An interesting topic and a lot of good comments. Will the arranger keyboard as we know it go the way of the home organ? Eventually they probably will. Does that mean arranger instruments will be totally gone? Probably not. There is still a home organ being manufactured today, the Lowery. They sell for some crazy high prices but they do sell. I think there will always be a place for some kind of traditional arranger keyboard.

Will the line between arrangers and workstations continue to get thinner and thinner until only one all-encompassing keyboard evolves out of each instruments best features? Maybe...it is already happening with instruments like the Mediastation; it can be whatever the owner wishes provided there are applications available.

Like several others have already mentioned, the manufacturers need to find a way to market these instruments more effectively. Korg markets the Pa500 as a song writing partner. From personal experience having recently purchased a Pa588 (not for the song writing aspect mind you) I have already written several songs by randomly picking a style and recording what I played in quick-record mode. There is a lot of inspiration to be had from this instrument, or any arranger instrument. I think chances are 99% positive that if you could get a higher-end arranger into the hands of a song writer who otherwise would never consider an arranger keyboard, they would see how useful and inspiring this type of instrument can be.

As for the current arrangers not being up to the task of some of today's music, well that's just not true. It is true if you plan on just using the factory supplied styles and sounds. But if you learn how to create your own styles and edit your own sounds, most any of the mid to high end arrangers would fit the bill. So why don't the manufacturers take on the job of updating styles and sounds? Because they want to sell product. The vast majority of people who can afford a high-end arranger are not interested in the latest in hip hop. For those of you who think that the manufacturers are missing the boat here, then take advantage of their blindness and start creating the styles yourself and sell them on the internet. I don't mean that to sound sarcastic, but serious.

Lastly, regarding sound capabilities. I don't know how extensive the sound editing is on the Tyros 1-3, or the top end Roland arrangers. But I will say that the synth engine of the Pa series is every bit a high-end programmable synthesizer. I have been able to do little programming tricks that some of the workstations I have owned couldn't pull off. This thing is a killer machine!

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band
The Modulators