Originally posted by squeak_D: AFG.., I would say the biggest hold back for the MS in the arranger community (and def within the arranger community in the United States).., is OUT OF BOX appeal.
Yes.., there has been a lot of MS bashing here over the years.., and even Dom has been very upfront IMO on some of the issues with the MS too. However.., arranger players 99.99% of the time are looking for that OUT OF BOX unit. Any reasonable person here can clearly see the MS has some serious capabilities (there's no question about that considering the MS is a computer with an amazing custom built midi controller surrounding it).
Where the MS is really hurting is in its PRESET STYLES. Most arranger players ARE NOT looking for a keyboard that OUT OF THE BOX requires a great deal of CONVERTING STYLES from other makers. More work on the MS is placed on CONVERTING STYLES from other makers (using the work that has already been done by another companies style developers, whos blood and sweat went into creating those great styles) rather than Lionstracs actually creating THEIR OWN styles that are at the same quality level of the major brands out there.
The average arranger player (without offending anyone) isn't a style writer. They're looking for an arranger to have strong presets out of the box that require minimal editing (should there be a need to edit a style).
I've always said that given the POWER of the MS and where it currently sits with its features, that the MS is being MARKETED WRONG.
The MS is an AMAZING open source SYNTH/WORKSTATION with the ability to run multiple VST software programs that "soncially" allows the MS as a SYNTH/WORKSTATION to go places where a hardware unit cannot take you.
Because of the quality of the MS's PRESET styles and how much work it takes from the USER in having to CONVERT STYLES FROM OTHER MAKERS the MS as an ARRANGER is SECONDARY. I say it's secondary because for the MS to function using its arranger capabilites as the units PRIMARY then OUT OF THE BOX it MUST without question have PRESET STYLES that compete with the big makers. At this point the MS does not have this.., and requires YOU the USER to do a great deal of work in converting styles from other companies
Until Dom gets a "style development" team together that is capable of producing high quality PRESET styles that sound as good or better than the competition.., then the MS as an arranger will ALWAYS be seen as SECONDARY to the arranger community.
ARRANGERS ARE ABOUT STYLES. A TOP END ARRANGER OUT OF THE BOX MUST HAVE TOP QUALITY STYLES "WRITTEN AND DEVELOPED" BY THE COMPANY WHO MAKES THE KEYBOARD. The MS relies heavily on the work already done by others.
If Dom changed his marketing of the MS and pushed it for what its OBVIOUS strong points are (and that's a killer open source synth/workstation) then the MS would get a lot of attention. If Dom got a good style development team together that could produce styles of the same quality you find on other TOTL arrangers that sound good OUT OF THE BOX then the arranger community would be looking at it with BOTH eyes open rather then looking at the MS with one eye open and the other shut.
[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 06-02-2009).]
Actually the opposite is true. Just follow all the Audya discussions and you hear the cry for detail editing of styles. And the lack of detail editing is a deal breaker and that should cause the price of the Audya to be less.
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