Sorry, Bill, but I think you place far too much value in whatever is hyped as 'new'. As far as I am concerned, playing exactly the same samples through what might allegedly be a new synth engine (which, as of yet, no-one has released any details about what exactly IS new about it... I personally am skeptical, as new engines usually come from new WS's engines, and the FantomG line isn't any kind of serious step up from the previous Fantom) doesn't make it significantly better. It's kind of like playing the exact same CD through a slightly better hi-fi... Yes, it MIGHT be a BIT better, but there's no doubt it is exactly the same CD...

The Atelier's Articulated voices completely failed to gobsmack me, unlike most of the SA/SA2 voices. And those were the ONLY things I have heard in the Atelier that weren't obvious lifts from the G70.

And there isn't a single thing in any of the Atelier's technical specs that indicates an engine any different from the basic Fantom/G70 engine. The thing is, a Bugatti Veyron looks MUCH faster when you are standing next to it... I think it is simply all too easy to be impressed by the sheer majesty of an organ (and it's sound system), and there's a definite tendency to look for reasons why it is SO expensive.

All too often, we attribute things to it that simply don't bear up to hard objective facts. Is there ANYWHERE that this new engine is discussed in any detail? From Roland's own Atelier page http://www.rolandatelier.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=933 the only thing that seems any improvement over the Fantom engine is polyphony, which would tend to support the idea of multiple sound engines. I think a bit of stat padding is going on here, as the VK organ section's polyphony is at least 61 notes simultaneous, the Rodgers organ section most likely has it's own substantial polyphony, and I doubt the G70 derived section probably doesn't exceed 128.

But other than the articulated sounds (whoopee! a whole FOUR of them! T3 must be quaking in it's boots ), most of those voice stats are actually poorer than a G70. Far fewer sounds. 450 or so compared with 1500. 18 drum sets as opposed to 48 in the G70. And this is just stock. Add an SRX card to the G70, you have added hundreds more voices and some more new kits (depending on which SRX card you get).

Let's look at the sequencer. 7 tracks in the Atelier 16 in the G70. No onboard SSHD to store everything.

I'm sorry, but just reading all this, I simply get the impression this is a flute/pipe/theater organ with a stripped down G70 tacked on. Roland certainly have released NO information that indicates any radical new technology. You would think they would, were it so groundbreaking... I have read Roland's entire ad copy for the AT900C, and there isn't word ONE about any new next generation voice technology. Just exactly where did YOU get this? Some salesman tell you?