Roland Fantom 0 - How to set up Ableton Live Lite (Part 1 of 2)

[@djdigital3806]

Sitting behind my Fantom06 right now upgrading software thanks to you!

[@Cruisiphix]

You are the best! I was getting very frustrated getting my Fantom-06 to show up in Ableton Live 11 Lite. Also, side note, I was unable to get my Fantom-06 to take the updates through the memory usb. I found that Windows 11 was encrypting the update files when I downloaded them. I unencrypted the files and put them on the USB and was able to update to 1.04.

[@Theeddiewilliams]

You are the saviour, thank you so so much for this guide

[@paulchapman112]

excellent video and detail, helped a lot

[@gerardmcclelland6198]

Hi Paul, great tutorials. Thank you so much. very helpful. In relation to the top of the line Fantom, any idea how many average length gospel songs (3 mins?) can be loaded (programmed) into it before you need a USB thumb drive for the rest (or extras)? Cheers

[@contemporarysynth]

Both the FANTOM and FANTOM-0 have the same internal memory for samples (2 GB). A 3-minute sequence takes around 50-100K, so you would run out of Scenes before you ever ran out of storage. Audio samples, i.e., wav files, are a different story, especially if you've downloaded any expansion packs from the Cloud. But you should have no problem with plain MIDI data.

[@markwolf9711]

This was super helpful. However, I don't know if I set something wrong, but my MIDI won't play on Ableton. I can get Audio to record from my Fantom 8 to Ableton, and sample. But, when I try to use MIDI track, to Ableton using my Fantom 8, MIDI shows zero response. I'm using Channel 1 in Ableton, am on Zone 1 on the Fantom. In Ableton, I can select the 1 MIDI/Top clip slot, and I can get tempo/click outputting on the Fantom, but that's it. Maybe I set something wrong on the Fantom itself under the MIDI settings, or Sync/Tempo?

[@contemporarysynth]

Hi - sounds like maybe something's wrong with your Preferences in Ableton? I frequently have to tweak those to make everything work, but if you're getting audio then you should be able to do MIDI. Latest firmware is Oct 2023, so that's probably not it. I recommend more experimentation, and maybe checking out the Ableton site (help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209774205-Live-s-MIDI-Preferences). If you've tried everything and you're still stuck, consider going to contemporarysynth.com and signing up for a lesson. Then we could troubleshoot it in real time. Good luck!

[@TheHannes15]

Hey I have the same issue - did you figure it out?

[@sniperdoc8404]

@@TheHannes15 I did not. Was going to factory reset my F8 but, I didn't want to have to reload all my stuff. So, for now, no Ableton. :(

[@roadsixsix66]

Hi, with the Fantom 8 ( big brother) it doesn't work with Ableton Lite... Any idea ?

[@contemporarysynth]

The Fantom 8 should work for sure. Check your firmware version, check the ASIO driver, etc. Worst case, you can use a MIDI cable instead of USB.

[@robbiemarsh100]

Hey, I'm having a lot of trouble myself settting up my 8 with Live 11. Useing DAW control as described I get no midi and can't record. Using Fantom 6 7 8 works but I get the keys contoling things when I play. Even without Sync or Remote checked. Have you managed to get things running smoothly? Tried the Ed Diaz video but it doesn't show the Link Tempo/Midi/settings.

[@contemporarysynth]

Yeah, that sucks. I was having the control problem too, esp with Channel 1. Changing the MIDI Input and Output options to FANTOM-06 07 08 DAW CTRL, and not having any other Control Surface entries fixed it for me. For MIDI ports, I have Track (for notes) and Remote (for MIDI control) on line one, and Remote (for the pads) on line two. Make sure your firmware is up to date. That was a thing for the 0 series, not sure about the big ones. Good luck!

[@ngjingrui2549]

Hi, thanks for the tutorial! However, when i connect my fantom 08 to my laptop, it didnt show the control of abelton on the screen, and it didnt show that im connected. Am i wrong to insert the usb cable at external device? thank you!

