I guess quite a lot comes down to preference... I am getting the impression from some here that, even if they COULD perform and get paid in a larger, full band, they would still rather perform solo, with either the arranger, SMF's or even MP3's.

I guess that's the line I won't cross! If I get offered a full band gig, I'll take it over a solo any day of the week and twice on Sunday's! I don't mind using the machines to cover for a band if it's understood that it's a stopgap measure. But to take the machine OVER a real band... that's just something that makes me cringe.

I really don't care about how good arrangers get, or SMF's, or even how good the karaoke tracks are. They are going to be the same, night after night (I'm sorry, but slightly varying your chord input to a style that is going to play it the same way don't count, in my book!). But a live band is a living, breathing thing that probably couldn't play it identically on two nights even if it WANTED to!

But.... we all live and work in the real world. If the live band gig doesn't materialize, I'm not going to agonize over using the machines. Again, preference comes into it. All I want out of the machines is the bare-bones backing. Bass, drums, and as little else as I can humanly get away with. The day that I have a hand spare, and let the machine play something tricky or important, just shoot me!