Olá José.

Welcome to our little corner on the web. I'm sure you will find great friends and advice here. Speaking for myself, being a part of this family helped me a lot in developing my "musical side", in understanding my needs and in making my own choices.

If you take the time to look at previous threads, you will find interesting comments about this issue of synths versus arrangers. It's an old "war" around here! From what I have read and experimented, and as a general comment, high-end arrangers with sequencers and good sounds can do well the job of a synth. In addition, they will offer you great possibilies of making your own arrangements in a one-man-band style. For me, a synth would never allow me to evolve - as a musician - the way the arranger did. I also have little time to play with others, so only the arranger could suit my own needs of doing live solo acts.

You will have to ask yourself what you would like to do with a keyboard. Will you play in a band or alone? Live? Synths (and modules) will give more possibilities on the choice of sounds and samples and can include a sequencer and/or arppegiator that will assist you in composing, but arrangers also frequently include a sequencer and exclusively allow to play with styles (automatic arrangements). If you have more specific questions or something I type wasn't clear enough, go ahead and ask!

In short, arrangers offer you more versatility. Sooner or later, you will find out that arrangers are sometimes regarded by professionals as "toys". A pretty unfair judgement, according to many of us (of course), including myself.

-- José.

[This message has been edited by matias (edited 08-23-2002).]