FA 08 and understand there are no built-in speakers? Does anyone know what the speaker jack requirements are in the back of the FA 08 and could anyone recommend me some decent speakers for just playing at home? Tks very much!

[@mziv112]

liked, subbed, and waiting for part 2! :) I am debating whether to pull the trigger on the FA08 or to get a Yamaha MOXF8 instead. my original board that I worked with for some reason just died on me (after 15ish years of use...) and I am on looking for some new keys! I primarily use it for composing and studio recording purposes yet I sometimes play it live (rarely) as far as keys in general go I am originally (and somewhat primarily) a piano player (acoustic) so the action and the key's texture and such is at upmost importance for me... other than that, sound and sound versatility are my top criteria on my "high quality must haves" list. been also thinking of the korg krome but the vast majority of reviews and comments are suggesting that the krome is inferior to the MOXF8 and the FA08 alike in most aspects.. as a highly experienced player yourself, what do you think of the matter? as far as workstations under 2200 usd go, what do you think (from your experience) would be the best board for me to buy? the Yamaha MOXF8? the korg krome? the roland FA08? a different model? thanks in advance! cheers from Boston Massachusetts :)

[@andrewbrandon2272]

I have had FA-08 and wanted to know what have I been missing. I was hoping for more of what does what video

[@melodychest9020]

Can anyone tell me if this FA08 has the same keybed as the RD-64 Ivory G-Feel Keyboard? If so, I think that is an awesome keybed, cos I have the RD-64. Thanks.

[@progfan234]

Thanks for the review. I've had the FA-06 for the last 7 years and I absolutely love the pianos, elec. Pianos , synth leads, and the synth pads. I love the bass tones and the fact that I can sequence tracks. I've been thinking of getting the Kronos, but I want to hold off a bit until I fully utilize the sampler functionalities. I'm primarily interested in the piano and synth lead and pad tones the most.

[@progfan234]

Also worth stating I think the keyboard falls short when it comes to strings sounds. I had a korg TR-61 and I thought the solo and ensemble strings were both much better on the TR. I miss the aftertouch of the TR. I personally do not like that the joystick is not 360° on the FA, whereas it was on the TR. I loved being able to control modulation and pitch simultaneously. One really annoying problem I have with the FA is that of the pitch bender setting the pitch of the instrument off by half a semitone. You'll find on the roland forums this to be a very pervasive problem and there does not seem to be a fix for it.

[@atcfisherman]

It's a great keyboard. I had the FA08 and now have a Yamaha Genos. However I'm planning on getting the FA07 because I like the synth action. Best keyboard for all you get at its price range.

[@user-pk4sd9dd2w]

Hey, anyone recommend which DAW is best to use with Roland FA? Logic, Cubase or Sonar? Tks!

[@dandelobo9284]

Iin this case it doesn't depend on the keyboard. Roland is self a DAW, so you can use it as a such. If you have Apple so Logic Pro X is a choice to try, it is one of the most professionally used DAWs. For me personally Cubase is most reliable and versatile DAW for composers, but never used eg. Logic to compare. Sonar was for me interesting, but it is not as featured as Cubase and was somewhat buggy. It is in its layout more for recording musicians and mastering, I think.

[@Jamic9]

Great review

[@atcfisherman]

Where do you gig at? You have videos of using the FA during a gig?

[@dekzan]

Thank you, helped me to decide for the purchase. I mostly want the acoustic piano sounds.

[@Dario5B]

Amazing vid brother, I'll hopefully be buying one very soon

[@darrickkeels6387]

It is a great keyboard. You cannot go wrong

[@lebronhardy8386]

How do you get the custom screen display?

[@area49g12]

Great demo, beautiful playing, Kudos. Does the SD card need to be present to record into the sample pads or sequencer, or is there memory on-board ? Can you add effects to a sample that's been assigned to a pad, (reverb, etc) ? Thanx much ;-)

[@darrickkeels6387]

No the SD card does not need to be available. But unfortunately you cannot add effects to the pads. You can only play back the samples as is.

[@penponds]

@@darrickkeels6387 loved your review ;-) Just wondering if it’s actually right about not being able to apply effects to pad samples…? If they’re imported into a track in a song you’re putting together in sequencer, aren’t there affects that simply affect whatever “sound” is on that track?

[@garethtalbot8950]

I have the FA-08. Great song writing companion. Weighted keys are heavy but I wanted that to keep hand/ finger strength. Pianos are beautiful on it. Great all rounder. I never had reliability issue with Roland, Korg etc.. same Key bed I believe as RD700. You can download more sounds from Roland and import on USB. Great review. Thank you.

[@noekiebotha7738]

Is there a function where the notes can be seen on a notebar as you play them?

