But that's the point I made, James... even though the USER may not have access to these more advanced voice editing capabilities, the factory programmer for Yamaha or Roland DOES...

And I think that you both put too much emphasis on the 'Synth' aspect of the arranger. In all fairness, arrangers in the most part have been primarily ROMplers rather than full on synths. Korg IS the only game in this area, and kudos to them for it, but I hardly think it's fair to criticize the rest for not being this niche product, any more than it's fair to criticize the Korg for not having integrated audio loops, or Mega voices, or a full on CX-3 Hammond sim...

By the time you put EVERYTHING you could possibly want in an arranger, none of us could afford it!

WS's are designed for what the MAJORITY of users want in it, which is why you'll probably never see a full on arranger engine in there. And arrangers are designed for what the MAJORITY of arrangers users want in it, which is why it is rare to see full on WS capabilities, either.

BOTH of you are sound designers and style creators first and foremost, rather than entertainers or gigging pros, from what I gather. That makes you VERY different from the majority of arranger users. Expecting the arranger industry to follow your needs rather than that of the majority is an exercise in futility... Trust me on this one! There's PLENTY that I'd like to see in an arranger (Chord Sequencer, full MIDI codes to name just a few!) that seems to get basically a yawn from most here...

Join the club...