As for me, 15 years ago or so, I tried really hard to switch to VSTs. I struggled with latency, the way I played the piano it was quite noticeable, and I thought that upgrading my PC would solve it, but I never got around to do it. I felt that in the end I just want to play music, not to deal with the computer all the time.

The other issue is that, I guess, I have never really been into “synth’s” music.

The thing which is mentioned from time to time but still is sort of unofficial is that Yamaha PSR series is more suitable for a traditional popular music than other lines of keyboards. It is mostly a soft, not aggressive kind of music. And it works for me.

I’ve spent more time with an acoustic piano and guitar than working with synth voices, so this can be just my personal preference.

Today after reading this topic I downloaded xPand2 and started it on my computer. My current PC is a very modest one, so I have some latency. I tried acoustic sounds - pianos and guitars, for example, to my opinion, are rather inferior to ones that Yamaha PSR has (middle range and higher).

I’m not going to judge synth sounds, as I stated, it’s not my area.

I’m afraid that if the goal is to have the most playable acoustic sounds plus a decent backing for them, the TOTL arranger is still a way to go. For those who like to work primarily with synth sounds and experiment with new kinds of music, maybe VSTs are a better option. I don’t want to impose my opinion here, it’s not really an opinion, more like a feeling.

I just don’t know what to do with this software if I feel like composing some song in style of bossanova, for example.

To me Yamaha’s acoustic voices are rather impressive and with each new product they get better. More important is that these voices are responsive to the way you play them, I mean, you can sound through them very emotional. This is something that sometimes gets neglected when people judge one product or another.

And an accompaniment feature is perhaps the most tricky one. It challenges the digital instrument altogether. If one voice of the accompaniment doesn’t work right then it all sounds wrong.

I would love to have it flexible and affordable, but first of all I need it to be playable and stable.

In Russia in terms of weak ruble the prices of the instruments are just shockingly high. And I hate that in order to upgrade my keyboard I have to buy a whole new one. Just to think that the keyboard I have still has a decent set of speakers and there’s no way to use them separately is kind of sad.

But in the end it’s not about making a perfect purchase, it’s about fulfilling my needs and I can compose elsewhere.

So far I’m thinking about buying a new keyboard with nonexistent money and it gives me a headache, but that’s the life, I guess. We have to prioritize.