[@darrickkeels6387]

No, this keyboard does not have that feature.

[@halo091]

How do you get that sky screen saver? I have just seen the plain one on my 08

[@darrickkeels6387]

It comes up automatically on mine. Whenever the keyboard is idle that screensaver comes up.

[@nunesnunes228]

boa noite amigo como faço pra ele voltar a programação de fabrica , desde já agradeço

[@hermandavid1757]

You can control the draw bars you have to do it by Sys ex I use a program on my iPad called midi designer pro

[@johnstudiob2481]

can you explain more thanks

[@jetle4730]

Hey Darrick, thanks for this awesome review! What’s the name of the piece you played at 10:01?

[@darrickkeels6387]

Thank you! Just a chord progression I made up.😄

[@jetle4730]

@@darrickkeels6387 Wow!! You have one great gift!!

[@halo091]

How do playing synths feel with the weight keys?

[@darrickkeels6387]

It's a fairly heavy action. Not the "best" for synth but I have gotten used to it. I normally use my Korg M50, Nord Stage 3, or Nektar LX88 for synth action stuff.

[@mohinmohin3566]

Can anyone tell how to control rythm or beat sound volume separately

[@souldom99]

Use the level knob to the right of the 6 knobs

[@musicmanworld1724]

Nice Video!

[@SamNiverba]

What should I buy? Juno ds88 or this? I can't decide

[@ChazSeamus28]

Which keyboard did u end op getting? I'm looking at fa 08, Juno ds or the modx.. hard to decide.. all great keyboards.

[@kA-gk8ub]

Me too

[@nusendian1075]

The Roland FA is a great keyboard. I have an FA06 that I bought for $1,100 when it was leaving a shop. It is a great synth, and if you want synth sounds the Supernatural synth is a great choice. If you are into mostly acoustic, don't over look it because it has great pcm samples that you can send through the virtual analog engine.

[@penponds]

I managed to get a used FA-07 about 18 mths ago for $800. I already had a Kurzweil 88 unit specifically for my personal classical piano playing. The FA-07 is the absolute sweet spot in the range - much better keys than the 6, but without the big weight increase of the 8 if you’re looking for something where most of its use is backing in a band, transportability and sequencing.

[@musicaldracula2017]

I have an FA-07 as well and it is the best of the bunch as you said...

[@alfredvictorstv6919]

@@musicaldracula2017sir is the fa07 is heavy?

[@musicaldracula2017]

@@alfredvictorstv6919 It weighs 8.5kg so you name it.

[@firstimpression9399]

Notice how all piano players talk with there hands Lol 😂

[@xzavierroman3949]

Dont know if anyone gives a damn but if you're stoned like me atm then you can watch pretty much all of the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. I've been watching with my girlfriend for the last weeks xD

[@amirdrake8579]

@Xzavier Roman Yea, been watching on instaflixxer for months myself :D

[@pascalv.3021]

Great review! Now, where's part two?

[@darrickkeels6387]

Pascal V. It is on its way. Thank you.

[@randalfields1991]

How does the FA-08 compare to the Nord Stage 3 88? For your application which one is best?

[@darrickkeels6387]

I personally like the Nord better as a live performance keyboard. It has all of the necessary "meat and potatoes" sounds I need like, Pianos, EPs, Clavi, Pads, Strings, and B3 Hammond organ sounds. However, it is a stage piano. The FA08 is a workstation. So it is more rounded than the Nord and has way more onboard sounds. Like...drums. The Nord has no drums. The FA08 has a sequencer and can playback wav files. So these two keyboards are really quite different from one another. What do you plan to do with your keyboard?

[@randalfields1991]

@@darrickkeels6387 I am going to buy a Keyboard in the next month. Bottom line which is the best? I like the Kronos, Nord Stage 3 88, MODX? Which would you recommend? I want to write songs and compose. I just got out of school with a BA in music. It's been a long time. My main genre is gospel. I am stuck. Please let me know which direction to go. Thank you. God Bless.

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@randalfields1991 If you want to compose on the keyboard itself the Kronos is the best. Nothing comes close to it.

[@randalfields1991]

@@darrickkeels6387 Ok cool, thats the one that I will get. Thank you so much. I'll let you know when I get it. Is there anything I should know beyond what you said in the Kronos or the Nord vs Kronos video?

[@darrickkeels6387]

There is a steep learning curve on the Kronos if you are not familiar with Korg's systems. You may want to look at the Nautilus too.

[@t.music2023]

Quality contents on this channel ;)

[@darrickkeels6387]

Thank you! I appreciate it

[@sojimani7616]

What is better Yamaha MODX or Roland FA ? What you think ?

