I think one of the main achievements that manufacturers must attain in their totl arranger products is "quality" Drum Kits. Let's face it, high end arrangers can cost "thousands" of dollars MORE than your typical top of the line Workstation keyboard e.g. Motif ES/XS etc. If people fork over top dollar for a totl arranger they should expect and get top of the line sounds - including Drums.

The Audya has accomplished that mission but so far the others haven't really, including Yamaha to name just one. Not that I'm picking on them of course.

Portability is at the top of the list too but as it's been mentioned already - if it's light but shabbily made i.e. flimsy, easily scratched or damaged, it will be a big drawback. If manufacturers can succeed in making it light and built like a tank also, then all the better.

Must have the latest technologies i.e. USB 2.0 , etc. And would they PLEASEEEEE!! give us some "decent" amounts of internal memory for once! Flash RAM is incredibly cheap these days yet manufacturers doll out these amazingly (in a bad way) - "paltry" memory amounts that just doesn't make any sense. Nuff said..

A great key bed feel/action is a must as spongy limp keys just don't measure up for most players. There are exceptions of course.

76 or 88 keys is preferable for me and has actually been proven to be preferable for half of all arranger keyboard players worldwide. A fully weighted key bed for the 88 key version would be nice too of course.

Keep the Mod/Pitch wheels (or Stick) at the immediate left of the keys, since that is the most convenient place for it in my opinion. With the Audya you have to 'reach' for them, and because of it, it takes longer and can detract from your performance in my opinion.

Balanced Inputs and Outputs would give arrangers more of a "professional" feel too. A stereo Mic input would be nice also.

A Large LCD display is a must in today's world if you ask me. Yamaha seems to be ahead of the pack in that arena currently, but Korg, Roland, and Ketron each have suitable displays on their totl arrangers. An easily navigable OS is essential as well. If you have a huge LCD display and it's tough as nails to navigate around the OS you might as well keep the LCD dinky instead. Again, Yamaha seems to have the easiest OS layout and functionality on the market. That may soon change with Roland's new offering though. We'll have to wait and see.

The NUMBER ONE priority of any arranger should be the sounds of course. The more realistic the sounds are the greater the chance that an arranger has of accumulating additional sales.

A Sampler with the ability to add AT LEAST a Gig of RAM is essential in today's world too in my opinion. And DDR or DDR2/3 compatibility would be extremely helpful as well. It's getting extremely hard to find PC 100/133 in large sizes today. Bump it up to DDR or DDR2/3 guys.

I could go on and on but I'll spare everyone for the time being. [img]http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/smile.gif[/img] Good thread topic though AJ. [img]http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/cool.gif[/img]

All the best,
Mike