Although you can use a kit instead of the audio loop, it boils down to how GOOD the kit is. And, let’s face it, if the kit sounded as good as the loop, they wouldn’t bother with loops in the first place!

Modern VSTi drum libraries have far more velocity levels, round robins and left hand/right hand samples, and close and room mics. Yes, it’s data intensive, but far less than a piano library or orchestral library, so still within the realms of possibility for a hardware keyboard. The Revo drums in the Genos are starting to show the way (round robins and far more hi hat articulations, for instance) and I think this is the future.

Many of the Ketron’s audio styles seem to share the same basic kit, which is a good thing in one way, leading to good consistency with the styles, but it also begs the question, if so many styles use the same kit, why not ONE super-sampled MIDI kit that could sound damn close to the loop, allowing you the freedom to edit the style’s drum and percussion tracks?

And, if one super kit, why not two or three, a modern kit, a vintage kit, and a brushes/rods kit?

One of my favorite thing to do to pretty up-front in your face styles is to replace the rock kit with brushes, the bass with an upright, the rock guitars with acoustics, all of a sudden you’ve got something that still works, but won’t roar at your audience, just purr quietly! It’s amazing how much further your style selection goes if you can free yourself from the ROM style’s sounds!