Diki,

I would agree with you that it would not make sense to have an expensive high-end arranger playing cheap sounds that do not sound good. I also agree that buying high quality VST's can cost hundreds and even thousands.

However, since the X-88 & X-76 Pro both come already loaded with the Native Instruments B4 Organ Simulation and the Bosendorfer 290 Giga Piano and my favorite, the Steinway B Giga piano, which by itself is almost 2 Gb in size, I would have to question the assumption that one "has" to load more vst's for a quality sound.

All of the sounds I just mentioned are among the better quality sounds that are available and now with the addition of the 4Gb gm/gs giga library, one could easily make the case that this may be all you would ever need. One could certainly make the case that this is more than any other arranger keyboard can offer, with the exception of maybe the Wersi. I say, "maybe" because I do not know if the wersi can load large Giga files. I know it can use Akai samples, which are quite different.

I can safely say that I do not "need" additional sounds, as the sample set included is very extensive. But I can also say that if I "want" additional sounds that none are beyond my reach with the Mediastation.

"Yamaha, Roland and all the rest of the big players have had decades to develop sounds for their keyboards", yet Lionstracs has used the better technology that is available to create a keyboard that plays higher quality sounds in only a few short years. You are right, however when you say that these established companies began sound development before ram was plentiful and they have done an excellent job, considering what they had to work with. I am very glad that we don’t have to just “make do” anymore as the technology is now available to do better.

Look at FM synthesis. There was a day when it dominated the market. Remember the Yamaha DX7? It was the new technology of the future, and for a while it shaped the industry. But that doesn’t mean that we should not have developed new technologies. Was it not to our benefit that there were people who could see past the present and develop a better future? I am not interested in seeing how many sounds some “well established” company can get into an itsy, bitsy chip of rom and then overcharge me for 10 year old “warmed over” technology. It is an insult! If it were the best they could do that would be different, but I am convinced that all of the big companies could develop the same type of technology as Lionstracs yet they do not! It is not as profitable as releasing a new keyboard every 3 years and including only a small amount of improvements and staying with a proprietary system that is not open. Making their money year after year from the same people upgrading to a new keyboard.

“The amount of RAM a sound takes up will help a sound get more realistic, no doubt about that.” We are in agreement on this point, but on the next, “but especially for live use (that’s what an arranger is all about, after all) it’s all about the QUANTITY of good enough sounds, not how stellar a few can be”, I would have to disagree. Those who are more experienced arranger players may actually use every one of the hundreds of sounds included on their keyboard. I however find that difficult to do as I lean toward certain favorites. This is true with every keyboard I have owned. Even with styles I find that many of the
hundreds that are on my past arrangers I don’t care for and will never use. A much smaller number ends up being my palate. So instead of the quantity of “good enough” sounds I prefer a smaller number of “stellar “sounds.

But with the Mediastation we can have both quantity and quality. Did anyone notice the info in Domeniks first sentence under the post entitled “ New GM/GS Soundbank 4300 Mb”? It stated that they were, “1317 GIG Instruments, Drumkits, drumparts, loops and much more.” Sounds like quantity as well. By the way that 4 Gb sound library does not include the very large Giga pianos as they would be about 4 Gb by themselves .

Is it worth the hassle….? It is for me, but everyone must make up their own mind. We are fortunate to live in a day where there are no “bad arrangers,” only really good ones and even better ones and I certainly respect your choices.

Richard