I decided to start a new thread because Sparky didn't want his thread to devolve into a 'live vs recorded' debate, but it IS an interesting subject that people seem to want to express an opinion about. There are those who think that DJ'ing, KJ'ing, SMF's, backing tracks, and yes, arranger style play, is all okay as long as it gets the job done. Clearly, for this group, being a musician is a secondary consideration. How can one stand in front of a crowd, sing to a prerecorded track and then complain about the dominance of DJ's and KJ's. The only difference I can see is that the DJ/KJ will probably do it better, mainly because the original artist he is 'spinning' probably sings better than the semi-amateur OMB. The truth is, the use of arranger keyboards AS arranger keyboards in a professional setting COULD BE considered one of the things that started us down this transitional road from 'live' bands to DJ's and KJ's. We can continue to delude ourselves into thinking that 'arranger' playing is real playing and that very expensive T4 is not REALLY targeted at well-healed but modestly talented amateurs who lack either the time, the will, or the talent, to learn a 'real' instrument and who demand to sound good with the least possible effort.
I have taken a few shots in the past for expressing my opinion on this subject, with comments like "this is an arranger forum, why do bother to participate?" or some variation of that theme. Usually the label 'purist' will be thrown at you, as though it's a dirty word, if you favor any genre' other than the pablum served up by the 'high counsel', aka 'the good guys', the 'PRO's, the guys 'in the trenches'. The truth is, I like (but don’t LOVE) arrangers. I marvel at the technology, admire the talent of the guys and gals(real musicians all) that produce some of the amazing styles found on some of the keyboards, and can even see a use for them outside the home ie as a ‘sketching’ tool for for quick and dirty arrangements. Although they can (and have) been used successfully in OMB when accompanied by strong vocals, I believe they represent a very small minority in most ‘live’ venues (aside from NH’s and Assisted Living facilities). I would not hesitate to go out to see a singer/guitarist (I just watched a fantastic concert on cable with James Taylor, most of which was just vocals and guitar), or a great solo pianist or pianist/singer, but I would never knowingly go out to see an arranger player, no matter how good the ‘product’ sounded. I like the concept of ‘what you see is what you get’. Likewise, I would never take one to a gig, but then, I only play in jazz venues and jazz is all about playing what’s inside your head. What comes out of an arranger is, to a large degree, what comes out of some else’s head.
If I were planning a wedding today and only had a budget for either a OMB or a DJ, I would choose the DJ without hesitation. At least, what you see is what you get.

chas