I'm more in the same camp as you Michael, but I do have an arranger kb ( korg PA80 ). I find it to be a marvelous machine for me for playing live. It has a sampling option, but I don't use it, simply because it requires Smart Media Cards that have to be preprogrammed by Korg and are expensive to boot. It has voice editing functions that are on par with the average workstation. The PA80 isn't a very popular board for many of the forum users here, but I am just so used to it that it feels as if it is part of me when I play live. The comfort factor alleviates any jitters for me.

I use a Yamaha Motif ES, and several softsynths and samplers to make up the difference.

I use OMB as well, although I've had a few issues with it, mainly with style creation and adaptation for the Motif. I suspect though that this can be corrected, and it might possibly even be something in the Motif that is causing it. It works fine with softsynths, although I lose sonic quality at times, mainly because the softsynths I've used to this point are all GM modules. I also have used it with an old XG module, and it has worked fairly well. Playing it live isn't an issue though. It's quite simple to assign a few of the assignable knobs from the Motif to OMB, and I feel just as comfortable playing with it as I do with any arranger I've used.

I don't use my arranger at all for studio work, composing, or band work, except occasionally sometimes as a controller for a softsynth. The softsynths, samplers and Motif ES far outshine the PA80 sonically for me. I just don't see arrangers in their current state as an optimum tool for this kind of work, although Pro makes a good point that the 9000 pro might be an exception.

AJ


[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 02-07-2005).]