[@mlgl9728]

Got both. Love both of them. The FA08 excels in some respects, the keybed is splendid, sounds are amazing, good sequencer, free sounds in the website, great range of possibilities in terms of editing, etc. Slightly heavier than the Modx8. Yamaha offers a huge array of amazing sounds, the keybed acceptable but inferior in comparison with its competitor. As far as I'm concerned, both are great options, perhaps the Fa08 got the edge. They complement each other. Both are great, to be honest.

[@sojimani7616]

Thank You Sir. I just bought Yamaha MODX7.

[@mlgl9728]

@@sojimani7616 good choice. Can't go wrong with the Modx. Hope you are enjoying it.

[@sojimani7616]

@@mlgl9728 The problem I found was the Brightness of the screen. It is not adjustable.

[@calebrabion]

How often do you gig with it?

[@darrickkeels6387]

I gig with the FA08 about once a week.

[@FrancisMaxino]

The headphone lead looks annoying, one would wonder why the socket isn't in the front like other Rolands. Thanks for the honest appraisal from someone who has been playing it for a year. Good to know about the adjustable string resonance feature and stuff for the piano patches. Cool man. How is the repetition rate for grand tremolo ?

[@darrickkeels6387]

Francis Maxino the feel overall is firm and good in my opinion. But is can feel a bit “spongy” at times when playing very quickly. But that is just me. I find that I am “sloppier” when playing this keyboard as opposed to my Korg Kronos or Yamaha S90. So tremolo repetition rate, would be about a 6 out of 10 for me.

[@FrancisMaxino]

Hey, excellent playing by the way, a lot of these sort of videos have guys playing who can't really play keys that well or are heavy handed and lack dynamic control. I've been trying out a lot of keyboards including Korgs and still can't find one with a satisfyingly fast repetition rate, the Roland Electric Piano levers are sort of quickish but I like being able to play with a fast single note repetition for Flamenco. I read in a forum that it was fast enough to play things like Billy Joel's 'Angry Young Man' (a track I'd never heard of until trying to find out about repetition rates without in explanation having to refer to Franz Liszt's works and the concept of rapid single notes in melody to imitate the type of tremolo you use in say Greek music, mandolin playing or Flamenco guitar like Barrios Mangore). Six out of ten isn't too good considering the cheap Korg Kross I was testing out the other day seemed slower than the Rolands I'd played. The FA apparently uses the Ivory-G feel keybed but it is hard to find anyone really testing how quickly a single note can repeat on the various keyboards' keybeds, it is possibly one of the most important factors to me now that I play a lot of Latin, Flamenco, Jazz and World music. It just seems that weighted keys compromise that aspect because they don't return upwards as fast as a normal light synth or organ type action...

[@darrickkeels6387]

Francis Maxino you are so right, no one really tests the repetition rate on these keybeds in reviews. I never thought about that. That is excellent feedback and I will definitely implement that in reviews going forward. If keybed feel and response is the most important aspect of a keyboard to you and you are not having much luck I would recommend trying the Kawai VPC1 or the Kawai MP11SE. Kawai has made that the primary focus on these instruments. The latter is a stage piano while the former is merely a controller. However, their feel is the closest feel to a grand piano out there. Granted they are not workstations and lack the overall functionality of the FA08 and come at a higher price point, but the keyboard action is second to none as Kawai makes excellent stage grands and has developed with painstaking detail keybeds that feel like a real grand piano.

[@fahimdawer]

Your videos are great still less subs......wonder? Anyways i recently discovered your channel and currently digging it......

[@darrickkeels6387]

My channel has grown by almost 1500 subscribers in the past 8 months so it is really growing. Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it.

[@fahimdawer]

@@darrickkeels6387 keep it up dear......liking your videos......indepth and full of useful information.....

[@professorclark13]

Actually, you can add samples to keys via track 16. You'll have 64 individual samples assigned to 64 individual key notes, each with VELOCITY. But no stretching of samples across multiple keys; just one sample per note.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Jason Clark Thank you. I stand corrected. That is great! I will have to try it.

[@Phant0mK16]

How does it work? Can I literally assign a sample in any key without worrying about its pitch? I play in a band and I need to trigger some sound effects (like intros) I'm planninfok getting this workstation and this was a big concern I had... Thanks in advance!

[@ivnsports518]

Terrific keyboard, versatile, powerful and relatively easy to use it. Against de MODX it holds its ground perfectly, even superior in some departments but not a clear winner here. FA08 action blows the MODX8 action out of the water, no question about that. FA08 keybed one of its stongest points and really powerful in certain areas such as the piano sounds, pad/string sounds, sequencer, bass, combi mode, editing, etc. Having said that, FA06 action is really awful to be honest. Nice review as always, Darrick.

