My advice to all of you that REALLY want all these things is to sit down and write a letter to Yamaha. It's that simple. They are a very responsive company, within reason. However, sitting in front of your PC and bitchin and moanin to the forum will accomplish absolutely nothing whatsoever. Me, I love my S-950 - it's a fantastic arranger keyboard, better than anything I've had in the past and it does EVERYTHING I need it to do and does it well. I packed the dancefloor of a small restaurant tonight, got lots and lots of complements on the music and at the end of the job, everyone said they'll be sure to be back the next time I'm performing there. Can't ask for more than that.

Now, I use the MFD and use it a lot. I've never had a problem with it. The USB slot in the back never really bothered me - EVER. The vocal processor has always done a great job with effects other than vocal harmony, but the S-950s vocal harmonies are more than adequate for the vast majority of the singers I know. Hey, the VH isn't a thing that gets used the often, so it's not a deal breaker.

I don't need handles or indents in the side to life the keyboard out of the case and onto the stand, or vise-versa. I just pick it up - it's not heavy and it's not very wide - what the problem?

Now, the key feel for me is irrelevant. When you're out there every day of the week, even just performing one to two hour jobs, those light keys feel great. I never want that old Underwood typewriter feel on my laptop or desktop keys, and I don't need weighted or semi-weighted keys to play good music.

I have written to Yamaha many times and made suggestions, and for the most part I get good positive responses. Like any successful company they cannot bow to every person's demands, but if you look back at the things people have asked for during the past decade, many of those requests have been met in one form or another. So, instead of sitting there bitchin and moanin, compose that letter and send it to Yamaha. Be careful what you ask for, though. And, keep in mind, none of these things are free - there will be a cost associated with those additional features.

Good Luck,

Gary