Thanks for the report George.

I was a proponent of a new 76-note T2 also but having played my two 9000 Pro's for years now and with the gaining importance of the best possible piano sound and action in my life, I'm already past the point of waiting for a Tyros Pro. What I'd really like to see from Yamaha is a "QY-T2": a much-needed leap forward in the QY-series with Tyros 2 sounds and features. In fact, Yamaha is behind the curve in not having a new QY out based on the original Tyros... the Ketron MidJay looks like the leader is tabletop arrangers now and I hope to see it's popularity increase.

But it's an American synth that is really pointing the way forward in my mind: the Open Labs Miko. This is the affordable computer-based instrument that our own Frank L. Rosenthal has been waiting for ($2000 base price). Miko makes softsynths and programs like OMB more practical for stage use, not to mention monster programs like Reason, Ableton Live and more. You can max out a Miko with some heavy-duty computing power and stay under the price of the Tyros 2 while loading up sounds that can exceed the capability of any hardware synth made. And it's fully upgradeable in both hardware and software... it's nearly future-proof. I could see adding a hammer-action 88-note controller to the Miko and running Ivory with nearly unlimited accompaniment options. It looks like live light and video control are also possible with the Miko. The best thing about the Miko is that it has my wheels turning.