[@Novaheart1998]

I got an FA06 recently used for $1000, great price! This is a great work station with tons of sounds and memory for download thousands more. The analog emulation is top of the line. Best string pads ive heard yet and Ive had over 50 Roland Classics. The edit menus are lovely, the OS is also easy to use. The sequencer is also really good and easy to use. They streamlined the interface in general to make it easier and faster to get to menus with parameters you want. It is a great sounding workstation with both PCM and Supernatural engines. The build quality is good enough, its all plastic but it looks elegant, as a result it only weighs 11 pounds which is nothing.. The screen is small but sharp and bright and is layed out in a very efficient manner. This thing is loaded with features. Over all if you can get em used, well worth it, it can handle any genre.

[@synthguy7774]

I got the Fa-08 model for $1,200 used at Alto music. I had to call them because I didn't believe it at first.

[@LifeOnHoth]

Hi. Just would like to mention that drawbars can be controlled from the assignable knobs. They can also be controlled from a midi device. Sadly i can't offer you any how to - but I saw this video as I use a FA-08 myself - tho not much for organs - and thought - that can't be right (when u said there is no way to control drawbars). There are a video on youtube using a controller named DB-1 Drawbar Controller from Ocean Beach Digital. There are also a video of a guy assigning drawbars to the assignable knobs - I just had a quick look at the video, and it's very late, so I might have misunderstood exactly how he did it, but looked like he did it by grouping some stuff (control all drawbars). Anyway, the DB-1 controller connects to the FA keys via MIDI, so it's entirely possible to control all of that stuff from any midi controller. Just need to read and understand the MIDI implementation (which is beyond me at 02:30 in the morning :D). Thought I'd just mention that.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Thanks for the input I appreciate it.

[@penponds]

I looked into to the DB-1 product earlier this year (2022) and the guy has shut up his business I think. Absolute awesome idea of course - drawbars for the FA would be phenomenal. Have to go to the full new Fantoms to get the 9 drawbars these days - $$$$$!!

[@bigbanks8823]

My set up korg m50 and roland fa 08

[@icsnowman]

I bought my FA-08 last year around Christmas time. I shopped around to try and find the lowest price possible. I was able to get a 17% discount from Musician's Friend. Combine that with free shipping and no sale tax (depends on what state you live in) and the final price came out to be about $1494. You can also find some good deals on used ones. Great board with lots of features at a good price point.

[@christopertorres5398]

How do you get discount on this?

[@halo091]

Are the weighted keys ok to play the synths etc

[@delightmedia1556]

You play quite well.

[@darrickkeels6387]

Delight Madujibeya Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

[@henrycookivph.d.8991]

@@darrickkeels6387 If you don't mind me asking what was the name of the first song you played in the Electric Piano section.

[@jumpingman8160]

Dude... Your left hand has a will of its own.

[@MannyVel]

Everyone probably knows this by now but search on ---------> Roland FA-06 and FA-08 Assignable Organ Drawbars

[@revoagams4636]

Banyak bacodd

[@hermandavid1757]

But I agree the organ is not that great

[@shreeramvjn]

What's the reason of making these things? One can create music with a nice software. All 💰 for this? Why made in China costs is more even today? Ok but what the heck.

[@darrickkeels6387]

They still make keyboards like this because there is still a demand for them. There are people that are comfortable with a 100% software setup both live and in the studio. More power to them. There are others that prefer to use both software and hardware to make music. More power to them. And then there are others that prefer nothing but hardware. As long as people are making great music the method in which they do it shouldn't be what people focus on. For some people a keyboard and mouse simply stifles their creativity others not. To each their own. I personally own Native Instruments Komplete 11 software with over 13,000 sounds. I have Cubase and Reaper full featured DAW's and I still use hardware when it makes more sense for my workflow. At the end of the day what matters is the final product.

[@infamouslyfamous2134]

sorry. but thats a CRAPPY piano sound. yikes

[@darrickkeels6387]

Yup sounds are a matter of opinion. If you don't like it...then you don't like it😂

[@infamouslyfamous2134]

@@darrickkeels6387 you can hear from middle c all the way up to soprano C , its tinny as hell and electronic sounding. typical roland piano

[@darrickkeels6387]

Some people love the Roland SuperNatural sounds and prefer them over Nord, Korg, Yamaha, Kurzweil etc.

[@infamouslyfamous2134]

@@darrickkeels6387 my guess is they never played on a good piano before

[@robertmichalscheck3072]

Quit talk8nf so much and play the damn thing.

[@darrickkeels6387]

I said in the beginning of the video it would be a talking video, not a "playing" video. There are tons of videos online with people playing the FA. Just watch those videos instead of mine.

[@robertmichalscheck3072]

@@darrickkeels6387 okay,thank you.