Ian, Yamaha actually did one better than Korg in this regard, they adopted Karma version 3.0 which from what I hear is more feature rich than the current Korg version 2. The only downside is you need to run Yamaha Karma on a computer midi'ed/tethered to a keyboard.
I wish both Yamaha and Korg would incorporate Karma into an arranger keyboard in ADDITION to using regular styles. That would be Killer and a true composing dream machine. Imagine coming up with a nice Karma scene and then saving it as a standard style and then using that style with embellished Karma effects and then saving that???? WOW!
Al, as Chas has stated above, it is a complex system, and, in my opinion, it needs to be streamlined considerably for use in an arranger keyboard...that is, without losing too much of it's terrific sonic power.
Most arranger users want features that aren't overly complex, and perhaps, by the time the next Tyros or PA-series arrangers are released, Karma can be made a bit less daunting for the average player.
Combining Karma with styles would certainly make the latter far more "interesting" and less predictable and/or repetitive.
Let's hope that Yamaha's/Korg's R&D departments pursue it's utilization in arrangers, and manage to make it more user friendly.
Ian
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