IMO, there is a big hole in eKo project: the "all software" approach.

You know, why do we like KORG, YAMAHA, ROLAND or whatever brand, even if (very often) their products are not intuitive, and programming is not easy (sometime hard) and there are bugs running here and there?

The answer is because we like how they sound. And sound generation in these machines is not a software only things, but it is supported by dedicated proprietary hardware.

So this eKo keyboard, trying to support almost everything, will not have its personality, and this will become a big obstacle to its diffusion.

Imagine that you go to a concert, and listen to fabulous keyboard sounds. So you go near the stage and take a look at the gear: it is an eKo. So what? What has it inside? Which hardware? Which software?

They said in their video that eKo project is open to other hardware manufacturers, so you can substitute that full-of-knobs panel with something else like, as an example, a sound generator module. But I think that such a thing will very hardly happen. Why should ROLAND (or anyone else) sell a sound module dedicated to the eKo? They will rather sell it as a new Roland product. And, seeing things from Roland perspective, I completely agree with them.

So, this is why (in my opinion) this project will not encounter a big success.
Despite the fact that being able to play Tetris in my keyboard screen sounds attractive!

But, of course, I may be wrong!

Ciao
Riccardo


[This message has been edited by RicFreak (edited 01-28-2003).]