Scott’s points are well taken. A good friend of mine started off playing jobs some years ago with a Ketron MS40 sound module and a “dumb” keyboard controller. (I believe it was a Ketar) After a while he got so fed up with having to do the extra interconnections, including plugging in the “wall wort” for the keyboard, and then have the module with it’s display screen and controls sitting off to the side, where he’d have to reach to push the buttons. He used written music, so the area in front the keyboard was used for the music stand. So he had no choice but to take along another table or stand on which he placed his module. All in all, he was extremely happy when he bought his first integrated arranger keyboard and reduced the amount of “stuff” he had to take along, set up, and interconnect. Judging from the emphasis that’s been placed by a number of the full time musicians on the Forum regarding simplifying their set-ups, I’m not sure the module approach would make everyone happy.

Now if a manufacturer of an arranger were able to offer several options of keyboards that could be “nested” within the envelope of the arranger housing, maybe that would offer the best of both worlds.
Paul C.