[@contemporarysynth]

You need to go from the FANTOM's Computer USB B port to the laptop's USB A port. You'll need a USB 2.0 A to B cable to do it.

[@sjwonders1211]

Hello, I have a Fantom-06 with me and I did exactly what you were doing but When I check my main MIDI Port 'FANTOM- 06 07 08' and play the keyboard, there is no sound coming from the keyboard. I've tried to switch the input and output and still I do not get any output. Could you please help me out ? I upgraded the Fantom-0 to 1.02 from 1.00. I didn't find 1.01 update on the roland downloads. Does it have to do something with it ?

[@contemporarysynth]

Hi - 1.02 is the right version. I put more details in my latest video. Maybe that will help. Make sure you have the ASIO driver checked selected.

[@anshulpatel3459]

Hey My fantom is showing that the computer is not connected even though I have connected it to my laptop what should I do??

[@contemporarysynth]

Sometimes it's easier to check from the laptop side. What DAW are you using?

[@PetrKulda]

Hi, great video, helped a lot with sucesfully connecting to PC (driver type). But i encountered different problem. On my new Fantom 06 upgrade firmware proces (1.02) ends with "Program Version Error" message. Only thing i can do is return to 101 version. Any idea what am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.

[@contemporarysynth]

I've definitely heard of this - if you search for it online there are lots of suggestions. The most common causes seem to be incorrect USB drive formatting, and not getting the instructions exactly right (e.g., not holding the Write button down long enough). The instructions are a bit of a challenge. Hopefully that will change someday!

[@PetrKulda]

@@contemporarysynthYeah, it seems to be a bit tricky. I checked everything multiple times, i am sure i do it right. In past days i contacted Roland Support and result is, the main board is faulty and needs replacement. So, I am sending instrument back for repair. I hope, it will return soon. It is great machine.

[@thefunkypopcorn]

Roland has confirmed me there is A BUG when using Ableton and they are trying to fix it into the next update; I asked if it was possible to send all 16tracks to AbletonLive - answer was: currently no

[@contemporarysynth]

Thanks for sharing! I'm excited about another patch. I wonder if they'll fix what's supposed to already work, or add new functionality. Either would be a win!

[@kierraezell5084]

Is it possible to split the keyboard into zones and use each as a midi channel in ableton?

[@contemporarysynth]

@@kierraezell5084 It sure is! You do the keyboard split the usual way, then change the output midi channel of each zone to whatever you want. I show you how in my 5 Pro Tips video, if you need some help. You can then set each Ableton track to look for a specific midi channel and it'll only see that zone. Pretty cool.

[@prospoussenier2019]

anybody knows if i still can use my normal audio interface so i still have enough inputs, but use my fantom as Midi controller and still be able to have the sound library of the fantom? but also the daw controll? thanks

[@contemporarysynth]

I'm pretty sure you can, but I'd need a little more detail to know exactly. You can send MIDI to the fantom, then send the fantom audio back to your interface - even adding the sub out to give you two more output channels. DAW control shouldn't interfere with any that but, again, the details probably matter.

[@danilloandrade8583]

If I download ableton live Lite will it affect my regular Ableton live 11 ?

[@contemporarysynth]

It sure will! Lite is a reduced version. If you have Ableton Live 11 you have the whole product!

[@danilloandrade8583]

@@contemporarysynth and how do i record the fantom in midi in ableton complete?

[@outhdare]

Thanks for doing this, I appreciate your effort greatly. For me, it is complicated, tiresome, and potentially frustrating; I would rather buy FA-06/07 which has everything integrated so I can focus on music making and not on setup, which should be automatic and by default. It's like doing the job of Roland's engineers for free.

[@contemporarysynth]

You're so right! But every bit of complexity and effort up front might turn into flexibility and power once you learn how to use it. It's definitely a balance, though.

[@anniedarkhorse6791]

Too complicated. They need to work on simplifying this.

[@contemporarysynth]

I don't want to compete with the Roland tutorials - they're still the best for beginners - but I may have gone too far. Thanks for the feedback!