Unfortunately, most arranger keyboard manufacturers spend little or no time at all obtaining input from consumers. And, I sincerely believe that most of the folks in the R&D department have never been in front of an audience as an OMB entertainer or group performer as a musician or singer. Consequently, you end up with features you'll never use, buttons that are rarely accessed by anyone other than someone in a studio setting, and vocal processors that are marginal at best. I'm equally confident that if a manufacturer DID spend some time talking with individual players such as those that frequent this, and other, similar forums, they would come up with a great keyboard that had all the features we've been hoping to see for more than a decade.

The flip side of the coin is that arranger keyboards have so many features that you could literally spend years learning how to effectively use all of them. Keep in mind, however, that most arranger keyboard user manuals are so poorly written that if a novice tries to learn the inner workings of his or her keyboard by reading the instructions, they will go completely insane. Thankfully, forums such as this one, and those dedicated to specific brands of keyboards are loaded with knowledgeable folks that can provide answers to most of the questions not addressed in the manuals.

Cheers,

Gary