nah, nothing solid on the new OS front at all -

Sound cut-off still happens if the midi is not programmed to avoid it. No problem for live play as one can adjust a bit...but it's nothing like what there is on the Kronos!! That wee beastie handles this aspect brilliantly well!!

The PA does recognise any markers (with names) that are inserted in DAW software (in my case Sonar X1).

Yes being able to assign a footpedal (even if only to advance to the next) would be quite handy.

But having the CS operated from just two footswitches on the EC5 is a brilliant move imho. One toggles start and stop record and the other toggles start/stop playback...MUCH quicker and easier than fiddling with the buttons. Just that one feature alone justifies the price (cheap) of the EC5!!